Virginia Tech and Cal arrive at Saturday’s meeting with the same ugly problem in different forms: one side can get after the quarterback, the other side keeps giving the ball away. That tension is what makes this one at 3:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network feel so pointed.
The Hokies head west at 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the ACC, still carrying the sting of last Friday’s 35-33 loss to Pitt. They outgained the Panthers 499-295 and still came up short. Cal is 2-3 and 1-1, coming off a game in which it leaned heavily on the pass and is now dealing with questions all over the board.
The first place to look is up front, where Virginia Tech has made life miserable for opposing offenses. No defense in the country has more tackles for loss than Tech’s 51, and the Hokies’ 18 sacks lead the ACC. Senior end Aycen Stevens has recorded a solo sack in every game this season.
Cal’s protection has not held up. The Bears have allowed 31 tackles for loss and 10 sacks, and UNLV got to them for 10 tackles for loss and four sacks last Saturday. The pressure point is right tackle, where redshirt freshman Michael Klisiewicz has started the last three games after not playing a snap in 2025.
That matters because Cal has had little success trying to live on the ground. The Bears are averaging 95.0 rushing yards and 3.3 per carry, and they’re just 3-for-13 on fourth down.
Leading rusher Adam Mohammed, who has 336 yards, missed the UNLV game with a left knee injury and is questionable for Saturday. Without him, Cal ran 24 times for 69 yards and threw it 59 times.
Virginia Tech, meanwhile, has its own issues in the run game. The Hokies managed just 65 yards on 32 carries against Pitt and have averaged 3.3 yards per carry against their four FBS opponents. Sophomore Jeffrey Overton Jr. has 455 yards and four touchdowns, but 209 of those yards came in one game at Boston College.
Still, Tech does have a recent blueprint against Cal. Last October in Blacksburg, the Hokies ran for 357 yards and 275 of them came after halftime in a 42-34 double-overtime win.
Fifth-year back Marcellous Hawkins Jr. piled up 167 yards in that one. Both programs have since changed coaches.
Cal’s defense presents the more obvious opening for Tech. Opponents have completed 52.7% of their passes against the Bears for 5.8 yards per attempt, with five touchdowns and seven interceptions. Five of those interceptions belong to Kingston Lopa, the 6'5" redshirt sophomore safety who leads the FBS and also leads Cal with 27 tackles.
But even that comes with uncertainty. Lopa is in concussion protocol and was listed as questionable on the ACC’s initial availability report Wednesday night.
He lasted one defensive snap at UNLV before leaving with the injury. Defensive back Aiden Manutai, who has one of Cal’s other two interceptions, is also questionable.
That opens the door for Virginia Tech’s passing game, which has been far more efficient than its rushing attack. Junior Ethan Grunkemeyer is completing 74% of his throws and averaging 8.2 yards per attempt, with 1,446 yards and 11 touchdowns. Against Pitt, senior Que’Sean Brown caught seven passes for 147 yards, and junior tight end Luke Reynolds added seven catches for 93.
Grunkemeyer also threw his first two interceptions of the season in that game, accounting for half of Tech’s four giveaways. The Hokies are minus five in turnover margin. Coach James Franklin said Monday the fourth-quarter pick came when Tech “tried to make a throw that we didn’t need to try to make.”
There’s also the coaching wrinkle on Cal’s side. Coach Tosh Lupoi handed the play-calling duties to passing game coordinator Pat McCann during the second half at UNLV, and Cal scored 24 of its 31 points after halftime.
Lupoi said Tuesday, “I just changed it up,” Lupoi said Tuesday. “I thought it was time.”
Cal’s quarterback situation is another moving piece. Sophomore Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is in concussion protocol and was listed as questionable on Wednesday night.
So was Chase Hendricks, who leads the Bears with 32 catches. If Sagapolutele can’t play, redshirt junior Jackson Brousseau would be next up; he is 29-of-48 for 299 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Bears’ run defense has also been vulnerable, allowing 187.4 rushing yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry. UCLA ran for 277 and Clemson for 257, and Cal has given up a 75-yard run. The defense has 20 tackles for loss, less than half of Tech’s total, and inside linebacker Kamar Mothudi is questionable.
Virginia Tech’s offensive line is not at full strength either. Starting left tackle Justin Terry is out for a third straight game, and guard Brody Meadows is questionable.
The Hokies will try to turn all of that into a fifth win, which would put them one away from bowl eligibility after last year’s 3-9 season.
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Virginia Tech is trying to steady itself quickly after taking its first loss under James Franklin last Friday, and the timing of this weeks matchup with Cal gives the Hokies a real chance to get back on track. The Bears have had trouble moving the ball on the ground and stopping the run, which is part of why Virginia Tech is favored heading into Saturdays game despite dealing with a few injuries and its own uncertainty.
The challenge for the Hokies is that Cal is not coming in as a straightforward scouting report. Virginia Tech has spent the week preparing for an offense that has not always looked the same from one half to the next, and the Bears are also dealing with questions at quarterback. Even with the matchup tilting in the Hokies favor, this is the kind of game where clean execution matters, because one overlooked wrinkle can turn a promising week into a tougher afternoon than expected. [Read more 🡒]
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Cortez Harris has been part of the pressure package that keeps putting opposing offenses on edge, while Quentin Reddish has been around the ball in the secondary as the Hokies keep creating extra chances. The bigger question now is whether that disruption can keep turning into cleaner possession swings, because Virginia Techs defense already looks like it can change a game before the offense ever has to settle in. [Read more 🡒]