mathematically eligible to climb four spots into the po

CLEMSON, S.C. --?Ben Boulware wept when it ended. His bushy beard technically contains no gray, but hes one of Clemsons true graybeards, a player who has seen a lot and felt a lot.The senior linebacker is no stranger to big stages and worthy opponents.But the stress of 99 plays landed on him. The stress of Lamar Jackson, a human pinball, hit him like an emotional haymaker. Imagine going from logging 52 plays against Georgia Tech to nearly twice as many against Louisville.Im stressed, but Im stressed in a good way because Im so prepared mentally, Boulware said. Im stressed because I know how big of a game it is, but Im comfortable in my game. So Im stressed but comfortable, if that even makes sense.It does. The ability to endure one but maintain the other separates champions from also-rans. Who flinches under the brightest of lights? It used to be the guys in orange. They did it so often that they popularized a putdown in college footballs lexicon, a word never to be mentioned in Death Valley again.Fifth-ranked Clemson wins games like Saturdays because it has won them before. Third-ranked Louisville fell short in part because it flinched one too many times, committing 11 penalties, opening the game with two false starts and drawing another at the worst possible time, on a fourth-and-7 from the Clemson 9-yard line with 40 seconds left.Amid a sea of orange revelers on the field following the 42-36 triumph over Louisville, Clemson co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott immediately brought up last years win against Notre Dame.The two contests seemingly couldnt be more different. One took place in a deluge; the other in perfect conditions. Clemson and Notre Dame combined for 46 points; Clemson and Louisville surpassed that total midway through the third quarter Saturday. Clemson never trailed Notre Dame; it twice erased deficits to Louisville, including one in the closing minutes.But the dramatic arc, and the outcome, felt familiar to the Tigers.Eerily similar, co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said.The Notre Dame win propelled Clemson to an undefeated regular season, an ACC championship and a playoff spot. The Louisville win could chart a similar path, especially if Clemson outlasts suddenly reeling Florida State in Tallahassee on Oct. 29.Clemson brought its guts to Death Valley again, but it also brought plenty of reference points -- mostly good but a few bad, including the loss to Alabama in the national title game -- that made the difference in a wild, wonderful, sloppy, scintillating game.Theres not a team meeting coach [Dabo] Swinneys had that he doesnt bring two signs, Scott said. The first sign he brings in to the team meeting for the last eight years is Believe, a big orange Believe sign. And the other sign is I cant do it with a line through the T. Its every day, instilling that belief with the group.And winning games like this.Swinney, now 10-5 against top-10 opponents, still gets slightly irked by suggestions that being clutch is a new trait for his program. He cites Clemsons streak of consecutive 10-win seasons since 2011, and its home win streak, now the nations longest at 19 after Florida States defeat Saturday. Most Tigers players dont know what its like to lose at home.So why not rally after withstanding a 17-point Louisville barrage in the third and early fourth quarter? Why not get contributions from familiar sources (Deshaun Watson, Wayne Gallman, defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, Boulware) but also new ones, like cornerback Marcus Edmond, a scout team player as recently as last year who stopped Louisvilles James Quick just shy of the marker on fourth-and-12 from the Clemson 14-yard line?Why not win 119 in a row? Swinney said. Why not? Lets just keep doing what we do around here. I dont think theres any question that the culture of our program thats been established the last eight years was big tonight.Because theyve been there.Clemson can get back there, the national title game, if it can build on Saturdays flawed but gritty performance. Last week, Elliott challenged the offense to define its identity rather than be defined by the outside world, which raised an eyebrow at Clemsons choppy run game and Watsons mortal statistics.The Tigers proceeded to spark their run game behind Gallman and Watson, who combined for 201 yards on 30 carries, both averaging at least 6.5 yards per rush. They showcased their depth in the passing game as Deon Cain (four catches, 98 yards) and tight end Jordan Leggett (three catches, 70 yards) both had big contributions on a night when Ray-Ray McCloud was quiet.Last year was the standard, and I dont know if that can be duplicated, 100 straight games over 500 yards, Elliott said. But we have an opportunity to be a very explosive offensive. Whats our identity going to be? We found out a little bit about that tonight.We can be an offense thats very similar to last year, but it may not happen the same way.Clemson isnt shy about its goals.Were trying to go undefeated, Edmond said.If the Tigers can take down Florida State, which continues to battle its defensive demons, another perfect regular season seems more than reasonable. Pittsburghs offense will provide a nice test Nov. 12, and North Carolina or Miami could challenge the Tigers in the ACC title game, but Clemson probably has cleared its biggest hurdle in Louisville and Jackson, who overcame early errors to show why he became the face of college football in September.The Cardinals star finished with 295 pass yards, 162 rush yards and three touchdowns.Best player Ive ever played against in my entire life, Boulware said. But we found a way to win.Barefoot in the tunnel outside Clemsons locker room, Boulware was spent. Practice looms later Sunday, and a short week of preparation before a trip to Boston College.As a competitor, you want to be in as stressful an environment as possible, Boulware said.Stressed but comfortable. It might not be as catchy or hashtaggable as Bring Your Own Guts, but for this Clemson team, itll do. Martin St. Louis Jersey .5 seconds to play in the game, Kevin Love never stopped believing that they would come out of there with a win. Tampa Bay Lightning Jerseys . -- Playing time has been limited for Maxim Tissot this season, so the Montreal Impact defender made the most of his first scoring opportunity on Saturday. http://www.hockeylightning.com/authentic-ryan-mcdonagh-lightning-jersey/ . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. Steven Stamkos Jersey . -- Stanford squashed Oregons national championship hopes again, schooling the Ducks in power football. Vincent Lecavalier Jersey . The 31-year-old Spain midfielder hasnt played since Madrid lost in the Copa del Rey final to Atletico Madrid in May due to back and foot injuries. The San Antonio Stars are in the final stretch of a dreadful season, but they bring a modicum of momentum -- thanks to a rare victory -- into Tuesdays road game against the Connecticut Sun.The Stars (6-19) have the fewest wins in the WNBA, but surprised Washington on Sunday with an 85-74 victory in the nations capital. The 11-point victory provided San Antonio with its largest margin of victory this season and snapped a six-game losing streak. The Stars forged a 23-point halftime lead against the Mystics, saw the advantage drop to as low as seven points in the third quarter but pulled it together in the fourth to claim the win.Tuesdays contest in Uncasville, Conn., will be another chance for San Antonio, which is still mathematically eligible to climb four spots into the postseason, to play spoiler against a team that also has a chance to qualify for the postseason in the WNBAs new playoff scenario. The top eight teams, regardless of conference in the 12-team league, will qualify for the postseason.ddddddddddddSan Antonio has not won back-to-back games this season.Washington and Seattle are currently tied for the final spot, with Connecticut, Dallas and San Antonio on the outside looking in with the season in its final three weeks.Connecticut has beaten the Stars twice this season, but the victories were not decisive. The Sun won by four points in San Antonio on May 19 and by three on June 19 in Uncasville.The Sun (9-17), who lost to Atlanta 87-73 on Sunday to snap a three-game winning streak, consider this game against San Antonio a must-win. With the hill Connecticut has to climb and a final eight-game run that features six games against teams currently above them on in the standings, losing to the worst team in the league at home would be disappointing. ' ' '