Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Well-rested off the first open week of the season, Virginia Tech football will welcome Cal to Lane Stadium on Friday, Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The matchup, which is the first clash in regular season history between the two squads, serves as the fourth conference game for both teams in the 2025 campaign. As the Hokies prepare to face off against the Golden Bears under the lights on Friday, here’s What to Watch for throughout the contest.
Offensive West Coast Woes
While Cal enters this Friday’s matchup with a 5-2 record through seven games, the seventh-ranked ACC team has had to rely heavily on its defense to procure late-game wins. The matchup against North Carolina is perhaps the best example of this notion, as Cal defensive back Brent Austin forced a goal line fumble to preserve what would end up being a 21-18 win at home.
Offensively, the Golden Bears find themselves tallying a conference third-lowest 343.4 yards per game this season, a total largely found from the passing efforts of quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. The Bears have run 2,404 offensive plays this season, and 1,744 of those plays have been through the air through seven games this fall, further exemplifying Cal’s pass-happy offense led by first-year coordinator Bryan Harsin.
Further, the ground game hasn’t been kind to the Golden Bears in 2025. Their 94.3 rushing yards per game ranks last among 17 ACC teams, the next closest team being interstate foe Stanford (98.3 yards per game). The Golden Bears’ 3.0 yards per attempt ranks second worst in the conference.
Tale of the Tape: Quarterback
Leading the charge for the Hokies and the Golden Bears on Friday are quarterbacks Kyron Drones and Sagapolutele, respectively. Both passers enter the contest with varying levels of experience in the role, as Drones currently plays his fifth year while Sagapolutele is a true freshman.
Through seven games this fall, Drones has thrown for just shy of 1,400 yards, connected on 11 passing touchdowns, and owns a 60.6% completion percentage. The dual-threat quarterback has also made his presence known when running, as he has 277 yards on the ground and five touchdowns. In a 38-6 win against Wofford on Sept. 20, Drones exploded for a season-high 307 passing yards and four touchdowns (two rushing, two passing).
Sagapolutele has led the Golden Bears to a 5-2 record behind 10 passing touchdowns and a 60.9% completion percentage. He also has a pair of rushing touchdowns.
Opportunities for the Secondary
Sagapolutele has thrown seven interceptions on the year, three of which came in a 45-21 loss to Duke on Oct. 4. The team’s eight combined turnovers in the air stand as the third-most among the ACC.
This bodes well for defensive coordinator Sam Siefkes and the Lunch Pail Defense. In the last home appearance against Wake Forest, cornerback Isaiah Brown-Murray corralled a tipped pass from quarterback Robby Ashford, giving the Hokies prime field position late in the third quarter. Fans should keep their eyes peeled to see how the Hokie defense can force Cal’s true freshman quarterback to make errant decisions on Friday night.