COLLEGIAT ETIMES
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VIRGINIA TECH GREEN RFP PROGRAM OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS
Jacob Luckenbaugh | News Writer
Virginia Tech’s Green RFP program is open and accepting sustainability proposals until Nov. 15.
The Green RFP program is open for submissions for the 2025-26 academic year. The program, hosted by Virginia Tech’s Office of Sustainability, provides student organizations with the opportunity to submit proposals for funding to improve campus sustainability.
The program supports the broader Virginia Tech Climate Action Commitment, a framework adopted in 2009 and most recently reaffirmed in 2020, which sets out goals for the university’s community to achieve greater sustainability and energy efficiency on campus.
Submissions to the program must provide a sustainable solution for an issue on campus, create a budget and find sources of funding. Students must also receive approval from the department involved in their project, such as
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Credibility is the greatest asset of any news medium, and impartiality is the greatest source of credibility.
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Residential Experience for projects related to Residence Halls.
Once submitted, applications are reviewed by sustainability officials, faculty members,undergraduate and graduate students to determine whether they should be considered by Virginia Tech’s Climate Action, Sustainability, and Energy Committee, which guides the university’s work on the Climate Action Commitment.
As of June 2023, the program has authorized 133 student proposals, adding up to more than $2.08 million according to the program’s website.
Projects have included building water bottle refill stations in academic halls to reduce plastic waste, and efforts to maintain outdoor environments, such as installing guard barriers to prevent damaging traffic from entering the Stadium Woods.
that to their readers, but rather to report as completely and impartially as possible all verifiable facts so that readers can, based on their own knowledge and experience, determine what they believe to be the truth. When a news organization delivers both news and opinions, the impartiality and credibility of the news organization can be questioned. To minimize this as much as possible there needs to be a sharp and clear distinction between news and opinion, both to those providing and consuming the news.
Voice your opinion. Send letters to the Collegiate Times. 365 Squires Student Center
Blacksburg, VA, 24061 opinionseditor@collegiatetimes.com
All letters must include a name and phone number. Students must include year and major. Faculty and staff must include position and department. Other submissions must include city of residence and relationship to Virginia Tech (i.e., alumni, parent, etc.). We reserve the right to edit for any reason. Anonymous letters will not be printed.
Letters, commentaries and editorial cartoons do not reflect the views of the Collegiate Times. Editorials are written by the Collegiate Times editorial board, which is composed of the opinions editors, editor in chief and managing editors.
According to Virginia Tech News, Nathan King, campus sustainability manager, described how, “Hokies are immersed in experiential learning opportunities and are able to fine-tune career development skills through the Green RFP Program. The program is open to students across disciplines and presents our office with creative sustainability projects that directly impact the university’s sustainability goals.”
The program is among a variety
of initiatives offered by the Office of Sustainability to promote campus sustainability, including Sustainable Transportation and Earth Month.
The Office of Sustainability continues to seek student proposals to the Green RFP program with a submission deadline of Nov. 15.
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The Collegiate Times, a division of the Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech, was established in 1903 by and for the students of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The Collegiate Times is published every Tuesday of the academic year except during exams and vacations. To order a reprint of a photograph printed in the Collegiate Times, visit reprints.collegemedia.com. The Collegiate Times is a division of the Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to provide educational experience in business and production of mass media for Virginia Tech students. © Collegiate Times, 2020. All rights reserved. Material published in the Collegiate Times is the property thereof, and may not be reprinted without the express written consent of the Collegiate Times.
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Opinions editor: Jenna Mason
ANTHONY CUSAT / COLLEGIATE TIMES Trees are growing their leaves again for spring outside of Burruss Hall, April 15 2022.
THE RACE FOR BLACKSBURG MAYOR
Jonathan Mususa | News Writer
Blacksburg’s mayoral candidates Pete Macedo and Michael Sutphin continue their campaigns for Nov. 4 voting day.
