Cal vs. Clemson: A season-altering match up
“If you have any plans on Friday night other than coming to the Cal game, please cancel them.” - Tosh Lupoi
Photo by Darren Yamashita-Imagn
A hyped up Atlantic Coast Conference game is coming to Northern California — ironic, right? —today where the Clemson Tigers will face the California Golden Bears under the Friday night lights at the historical Californian Memorial Stadium.
The Bears are coming off two straight wins, one in a thriller at Syracuse, and a dominating home win vs The Wagner Seahawks last Saturday. Cal was favored at 58.5 and had a 99.9% probability of winning and they handled business, beating Wagner 49-7. Cal used this game to gain some momentum specifically on the offensive side of the ball, an area in which they have been struggling. The Bears put up an absurd 626 total yards.
Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (JKS) threw for his career high 413 passing yards, while also adding on three touchdown passes. JKS was diverse with the football, hitting eight different pass catchers in the process, a great show of teamwork for the Bears. While JKS has not been struggling, he has not been playing to the high standard set for him. This game could be the sign that the projected first-round pick is turning up the heat.
On the other side of the field, the Bears’ defense continues to dominate. Led by ball-hawk Kingston Lopa, they shut down Wagner, allowing only seven points and 86 passing yards. Lopa also intercepted his 5th pass of the season, retaining his spot as College Football’s interception leader.
The Bears hope to bring their momentum into a division game against one of College Football's biggest names: The Clemson Tigers. In the last ten years, Clemson has played in four national championship games, winning two of them. Since their 2019 loss to Louisiana State University (LSU), they have had less success, but their history, culture and fan expectations remain. They are still led by the same head coach, Dabo Swinney, who spoke on JKS in a reel posted on the Clemson Tigers’ Instagram page (@clemsonsports).
"This is a dude, now. If you want to know what an NFL quarterback looks like playing college ball, that's this kid. He is an elite passer, he can make every throw from every angle, every area on the field.”
For context, Dabo has coached 2021 first overall pick, Trevor Lawrence, and 2017 number twelve overall pick, Deshaun Watson, making this extremely high praise for Cal’s JKS.
After losing their first game 51-10 to number ten ranked LSU, The Tigers have bounced back, handily beating Georgia Southern 22-7, then beating ACC opponent, University of North Carolina, 28-20 in an imperative victory.
Both teams are coming into this game in crucial need of a division win. Clemson, once the powerhouse of College Football, would be ashamed to lose to the "nerdy" Bears. Coach Dabo Swinney is on the hot seat after going 7-6 last year, and a loss to Cal would only raise more eyebrows. Cal is hoping to move two games above .500, and a win would be another strong addition to their resume.
Clemson is currently favored to win by 1.5 points, but it’s expected to be a close, entertaining game. Head coach Tosh Lupoi is calling on Bear fans to fill Memorial Stadium.
“Anticipating and praying this will be another sold-out stadium. If you have any plans on Friday night other than coming to the Cal game, please cancel them … no matter what age you are, you’re invited.” Both fan bases are amped up and excited about what could be a season-altering win under the Friday night lights.
All player and game statistics were originally reported by ESPN.