Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – After the team’s first open week of the 2025 campaign, Virginia Tech football will play host to Cal on Friday, Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Hokies (2-5, 1-2 ACC), who return to Lane Stadium after a contest against Georgia Tech on Oct. 11, welcome a Golden Bears team that has played its last two games at home. Read below to see what fans can expect from the Hokies’ eighth game of the season.
How to Follow:
TV: The game will be televised on ESPN with Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst) and Paul Carcaterra (sidelines) on the call.
Radio: The Virginia Tech Sports Network can be heard on 40+ radio stations across the Commonwealth including 105.3 FM in Blacksburg. Bill Roth will handle play-by-play duties while Mike Burnop provides color commentary and Zach Mackey reports from the sideline.
Streaming: Catch the game online at ESPN.com and the ESPN mobile app.
Live Audio: Listen to live audio coverage of the matchup at HokieSports.com/listen or through the HokieSports mobile app.
Live Stats: Monitor the game through live stats on HokieSports.com, including play-by-play updates and full team and individual statistics.
Social Media: Stay connected with the Hokies on Twitter (@HokiesFB), Instagram (@hokiesfb), and Facebook (@VirginiaTechFB).
Things to Know:
The matchup between the Hokies and Golden Bears will be the first ever played in the regular season.
When Virginia Tech hosts Cal on Friday evening, the contest will serve as the inaugural regular season game between the two squads. For the first ever game between the Hokies and Golden Bears, fans will have to reach back over two decades to the 2003 Insight Bowl that featured 101 total points.
Head coach Justin Wilcox and the Cal football team are in just their second year in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), making this week’s matchup one that the West Coast team has never experienced. In the team’s first campaign as a conference member last fall, the Golden Bears went 2-6 with wins against Wake Forest and Stanford.
The teams in Friday’s matchup could not be meeting at more different scenarios. The Hokies, who enter the contest well-rested after an open week, will host a Cal team that fought tooth and nail against North Carolina this past weekend. An already tested Golden Bears squad will have to travel over 2,500 miles for Friday’s game.
Sam Siefkes’s Lunch Pail Defense is primed for an advantageous matchup.
After seven contests so far this fall, Virginia Tech’s Lunch Pail defense finds themselves ranked tenth overall out of 17 teams in the ACC. The front, led by pillars such as Kelvin Gilliam Jr. and Kemari Copeland, has been impressive in limiting opposing quarterbacks into season-low performances when facing the Hokies.
Friday’s contest provides first-year defensive coordinator Sam Siefkes with an opportunity to utilize his defensive front effectively. Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who has featured in the role as a true freshman, has thrown eight interceptions over seven games at the helm. Further, Cal’s rushing attach is ranked last in the conference, as the Golden Bears have mustered 94.3 yards per game on the ground.
Players to Know:
Running Back Terion Stewart
In his first year in maroon and orange, graduate student Terion Stewart has turned heads behind his ability to knock defenders over and gain yards after contact. The 5-foot-9, 222-pound tailback has an attractive matchup against the Golden Bears defense on Friday, especially when considering that the team has allowed 122.1 rushing yards per game to opponents this fall. Stewart is second on the team with 325 rushing yards through five games this season.
Linebacker Kaleb Spencer
Junior Kaleb Spencer has been a consistent defensive presence in what is now his second year as a member of the Hokies. Through seven appearances this fall, the 6-foot-2, 221-pound linebacker leads the team in tackles (33) and is third in tackles for loss (3 TFLs, 11 yards). If Spencer can log two or more tackles against the Golden Bears this weekend, the feat will serve as the sixth consecutive game he has done so.