CLEMSON, S.C. – Louisville had hoped to achieve several firsts this season. Despite the adversity of the past month that eliminated the Cardinals from the ACC title game, they cheerfully celebrated their first win over No. 11 Clemson on Saturday night.

Isaac Brown ran for a career-high 151 yards and a game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter, and quarterback Tyler Shough somersaulted into the end zone to give the Cardinals the lead and secure their 33-21 victory, ending an 0-8 Career mark to be broken against the Cardinals Tigers.

“I think it’s special,” said defensive lineman Ashton Gillotte, a senior who lost twice to the Tigers. “I think the boys were waiting for this. I think it feels good to have that stamp and make a mark on history.”

And the way the Cardinals (6-3, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) played, the result really wasn't that close.

Brown and Shough handled the offense as Louisville stopped the Tigers on downs deep in their own territory, blocked two field goals and recovered both onside kicks after Clemson's desperate fourth-quarter rally.

“Our players and coaches fought all week,” Louisville coach Jeff Brohm said. “It wasn't perfect, it wasn't easy, but we kept fighting. We have guys that continue to improve and play hard.”

Those were qualities Brohm hoped could lead Louisville back to the ACC title game, where it lost to Florida State last year, and perhaps even to the College Football Playoff.

After a 3-0 start, the Cardinals lost three of their next five games and were eliminated from contention. They showed in this game that there is still a lot to do.

“Going on the road in that environment against a really good team that was hot,” Brohm said at Clemson. “We made plays, we played tempo, we got stops, we were solid in our defensive play, just a lot of things.”

One of those was Brown, a freshman who had his fourth game with 100 or more rushing yards. He has 847 yards this season, within striking distance of Heisman Trophy winner and two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson's school record of 960 yards for a freshman in 2015.

When the Tigers got within 26-14 midway through the final period, Brown ended any hope of a rally with a 45-yard touchdown run.

Shough, the Cardinals' quarterback, gave them the lead for good in the second quarter with a 4-yard shot and finished with a somersault into the end zone for a 10-7 lead.

Brock Travelstead capped his career with four field goals as Louisville qualified for a bowl game.

The Cardinals also seriously dashed Clemson's hopes of playing for an ACC title and reaching the College Football Playoff. The Tigers (6-2, 5-1) were among four undefeated ACC teams entering the week and will now have to rely on outside help in the final month of the season.

“We are no longer in control of our destiny, which is really sad,” Clemson safety RJ Mickens said. “But we are craftsmen, that is our job, that is what we do. I feel like the guys are going to show up and do their best no matter what our record is.”

Travelstead, who made 9 of 15 field goals this season, made shots of 21, 42, 40 and 49 yards, matching his career high, which he achieved twice last season.

Clemson tailback Phil Mafah had 171 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

“We didn’t play our best game tonight and we didn’t deserve the win,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “We looked like a very poorly coached team tonight. That’s up to me.”

The takeaway food

Louisville: The Cardinals' defense has been the weak point during their 2/3 deficit after a 3-0 start, allowing nearly 33 points per game over the last five games. But Louisville had more than enough to overwhelm the Tigers, including a fourth-and-1 in the third quarter as Clemson desperately tried to keep a drive alive.

Clemson: The Tigers dug themselves out of a hole after losing to Georgia in the season opener before falling behind again against Louisville. Even winning their last four games is no guarantee that they will play for the championship title.

Perry's status

Linebacker Ben Perry lay on the field for some time in the first half before being brought alone to the sideline. But he was soon placed on a stretcher with his neck stabilized and taken to an ambulance for examinations.

Brohm didn't know about his condition, but Perry celebrated Louisville's win on social media.

Shough's flip

Louisville's Shough wasn't expecting to get airborne for his score, but when he saw the defenders closing in, he thought, 'Either I drive it or I jump.' I'm just going to jump here,” he said . “In the end it worked. It was still fun. I still have it in me.”

Next

Louisville has the day off before traveling to Stanford on November 16th.

Clemson plays Virginia Tech next Saturday.

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