Three Keys to Victory for Virginia Tech Against Cal

Four turnovers cost Virginia Tech a 5–0 start. Here’s how the Hokies keep it from happening again in Berkeley.

Oct 2, 2026; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies defensive lineman Aycen Stevens (42) celebrates a sack against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first quarter at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Virginia Tech ranks 15th in the FBS in scoring and 121st in turnover margin. Friday night against Pitt, the second number finally beat the first.

The Hokies gave the ball away four times in a six-possession stretch and lost 35–33. Now they fly across the country to face a Cal defense that has seven interceptions in five games.

Virginia Tech (4–1, 1–1 ACC) and Cal (2–3, 1–1) kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday on ACC Network, with the Hokies opening as 10.5-point favorites. The series is tied 1–1 after Tech’s 42–34 double-overtime win in Blacksburg last October.

Here are three keys to victory.

1. Keep the ball away from Cal's secondary

Tech has nine giveaways in five games, 117th in the FBS. Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer opened the season with 136 passes and no interceptions, then threw two interceptions on Friday and lost a fumble on a strip-sack.

Taking the ball away is what Cal does best. Redshirt sophomore safety Kingston Lopa has five of the Golden Bears’ seven interceptions, the most in the country. Lopa left the UNLV game in the first quarter with an upper-body injury and didn’t return, so his name is the first one to look for on Cal’s availability report.

None of this means Tech should throw less. Grunkemeyer has completed 131 of 177 passes for 1,446 yards and 11 touchdowns. He just threw for 434 against a Pitt defense that had allowed 34 points in four games. Cal allows 26.6 per game.

2. Get the run game back

Tech ran 32 times for 65 yards against Pitt, 2.0 per carry. It had been averaging 177.8.

Cal is the place to fix that. The Golden Bears allow 187.4 rushing yards per game, 121st in the FBS, and 5.1 yards per carry. UNLV quarterback Jackson Arnold ran for 110 yards on Saturday, with runs of 55 and 42 yards.

History says the same thing. Tech ran for 357 yards on Cal last October, and Marcellous Hawkins had 167 of them. Both staffs have changed since. Hawkins hasn’t gone anywhere. The redshirt senior got eight carries Friday to Jeffrey Overton Jr.’s 17.

3. Turn pressure into takeaways

Tech leads the FBS with 51 tackles for loss and ranks fourth with 18 sacks. Senior defensive end Aycen Stevens has a solo sack in all five games.

All that pressure has produced four takeaways and one interception. “We haven’t been getting turnovers on defense,” James Franklin said.

Cal should help. The Golden Bears average 95.0 rushing yards per game, 132nd in the FBS, and leading rusher Adam Mohammed (336 yards) didn’t play at UNLV. Tech allows 87.4 on the ground, 14th nationally. Cal is going to have to throw.

Who throws it is the question. Sophomore Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (1,180 yards, eight touchdowns, five interceptions) hit his head on the turf late in the first half at UNLV. He was medically cleared, but coach Tosh Lupoi held him out. “If Jaron is ready to rock, then awesome,” Lupoi said. If he isn’t, it’s Colorado State transfer Jackson Brousseau, who threw for 200 yards and two touchdowns in relief.

Tech just watched a backup beat it. Pitt’s Holden Geriner came off the bench Friday and threw the 29-yard touchdown that made it 35–24. Whoever starts for Cal will be throwing into a defense that hits quarterbacks but hasn’t caught many of their passes.