How Clemson Football Survived West Coast Trip, Beat Cal in ACC Play

Clemson football picked up a gritty win in the Golden State on Friday night, setting up a pivotal ACC contest next weekend with a top opponent.

Sep 25, 2026; Berkeley, California, USA; Clemson Tigers running back Gideon Davidson (8) celebrates his one-yard touchdown run with teammate Olsen Patt-Henry (11) during the second quarter against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A primetime Friday night game that ended at 2:00 a.m. had everything in the cards, from flea-flicker interceptions to punt return touchdowns. Fortunately, the Clemson Tigers came on top of it all to move to 2-0 in ACC play. 

Clemson took down California 24-10 in Berkeley on Friday night, surviving an early test that saw the Tigers pull out all the stops to hold off the Golden Bears at home. Head coach Dabo Swinney’s group used his defense and special teams to hold off Cal to remain perfect in the conference. 

While the offense wasn’t fluid for the air, Clemson relied on the ground game to get the job done, running the ball 49 times for 255 yards and two touchdowns. With under three minutes to go in the game, sophomore Gideon Davidson saw an opening and took a 75-yard touchdown into the end zone to put the Tigers up two scores. 

Then, on the opposite side of the ball, the secondary told the story. Elliot Washington picked off Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, including the game-sealing interception with 1:54 remaining in the game. He would turn the Golden Bears' signal caller over twice on Friday night.

The Tigers took the lead in the third quarter on something they haven’t done in 2,876 days: return a punt for a touchdown. Receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. took a Golden Bears punt from his own 35-yard line and didn’t look back, returning the first punt return touchdown since November 2018. It was also the junior’s first touchdown of the season. 

Swinney’s group started down in the game, too. A freshman mistake by starting quarterback Tait Reynolds saw him fumble the football in Clemson territory, and linebacker Kamar Mothudi brought it home on a scoop-and-score of 35 yards. 

Reynolds had another turnover on the first drive of the game, looking to turn a trick play into chunk yardage, but was picked off by Isaiah Crosby to lose the momentum. 

Several plays later, Washington made an acrobatic grab to intercept Sagapolutele’s pass, moving the momentum back the other way. 

Davidson led the way in production with 155 yards and two rushing touchdowns off of 22 carries, averaging 7.2 yards per carry on Friday night. Clemson’s offense relied on being run-heavy, and it paid off as the game went on. 

In his second start, Reynolds finished with only 108 passing yards and an interception, but he added 28 yards on the ground while extending drives with his legs. He now moves to 2-0 as Clemson’s starting quarterback. 

The Tigers will be back in action next Saturday at home, facing No. 6 Miami at Memorial Stadium in what has looked to be the most important game in Death Valley for Clemson all season. Kickoff does not have an official time. 

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