Late Defensive Struggles Haunt Virginia Tech in 25-20 Loss to Cal

Of all the games on Virginia Tech football's 2026 schedule, its cross-country trip to Berkeley, Calif., to face Cal hardly stood out as a marquee matchup.

A 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time kickoff against a Golden Bears squad entering the weekend with a losing record offered little in the way of national intrigue, particularly with Virginia Tech coming off a heartbreaking two-point loss to Pitt the week prior.

The matchup proved far more consequential than its billing suggested, however, as the Hokies found themselves embroiled in a fourth-quarter battle after surrendering a lead they had maintained for much of the afternoon.

Virginia Tech (4-2, 1-2 ACC) ultimately couldn't pull through, falling 25-20 to Cal (3-3, 2-1) for its second consecutive defeat.

Final: Cal 25, Hokies 20
— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) October 10, 2026

How It Happened

The Hokies carried a one-point lead into the fourth quarter after Cal capitalized on a successful fake punt on fourth down that netted it 29 yards. Instead of a punt from their own territory, the Golden Bears concluded their 11-play, 65-yard drive with a field goal to pull the game to a 14-13 margin entering the final quarter.

The Hokies carried a one-point lead into the fourth quarter after Cal capitalized on a successful fake punt on fourth down that netted it 29 yards. Instead of a punt from its own territory, the Golden Bears concluded their 11-play, 65-yard drive with a field goal to pull the game to a 14-13 margin entering the final quarter.

The Hokies nearly capitalized, marching down to Cal's 16-yard line to set up a crucial fourth-and-1. However, left guard Michael Troutman III, playing in just his third collegiate game, was flagged for a false start, forcing Virginia Tech to settle for a 39-yard field goal attempt from fifth-year kicker John Love. His kick sailed wide left, marking his second miss of the afternoon after an unsuccessful 55-yard attempt earlier against the Golden Bears.

Cal responded with a methodical drive of its own, converting three third downs and chewing more than seven minutes off the clock. The possession culminated in an acrobatic 3-yard touchdown catch by Carson Perry-Smith, giving the Golden Bears their first lead of the afternoon at 19-14 with 4:06 remaining.

Virginia Tech, thus, embarked on a four-minute drill that required a touchdown. As it turned out, the Hokies needed just two minutes and 45 seconds to complete the sequence. Grunkemeyer capped a nine-play, 73-yard drive with a 1-yard quarterback sneak, putting Virginia Tech ahead 20-19 with 1:15 remaining. A subsequent two-point conversion attempt failed.

But that was too much time.

On Cal's final drive, Brousseau found Ian Strong open for a 31-yard catch following back-to-back 15-yard penalties — roughing the passer on linebacker Kaleb Spencer and pass interference on defensive back Cam Chadwick Jr. — assessed to Virginia Tech. Two plays after the latter penalty, running back Ashten Emory punched in a 2-yard rushing touchdown with 18 seconds remaining, completing a six-play, 75-yard drive that lasted just 57 seconds. The score gave California a 25-20 lead.

California converted all five of its third-down opportunities in the fourth quarter, running 31 plays for 219 yards across its final three scoring possessions — drives of 11, 14 and six plays, respectively. Brousseau finished with a career-high 321 yards on 29-of-43 passing, completing at least three passes to six different Golden Bears receivers.

On the other end, Virginia Tech's inconsistencies weren't confined to the fourth quarter, either, as the Hokies struggled to sustain drives despite entering the matchup with a reshuffled offensive line.

Virginia Tech ran with a different lineup at offensive line than in prior weeks: Layth Ghannam ran at left tackle and Montavious Cunningham returned at right guard. Michael Troutman III, Kyle Altuner and Aidan Lynch manned their typical spots at left guard, center and right tackle. The Hokies converted only one of their seven third-down attempts requiring four or more yards against Cal.

Virginia Tech's defensive struggles resurfaced, as California scored on four of its final five possessions. The Golden Bears ran 31 plays across their final three drives alone — sequences of 11, 14 and six plays, respectively.

Despite those late-game struggles, Virginia Tech controlled the scoreboard for much of the afternoon, striking first on a 30-yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Ayden Greene.

The Hokies faced a third-and-16 after Grunkemeyer was sacked, but the quarterback connected with Greene for a 32-yard gain to move the chains. Greene later hauled in a pass along the left sideline, extending his left arm across the goal line to complete the 30-yard touchdown.

California struck back after a three-and-out, generating two swift passing gains of 42 and 23 yards to move to Virginia Tech's 20-yard line. Defensive end Aycen Stevens garnered a 13-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for standing over Emory, and two plays later, Emory pushed in the football for a 5-yard rushing touchdown, knotting the game up at seven.

LUUUUUKE‼️ What a catch!! #LetsGoHokies | 📺 @accnetwork pic.twitter.com/R06c6hFS2Z
— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) October 10, 2026

Virginia Tech answered back on its following drive, though 25 of its 75 yards came via penalties. One catch on the drive was a 22-yarder to tight end Luke Reynolds, who snagged the ball while on his back. The seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive was followed by three straight punts, however.

The third nearly proved disastrous. An eight-play, 46-yard drive culminated in Grunkemeyer's pass being batted down and recovered by a Cal defender. The ruling on the field — a fumble recovered by the defense — was overturned upon review, however, with the play instead ruled an incompletion, allowing Virginia Tech to punt.

Cal, however, capitalized on its successful fourth-down fake punt, trimming Virginia Tech's lead to just one point entering the final quarter. That set the stage for a do-or-die final frame for the Hokies, who looked to avoid their second consecutive loss after falling 35-33 to Pitt on Oct. 2.

But they couldn't make their late lead stand. Virginia Tech's 25-20 defeat marked its second consecutive loss and what initially appeared to be a promising start to the 2026 campaign has now given way to consecutive narrow defeats, with the Hokies left searching for answers entering the second half of their schedule.

Virginia Tech returns to Lane Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 17, to host Georgia Tech for its annual Homecoming game. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET, with the contest set to air on ACC Network.

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