Clemson went across the country Friday night and came home with an important ACC victory, defeating California 24-10 at California Memorial Stadium to improve to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play.
The Tigers had to overcome an early mistake after Cal returned a Clemson fumble 35 yards for a touchdown to grab a 7-0 first-quarter lead. Clemson answered in the second quarter with a 30-yard Nolan Hauser field goal, and running back Gideon Davidson later scored from one yard out to send the Tigers into halftime leading 10-7.
Cal tied the game at 10 in the third quarter, but Clemson’s special teams delivered one of the biggest plays of the night. Bryant Wesco Jr. returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown, putting Clemson back in front 17-10. It was Clemson’s first punt-return touchdown since 2018.
Davidson then slammed the door in the fourth quarter. Backed up near its own goal line, Clemson turned to the running game, and Davidson eventually broke loose for a 75-yard touchdown run to make it 24-10. The sophomore finished with a career-high 159 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. Clemson rushed for a season-high 255 yards as a team.
The Clemson defense also turned in one of its strongest performances of the young season. The Tigers held Cal to just 231 total yards and no offensive touchdowns. Cornerback Elliot Washington II intercepted two passes, while Clemson limited Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele to 119 passing yards.
Quarterback Tait Reynolds, making his first career road start, completed 13 of 21 passes for 108 yards and added 28 yards rushing. Clemson controlled the football for more than 34 minutes and finished with 363 yards of offense.
The win was also historic, marking Clemson’s first regular-season victory in the state of California. The Tigers now return home for a major ACC matchup Saturday against No. 6 Miami at Memorial Stadium.