On Tuesday, Nov. 4, Blacksburg voters will choose between Blacksburg Bagels owner Pete Macedo and Blacksburg Vice Mayor in the race to elect the town’s next mayor, as retiring eight-year incumbent Leslie Hager-Smith’s term expires on Dec. 31.
The issues that have arisen in the race are housing affordability and development, specifically in relation to the backdrop of the incoming 759-bed mixed-use development on 801 N. Main St. This was approved by the Town Council earlier this year in a 4–3 vote. Sutphin was on the Council and voted yes. Macedo opposed the development.
The Town of Blacksburg operates under a council–manager system of government, in which an elected council appoints a manager to oversee budgetary and administrative matters, as well as enforce policies approved by the council. Under this system, the next mayor would enjoy a first-among-equals status on the seven-member Town Council, whose members are elected at-large for four-year terms and on which three additional seats are up this fall. The first-place vote-getter will become Vice Mayor.
Running for Town Council this year are incumbents Susan Anderson and Lauren Colliver, Virginia Tech senior contract specialist and United Campus Workers of Virginia organizer Darryl Campbell, Blacksburg Housing and Community Development Committee member Joel Goodhart and Virginia Tech Center for Advanced Innovation in Agriculture external engagement project manager James Harder.
In separate interviews with the Collegiate Times, Macedo and Sutphin spoke about their reasons for running, their priorities, and where they would like to take Blacksburg in the next four years and beyond.
Pete Macedo, owner of Blacksburg Bagels
With regards to the debate around 801 N. Main St., Macedo’s opposition came not just from his belief that the project represented a less-than-careful development strategy, but also because of what he saw as a lack of responsiveness
and accessibility from the Town Council.
Some of his proposals to alleviate those and other deficits in the accessibility of municipal government functions are making more government meetings available online via livestreams and recordings and modernizing the Town’s Citizens Institute program, which aims to educate Blacksburg residents about the various departments of Blacksburg’s government and their functions.
As a Virginia Tech alumnus and former university employee, Macedo would also like to make municipal government more accessible to Virginia Tech students in particular, with a database of work projects submitted by local businesses and organizations that students could participate in, comparing it to a servicelearning program. For him, something like this would go a long way to bettering relations between permanent residents and students.
“If we could bring in these skills that they’re training to be experts in — and, in some cases, already are experts — or have that incorporated into a class project and not just a committee project,” Macedo said. “I think we’ll have the students be more visible in the ways that they wish to be valued, as opposed to just waiting for those students to graduate and, then, they can be seen as professionals and experts.”
As a small business owner, he pledged to engage proactively with local businesses, noting that they face unique challenges, given the town’s relatively small permanent population and what he sees as the unintended consequences of development projects like 801 N. Main St., Gilbert Place and First & Main.
“We still have projects that are getting put in place that are changing the landscape that businesses have built their models around,” Macedo said. “When a business goes in and creates an audience and practices that are going to work for their business and then, the town takes actions to change that environment drastically — the business is the one that suffers.”
If Macedo were to win in November, Sutphin would still be on the Town
Council, with his current term expiring in 2027. For Macedo, that would mean that Blacksburg residents would benefit from both his experience as a communicator and Sutphin’s experience as a Council member.
“Honestly, I think it’s kind of a best-case scenario to choose me because, again, you don’t lose Michael,” Macedo said. “You just are making a choice as to whether or not my abilities to represent the town and the Town Council in those situations where you only have one individual in the room ... is beneficial to our town.”
Michael Sutphin, Vice Mayor of Blacksburg
Sutphin, also a Virginia Tech alumnus and former university employee, has been on Town Council since he was first elected in 2011, when he became the youngest person to serve on the council and the first openly gay elected official in Southwest Virginia. Among the accomplishments that he touted were making the Blacksburg Transit system fare-free and adding hundreds of acres of recreational space.
On the subject of housing and development, Sutphin has been supportive of two of the Town’s most noteworthy initiatives: the approval of the 801 N. Main St. project and the soon-tobe-open retail incubator, also on N. Main Street. Where claims by opponents of the former initiative about a lack of transparency of Blacksburg’s government are concerned, Sutphin pushed back.
