Wesco return, Davidson’s 159 yards carry Clemson past Cal 24-10

Clemson used a Bryant Wesco Jr. punt return and a long Gideon Davidson run to beat California 24-10 in Friday's ACC game at Berkeley. The completed ESPN game center shows a contest tied midway through the third quarter before Clemson's special teams broke it open. The Tigers made their first conference trip to the West Coast against a Cal team that had already won its ACC opener; Clemson's game preview identifies the matchup and venue.

California struck first without an offensive touchdown. Its defense scored on a fumble return following a sack of Clemson quarterback Tait Reynolds, taking a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Clemson did not immediately erase the deficit. Nolan Hauser made a 30-yard field goal early in the second, and Davidson's one-yard touchdown run with 5:37 left in the half put the Tigers ahead 10-7. Those were Clemson's only points before halftime.

Cal tied the game on a 30-yard Chase Meyer field goal at 9:23 of the third quarter. The decisive break came on a punt. Wesco returned it 65 yards for a touchdown with 3:57 left in the period, restoring Clemson's seven-point lead without an offensive scoring drive. Cal had held the Tigers to 10 points for nearly three quarters, but that return made the Golden Bears chase the game again.

Davidson supplied the late offensive strike, a 75-yard touchdown run with 2:58 remaining that pushed Clemson's lead to 24-10. It was his second rushing score after the short second-quarter run. Davidson finished with 159 yards on 22 carries, according to the final ESPN box score. Clemson gained 255 rushing yards and 363 total yards, while Reynolds completed 13 of 21 passes for 108 yards and threw one interception. The ground game carried the Tigers' offense even when its passing yardage stayed low.

Cal finished with 231 total yards, including 86 rushing. Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele completed 16 of 29 passes for 119 yards and two interceptions. The Bears' only offensive points came from Meyer's field goal. Their defense's early return created a lead, but Clemson's defense kept Cal out of the end zone on its own drives. Both teams entered 2-1 overall and 1-0 in ACC play, according to their school previews. Clemson moved to 3-1 and 2-0 in the league with the win; Cal fell to 2-2 and 1-1. The late Davidson run settled a game that had stayed within one score until the closing minutes.