CLEMSON, S.C. -- Lamar Jackson might still win the Heisman Trophy.
And Clemson and quarterback Deshaun Watson might still win a national title.
Watson, who had been overshadowed by the Louisville quarterback's exploits through the season's first four games, reminded Saturday night that he has Heisman-caliber talent as well, throwing five touchdown passes and rushing for 91 yards as No. 5 Clemson rallied for a 42-36 victory over the third-ranked Cardinals.
In a game of dramatic swings, Clemson's victory wasn't secure until cornerback Marcus Edmond knocked Louisville wide receiver James Quick out of bounds at the 3-yard line -- one yard short of a first down -- on a fourth-down play with 33 seconds to play.
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"They brought pressure and Lamar knew where he needed to go with the ball," Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said. "He just came up a yard short."
The Tigers (5-0, 2-0 ACC) won a school-record 19th consecutive home game despite committing a season-high five turnovers.
Louisville (4-1, 2-1) remained winless in three games against Clemson since joining the ACC three years ago. Each of the three games has been decided by seven points or less and come down to the final play in each instance, but Saturday night's might have been the most dramatic.
"What an awesome moment to be a part of," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. "It was a fun game to be a part of -- most of the time. It was incredible. That's what makes college football so much fun."
The victory, which unfolded in front of a raucous crowd of 83,362 at Memorial Stadium, gave Clemson -- last year's national runner-up -- an early inside track to an ACC Atlantic Division title and College Football Playoff berth.
Clemson's defense was stifling in the first half, sacking Jackson -- who had only been sacked three times in the Cardinals' first four games -- four times in the first 30 minutes.
Clemson's offense, which had turned in sub-par performances in the Tigers' first four games, got off to a solid start as well, building a 28-10 halftime lead behind Watson, who had three first-half touchdown passes to go along with a 24-yard touchdown jaunt by running back Wayne Galllman.
Jackson and the Cardinals' high-powered offense responded in a big way in the second half, scoring 26 straight points to grab a 36-28 lead with 7:52 remaining. Jackson, who finished with 162 yards rushing on 31 carries, had scoring runs of 1 and 11 yards during the uprising as well as an 8-yard touchdown pass to Quick.
"That quarterback is a handful," Swinney said. "He's a running back. Unfortunately, he touches it every play."
But Watson and the Clemson offense had the final say. Artavis Scott's 77-yard kickoff return set up Watson's 20-yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams with 7:06 left. Then after Clemson's defense forced a three-and-out, Watson completed 5 of 6 passes on the winning 85-yard drive that culminated with a 31-yard strike from Watson to tight end Jordan Leggett.
Watson completed 20 of 31 passes for 306 yards and rushed 14 times for 91 yards. Gallman had 110 yards on 16 carries on his 22nd birthday.
Jackson completed 27 of 44 passes for 295 yards and a touchdown.
"It's a tough loss," Petrino said. "I am very proud of our team and the way we competed in the second half. We got back in the game, took the lead and weren't able to finish it. It's a real tough loss."
Louisville, which entered the game averaging 63.5 points and 682 yards per game, totaled 568 yards but averaged a season-low 5.7 yards per play while Clemson averaged 8.2 yards per play.
Quick had 83 yards on seven receptions and Cole Hikutini also had seven catches for 84 yards. Running back Brandon Radcliff had 69 rushing yards on 13 attempts for Louisville, which will return to action on Oct. 14 by hosting Duke.
Senior linebacker Ben Boulware was a force for Clemson, logging a career-high 18 tackles, including three tackles for loss, and safety Van Smith had 16 stops.
Clemson's defense, which entered the game ranked No. 3 nationally, had 10 tackles for loss, including three sacks.
The Tigers, who are 14-2 in their last 16 games decided by seven points or less, travel to Boston College to play the Eagles on Friday.
NOTES: Clemson S Jadar Johnson had his team-leading third interception of the season with 6:37 left in the first half. ...RB Wayne Gallman had 110 yards rushing to move into ninth place on Clemson's career rushing list with 2,662 yards. ... TE Jordan Leggett's 31-yard touchdown catch made him the Clemson career leader in touchdowns by a tight end with 13. ... QB Deshaun Watson improved to 23-2 in 24 games as a starter, the best winning percentage in school history. ... Louisville S Chucky Williams was credited with three takeaways against Clemson -- an interception and two fumble recoveries. ... S Josh Harvey-Clemons, who leads Louisville with 7.3 tackles per game, had a team-high 11 tackles against Clemson. ... LB James Hearns is 10th in the nation with 4.5 sacks.
