Coming off disappointing losses in one-possession games, Virginia Tech and Cal are focused on recovery when they meet Saturday in an Atlantic Coast Conference clash in Berkeley, Calif.
The Hokies (4-1, 1-1 ACC) suffered a home loss on Friday when kicker John Love missed a 36-yard field goal attempt on the game’s final play, allowing Pitt to escape with a 35-33 win.
Meanwhile, Cal (2-3, 1-1 ACC) took a fourth-quarter lead against UNLV before surrendering 15 points in the final 10 minutes, resulting in a 39-31 defeat.
“Obviously, there’s a fine line between winning and losing in college football and we felt that on Friday night,” James Franklin said after his first loss as the coach at Virginia Tech.
Adding to the Hokies’ frustration was their edge in offensive yards, 499-295, which was undermined by their four turnovers compared to none for the unbeaten Panthers.
After not throwing an interception in his first four games, quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer threw two picks, suffered a strip-sack fumble, and botched a handoff, playing a role in all four of the Hokies’ turnovers.
The good news was that Grunkemeyer threw for 434 yards and accounted for four touchdowns, passing and rushing combined, helping rally Virginia Tech to the brink of a comeback victory.
“We spend a lot of time talking about our 1-0 mentality,” Franklin said. “It’s critical that we lean into that and get back to work against a talented Cal football team.”
Cal also had much to regret about its loss last week, as it committed 16 penalties for 147 yards.
Injuries also exacted a toll. The Golden Bears lost quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele to a concussion in the final minute of the first half, and top running back Adam Mohammed, who has 504 yards rushing and receiving, was also sidelined with a left knee injury.
Kingston Lopa, who leads the Football Bowl Subdivision with five interceptions, was hurt on the first defensive snap of the game (upper-body/concussion protocol) and did not return.
First-year coach Tosh Lupoi said on Tuesday that Sagapolutele is also in concussion protocol. Jackson Brousseau completed 19 of 32 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns in relief against UNLV.
Lupoi also confirmed that he swapped out his offensive play callers at halftime against UNLV, opting for pass game coordinator Pat McCann over offensive coordinator Jordan Somerville.
“I just changed it up,” Lupoi said. “I thought it was time.”
