Cal Football Game Preview: Bears Host Virginia Tech

Cal faces Virginia Tech Saturday afternoon in Berkeley.

The preview:

CAL (2-3, 1-1 ACC) vs. VIRGINIA TECH (4-1, 1-1 ACC)

SITE: California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, California

WHEN: Saturday, 12:30 p.m.

TV: ACC Network – Justin Kutcher (Play-By-Play), Max Browne (Analyst), Madison Fitzpatrick (Sideline Reporter)

RADIO: 810 AM -- Justin Allegri (Play-By-Play), Mike Pawlawski (Analyst), Ben Ross (Sideline Reporter)

BETTING LINE: Virginia Tech is favored by 10 points, according to DraftKings, and Virginia Teck is favored by 9.5 points, according to FanDuel as of Friday. Over/Under is 53.5 points.

WEATHER FORECAST: Saturday afternoon in Berkeley will be mostly sunny with only a 1% chance of rain. The temperature when the game starts will be about 62 degrees and it will rise to about 65 degrees by the time the game ends.

Cal-Virginia Tech History

Cal and Virginia Tech have met twice previously, and each team has one once. Virginia Tech won last year’s meeting 42-34 in double-overtime in Blacksburg, Virginia, in their only ACC matchup. Cal defeated the Hokies 52-49 behind Aaron Rodgers’ 394 passing yards in the 2003 Insight Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona. Saturday’s game will be their first meeting in Berkeley.

CAL PLAYER AVAILABILITY: Running back Carter Vargas and defensive lineman Nate Burrell are out. Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, safety Kingston Lopa, running back Adam Mohammed, wide receiver Chase Hendricks, inside linebacker Kamar Mothudi, safety Aiden Manutai and offensive lineman Ben Howard are all questionable.

VIRGINIA TECH PLAYER AVAILABILITY: Linebacker George Balance is out. Offensive lineman Brody Meadows and offensive lineman Lucas Austin are questionable.

Cal Storylines

---This game is expected to be Pat McCann’s first full game as Cal’s offensive play-caller. McCann, who is the Bears’ passing game coordinator, took over the play-calling duties in the second half of Cal’s 39-31 loss to UNLV last week, when the Bears scored 24 second-half points, which was their most points in any half this season against an FBS foe.

---Cal has a lot of key players who may or may not play Saturday. Cal’s chances to have an effective offense increase if quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, running back Adam Mohammed and wide receiver Chase Hendricks can play. The Bears defense will be better if safety Kingston Lopa can play. All four players have about a 50-50 chance to being available against Virginia Tech.

---If Sagapolutele can’t play Cal’s starting quarterback will be Jackson Brousseau, a transfer from Colorado State who performed well in the second half against UNLV last week, passing for 200 yards and leading the Bears to 24 second-half points.

---A loss to Virginia Tech would drop Cal’s record to 2-4, and only once in the previous 12 seasons has Cal suffered four losses or more through its first six games. In 2021, Cal started the season 1-5 and finished with a 5-7 record.

---Cal’s offense failed to score a single point in the fourth quarter of its first three games against FBS opponents before scoring 15 points in the final quarter against UNLV last week.

---Cal is riding a two-game losing streak, having lost to Clemson 24-10 two weeks ago and UNLV 39-31 last week. The Bears did not lose three games in a row at any time last season, but they had at least one three-game losing streak in each of the 15 seasons before that.

---Cal is 0-2 in home games against FBS teams this season, losing to UCLA and Clemson, and the Bears are 1-1 in day games against FBS foes, beating Syracuse and losing to UNLV.

---Saturday’s contest is Cal’s Homecoming game.

---Cal is still looking for a reliable place-kicker. Towns McGough is 2-for-4 on field goal attempts, including 0-for-2 from beyond 39 yards, and Chase Meyer is 3-for-5, and is 0-for-3 beyond 39 yards. It’s unclear who will be doing the place-kicking against Virginia Tech.

---Cal’s defense has had trouble stopping the run, particularly allowing big plays on the ground by its opponent. Last week, the Bears did a good job of shutting down UNLV all-Mountain West running Jai’Den Thomas, but allowed Rebels quarterback Jackson Arnold to have a 55-yard touchdown run and a pivotal 42-yard run. The Bears allow 5.18 yards per rushing attempt by their opponents and that ranks last in the ACC.

---Cal has intercepted seven passes, which ranks first in the ACC and sixth nationally. Five of those interceptions were by safety Kingston Lopa.

---Freshmen made an impact for Cal against UNLV. Tight end Taimane Purcell (102 receiving yards), defensive back Niles Davis (fumble recovery) and inside linebacker JD McKinley (first career sack) are true freshmen who did some good things last week. Redshirt freshman inside linebacker AJ Tuitele had two sacks against the Rebels.

---Cal’s running game has been poor. The Bears average just 3.3 yards per rushing attempt, and only one ACC team (Stanford) is worse than that. Whether running back Adam Mohammed is able to play for Cal on Saturday could make a difference.

