Cal Football Game Summary: Bears Lose to Clemson

Cal lost to Clemson 24-10 before a crowd of 41,778 Friday night in Berkeley.

Cal running back Adam Mohammed left the game with a knee injury with 12:31 left in the third quarter and did not return. Cal coach Tosh Lupoi did not have an update after the game but thought Mohammed would be all right.

Cal did not score an offensive touchdown, its only touchdown coming on a fumble return.

The game summary:

CLEMSON 24, CAL 10

RECORDS: CAL (2-2, 1-1 ACC), CLEMSON (3-1, 2-0 ACC)

Player of the Game

Clemson running back Gideon Davison. Davidson finished with 159 rushing yards and two touchdowns and his 75-yard touchdown run with 2:59 left in the fourth quarter clinched the win..

Turning Points

Turning Point I: With 12:31 left in the third quarter and Cal trailing 10-7, Cal running back Adam Mohammed suffered a left-knee injury, and he did not play for the rest of the game. He had 51 rushing yards and 30 receiving yards when he left the game.

Turning Point II: With 3:57 left in the third quarter and the score tied 10-10, Clemson's Bryant Wesco Jr. returned a low, short Angus Davies punt 65 yards for a touchdown that gave the Tigers a 17-10 lead.

KEY PLAY 1: Cal’s Isaiah Crosby intercepted a Tait Reynolds pass, which, after a Bears penalty on the return, gave Cal the ball at its own 19-yard line with 13:09 left in the first quarter.

KEY PLAY 2: Clemson’s Elliot Washington II intercepted a Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele pass, giving the Tigers the ball at its own 25-yard line with 12:05 remaining in the first quarter.

KEY PLAY 3: On a fourth-and-2 play from the Clemson 26-yard line, Cal’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele threw a pass that was deflected at the line of scrimmage and fell incomplete, turning ball over the Clemson with 5:50 to go in the first quarter.

KEY PLAY 4: Clemson quarterback Tait Reynolds was tackled by Cal safety Aiden Manutai for a 4-yard loss. Manutai’s tackle also forced a Reynolds fumble that was recovered by Cal’s Kamar Mothudi, who returned it 35 yards for a touchdown. It gave Cal a 7-0 lead with 5:15 left in the first quarter. (A replay showed that the fumble nearly occurred after Reynolds was down, but the call on the field of a fumble and a touchdown was upheld.)

SCOOPED IT 🤑@kamar_mothudi takes it to the endzone for six to get the Bears on the board.

📺 @espn #GoBears pic.twitter.com/Zf4V71EFt8
— Cal Football (@CalFootball) September 26, 2026

KEY PLAY 5: Clemson’s Nolan Hauser kicked a 30-yard field goal to cut the Cal lead to 7-3 on the first play of the second quarter, but Clemson failed to score a touchdown on that possession after having a first down at the Cal 4-yard line.

KEY PLAY 6: Two pivotal fourth-down plays led to a 1-yard touchdown run by Clemson’s Gideon Davidson, giving Clemson a 10-7 lead with 5:37 remaining in the second quarter. Earlier in that possession, Clemson faced a fourth-and-4 at the Cal 37-yard line, and Clemson lined up as if to attempt for a 55-yard field goal, but kicker Nolan Hauser punted the ball instead. However, Cal’s Niles Davis was offsides on the play, giving Clemson a first down at the 32. Later in that drive, Clemson faced a fourth-and-3 at the Cal 24-yard line, and instead of attempting a field goal, Tait Reynolds completed a 7-yard pass to Christian Bentancur for another first down to the 17.

KEY PLAY 7: Cal’s Chase Meyer attempted a 51-yard field goal that was short, keeping Clemson ahead 10-7 with 1:29 left in the second quarter.

KEY PLAY 8: Cal's Chase Meyer kicked a 30-yard field goal to tie the score 10-10 with 9:23 left in the third quarter. That drive started when tight end Mason Mini took a long lateral from Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, and Mini then threw a 25-yard completion to Ian Strong on the first play of the second half, giving Cal a first down on its 45-yard line.

