Virginia Tech holds off Cal in double overtime

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Wilcox frustrated by Golden Bears’ defensive lapses

Virginia Tech wide receiver Takye Heath catches a touchdown in the second overtime of Friday night’s game against Cal. Robert Simmons — ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cal wide receiver Jacob de Jesus runs the ball downfield during the first half of Friday night’s game against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. Robert Simmons — Associated Press

Image

By Jeff Faraudo

For The Bay Area News Group

The list of things Cal must correct after its 42-34 double-overtime loss at Virginia Tech on Friday night probably looks like one of those mile-long CVS pharmacy receipts.

Bad center snaps, dropped passes, pre-snap penalties, gaffes by the defensive secondary. All of them contributed to a defeat that prevented the Bears from earning bowl eligibility at the earliest date on the calendar since 2006.

But none of them were as chronically evident or as ultimately crippling as the Bears’ inability to stop the run.

Even when the Bears in recent years have struggled to score, coach Justin Wilcox’s teams typically have excelled on defense. But Virginia Tech, which fired its coach after losing its first three games this season, rushed for the staggering total of 357 yards, more than Cal had surrendered in any of Wilcox’s previous 99 games over nine seasons in Berkeley.

Running back Marcellous Hawkins had a career-high 167 rushing yards at 8.0 yards per clip. Quarterback Kyron Drones was a far bigger mystery for the Bears, rolling up 137 rushing yards and two touchdowns while also throwing three TDs.

“On every call, there’s somebody responsible for the quarterback. Having undisciplined eyes or not fitting properly in the run defense and then the finish,” said Wilcox, listing the defensive sins. “The tackling … I don’t know where to begin with the tackling.”

Each team missed field goals in the final 1:12 that could have averted overtime. Tech’s John Love, who has a 60-yarder to his credit, hit the right upright with a 45-yard attempt. Cal’s Chase Meyer missed wide right on what would have been a career-long 49-yarder with 1 second remaining.

Here’s how the overtime periods unfolded:

Cal scored on one play when freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele fired a 25-yard touchdown strike to tight end Mason Mini.

VA Tech answered with Drones running it from 17 yards on second-and-2, tying the score at 34-all.

The Hokies then got the ball first in the second OT and Drones hit Takye Heath with a 7-yard TD pass. Required to go for 2 points in the second OT, Drones kept the ball and gave Tech a 42-34 lead.

Sagapolutele threw incomplete on four straight plays on the Bears’ final possession, ending things.

The loss has the immediate consequence of keeping Cal (5-3, 2-2 ACC) one victory shy of bowl eligibility. The path ahead becomes tougher, beginning with a home game next Saturday against No. 16 Virginia.

From there, the Bears play Nov. 8 at No. 19 Louisville, face improving Stanford on the road in the Big Game on Nov. 22, before closing the regular season with a Nov. 30 home date against an SMU squad still unbeaten in three ACC games.

Reaching seven or eight victories will be a supreme challenge and even getting to No. 6 is far from a sure thing.

“There’s still a lot of season left,” said receiver Jacob De Jesus, who had team-high totals of eight catches and 86 receiving yards. “We’re going to work on our discipline this week and being tougher as a team. We’re not losing the team or anything like that.”