CAL AT VIRGINIA TECH

Records: Cal (5-2 overall, 2-1 in ACC); Virginia Tech (2-5, 1-2 in ACC)

Kickoff: 4:30 p.m. (Pacific) Friday at Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, VA

TV: ESPN

Radio: 810 AM

Series history: Cal leads 1-0. The Bears beat the Hokies 52-49 at the 2003 Insight Bowl when Tyler Fredrickson kicked a game-winning 35-yard field goal as time expired. Aaron Rodgers passed for 394 yards and two touchdowns.

Cal storylines: A victory will make Cal bowl eligible for the third straight season. … The Bears make their second trip east in ACC play, having won 28-24 at Boston College on Sept. 27. They are coming off a 21-18 home victory vs. North Carolina, but they are just 2-2 since a 3-0 start. … A win would put Cal two games over .500 in conference play for the first time since opening 2-0 in the Pac-12 in 2015. …  Cal’s injury report shows LJ Johnson Jr. and Brandon High Jr., the team’s Nos. 2 and 3 running backs, won’t play. That means Kendrick Raphael, who leads the team with 595 yards, will carry a bigger load . . . Senior sl. … Senior slot receiver Jacob De Jesus, who delivered a 13-catch performance against Carolina, is second in the ACC with 47 receptions but 19th in receiving yards at 56.9 per game. … The Bears haven’t attempted a field goal in their past three games and haven’t converted one since Sept. 13 vs. Minnesota. … Junior linebacker Cade Uluave is second in the ACC with 62 tackles and needs just one more to reach 200 for his career.

Virginia Tech storylines: The Hokies opened the season with three defeats, and coach Brent Fry was fired after a 45-26 loss to Old Dominion. Tech won its first two games under interim coach Philip Montgomery and then lost to Wake Forest and Georgia Tech before a bye last week. … South Carolina coach Shane Beamer, a Virginia Tech alum whose father Frank Beamer assembled a Hall of Fame coaching career with the Hokies from 1987 to 2015, has been mentioned as a potential hire at Tech. … Hokies dual-threat quarterback Kyron Drones, who began his career at Baylor, has passed for 1,397 yards with 11 touchdowns and run for 277 yards and five scores, but turnovers (5 picks, 2 lost fumbles) have been a problem. … Kicker John Love is 12 for 14 on field goals this season and 51 for 58 over four seasons, including a 60-yarder.

Stats that matter: The Hokies’ defense has generated just five takeaways (3 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries) while Cal has 10 (5 interceptions, 5 recoveries). … Cal and Virginia Tech rank 14th and 15th in the ACC in scoring at 23.7 and 23.0 points, respectively. The difference is on the defensive side, where the Bears are seventh in the conference, allowing 21.9 points while Tech is 15th at 29.3. … Cal has skidded to last in the ACC in rushing yards at 94.3 per game. The Hokies are No. 4, piling up 160.2 yards per outing.

— JEFF FARAUDO

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