California Golden Bears Athletics
Cal welcomes Virginia Tech to Databricks Field at California Memorial Stadium this Saturday.
Photo by: Max Wood/Cal Football
Bears To Host Hokies In Berkeley For First Time
10/6/2026 2:00 PM | Football
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Cal, Virginia Tech Set For Third All-Time Meeting
California football (2-3, 1-1 ACC) will welcome James Franklin's Virginia Tech Hokies (4-1, 1-1 ACC) to Berkeley for the very first time this Saturday. Kickoff at Databricks Field at California Memorial Stadium is set for 12:30 p.m. PT with the game to be shown live on the ACC Network.
SATURDAY LINEUP
Venue: Databricks Field at California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, Calif.
Time: 12:30 p.m. PT
Watch (ACCN): Justin Kutcher (PxP), Max Browne (Analyst), Madison Fitzpatrick (Sideline Reporter)
Listen (English Radio): 810 AM – Justin Allegri (PxP), Mike Pawlawski (Analyst), Ben Ross (Sideline Reporter); Sirius XM Ch. 174 or 234/Sirius XM App, The Varsity App, YouTube Live Stream
Listen (Spanish Radio): Cal Football YouTube Live Stream – Jesus Zarate (PxP), Enrique Zarate (Analyst)
BEARS VS. HOKIES
- Cal and Virginia Tech will face off for their second ACC matchup on the gridiron and first in Berkeley this Saturday.
- The Golden Bears and the Hokies have split the all-time series, 1-1.
- Virginia Tech captured a dramatic double-overtime 42-34 win in Blacksburg, Va. last season in the two teams' first meeting as conference opponents.
- Last year's game was a back-and-forth contest, with the teams tied at 27 points at the end of regulation to send the game to overtime. The Bears and the Hokies exchanged touchdowns in the first overtime before Virginia Tech came up with the winning score in the second added period.
- The first time Cal and Virginia Tech squared off was a memorable 2003 Insight Bowl game. It was a high-scoring thriller at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, Ariz. in which the Bears defeated the Hokies, 52-49.
- In the 2003 game, then-sophomore Aaron Rodgers completed 27-of-35 passes for 394 yards and two passing touchdowns while also rushing for two scores to earn Offensive MVP honors. Cal won the game on a walk-off field goal when Tyler Frederickson (who had missed his previous five field goal attempts) hit a 35-yard field goal as the time on the clock expired to secure the victory.
CAL...
- Ranks first in the ACC and fifth nationally in defensive touchdowns with its two. DB Kingston Lopa registered a pick-six against Syracuse while ILB Kamar Mothudi had a scoop-and-score against Clemson.
- Ranks first in the ACC and sixth nationally in passes intercepted with seven. Five of those interceptions were registered to Lopa through the first three games while DB Isaiah Crosby logged an interception in the opening drive of the game against Clemson and DB Aiden Manutai intercepted a pass in the end zone against UNLV in the second quarter.
- Has produced strong results in the red zone this season with the Bears ranking second in the ACC and tying for 21st in the NCAA in red zone offense (.938) and fifth in the conference and tied for 35th nationally in red zone defense (0.765).
- Ranks first in the ACC and 16th nationally in turnovers gained (9).
- Ranks second in the ACC and ties for 10th nationally in passing defense efficiency (102.89).
NEWCOMERS MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS
- Cal has seen its newcomers already making contributions in 2026, with true freshmen TE Taimane Purcell, DB Niles Davis and ILB JD McKinley coming up with big plays in Cal's game at UNLV.
- TE Taimane Purcell was named the ACC Rookie of the Week following his Week 5 performance at UNLV. It was the first weekly conference honor of Purcell's career and the second captured by a Bear this season after defensive back Kingston Lopa earned ACC Defensive Back of the Week honors after Cal's Week 2 win over Syracuse.
- Purcell captured the first touchdown reception of his career against UNLV. On 1st-and-10 from the Cal 9, QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele connected with Purcell on the right sideline and Purcell broke a tackle and charged towards the end zone to give the Bears their first score of the day. The 91-yard score is the second-longest pass play in program history. Purcell had the best day of his career so far against the Rebels, setting personal bests in receptions (3), receiving yards (102) and longest reception (91). He has seen action in all of Cal's games this season, catching two passes for 14 combined yards at Syracuse and adding a 9-yard reception against Wagner.
- DB Niles Davis had a big-time special teams play against the Rebels when he recovered a loose ball at the UNLV 16 on a kickoff.
- Davis has handled nine kickoff returns for the Bears this season, including five at UNLV, to combine for 181 return yards. He has also added four tackles against Wagner.
- ILB JD McKinley recorded his first career sack at UNLV, pushing back the Rebels' QB Jackson Arnold 14 yards.
