Football

Week 4 Friday Preview: Clemson Travels to California for ACC Football Friday

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Week 4 of Atlantic Coast Conference football kicks off under the Friday night lights when Clemson travels west to take on California in conference action at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
 
The primetime matchup opens an 11-game ACC weekend and marks the first of four conference contests on the Week 4 slate, as the Tigers and Golden Bears meet in Berkeley to begin a coast-to-coast weekend of ACC football.
 

Friday, September 25
Clemson at California | 10:30 p.m.  ET
Series: California leads series, 1-0
Last meeting: California, 37-13 (1992 Florida Citrus Bowl)
TV: ESPN
SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 81 / SiriusXM 258
SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 81 / SiriusXM 258
  • Friday’s matchup will be just the second all-time meeting between Clemson and California and the first regular-season meeting between the programs. The Golden Bears won the only previous meeting, 37-13, in the 1992 Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando.
  • Friday will mark Clemson’s first conference game on the West Coast in program history and the Tigers’ first-ever visit to California Memorial Stadium. Clemson has played just three previous games in the state of California.
  • Clemson enters Friday on a two-game winning streak, including a 28-20 victory over North Carolina in its ACC opener last week.
  • The Tigers overcame a 14-3 first-quarter deficit against North Carolina, their largest first-quarter deficit overcome in a home victory since rallying from 14-0 down to defeat Auburn, 38-24, in 2011.
  • Clemson quarterback Tait Reynolds became just the eighth true freshman to start at quarterback for the Tigers since the NCAA instituted permanent freshman eligibility in 1972.
  • Reynolds joined Deshaun Watson, Trevor Lawrence and DJ Uiagalelei as the only Clemson true freshman quarterbacks to win their starting debuts during that span.
  • Clemson linebacker Will Heldt has recorded multiple sacks in back-to-back games. His 4.0 sacks this season rank second in the ACC and tied for third nationally.
  • Clemson wide receiver T.J. Moore has recorded a reception in 30 consecutive games, tied for the fifth-longest active streak nationally.
  • California will play its first ACC home game of the season after opening conference play with a 21-18 road win at Syracuse in Week 2.
  • California also enters Friday on a two-game winning streak, defeating Syracuse in Week 2 before rolling past Wagner, 49-7, last weekend.
  • The Golden Bears scored 29 first-quarter points against Wagner and finished with 626 yards of total offense in the 49-7 victory.
  • Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele threw for a career-high 413 yards against Wagner, completing 27-of-33 passes and throwing three touchdowns.
  • California is averaging 321.7 passing yards per game, ranking fourth in the ACC and among the top 15 nationally.
  • Cal safety Kingston Lopa leads the nation with five interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.