“There’s a neighborhood meeting, then there’s a plan,” Sutphin said. “It goes to the Planning Commission and there’s a Planning Commission work session and Planning Commission public hearing and it goes to the Town Council, and there’s a Town Council work session, public hearing. Those are all open to the public.”
Sutphin’s platform promises to “promote Blacksburg as a destination,” and, as Mayor, he would seek to leverage the town’s existing strengths — both at and beyond Virginia Tech — and its relationships to other localities in the New River Valley to promote tourism.
“Sports tourism is a major reason that
people come to the Town of Blacksburg, but there are other reasons people come here too,” he said, “whether they’re the Appalachian Trail or they’re going to go see a show at the (Center for the Arts) or they’re at a youth athletics facility in Christiansburg.”
A major plank in Sutphin’s platform is developing Blacksburg into a more sustainable city, with Sutphin aligning himself in an approach known as New Urbanism, which emphasizes proximity between residential and commercial areas. While Blacksburg could be said to have already embraced such an approach and the Town is currently beginning a review of its zoning ordinance, Sutphin says that the town could do more.
“The last time we (reviewed the Town’s zoning ordinance) was actually in 1996, so there’s a lot of outdated things in our zoning ordinance,” Sutphin said. “But (we’re) looking at what are the regulations about how we’re using land and how can we improve those to make the town more vibrant.”
In comparing and contrasting his campaign with that of his opponent, Sutphin says that his experience on the Town Council and connections with other localities in the region make him especially qualified.
“Pete has never served in elected office before. This is his first time running,” Sutphin said. “I commend him for wanting to jump in and be mayor. I wouldn’t want to start off as mayor. I think that the job really would benefit from someone that brings experience, and that’s what I bring to the job.”
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4. The deadline to register to vote in Montgomery County and/or apply for an absentee ballot is Oct. 24. There will be opportunities for in-person early voting at the Blacksburg Community Center at 725 Patrick Henry Dr. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 and Saturday, Nov. 1.
BLACKSBURG’S NEWEST LATE-NIGHT COFFEE SHOP OPENS ON NORTH MAIN STREET
Milana Waller | Lifestyles Contributor
Coffee Lab satisfies students’ caffeine needs any time of day.
Coffee Lab, a new cafe in Blacksburg with unusually late hours, opened Oct. 8 at 1282 N. Main St.
Coffee Lab’s owner, Mahmud Atway, began turning his late-night cafe dreams into reality in June, with some help from his friends and local contractors. Atway graduated from Virginia Tech in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in business management. After working a nine-to-five job and finding little satisfaction, he decided to follow his dreams and open up his own late-night coffee shop.
“For some reason, my brain is wired in a way where I work best at night, and I’m sure a lot of other people feel that as well,” Atway said.
Originally planning to open a barbershop after cutting hair for seven years, Atway instead opened a welcoming hangout spot for students looking to socialize, study and, of course, drink coffee. Most local and on-campus cafes close by 9 p.m., limiting students’ options for late-night studying. Atway wished to create a place he would have loved to visit
during his time as a student.
“Everyone would go out to TOT’s or Sharkey’s — the classic spots,” Atway said. “I don’t drink (alcohol) and I would also have a lot of studies, so I would struggle to find that area where I could find a quiet place where you could study and have fun without the drinking aspect.”
Atway divided the shop into two sections. The right side of the shop is filled with couches and tables meant to facilitate a social, interactive environment. The left side of the shop contains desks for students seeking a quieter, more studious place to sit down. Atway sourced most of his furniture from Facebook Marketplace, creating a homey and authentic feel.
“I wanted to give it the best of both worlds,” Atway said.
Coffee Lab’s goal is to create a habitat that encourages community engagement and natural connection. One of the tables in the front of the shop even opens into a chess set, welcoming customers to play games and engage in friendly competition.
”If you see someone and you wanna go
talk to them, you really don’t even have to get up,” Atway said. “You can just wave at them, and they’ll wave back and maybe a love story will emerge from that.”