KEY PLAY 9: Clemson's Bryan Wesco Jr. returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown that gave Clemson a 17-10 lead with 3:57 left in the third quarter.

.@Bryantwesco19 breaks free 😤

65 yards to the 🏡

📺: ESPN pic.twitter.com/zTePpqIEte
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) September 26, 2026

KEY PLAY 10: Clemson kicker Nolan Hauser missed a 48-yard field goal. He had been 10-for-10 on field goal attempts this season before that. It kept Clemson's lead at 17-10 with 9:14 remaining in the fourth quarter.

KEY PLAY 11: Clemson's Gideon Davidson scored a touchdown on a 75-yard run that put the Tigers ahead 24-10 with 2:59 remaining in the fourth quarter.

STAT OF THE GAME: Cal had just 93 yards of offense in the first half, and the Bears' offense scored no points in the first half.

STAT OF THE GAME II: For the first time since 2018 Cal failed to score an offensive touchdown in a home game. For the first time since 2012 Cal failed to score an offensive touchdown in a game it lost.

STAT OF THE GAME III: Call finished with 231 yards of offense while Clemson had 363.

INDIVIDUAL STAT OF THE GAME: Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele had just 47 passing yards in the first half, when he was 6-for-13 with an interception. It was the fewest first-half passing yards by a Cal quarterback since 2021. Ryan Glover was the Cal quarterback in that 2021 game against Arizona when he had 40 first-half passing yards.

INDIVIDUAL STAT OF THE GAME II: Clemson running back Gideon Davidson rushed for 159 and 7.2 yards per carry.

QUARTERBACK STATISTICS: Cal’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele was 16-for-29 for a career-low 119 yards, no touchdowns and one interception; Clemson’s Tait Reynolds was 13-for-21 for 108 yards, no touchdowns and one interception, and he also ran for 28 yards.

CAL PLAYER AVALABILTY: Starting defensive lineman Nate Burrell and No. 2 running back Carter Vargas did not play. Running back Adam Mohammed left the game with a knee injury early in the third quarter.

CLEMSON PLAYER AVAILABILTY: Cornerback Corian Gipson, who started the first three games, did not play, and defensive lineman Devarrick Woods, who started one game is listed as a possible starter on the Clemson depth chart, was not available for Friday’s game either.

What It Means

Cal’s inability to win at home against an elite, but vulnerable, football program whose freshman quarterback (Tait Reynolds) was making just his second career start suggests the Bears are still a ways from being a factor in the ACC title chase. However, Cal is just four games into the season, so there is plenty of time to have a successful season if the Bears improve over the next several weeks under first-year head coach Tosh Lupoi. Before the season started, the game against Clemson was considered the pivotal game in Cal’s 2026 season, and losing that game nullifies the momentum and image boost that a victory would have provided.

Cal’s Bowl Barometer

With the loss, Cal’s bowl chances dropped to about 40%. A number of college football experts left Cal out of a bowl in their bowl projections this week, and this loss hurt the Bears’ bowl chances further. Nonetheless, Cal still needs just four wins in their remaining eight games to become bowl-eligible, and a look at the schedule suggests there are at least four winnable games left.

Cal’s ACC Title Barometer

Cal’s ACC title changes were reduced to about 5%. Cal might need to win the rest of its conference games to reach the ACC title game, and a loss to a vulnerable Clemson team at home suggests the Bears will be hard-pressed to accomplish that. It’s unlikely that two ACC teams will go unbeaten in conference play, but it’s possible, in which case Cal has already been eliminated from a chance to reach the ACC championship game.

Cal’s Next Game

Cal (2-2, 1-1 ACC) vs. UNLV (1-2, 1-0 Mountain West)

Site: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada

Date: Saturday, October 3

Starting time: 12:30 p.m.

TV: CBS Sports Network

Most recent UNLV result: UNLV lost to North Texas 44-6 on September 12 and the Rebels had a bye last week. UNLV plays a road game against Akron on Saturday, September 26.

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