Instant Analysis: Will Shipley, Barrett Carter standouts as Tigers clinch outright crown

Clemson's defense stepped up against the Cardinals.

by Nikki Hood - Staff Writer - Sat Nov 12 19:03:35 GMT-04:00 2022

CLEMSON – Nobody does Military Appreciation Day better than Clemson, and it was perfect.

On a day when Clemson honored the true heroes, the tenth-ranked Tigers held a hot Louisville team in check on the way to a 31-16 win.

Clemson improved to 9-1 overall and 7-0 in the ACC to claim the Atlantic Division title outright. Louisville fell to 6-4 overall and 3-4 in conference.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Phil Mafah, Will Shipley, and Antonio Williams were game-changers Saturday night. With his 25-yard run and hurdle into the endzone, Shipley was by far the game's highlight. He finished the night with 19 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown.

Mafah had ten carries for 106 yards to lead Clemson, including a 39-yard touchdown run with 2:13 remaining.

Williams made several big catches that kept drives alive and has become one of DJ Uiagalelei's most trusted receivers. The freshman wideout finished the game with ten catches for 83 yards and a touchdown.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: In what may have been Clemson's most complete game defensively, many defensive players stood out, but Barrett Carter had maybe the best game of his young career. Carter had eight tackles – six solo – two sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, a pass breakup, and capped off his stellar day with an interception just under six minutes to play in the game.

STAT OF THE GAME: The teams combined to fumble the ball seven times. Louisville lost one, and Clemson lost two.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED:

*Middle Eight – Clemson got the ball back with 4:29 to play before halftime and put together a perfectly executed scoring drive. Shipley carried the ball on the first two plays of the drive for 17 yards. Uiagalelei then hit Davis Allen and Brannon Spector for completions of 14 and 11 yards. Pass interference on third down kept the drive alive. Two plays later, Uiagalelei hit Williams across the middle for a four-yard touchdown and a 17-7 lead with under a minute to play before intermission.

*Ship did what? – Mafah and Shipley took over on Clemson's first drive of the second half. Mafah had a 25-yard gain on the drive's second play to put the Tigers at the Louisville 43-yard line. After a series of short completions, Shipley hit a hole in the middle of the line, hurdled a Louisville defender, and split two more Cards on his way to a 25-yard touchdown to extend Clemson's lead to 24-7.

UP NEXT:Clemson hosts Miami in the second game of the three-game homestand to finish the 2022 regular season slate. The time will be announced by Sunday.

Miami beat Georgia Tech to improve to 6-5.

Louisville returns home to host No. 17 NC State.