CLEMSON, S.C. -- Saturday night had turned into Sunday morning, but you couldn't tell that to the thousands of fans lingering on the field at Memorial Stadium.

Last year this game was nearly rained out, and those who came sat through a torrential downpour to see their Clemson Tigers "B.Y.O.G." ("Bring Your Own Guts) and outlast Notre Dame in a win that set the course for the memorable 2015 run. This time the sold-out primetime tilt was taking place on a beautiful early October night, and no one wanted the evening to end.

Outside in the parking lots, the larger-than-life tailgate setups were still rocking. The traffic was bad, and many fans took advantage of ESPN's decision to replay the game -- and I get it, when you've just experienced a peak like that as a fan you'd rather re-live the experience than sit in traffic. Trying to bottle the emotion of the moment is tough, especially when this Clemson team preaches consistency and attacks each game with a even-keeled focus. Three moments, though, decided the outcome of this game, and the Tigers were ready to talk about the execution in those moments after the game.

1. Marcus Edmond's game-winning stop on fourth down

Redshirt junior Marcus Edmond is a first-year starter in the secondary, but no one is going to forget his name after Saturday night's performance. Edmond had 11 tackles (eight solo), with six stops coming in the fourth quarter. During the timeout before Louisville's fourth down try at the end of the fourth quarter, Edmond said Brent Venables "didn't have to say much."

"We knew we had to make a stop. It's the last play, you've got to do it," Edmond said after the game.

Lamar Jackson extended the play and found James Quick wide open in a patch of turf to his left. Quick got the ball in space and made a run for the first down marker inside the five yard line.

"I knew I could get there in time, it's just the fact of making the tackle, play my leverage," Edmond said. "We work a drill like that in practice."

Clemson and Louisville have only played three times, ever, all in the last three seasons since the Cardinals joined the ACC Atlantic. All three years, the game has been decided by one score with Louisville holding the ball last, trying to get that go-ahead or game-tying score to knock off their division rivals.

"We knew it was going to come down to three plays, maybe. That was one of those plays, play was made, game was decided," he said, later adding, "We had it all on the line. We're trying to go undefeated. We're going to do whatever it takes, put all our energy, everything we had to make those plays."

2. Clemson's touchdown drive before halftime, taking a 28-10 lead

When a game of this magnitude is decided by just six points, you review every play to find hidden yards and points. Just before halftime, Clemson got the ball with 31 seconds left and could have, as many observers noted, chosen to take a knee and carry that 21-10 lead to the locker room. But after watching Lamar Jackson chew up yards and clock on a 13-play drive -- that, as a credit to Clemson's defense did end in a field goal -- the Tigers coaching staff decided to steal one more scoring drive before halftime.

Watson's execution on the drive was perfect. He threw two passes to Mike Williams and two passes to Artavis Scott on a four-play, 73-yard touchdown drive. Dabo Swinney beamed with pride when asked about the drive after the game. Co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott was a little more measured, describing the confidence among the coaching in being aggressive with those last 30 seconds before halftime in a tight game.

"We practice two-minute drives every week in practice, understanding that we're a fast-paced up-tempo team and if we get enough time on the clock we can go down and score. The biggest thing was trying to put pressure on their defense and help our defense out," Elliott said.

"We wanted to be aggressive. Aggressive worked for us early in the game, but we're at our best when we can dictate the pace of the game, be aggressive, throw the ball when we want to, run the ball when we want to."

3. The Carlos Watkins-powered three-and-out, and the ensuing game-winning TD

Clemson is now 56-1 under Dabo Swinney when taking the lead in the fourth quarter. But the Tigers may have never been able to wrestle that lead away from Louisville if not for the play of Carlos Watkins. On a defensive line that's filled with young blue chip talent, Watkins stands out for his experience. The 6-3, 305-pound redshirt senior has been a regular contributor during Clemson's rise to the top, so it was only perfect that he made two huge plays on the biggest defensive stand of the night.

Trailing 36-28 in the fourth quarter, Clemson got a quick touchdown set up by a 77-yard Artavis Scott kickoff return. After a failed two-point try to tie, the Tigers' defense took the field needing a stop to get the ball back in Deshaun Watson's hands. At that point in the game, every single second half Louisville drive ended in a touchdown or a field goal.

Watkins elevated his play in the biggest moment and forced himself in between Lamar Jackson and a path to the ACC championship. He recorded a quarterback hurry on second down and then deflected Jackson's pass on fourth down to force the first three-and-out of the second half. Clemson gained that fourth quarter advantage thanks a hard run after the catch from Jordan Leggett on a 31-yard touchdown reception.

"You talk about running with a purpose," Swinney chuckled after the game.

The sense of purpose that Clemson was able to find on the final play, just before halftime and on that all-important three-and-out powered the Tigers' epic win against Louisville and could end up defining their 2016 season.