Cal’s dreams of early bowl eligibility and perhaps a special season took a major hit Friday night in a 42-34 double-overtime loss at Virginia Tech’s sold-out Lane Stadium.

Here’s how things unfolded in overtime:

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

— Virginia Tech answered with quarterback Kyron 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, his third scoring pass of the night. Required to go for 2 points on 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.

Cal (5-3, 2-2 ACC) had hoped to win a sixth game and secure bowl eligibility earlier on the calendar than in any year since 2006. Instead, they head into a ferocious stretch of four games to end the regular season, starting next Saturday at home against No. 16 Virginia.

The Hokies (3-5 2-2), who lost their first three games of the season and fired their coach, rushed for 357 yards against the Bears, who managed only 39 yards on the ground.

They could not figure out Drones, who ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns and threw three TDs.

Sagapolutele completed 24 of 39 passes for 285 yards with a touchdown and no turnovers. Ca’s defense got a superb effort from linebacker Cade Uluave, who had 19 tackles, including three tackles for loss and two sacks.

The Bears battled back from an early 10-0 deficit to lead 20-10 at the half before  watching the Hokies score 17 unanswered points for a 27-20 defeat.

The Hokies regained the lead on 14-yard dash by Drones with 7:11 left in the fourth quarter.

The Bears, outgained 239 yards to 14 in the half to that point, suddenly found a flow. Sagapolutele completed 5 of 6 passes for 62 yards, and a roughing-the-passer flag against the Hokies gave Cal a first-and-goal at the 2.

Running back Kendrick Raphael took it in from there with 2:34 left, his third touchdown of the game, and the Bears had tied the game at 27-all.

Tech moved into field goal range for John Love, one of the nation’s best placekickers, but his 45-yard try with hit the right upright with 1:12 remaining.

Cal’s Chase Meyer attempted what would have been a career-long 49-yarder with 1 second left, forcing overtime.

The third quarter went just as badly as the first for the Bears, who saw their 20-10 halftime lead erased.

Love drilled a 52-yard field goal to make it 20-13 with 8:45 left in the period before the Hokies used two big plays to get the game-tying TD.

Marcellous Hawkins, who had 167 yards on the night, ran 34 yards to the Cal 44 before Droves hit wide-open wide receiver Takye Heath with a 44-yard strike down the middle, knotting the score at 20-all with 5:06 left in the quarter.

By the end of the period, Tech had outgained the Bears 172 yards to 16, including 122 to minus-17 on the ground.

Cal managed to avoid losing the lead when Cam Sidney intercepted Drones in the end zone in the first minute of the fourth quarter, leaving the game tied.

What appeared to be a disaster in the making after the Bears fell behind 10-0 midway through the first quarter was transformed into a 20-10 Cal lead by halftime.

Cal was outgained 98 yards to minus-5 after each team had two possessions, then the Bears came alive.

They didn’t attempt a run on either of their first two offensive series but used Raphael to take some heat off Sagapolutele. The junior running back, a transfer from NC State, carried five times for 28 yards on a 55-yard drive that led to a 38-yard field goal by Meyer.

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Cal drew even at 10-10 after a four-play, 51-yard drive capped by Raphael’s 1-yard TD run at 14:46 of the second quarter. A 38-yard completion to Jordan King set up the touchdown.

Meyer’s second field goal, from 29 yards, made it 13-10 Cal with 9:31 left in the half, but the Bears could have had more except for a pair of dropped passes in the end zone after reaching the Virginia Tech 11 yard line.

Danville native Cole Boscia blocked a punt on Tech’s next possession, setting up the Bears at the Virginia Tech 21. It took eight plays, but Raphael spun into the end zone from the 1 for a 20-10 lead with 1:43 left in the half.