For Clemson, belief continues to be more important than momentum

Momentum is as dangerous a weapon as there is in football. One shift can turn a game completely around. But for Clemson, belief is more important than momentum at the end of games.

For the third time in three years, Clemson’s defense had its back against the wall Saturday night against Louisville, needing a goal line stop to preserve a win. And for the third time, the Tigers got the stop they needed to emerge victorious.

Two years ago, Louisville trailed Clemson 23-17 with about a minute remaining, drove to the Clemson 1-yard line and had three downs to gain a yard. The Cardinals were unable to do so.

Last season, Notre Dame rallied from an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit to come within a 2-point conversion of tying the game in the final seconds. Clemson got the stop it needed.

Saturday night, Louisville scored 26 straight points to open the second half and turn an 18-point deficit into an 8-point lead.

The Cardinals had scored on six straight scoring drives before Clemson forced a three-and-out to set up Deshaun Watson’s touchdown pass to Jordan Leggett to put the Tigers ahead.

On the ensuing possession, Louisville marched down the field and drove the ball inside the Clemson 5 before Marcus Edmond shoved James Quick out of bounds on fourth down one yard short of the line to gain to secure the victory.

“I could coach another 30 years and may not have that happen again. To have that happen three years in a row, that’s pretty unbelievable and speaks a lot to the type of guys that we have and the belief that they have and a never-say-die attitude,” Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. “They had us on the ropes, and thankfully we found a way to get it done.”

Saturday’s win over Louisville was probably the most unlikely of the three because of the way the second half played out.

Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson looked unstoppable in the second half, slipping through a small hole to break off a long run or finding the open man when the Tigers blitzed – at times because they had no other choice.

“I was like, ‘Please, let me blitz. I’m not going to be able to cover. … My legs are dead,’” Tigers linebacker Ben Boulware said of what was going through his head at the end of the game.

The senior played all 99 defensive snaps and admitted he was “by far” the most exhausted he’s ever been after a game. Boulware said several of his teammates felt the same way.

“I was talking to Kendall (Joseph) and I was like, ‘Dude, I’m hurting right now. I’m going to need you to bring me along.’ He said, ‘Dude, I’m hurting too,’ ” Boulware recalled.

Still, Clemson’s defense wanted a chance to decide the game in the closing minutes, partly because the unit has been successful in similar situations in the past.

Clemson bent, but didn’t break, and passed perhaps its biggest test of the regular season.

“Everybody on our defense, as a competitor you want to be in the most stressful situations. You prepare so much for that moment. I think everybody was glad it was put on our hands,” Boulware said. “We just find a way to win no matter what the circumstance, no matter what happens, no matter who we’re going against. We’re going to find a way to win.”

It is that kind of belief that has Clemson well on its way to another ACC Atlantic title, and likely a spot in the College Football Playoff.

This story was originally published October 2, 2016 at 8:23 PM with the headline "For Clemson, belief continues to be more important than momentum."