Virginia Tech’s next trip to Clemson now has a window.
The Atlantic Coast Conference announced Monday afternoon that the Hokies will face the Tigers on Saturday, Oct. 24, with kickoff set for either 7:00 or 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will air on either ESPN or ESPN2, with the exact time and network to be finalized after this weekend’s slate.
It will be Virginia Tech’s first game in Clemson, S.C. since the 2012 season, when the Hokies fell 38-17. The matchup also comes with a long wait attached: Virginia Tech has not beaten Clemson since Oct. 6, 2007, when the then-No.
15 Hokies rolled past the then-No. 22 Tigers, 41-23.
The Hokies are 12-24-1 all-time against Clemson and 2-5 in ACC games against the Tigers. Their current losing streak in the series has reached seven games, stretching back to that 2007 win.
Since the 2020s began, the teams have met only twice, and both games were in Blacksburg. Clemson won 45-10 in 2020, then took a 24-14 decision in 2024 in a game shaped by upheaval at quarterback.
Virginia Tech’s quarterback situation took center stage in that one. Kyron Drones finished 9-of-20 for 115 yards with no touchdown and one interception before leaving in the second half and not returning for the rest of the game, or the season.
Collin Schlee came on in relief and went 7-of-17 for 73 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Bhayshul Tuten, dealing with an injury, was the only Hokies running back to record carries and had four attempts for zero net yards.
As a team, Tech ran 21 times for just 40 yards, a 1.9-yard average. That loss was the second in a row for the Hokies and one of four defeats in a five-game stretch that closed a 6-7 season.
This year has looked different for Virginia Tech through six games, though the ride has still had plenty of bumps. The Hokies are 4-2 after opening with a 73-3 win over VMI and following it with a 44-21 victory over Old Dominion. That margin against the Monarchs came nearly a year after Virginia Tech’s 45-26 loss in the prior meeting.
Tech also beat Maryland 35-26 in College Park on Sept. 19, snapping a 15-game skid against non-conference Power Four opponents.
ACC play began with a 21-14 win over Boston College in a nor’easter, fueled by sophomore running back Jeffrey Overton Jr., who piled up a career-high 209 rushing yards. He gained 140 of those in the final quarter and broke loose for a 76-yard score that put Virginia Tech ahead.
The first loss came on Oct. 2 in Lane Stadium, where Pitt escaped with a 35-33 win. Virginia Tech jumped out to a 14-0 lead and outgained the Panthers 499-295, but Pitt answered with a 35-10 run. The Hokies did claw back late, but fifth-year kicker John Love missed a 36-yard field goal that would have won it, and Tech missed a chance at its first 5-0 start since 2017.
Last Saturday brought another narrow defeat, this time in Berkeley, Calif., where California beat Virginia Tech 25-20. The Hokies carried a 14-13 lead into the fourth quarter before the Golden Bears put together a 14-play, 79-yard go-ahead drive that took 7:07 off the clock. Tech answered with a 1-yard rushing touchdown from quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, but California responded in just 57 seconds and went ahead for good on a 2-yard rushing score with 18 seconds left.
Virginia Tech had one final chance, driving to the 7-yard line before Grunkemeyer’s last throw to a covered Luke Reynolds fell incomplete. Jackson Brousseau, making his first start for Cal, completed 29 of 43 passes for 321 yards.
Grunkemeyer finished 21-of-31 for 288 yards with two total touchdowns, one passing and one rushing, while taking three sacks. For the season, he is 152-of-208 for 1,734 yards with 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. His passing yardage ranks sixth nationally, and his quarterback rating of 78.6 is 24th.
Virginia Tech’s next game comes before Clemson, with Georgia Tech set for Saturday, Oct. 17, at 3:30 p.m. ET on the ACC Network.
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