Tait Reynolds excelled in his first career start for Clemson and he will look to deliver another strong performance when the Tigers face Cal on Friday night in Atlantic Coast Conference play in Berkeley, Calif.
After Clemson scored just 32 points while splitting games against LSU (loss) and Georgia Southern (win), Reynolds showed promise during last weekend’s 28-20 home win over North Carolina.
Reynolds was 20-of-29 passing for 215 yards, one touchdown and one interception for the Tigers (2-1, 1-0 ACC).
“He’s on a fast track to get better,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said Tuesday. “We’re going to have to grow with him, there’s going to be some moments where you just take a deep breath. But he is super talented.”
Christopher Vizzina, who started Clemson’s first two games, is still dealing with a left elbow injury and it is unclear if he will be available to back up Reynolds on Friday.
The Tigers have experienced weather delays in all three of their games — long pregame delays against LSU and Georgia Southern and a two-hour, 28-minute delay in the fourth quarter against North Carolina.
Now Clemson makes the long trip to the West Coast. The Tigers fly out Wednesday and will attempt to acclimate to Pacific Time.
“Try to get them to go to bed on California time, all that type of stuff,” Swinney said, “It’s a long trip for a game, but we’re excited about it.”
The Golden Bears (2-1, 1-0) are vying for their third straight victory.
“We’re trying to grow our team and, starting with me, just focus on self-improvement,” Cal coach Tosh Lupoi said. “Anything I can do better for us.”
Cal rolled to a 49-7 victory over FCS program Wagner last weekend. The Golden Bears racked up 626 yards of total offense and didn’t punt for the first time since Nov. 4, 2017 against Oregon State.
Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele threw for three touchdowns and was 27-of-33 passing for a career-best 413 yards. Adam Mohammed rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns and also had a 65-yard scoring catch.
Swinney gushed about the talents of Sagapolutele.
“This is a dude, now,” Swinney said. “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.”
Cal also has a star safety in Kingston Lopa, who leads the FBS with five interceptions.
The Golden Bears won the lone previous meeting, routing Clemson 37-13 in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 1, 1992.
