While Friday will mark Clemson’s fourth time playing in the state of California, it will be the first time ever the Tigers have visited Cal.

The two teams have faced off only once before, with the Bears claiming a 37-13 win over Clemson in the Citrus Bowl following the 1991 season. With Cal having a 1-0 record all-time against the Tigers, they are just one of three ACC teams that currently hold a winning record over Clemson, joining Georgia Tech and Florida State.

Tait Reynolds makes his second career start, and his first one away from the friendly confines of Death Valley. The freshman showed a lot of growth last weekend and will need to continue to do so on Friday.

Both teams come in having won two straight after having lost lopsided season-openers, and as of this writing, the Tigers are a slim 1.5-point favorite, per FanDuel.

5 Things to Watch For

1. My How the Mighty Have Fallen: Friday night should always be reserved for high school football. College football moving to Friday nights is just downright silly. Even sillier? Clemson playing two Friday night games in one season. If you ever needed more proof that the perception of Dabo Swinney’s program has changed.

That’s right. This is just the first Friday night game for the Tigers. Clemson will also travel to Duke on November 20 for another Friday night affair.

2. Can Clemson Stop the Run? Outside of the final eight minutes against North Carolina, the Tigers’ run defense has been porous through the first three games. Opposing offenses have 25 runs of 10 yards or longer, which ranks dead last in the FBS.

North Carolina had 11 runs of that variety, but all of those came before the lightning delay. After play resumed, the longest run Tom Allen’s defense allowed was three yards. That is the kind of production this defense will need on Friday night.

Cal hasn’t been exactly known for running the ball down opponents’ throats, with the Bears averaging 106.7 yards per game. However, with the way the Tigers have struggled to defend it, it’s safe to assume Cal will see if they can get the ground game going early.

3. Secondary Will Be Tested: Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele might be the best quarterback Clemson has faced so far. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound signal caller is going to test the Tigers’ new look pass defense. Ashton Hampton and Elliot Washington Jr. have both had strong starts to the season, and that will need to continue.

Sagapolutele is completing 67% of his passes, and he’s only thrown two picks all season. And he spreads it around. Six different pass catchers have registered at least one touchdown reception already. Leading receiver Chase Hendricks has 20 catches for 195 yards with two scores.

4. Apply the Pressure: Sagapolutele isn’t prone to running the ball all that much. He’s only rushed it six times for six yards through the first three games. So putting some pressure on him will be key.

Will Heldt seems to have found his groove with four sacks in the past two games. London Merritt seems to be getting more comfortable in the defense with each passing week. Jahiem Lawson is averaging one QB pressure per game, but has yet to record a sack. That needs to change on Friday.

Cal’s offensive line has only allowed four sacks to this point.

5. Seize the Momentum: After playing two games at home, the Tigers go back on the road for the first time since LSU, a road trip that did not go well. This team certainly gained some momentum in the comeback win over UNC, and they need to carry that into this one.

Cal head coach Tosh Lupoi implored his fan base to show up for this one. After pretty much filling the place for the opener against UCLA, and with this being Clemson, California Memorial Stadium could be close to its 63K capacity. With the hiring of Lupoi, who is an alum, and the hype surrounding Sagapolutele, there is some energy inside the fan base for the first time in forever.

But no matter how fans show up, the best way to take a road crowd out of the game is to seize control early.

A good way to do that is to get Gideon Davidson and the running game going. Do that, and everything else just might fall into place.

Photo courtesy of Bart Boatwright/The Clemson Insider