ACC Football: Virginia Tech hosts Cal in Friday primetime ESPN matchup

Have to admit, I didn’t have Virginia Tech sitting at 2-5 going into its final game in the month of October.

I was thinking Brent Pry would be on the edge of getting a pinkslip by the end after a third straight 6-6 regular season, but, man, things escalated quickly on that.

Pry didn’t survive September, Whit Babcock is shaking the trees for money for a replacement – news flash: it won’t be James Franklin or Shane Beamer.

That’s the backdrop for tonight’s ESPN primetime game pitting Tech and Cal, which clearly doesn’t give a damn – no offense to Justin Wilcox, but he’s 47-52 in his nine seasons, though, to his credit, he has the Golden Bears at 5-2 going into this one.

Wilcox has two winning seasons – 7-6 in 2018, 8-5 in 2019.

To be fair, Tech only has one winning season since 2019 – Pry went 7-6 in 2023.

Cal at Virginia Tech | Friday, 7:30 p.m. | ESPN

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Series: California leads series, 1-0-0
Last meeting: California, 52-49 (2003)
TV: ESPN
SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 84 / SiriusXM 371
SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 84 / SiriusXM 371
Line: Virginia Tech -4.5
Over/under: 50.5
Projected final score: Virginia Tech 27, Cal 23

Game Notes: Cal and Virginia Tech will face off for just the second time and the first as ACC foes on Friday in Blacksburg. Cal edged the Hokies 52–49 in the 2003 Insight Bowl behind Aaron Rodgers.

The Golden Bears enter their second straight Friday night matchup following a 21-18 win over North Carolina in Week 8. Wide receiver Jacob de Jesus posted a career-high 13 receptions in that game – tied for the sixth-most in program history and the most by a Cal player since 2016.

Cal leads the ACC with four fumble recoveries and has lost only two fumbles all season, while freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has thrown for over 200 yards in all seven games, totaling 1,696 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Virginia Tech, coming off an open week, looks to rebound from a two-game skid after a 35-20 loss to then-No. 12 Georgia Tech in Week 7.

Quarterback Kyron Drones, who recently became the seventh Hokie to surpass 5,000 career passing yards, has thrown for 1,397 yards and 11 touchdowns this season and is one of just 13 ACC quarterbacks in the CFP era with at least 10 career games of 150-plus passing and 50-plus rushing yards.