The execution of Atway’s ambition did not come without trials. The Town of Blacksburg requires a three-compartment sink for coffee shops. These sink drains need to be three inches deep, but the original sink only sat two inches down. Atway dug a foot into concrete to resolve the issue, spending thousands of dollars to pass the town’s inspections.
Camden Phillips, a Virginia Tech alumnus who’s known Atway since their freshman year of high school, assisted with various tasks preceding Coffee Lab’s opening, including building the coffee bar area by establishing the countertops, cabinets and trim.
“I’ve known the tasks as far as what I’ve needed to do,” Phillips said. “Most recently, what’s really popped out to me is a very warming aesthetic.”
Phillips credits Atway with the concept and execution of the shop, congratulating
his selections of specific lighting that suit the aesthetic of the location.
Atway’s dedication to his vision is obvious not only in person, but online. Atway has posted Instagram Reels throughout his journey to hold himself accountable and look back on his progress. The account already has over 2,000 followers. Atway attributes much of the shop’s success so far to the popularity of his online presence.
Atway sources his coffee locally, picking up the beans himself. All of the coffee is measured to the gram. The shop is fully staffed with baristas, including freshman political science major Selim Toy.
“I was about to graduate high school, and I told Mahmud, while I was getting a haircut because he was my barber, that I needed a job,” Toy said.
The cultural and local interconnectedness of the shop brought a feeling of community and comfort. Throughout the day, the shop experienced distinct waves of continued on page 5
continued from page 4 business but stayed consistently busy.
“There’s so many coffee shops in the city, but something about this one feels so special,” Toy said. “It feels like one big hangout spot. Mahmud is obviously very connected to the whole community and so are his coworkers.”
The Spanish latte took first place as Coffee Lab’s most ordered drink on day one.
“We’re really excited,” Toy said. “Even though this is the first day, it feels like a huge milestone. This is really just the beginning.”
Coffee Lab is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, and 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. The cafe is closed Sunday and Monday.
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BUDGETING: A HOKIE’S SOONTO-BE BEST FRIEND
Bailey Linza | Lifestyles Contributor
Financial advice every Virginia Tech student should know.
Managing finances as a college student can be challenging and worrisome, especially for students who enter college with little-to-no economic experience or knowledge. Young consumers are one of the main victims of overspending, capitalistic trends and poor financial literacy. Students who are moving away from home and building their own lives need to learn how to budget and start investing early to ensure that they have money later in life. Stress rises when college students hyperfixate on their financial wellness. Many are unsure about how to make changes that will benefit them in both the short and long term. The cost of living expenses, tuition, student loans and extra fees impact students’ financial situations, which has the potential to become a financial crisis.
Whether students rely on others for financial help or bring in their own income, it is important to note that everyone struggles and there are ways to improve one’s financial literacy and lifestyle.
Budgeting
When planning finances, students should learn how to create a budget. An effective foundation for creating a budget is first deciding if one’s spending habits should be tracked on paper, spreadsheets or an app. Next, students can decide if they want to structure their budget following a monthly schedule. Once students are organized, they should analyze their total income or other money offerings for the month that can be utilized for necessary spending.
Students should track their expenses, bills or any fees that have to be paid during the month on their budgets. For example, groceries, gas, utilities, rent, online shopping and hobbies should all be included in the budget. Tuition expenses or monthly loan payments
are included as well if applicable. These amounts need to be as accurate as possible when listing all of the fees, so try keeping receipts.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself as you’re writing down your expenses — it’s a big first step to track everything you spend your money on,” said Megan Darmanin, assistant director for financial literacy. “A budget is meant to work for you, not against you.”
The last step in developing a budget involves balancing it. Students subtract their expenses from their total income for the month, then get their remaining amount of money left over after paying for necessities.
Even though students may have extra money resulting from budgeting, they should think about where that money ought to go, like a savings account, an emergency fund or investments. Using spare money to purchase nonessential items is not the best method to enhance one’s financial health.
