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Clemson Tigers at California Golden Bears

Sep 25, 20269:30 PM CTBerkeley, CA
By JR·2 min read
Clemson TigersCLEM(2-1)
California Golden BearsCAL(2-1)
AT
9:30 PM CT

TLDR: Clemson is making its first true road conference trip to the West Coast, and it still doesn't know who's throwing the football when it gets there.

FRI SEP 25, 9:30 PM CT
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Clemson
(2-1)
WWLLW
California
(2-1)
WWLLW
Kickoff66°

Clemson makes its first-ever ACC road trip to the West Coast on a short week with starting QB Christopher Vizzina still week-to-week, leaning on a true freshman who just delivered a signature comeback. Cal counters with a red-hot Sagapolutele coming off a career night, playing at home for a first-year staff that has won two straight since an opening loss.

Clemson
  • Won 2 straight since Week 1's blowout loss
  • True freshman Reynolds closed UNC comeback on a heater
  • Starting QB Vizzina week-to-week, no clear return timeline
  • Two defensive starters already lost for the season
California
  • Sagapolutele's career-high 413-yard, 3-TD outing
  • Won 2 straight following the opening loss to UCLA
  • Season-opening loss to UCLA exposed early issues
  • First-year staff still settling its defensive rotation

Clemson is making its first true road conference trip to the West Coast, and doing it without a clear answer at quarterback. Christopher Vizzina, the redshirt junior named the starter before the opener, hasn't practiced since hurting his non-throwing arm against Georgia Southern, and Dabo Swinney has called him week-to-week ever since. True freshman Tait Reynolds took the reins instead and just authored a first career start for the ages, rallying the Tigers from a 2-touchdown, second-half deficit to beat North Carolina 28-20.

Reynolds was rough early, 12-of-19 for just 76 yards through the first half, before closing the game with 7 straight completions, finding Christian Bentancur for a go-ahead score and sealing it with a fourth-quarter interception. That finish buys him nothing beyond this week if Vizzina gets cleared, but it means Clemson isn't walking into Berkeley with a broken offense even if the QB1 stays out. Cal, for its part, isn't hiding anything at quarterback.

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele threw for a career-high 413 yards and 3 touchdowns on 27-of-33 passing in a rout of Wagner, doing it now as an established full-time starter rather than the surprise true freshman who ran the show a year ago. Cal's defense gets less attention, but the Bears have covered ground fast under first-year coach Tosh Lupoi, going from a lopsided loss to UCLA to back-to-back wins over Syracuse and Wagner.

Clemson Tigers
(2-1)
09/19WvsNorth Carolina28-20
09/13WvsGeorgia Southern22-7
09/06L@#10 LSU10-51
12/27Lvs#13 Penn State10-22
11/29W@South Carolina28-14
California Golden Bears
(2-1)
09/19WvsWagner49-7
09/12W@Syracuse21-18
09/06LvsUCLA24-45
12/25L@Hawai'i31-35
11/30Wvs#22 SMU38-35

This is also just the second all-time meeting between these programs — the only other one came in the 1992 Citrus Bowl, a Cal win — so there's no recent history to lean on, only the shape of two teams that opened 2026 with an ugly loss and have been climbing since. Clemson's defense has its own absences to manage on top of the quarterback uncertainty.

Clemson Tigers
(4)
  • ProbableC. Vizzina (QB) — Vizzina is dealing with an elbow injury, but he is expected to be available against the California on Friday.09/22
  • OutK. McGriff (WR) — McGriff is battling with an undisclsoed injury, and it is not anticipated that he will suit up against North Carolina on Saturday.09/17
  • OutC. Turner (WR) — Turner is dealing with some personal reasons, and he is without a definitive timetable for return.08/21
  • OutP. Streko (RB) — Streko has been out of commission due to an undisclosed injury, and he has been shut down for the remainder of the season.08/11
California Golden Bears
(1)
  • DoubtfulC. Vargas (RB) — Vargas is dealing with a leg injury, and he is is not expected to be active against the Tigers on Friday.09/22

Freshman defensive back Polo Anderson tore his ACL in fall camp and defensive tackle Markus Strong went down with a lower-leg injury in the LSU game, both out for the year and thinning a front seven and secondary that will see plenty of Sagapolutele on Friday night in Berkeley. Whichever quarterback Clemson trots out, containing him will decide the game.

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