- McKinley started his first-ever collegiate game during Cal's Week 1 matchup with UCLA. He has compiled 14 total tackles and a pair of QB hurries this season.
- New to the action this season has also been redshirt sophomore RB Carson Perry-Smith who scored a touchdown on his first reception of his career at UNLV on a 53-yard score.
- Perry-Smith has worked his way from walk-on to contributor in the running backs room this season. He had four carries for 12 combined yards against Wagner.
QUARTERBACK ROOM COMBINES FOR SOLID AERIAL PERFORMANCE
- Quarterbacks Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and Jackson Brousseau combined for 395 passing yards and three touchdowns at UNLV.
- Sagapolutele completed 19 of 27 passes for 195 yards and one touchdown before being sidelined with injury near the end of the first half.
- Brousseau directed a second-half offense that scored three touchdowns at UNLV - two through the air and one on the ground. He completed a season-best 19 of 32 passes for 200 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown pass to RB Carson Perry-Smith.
- Sagapolutele ranks fourth in the ACC and 20th nationally in completions per game (21.40). Despite missing a full half of play last week, Sagapolutele's 164 pass attempts rank third-most in the ACC.
- Sagapolutele needs 137 passing yards to reach 4,500 in his career. He went over 4,000 yards passing through 16 career games played during Cal's Week 3 win versus Wagner. He is the third-fastest Cal quarterback in recent history to reach 4,000 passing yards as a Bear behind Davis Webb who reached 4,000 passing yards in 12 games in 2016 and Jared Goff who reached the milestone in his first 14 games played between the 2013-14 seasons.
TUITELE TAKE DOWN
- ILB AJ Tuitele registered two sacks during his visit to his hometown of Las Vegas against UNLV.
- Tuitele pushed the Rebels back a combined 17 yards. He also led the team with seven tackles in the game.
- He had his first career sack against Clemson. He pushed the Tigers back 8 yards with his take-down of Tait Reynolds.
- Tuitele leads the Bears with three sacks and six quarterback hurries this season. He also has 25 tackles on the season, which is second-most by any Bear and most among the linebacker unit.
MANUTAI MAKES PLAYS
- DB Aiden Manutai collected the second interception of his career and first this season at UNLV. He intercepted the Rebels on a trick-play pass by TE Matt Byrnes, resulting in a touchback. He also added a season-best five tackles.
- It was the second-straight week in which Manutai forced a turnover after
forcing a fumble in the first quarter against Clemson in Week 4. The Tigers' Tait Reynolds scrambled and Manutai upended him, forcing the ball to come loose just before Reynolds hit the turf.
- Manutai is one of three Bears to be credited with a forced fumble this season after Cam Sidney and Khamani Hudson each forced a fumble in the Syracuse and UCLA games, respectively.
SATURDAY LINEUP
Venue: Databricks Field at California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, Calif.
Time: 12:30 p.m. PT
Watch (ACCN): Justin Kutcher (PxP), Max Browne (Analyst), Madison Fitzpatrick (Sideline Reporter)
Listen (English Radio): 810 AM – Justin Allegri (PxP), Mike Pawlawski (Analyst), Ben Ross (Sideline Reporter); Sirius XM Ch. 174 or 234/Sirius XM App, The Varsity App, YouTube Live Stream
Listen (Spanish Radio): Cal Football YouTube Live Stream – Jesus Zarate (PxP), Enrique Zarate (Analyst)
BEARS VS. HOKIES
- Cal and Virginia Tech will face off for their second ACC matchup on the gridiron and first in Berkeley this Saturday.
- The Golden Bears and the Hokies have split the all-time series, 1-1.
- Virginia Tech captured a dramatic double-overtime 42-34 win in Blacksburg, Va. last season in the two teams' first meeting as conference opponents.
- Last year's game was a back-and-forth contest, with the teams tied at 27 points at the end of regulation to send the game to overtime. The Bears and the Hokies exchanged touchdowns in the first overtime before Virginia Tech came up with the winning score in the second added period.
- The first time Cal and Virginia Tech squared off was a memorable 2003 Insight Bowl game. It was a high-scoring thriller at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, Ariz. in which the Bears defeated the Hokies, 52-49.
- In the 2003 game, then-sophomore Aaron Rodgers completed 27-of-35 passes for 394 yards and two passing touchdowns while also rushing for two scores to earn Offensive MVP honors. Cal won the game on a walk-off field goal when Tyler Frederickson (who had missed his previous five field goal attempts) hit a 35-yard field goal as the time on the clock expired to secure the victory.
CAL...
- Ranks first in the ACC and fifth nationally in defensive touchdowns with its two. DB Kingston Lopa registered a pick-six against Syracuse while ILB Kamar Mothudi had a scoop-and-score against Clemson.