If, after balancing the budget, students have a negative balance, they should reconsider their budget and eliminate fees that can be avoided. Being honest and accountable in spending money could be a lifesaver during uncertain times now or later in life.
Students’ financial insight
Students living on and off campus face contrasting obstacles from one another.
“I am definitely spending more money than last year,” said Patrick Smith, a sophomore majoring in environmental engineering and living off campus. “I try to avoid big expenses like buying unnecessary items. Groceries are pricey.”
Living off campus involves a significant amount of strategic spending since most days, students are paying for necessities such as food, gas or housing costs.
“I never really had a solid budget, but I have been meaning to make one,”
Smith said. “I pretty much only spend on groceries, occasionally clothes and football tickets.”
Living on campus still entails financial organization; however, it contrasts with living off campus.
“I think I handle money pretty decently, but I wish I spent it on more necessities instead of wants, like clothing,” said Jillian Ledbetter, a freshman majoring in interior design and living on campus. “I am spending less while at college, though, because I am not actively working like I do at home.”
For many students, income or stipends affect how much they will spend. Unfortunately, some continue to battle with recognizing facts over feelings in their personal economic history. Most students do not follow a budget, nor have they arranged their finances in a technical way.
Financial advice
Virginia Tech assures that students are in ample care when it comes to financial wellness. The university advocates for all students, whether they are enduring hardships or doubts or achieving goals.
Financial problems can start small and then grow exponentially if not addressed immediately. The lack of planning, in reality, causes the biggest setbacks for young people.
“There are many financial pitfalls that can set you back but the main one to consider is for those who have credit cards — if possible, make sure to only charge what you can afford to pay back each month,” Darmanin said. “Carrying a balance from month-to-month accrues interest charges that make your balance higher and harder to pay off and that’s where folks can get themselves into trouble.”
Students also typically do not consider saving for an emergency fund because they already have to worry
about daily expenses that they may struggle to afford.
“It’s definitely the unexpected expenses that tend to throw people off,” said Phillip Hernandez de Wright, the assistant dean of students for financial hardship. “When you are on a really tight budget, those things can be detrimental.”
Financial obstacles are demanding and could cause lasting damage to students’ financial profiles. Every move they make with spending, investing and saving determines another path down the road for the future. Staying on top of finances significantly influences the chances of obtaining real estate, vehicles, loans, low-interest rates and employment opportunities. Constructing a strong credit score, saving an emergency fund and taking finance classes can benefit all people.
“The sooner you reach out for help, the sooner you’re going to get help. The longer you wait, sometimes that means less options are available,” said Hernandez de Wright.
Virginia Tech has a diverse network of financial resources for students to utilize, including the Office of University Scholarships and Financial Aid with FAFSA assistance and Scholarship Central, Student Emergency Fund, The Market and Financial Wellness.
If students determine that they are in a financial crisis, the Dean of Students Office has drop-in office hours to discuss financial plans using the above resources — they are willing to help any student at any time.
THE HIDDEN COST OF THRIFTING CULTURE OPINIONS
Samantha Lyssy | Opinions Contributor
Overconsumption has transformed thrifting from an accessibility into a trend.
As a middle child, I lived in hand-medowns; my older sister’s clothes became mine, and later were passed down to my younger sister. When all of us had outgrown each tank top, pair of jeans, pajama set or pair of shoes, we would gather them up in a bag and bring them to our local Goodwill. The idea behind this was that someone else, hopefully someone who genuinely needed the clothes, would find as much comfort and pride in our lived-in pieces as we once did. And likely, in the past, they did.
Traditionally, thrifting was a means for people who couldn’t feasibly afford to pay full price to put clothes on their backs and furniture in their homes. Now, it seems the sentiment behind it has been transformed. What was once a way for individuals and families to help each other meet basic needs has become a trendy bandwagon that fosters overconsumption. Some of us, especially those who began thrifting within the past five years, have become a part of the problem.
