Cal 25, Virginia Tech 20: Emory scores with 18 seconds left

Cal beat Virginia Tech 25-20 on Saturday at California Memorial Stadium. Ashten Emory's 2-yard run with 18 seconds left settled it, the last of three touchdowns scored in the final 4:06.

The Golden Bears trailed for most of the first half and never led until the fourth quarter. They won it with patience: no turnovers, 8 of 16 on third down, and two field goals that kept them within a point heading into the final period.

How it was won

Virginia Tech scored first. Ethan Grunkemeyer found Ayden Greene for a 30-yard touchdown at 12:41 of the second quarter. Emory answered with a 5-yard run at 5:54 to tie it at 7. Marcellous Hawkins Jr. put the Hokies back in front with a 3-yard run at 2:21. Towns McGough closed the half with a 35-yard field goal as time expired, making it 14-10.

The third quarter belonged to the defenses until McGough hit a 22-yarder with 28 seconds left in the period. That made it 14-13.

The fourth quarter is where the game turned three times. Jackson Brousseau hit Carson Perry-Smith for a 3-yard touchdown at 4:06 to give Cal its first lead, 19-14, after a failed two-point pass. Grunkemeyer answered with a 1-yard run at 1:15 for a 20-19 Virginia Tech lead; the Hokies' two-point pass also failed. Cal then needed less than a minute to go back in front, and Emory's 2-yard run at 0:18 made it 25-20. The two-point run failed, but it did not matter.

The box score was close throughout. Cal had 403 total yards to Virginia Tech's 390 and 24 first downs to 25. Possession split nearly evenly, 30:17 to 29:43. The difference sat in the margins: Virginia Tech turned it over once and Cal did not, and the Hokies converted only 4 of 11 third downs.

Brousseau completed 29 of 43 passes for 321 yards and a touchdown. Ian Strong caught 5 passes for 97 yards and Chase Hendricks 7 for 94. Emory ran 19 times for 46 yards, a modest average, but scored twice from close range.

Grunkemeyer went 21 of 30 for 288 yards with a touchdown passing and another rushing. Que'Sean Brown led the Hokies with 7 catches for 63 yards, and Greene turned 2 catches into 62 yards. Jeffrey Overton Jr. ran 12 times for 73 yards and Hawkins added 45 yards and a score on 12 carries.

Against the number

Virginia Tech closed as an 11.5-point favorite, and Cal won outright, so the Bears covered comfortably. Anyone holding Cal on the moneyline at +340 cashed; the Hokies closed at -440.

The total closed at 51.5. With 45 points scored, the under came in, helped by a scoreless first quarter and three failed two-point tries in the fourth. Full prices and line history are on the game page.

What's next

Virginia Tech falls to 4-2 after its second straight loss, both by a combined seven points, following a 35-33 defeat to Pittsburgh. The Hokies host Georgia Tech on Saturday, October 17, on ACC Network.

Cal moves to 3-3 and snaps a two-game skid that included losses to Clemson and UNLV. The Bears stay home to face No. 21 Wake Forest on Saturday, October 17, on ESPN2.