---Cal ranks 12th in the ACC in both total offense and total defense. The Bears’ defense has nine takeaways, which is among the most in the country, but the offense has committed eight turnovers, which ranks among the bottom third in the country.

Virginia Tech Storylines

--- Virginia Tech is coming off a disappointing 35-33 home loss against Pitt in which Hokies kicker John Love missed a potential game-winning, 36-yard field goal on the final play of the game. The loss was particularly disappointing for the Hokies because they dominated the game statistically, rolling up 499 yards of total offence compared with Pitt’s 295 yards of offense. Turnovers doomed the Hokies, who committed four turnovers in the game, while Pitt did not commit any.

---The Hokies are in their first season under head coach James Franklin, who was fired as Penn State’s coach six games into the 2025 season. Virginia Tech’s 4-0 record after four games was its best start since 2017, when it also began the season 4-0. The Hokies went 3-9 last year, so it has already won more game than it did in 2025.

---The Hokies are hoping to improve to 5-1, which would be their best record after six games in nine years. Virginia Tech is shooting for its first conference title since 2010, when the Hokies ruled the ACC, winning three conference championships in four years (2007, 2008, 2010) under head coach Frank Beamer.

---Virginia Tech leads the nation in tackles for loss with 51. No one else in the country has more than 46. The Hokies’ defense racks up a lot of negative plays, making it difficult to sustain drives. Virginia Tech’s defense has recorded 197 negative yards from its tackles for losses, which also leads the nation.

---Virginia Tech has one of the best pass rushes in the country, and Cal’s ability to protect the passer will be a major factor in the game. The Hokies rank first in the ACC and are tied for fifth nationally in sacks with 18, and four players have at least three sacks apiece. Cal has yielded 10 sacks this season.

---Virginia Tech defensive ends Aycen Steven and Cortez Harris have combined to record 10.5 sacks this season.

---Cal has struggled in the running game, and Virginia Tech allows just 2.7 yards per rushing attempt, which ranks fourth in the ACC. If Virginia Tech shuts down Cal run game completely, it will put a lot of pressure on the Bears’ passing game against the Hokies’ strong pass rush.

---Virginia Tech quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, who came over from Penn State along with head coach James Frankin, has completed 74 percent of his passes this season with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. He threw for a career-high 434 yards and three touchdowns against Pitt, but also threw his first two interceptions of the season.

---Hokies running back Jeffrey Overton Jr. ran for 209 yards in the win over Boston College two weeks ago, but was limited to 46 rushing yards on 17 carries (2.7 yards per carry) last week against Pitt. He ranks third in the ACC in rushing with 455 yards. Cal’s defense allows 5.2 yard per rushing attempt by its opponent, and that ranks last in the ACC.

Virginia Tech beat writer answers five questions about the Hokies

Cal Players to Watch

QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele – It’s unclear whether he will play after suffering a concussion last week. The best guess is that he will be available and will start.

QB Jackson Brousseau – He would start if Sagapolutele can’t play, and Brousseau was productive in the second half against UNLV.

WR Ian Strong – There would be more pressure on him to be productive if Chase Hendricks cannot play.

RB Adam Mohammed – It would enhance Cal’s offense if he plays but he is questionable.

RB Ashten Emory – If Mohammed can’t play, Emory probably will be the Bears’ primary running back. He had 48 rushing yards last week.

S Kingston Lopa – He’s a key to Cal’s defense, and leads the nation with five interceptions, but he is questionable to be available.

WR/RB Tyree Sams – Last week against UNLV, true freshman Sams had five catches for 24 yards, three carries for 28 yards and two punt returns for 9 yards.

TE Taimane Purcell – True freshman Purcell was this week’s ACC rookie of the week after having 102 receiving yards against UNLV.

LB AJ Tuitele – Tuitele leads in the team in sacks, with three, and quarterback hurries, with six.

Virginia Tech Players to Watch

QB Ethan Grunkemeyer – Grunkemeyer is a Penn State transfer who has completed 74% of his passes with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions.

DT Kemari Copeland – He was a preseason first-team all-ACC selection

RB – Jeffrey Overton Jr. – Overton has gained 455 rushing yards, which ranks third in the ACC, and averages 5.9 yards per carry. He also has caught 15 passes for 150 yards.

TE Luke Reynolds – Reynolds has 37 catches -- most among all TEs in FBS -- for 373 yards and four touchdowns.

WR Que-Sean Brown – He has 33 receptions for 371 yards and two touchdowns.

LB Kaleb Spencer – He has 6.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, two pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

DE Aycen Stevens – He has 6.5 tackles for loss, including 5.5 sacks.

DE Cortez Harris – Harris has five sacks this season.

DL Mylachi Williams – He has seven tackles for loss and has forced two fumbles.

CAL STATISTICS: Click here

CAL GAME NOTES: Click here

VIRGINIA TECH STATISTICS: Click here

VIRGINIA TECH GAME NOTES: Click here

JAKE'S PICK: Cal 28, Virginia Tech 24

JEFF'S PICK: Virginia Tech 28, Cal 21

DAMIEN SORDELETT PICK (Roanoke Times): Virginia Tech 31, Cal 21

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