By: Joseph Jamrosz
(Photo/Joshua Spinning-The Mojo Network)
This friday, the Clemson Tigers will travel approximately 2,190 miles to take on the California Golden Bears in an ACC matchup between two teams looking to find their identity early in the season.
Both teams enter the matchup at 2-1 and 1-0 in ACC play, making this an important conference game early in the season. Clemson is coming off a 28-20 comeback victory over North Carolina, while Cal enters Friday night after dominating Wagner 49-7.
This matchup is a battle between two teams looking to build momentum. Clemson has experienced plenty of ups and downs already, opening the season with a 51-10 loss to LSU before responding with wins over Georgia Southern and North Carolina. Against the Tar Heels, Clemson fell behind early before scoring 19 unanswered points to complete the comeback.
Freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds has quickly become one of the biggest storylines for the Tigers. In his first start against North Carolina, Reynolds threw for 215 yards and a touchdown while helping Clemson's offense produce 401 total yards. Running back Gideon Davidson also added 105 rushing yards.
Cal will counter with sophomore quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who is coming off a career performance against Wagner. He threw for 413 yards and three touchdowns while completing 27 of 33 passes.
Cal's offense has shown plenty of explosiveness, finishing with 626 total yards against Wagner. Running back Adam Mohammed also recorded 169 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns.
Now, both teams will face a much bigger test.
Clemson will make its first West Coast ACC road trip, while Cal prepares to host the Tigers under the lights at California Memorial Stadium. The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT on ESPN.
With both teams coming off conference wins and two young quarterbacks leading their offenses, Friday night could be an important early test for both programs.
All eyes will be on California Memorial Stadium as Clemson looks to continue building momentum and restore the standard of the program, while Cal looks to prove its offense can carry that momentum into one of its biggest games of the season.