LOUISVILLE, Ky. _ Kelly Bryant continues to pass tests and the Tigers continue to pile up wins.
Clemson's junior quarterback outplayed Heisman winner Lamar Jackson Saturday night as the Tigers pounded Louisville 47-21 in front of 55,588 fans at Papa John's Stadium, the second-largest crowd in stadium history.
Bryant was phenomenal in leading the Tigers to a second consecutive win over a top 15 team in the first road start of his career, passing for 316 yards, rushing for 26 more and finishing with three total touchdowns.
Clemson's defense kept Jackson contained for the most of the night as the Cardinals managed only seven points through the first three quarters before Louisville added a few scores in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach.
The teams traded touchdowns in the first quarter with Bryant scoring on an 8-yard run and Jackson finding Charles Standberry for an 11-yard score, but it was all Clemson from that point forward. The Tigers scored the next 26 points and led 33-7 entering the fourth quarter.
THREE POINTS
Star of the game: Kelly Bryant. All of the talk entering the game was centered on Jackson, but it was Bryant who made more plays with his arm and legs.
Play of the game: Bryant found receiver Ray-Ray McCloud wide open down the right sideline for a 79-yard score in the second quarter to give the Tigers a 16-7 lead. It was the longest play by Clemson since 2013.
Stat of the game: 2. Clemson had two plays of 79-plus yards as Travis Etienne scored on an 81-yard run in the fourth quarter.
OBSERVATIONS
Clemson is a title contender: The Tigers look more than capable of repeating as national champions after passing a pair of big tests early in the season.
Bryant a star: Deshaun Watson tweeted out during the game that Bryant will be better than him. I'm not ready to say that yet, but he was mighty impressive on Saturday.
