Clemson Still Matters: UNC Got Feisty, Cal is Building a Friday Night Event

Clemson (2-1, 1-0 ACC) may no longer carry the national ranking or aura that accompanied its championship years, but there continue to be reminders that beating the Tigers still means something.

North Carolina provided the latest one Saturday.

The Tar Heels arrived at Death Valley 2-0 and showed little concern about facing an unranked Clemson team coming off a 7-6 season, a 51-10 loss to LSU in the opener, and an underwhelming 22-7 win over Georgia Southern.

There were words exchanged between the teams on two separate occasions before the noon kickoff. Then UNC jumped out to a 14-point first-half lead before a 2½-hour weather delay. 

Clemson eventually responded, rallying for a 28-20 victory that offered another example of something head coach Dabo Swinney emphasized throughout the preseason: Whatever the Tigers' recent struggles, opponents aren't treating them like an ordinary game on the schedule.

"Ain't nobody gonna overlook Clemson. We've won too many games. We've won too many championships for people to overlook Clemson," Swinney said. "We're gonna get everybody's best shot every single week, and you better understand that as a Clemson football player." 

Penn State transfer cornerback Elliot Washington II received an early introduction to that reality.

Washington was among the players exchanging words with UNC before kickoff, and he admitted the interaction gave him a little extra motivation.

"It's funny to see guys mouthing [off]. It's just something that, it's like it's funny because you're on our turf," Washington said after the game. "You guys came in our house. We had to really show you guys what it's really about."

By the end of the afternoon, Washington had helped Clemson do exactly that.

With UNC getting one final possession and a chance to make things interesting, Washington intercepted a pass with 32 seconds remaining to close the door. It was a fitting finish in just his third game in a Clemson uniform and part of a strong afternoon from a secondary rebuilt in part through the transfer portal.

Safeties Corey Myrick and Jerome Carter III also delivered in important moments.

Myrick finished with a game-high 11 tackles, including four solo stops, while Carter was in coverage against tight end Jelani Thurman on the critical fourth-down incompletion with 1:54 remaining. 

All three transfers have pointed to similar reasons for choosing Clemson: Swinney, the program's culture, and an opportunity to help the secondary, and Clemson as a whole, return to the national stage.

Saturday gave each a chance to play a role in that process.

It also reinforced Swinney's larger point about his team's place on an opponent's schedule.

"When the schedule comes out, when do we play Clemson? So that part hadn't changed from a football standpoint," Swinney also said during the preseason.

The next example is already taking shape nearly 2,700 miles from Death Valley.

California improved to 2-1 with a 49-7 victory over Wagner on Saturday, but first-year head coach Tosh Lupoi quickly turned his attention toward Friday night's 10.30 PM ET (ESPN) matchup with Clemson at California Memorial Stadium.

"Last thing, I just want to make clear this coming Friday night is a huge opportunity for our fan base. It's a huge opportunity for our student body, so it's full expectation. This stadium is sold out on Friday night, and I'm going to be extremely disappointed if it's not," Lupoi said.

Lupoi, named the Bears' head coach on Dec. 4, 2025, continued to emphasize the significance of the visit.

"We got a really cool opportunity on Friday night versus a big time opponent, ACC play," Lupoi said. "So, we want to make this a miserable environment for the opponent that's coming in Friday night."

Cal is adding to the atmosphere with a special "Fiat Lux" -- Latin for "Let There Be Light" -- theme night. Fans will receive crowd-sync LED bracelets designed to illuminate California Memorial Stadium in unison, while Lupoi also teased additional incentives to fill the stadium.

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"So challenging everybody out there to come join us there, and there's going to be some elite giveaways as well too. I'm not allowed to tell you what that is, but they're very expensive."

Clemson might be trying to climb back toward the top, but three games into the season, the Tigers are finding that everyone they face would still like to be part of keeping them down.