The California Golden Bears have a short week with Clemson flying 3,000 miles into the Bay Area for an ACC matchup at California Memorial Stadium on Friday, Sept. 25. It's a true test for the Golden Bears, who are now coming off consecutive wins.
Cal pummeled Wagner Saturday, 49-7, starting with a 29-point first quarter outburst. It was a necessary momentum-boost for the Golden Bears as they get into the thick of their tough schedule, starting with Dabo Swinney's Clemson Tigers. Following Clemson, the Golden Bears have UNLV, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and No. 16 SMU.
It's not going to be easy for California.
First-year Cal head coach Tosh Lupoi got his first win at California Memorial Stadium with 35,586 in attendance. It was the energy that the Golden
Bears needed coming off their road win against Syracuse. Lupoi wants that same energy, that same vibe against Clemson when Swinney and company come to town.
"If you have any plans that's not coming to the Cal game, you need to cancel them," Lupoi told reporters. "We want to make this a miserable environment for the opponent that's coming in Friday night."
The Cal offense took time to get going in the first two games against UCLA and Syracuse. Sophomore quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele took no time getting going against Wagner. His confidence looked different, he was given more time and threw crisp passes, right on target where the ball needed to be. Sagapolutele finished 27-for-33 for 413 yards, a career-high, and three touchdowns.
Those are the types of game that Sagapolutele is capable of having. He makes quick reads and gets the ball out fast. Sometimes he will extend plays with his feet.
The Golden Bears' offense is going to be more dynamic as running back Adam Mohammed, a Washington transfer, continues to emerge. Against Wagner, Mohammed accounted for 169 of the team's 492 yards, and had three touchdowns.
Mohammed finished with 13 rush attempts for 91 yards and two scores. He caught two passes for 78 yards and a touchdown. He was a difference maker for Cal, as he was able to get going early and often. It's the performance Cal needs from Mohammed as it prepares for Clemson. He opened the offense up for receivers to get open.
"Yeah, well, he's a captain for a reason, and someone that was a big part of our talent acquisition, and he's been a lead by action individual," Lupoi told reporters. "I'm not making any comparisons of him to other people, but a guy I played with here and started my coaching career, a young man named Marshawn Lynch. That's a very close friend of mine, he had a unique ability to ignite the defense.
"That's what I think Adam can do at times, where the physicality he runs with and running and pumping his legs through contact, breaking tackles. When you have what you call a 'home run back,' and he's a guy that can run with physicality, but can take a misfit or an explosive run and finish it for a touchdown as well as he demonstrated today."
It helped Oregon transfer Cooper Perry score his first collegiate touchdown with 4:08 left in the second quarter after his 16-yard reception from Sagapolutele. Chase Hendricks has been a dependable target for Sagapolutele. He had nine catches for 98 yards on Saturday. It was his best game this season. All he was missing was a score, which he had in each of Cal's first two games.
It takes a team effort, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Kingston Lopa is the leader of this defense as a defensive back in the safety position. Lopa, who transferred from Oregon following Lupoi, sees the entire field and he's instinctively quick enough to make the play, whether it's delivering a crucial hit or breaking up a pass.
Last week, Lopa earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors with three interceptions and a go-ahead touchdown against Syracuse, putting the defense on his shoulders. It wasn't as flashy against Wagner, but he showed off the same capability. He led the team with five tackles, including four solo and a tackle for loss. He had another interception, his NCAA-leading fifth. Lopa's play is important and dictates how things will go for Cal.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cal has won back-to-back games. Can it keep up the momentum against Clemson?