- Ranks first in the ACC and sixth nationally in passes intercepted with seven. Five of those interceptions were registered to Lopa through the first three games while DB Isaiah Crosby logged an interception in the opening drive of the game against Clemson and DB Aiden Manutai intercepted a pass in the end zone against UNLV in the second quarter.
- Has produced strong results in the red zone this season with the Bears ranking second in the ACC and tying for 21st in the NCAA in red zone offense (.938) and fifth in the conference and tied for 35th nationally in red zone defense (0.765).
- Ranks first in the ACC and 16th nationally in turnovers gained (9).
- Ranks second in the ACC and ties for 10th nationally in passing defense efficiency (102.89).
NEWCOMERS MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS
- Cal has seen its newcomers already making contributions in 2026, with true freshmen TE Taimane Purcell, DB Niles Davis and ILB JD McKinley coming up with big plays in Cal's game at UNLV.
- TE Taimane Purcell was named the ACC Rookie of the Week following his Week 5 performance at UNLV. It was the first weekly conference honor of Purcell's career and the second captured by a Bear this season after defensive back Kingston Lopa earned ACC Defensive Back of the Week honors after Cal's Week 2 win over Syracuse.
- Purcell captured the first touchdown reception of his career against UNLV. On 1st-and-10 from the Cal 9, QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele connected with Purcell on the right sideline and Purcell broke a tackle and charged towards the end zone to give the Bears their first score of the day. The 91-yard score is the second-longest pass play in program history. Purcell had the best day of his career so far against the Rebels, setting personal bests in receptions (3), receiving yards (102) and longest reception (91). He has seen action in all of Cal's games this season, catching two passes for 14 combined yards at Syracuse and adding a 9-yard reception against Wagner.
- DB Niles Davis had a big-time special teams play against the Rebels when he recovered a loose ball at the UNLV 16 on a kickoff.
- Davis has handled nine kickoff returns for the Bears this season, including five at UNLV, to combine for 181 return yards. He has also added four tackles against Wagner.
- ILB JD McKinley recorded his first career sack at UNLV, pushing back the Rebels' QB Jackson Arnold 14 yards.
- McKinley started his first-ever collegiate game during Cal's Week 1 matchup with UCLA. He has compiled 14 total tackles and a pair of QB hurries this season.
- New to the action this season has also been redshirt sophomore RB Carson Perry-Smith who scored a touchdown on his first reception of his career at UNLV on a 53-yard score.
- Perry-Smith has worked his way from walk-on to contributor in the running backs room this season. He had four carries for 12 combined yards against Wagner.
QUARTERBACK ROOM COMBINES FOR SOLID AERIAL PERFORMANCE
- Quarterbacks Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and Jackson Brousseau combined for 395 passing yards and three touchdowns at UNLV.
- Sagapolutele completed 19 of 27 passes for 195 yards and one touchdown before being sidelined with injury near the end of the first half.
- Brousseau directed a second-half offense that scored three touchdowns at UNLV - two through the air and one on the ground. He completed a season-best 19 of 32 passes for 200 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown pass to RB Carson Perry-Smith.
- Sagapolutele ranks fourth in the ACC and 20th nationally in completions per game (21.40). Despite missing a full half of play last week, Sagapolutele's 164 pass attempts rank third-most in the ACC.
- Sagapolutele needs 137 passing yards to reach 4,500 in his career. He went over 4,000 yards passing through 16 career games played during Cal's Week 3 win versus Wagner. He is the third-fastest Cal quarterback in recent history to reach 4,000 passing yards as a Bear behind Davis Webb who reached 4,000 passing yards in 12 games in 2016 and Jared Goff who reached the milestone in his first 14 games played between the 2013-14 seasons.
TUITELE TAKE DOWN
- ILB AJ Tuitele registered two sacks during his visit to his hometown of Las Vegas against UNLV.
- Tuitele pushed the Rebels back a combined 17 yards. He also led the team with seven tackles in the game.
- He had his first career sack against Clemson. He pushed the Tigers back 8 yards with his take-down of Tait Reynolds.
- Tuitele leads the Bears with three sacks and six quarterback hurries this season. He also has 25 tackles on the season, which is second-most by any Bear and most among the linebacker unit.
MANUTAI MAKES PLAYS
- DB Aiden Manutai collected the second interception of his career and first this season at UNLV. He intercepted the Rebels on a trick-play pass by TE Matt Byrnes, resulting in a touchback. He also added a season-best five tackles.
- It was the second-straight week in which Manutai forced a turnover after
forcing a fumble in the first quarter against Clemson in Week 4. The Tigers' Tait Reynolds scrambled and Manutai upended him, forcing the ball to come loose just before Reynolds hit the turf.
- Manutai is one of three Bears to be credited with a forced fumble this season after Cam Sidney and Khamani Hudson each forced a fumble in the Syracuse and UCLA games, respectively.
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