3 Keys to The Game: Clemson at California

These three aspects of the game will affect Clemson's outcome against Cal on Friday.

Sep 19, 2026; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; The Clemson Tigers sideline reacts before the game against University of North Carolina Tar Heels at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ashley Tumlin-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After opening its ACC schedule with a win, the Clemson Tigers will have a physical and mental battle of traveling three time zones away to play Cal on a Friday night. 

Since the Golden Bears and Stanford Cardinal joined the ACC, this is the first time that head coach Dabo Swinney is traveling out west to play one of the two teams from California. This will also be the first time the Tigers will play Cal since it joined the conference at the beginning of the 2024 season. 

For Clemson to leave with a win on Friday night, these three things will need to happen. 

1. Win the Turnover Margin

Cal’s only win in ACC play thus far came against the Syracuse Orange in New York two weekends ago. In that game, the Golden Bears lost the total yards margin, 437-239.

However, they did force three turnovers in the second half and scored two touchdowns off of the Orange in that game. Clemson can’t allow that to happen on Friday night. 

Especially with a freshman quarterback making his first road start, ball security will decide much of how this game goes. Especially if the Tigers lose an early turnover, with all of the different factors involved with this game from a traveling standpoint, an early hole could be worse than before. 

The Golden Bears can turnover the ball though on offense. They allowed three turnovers by UCLA in their only loss this season. Clemson hasn’t been as apparent in the turnover margin, but if Swinney’s group can get a fumble or interception late in the game, ending the game with momentum will be key. 

2. Make Life Difficult For Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele

Cal doesn’t run the ball well based on the first three games of the season. The Golden Bears are last in the ACC in rushing yards per game with only 106.7 yards. 

So, a lot of the game will fall in the hands of sophomore quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who many saw as a breakout candidate for the Golden Bears this season. He has the chance to fully make a name for himself on Friday night against a notorious Clemson defense. 

Whether it’s someone off the edge or the interior making Sagapolutele scramble, Clemson has to finish the job at quarterback this weekend. North Carolina quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. was extending plays after missed Tiger tackles last week, but once the team started getting to the opposite quarterback, it flipped the script of the game. 

If the Tigers do that, they won’t have to worry about playing behind throughout the contest and be comfortable on offense. 

3. Open Run Game Efficiently 

Clemson fans finally saw the run game come to life last weekend, recording 186 rushing yards off of 5.2 yards per carry. Once again, the Tigers will need as much production as they can from their backfield on Friday night. 

Cal is fourth-worst in the ACC in rushing yards per game at 169 yards per contest. In its loss to UCLA, the Bruins ran for 277 yards and averaged over 8.1 yards per carry. If Clemson wants a dominant win, the game script will be similar to that of Week 1 in the Golden Bears’ first loss of the season. 

However, if the Tigers can’t run the ball, and the one-dimensional play swarms Reynolds through the air, it could be bad news for Clemson out west this weekend. 

Kickoff is set for 10:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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