No. 25 Clemson 23, Louisville 17: Adam Humphries returned a punt for a touchdown and Tavaris Barnes scored on a fumble return as the host Tigers overcame the loss of quarterback DeShaun Watson and held off the Cardinals in the final minute.

Clemson (4-2, 3-1 ACC) won the first-ever matchup with new conference member Louisville (5-2, 3-2) despite Watson leaving the game with a hand injury in the first quarter. Former starting quarterback Cole Stoudt went 20-for-33 for 162 yards and Ammon Lakip kicked three second-half field goals as the Tigers finished with just 229 yards of total offense and went 2-for-16 on third down.

However, the Clemson defense held Louisville to 1-for-17 on third-down conversions, batting down Will Gardner’s fourth-down pass from the Clemson 2 with 21 seconds remaining. Gardner returned after missing the past two games, completing 10-of-16 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown in relief of an ineffective Reggie Bonnafon, and the Cardinals intercepted two passes to bolster their nation-leading total to 14.

Lakip booted a 45-yard field goal six minutes into the second half to give Clemson a 17-10 lead, but the Cardinals rallied on Gardner’s game-tying 22-yard touchdown pass to Eli Rogers with 5:27 left in the period. Lakip closed the third with a 40-yard field goal and added a 21-yarder with 1:24 to play, but Gardner hit James Quick for a 73-yard pass to the Clemson 8 with 1:08 remaining before the Tigers knocked down Gardner’s pass on fourth-and-goal from the 2.

Both teams combined for just 163 yards of total offense in the first half with 10 first downs and three turnovers. Humphries put Clemson ahead 7-0 with a 72-yard touchdown just 62 seconds into the contest, and after John Wallace’s 41-yard field goal and Dominique Brown’s 2-yard run put the Cardinals ahead 10-7, Barnes scooped up a fumble and scored from 2 yards out for a 14-10 Tigers’ advantage midway through the second period.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Watson – who has passed for 12 touchdowns this season – left the game after completing a pass to Wayne Gallman, finishing 2-for-6 for minus-5 yards and an interception. … Bonnafon, who passed for 380 yards the past two games, finished 5-of-13 for 62 yards. … Clemson’s Victor Beasley became the school’s all-time sack leader, recording the 29th of his career in the first half.