Clemson beats California 24-10 behind Davidson’s 159 yards

Clemson defeated California 24-10 on Friday night at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. Gideon Davidson rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries, capping a 17-play, 66-yard drive with a 1-yard run and sealing it with a 75-yard touchdown with 2:59 left. Bryant Wesco Jr. returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown after a 10-10 tie, Clemson's first punt-return score since Nov. 10, 2018. Elliot Washington II intercepted Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele twice. Sagapolutele finished 16-for-29 for 119 yards. Tait Reynolds went 13-of-21 for 108 yards, ran for 28, and had two turnovers. Kamar Mothudi's 35-yard fumble return had put Cal up 7-0 before Chase Meyers' 30-yard kick tied it. Dabo Swinney said, "Two games in a row, we've played some complimentary football," and of the punt return: "That's the first punt return for a touchdown since '18. That was a pretty good year too, so maybe that's a good sign for us." He said Clemson made it harder than it needed to be and called Reynolds' early mistakes jitters. Tosh Lupoi said Cal must execute at a higher level, starting with him finding the answers, and added, "I'm going to work my butt off to find those solutions." Clemson hosts No. 6 Miami on Oct. 3; California plays at UNLV.