The rise of Depop, Poshmark and
Mercari changed the way teenagers and young adults view secondhand shopping. This cultural shift is most apparent to me during trips to the Goodwill bins. It feels jarring to walk into a warehouse where teenagers are rushing around, arms weighed down by stacks of people’s philanthropic clothing donations, with thoughts of how much revenue they can make from reselling them online.
Typically, for an item to be considered vintage, it should be more than 20 but fewer than 100 years old. With a few scrolls on the Depop app, you’ll likely find people trying to sell items anywhere from 5 to 10 years old as “vintage,” to upcharge customers likewise. Not only does this practice mislead consumers, but it also reinforces a continuous cycle of commodifying second-hand goods, rather than preserving their affordability and accessibility for all.
Some view thrifting as a hobby rather than a trade. But even this, when left unchecked, can rapidly become a form
of overconsumption. With relatively low prices and seemingly endless options, it is easy for those who view thrifting as a trendy activity rather than a means of survival to unintentionally expand their closet excessively, all without feeling much want or need toward any of the pieces in it.
None of this is to say that cheap fashion is automatically harmful. Conversely, having access to inexpensive clothing is vital for most people; however, mindful consumption is essential to the practice. Without it, shopping originally driven by sustainability can slip into hoarding or exclusionary behavior.
The greater impact is felt within communities. As wealthier individuals have embraced thrifting as cool and trendy, some nonprofit thrift stores have begun raising their prices to compete with resellers and capitalize on newfound demand. This shift is counteractive. These organizations, which are built on a foundation of donated inventory and community altruism, have begun to price
out the very people they were created to serve.
For example, Goodwill does attempt to fund some community projects, but it’s important to recognize that nice, affordable clothing itself is a major social service that shouldn’t be priced out of reach from those who depend on it most. Moreover, serious concerns have been raised about Goodwill’s unequal distribution of wealth. According to NBC News, employees with disabilities are reportedly often paid subminimum wages as low as 22 cents per hour, while executives receive six-figure salaries.
Buying clothes from thrift stores is still far better than buying new clothes directly. But the expanding “consume-and-discard” attitude that has become associated with the clothing industry, now mirrored in both new and secondhand markets, is killing the way we approach shopping and interacting with the environment.
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RETAIL REVERSED: THE EMPLOYEE PERSPECTIVE
Livia Wenger | Opinions Contributor
What to do and not to do when it comes to being a customer in retail.
From grocery stores and fast-food chains to clothing stores and campus shops, I am here to tell you the overall frustrations of the customer service industry from an employee perspective. So sit down, grab a writing utensil of your choice and prepare to take some notes; if not for you, do it for all of the retail employees you encounter on a daily basis. Consider this, for all intents and purposes, the dos and don’ts of retail.
Let’s start with what not to do when you are shopping. I know you might be stressed, low on time, tired or in need of a gift for a holiday or birthday right this moment, but sometimes what is needed most is to slow down. Try to help us keep the store clean — it will make your shopping experience far more enjoyable and easy.
Don’t pull a shirt out from the middle of the stack just to ball it up and set it on top. Make sure you throw away your empty or nearly empty drinks in a proper trash receptacle, and don’t leave the cups or cans on a shelf — we really do not want to touch those. For the
sake of basic safety, please, oh please, keep your children with you and off the fixtures. When your toddler is left outside the fitting room while you try on clothing items, your child could be taken by someone or just run out of the store. I’ve seen a kid bolt out the door once their parent was out of sight — we are not babysitters, and we will not physically stop your child from leaving the store.
Speaking of fitting rooms, when you are done trying things on, do not leave the items balled up on the floor or tossed around their hangers. Would you get away with doing that at home? Most likely not. We are not here to clean up after grown adults who are more than capable of folding a pair of pants or turning a shirt right side out and putting it back on the hanger.
During your shopping experience, one thing you should never do is snap or shake something at an associate to get their attention. Not only is it extremely rude, but it perpetuates the idea that retail workers are viewed as less than human. People take
out their anger, make excessive messes, leave their trash anywhere they please and snap at us as if we are there to answer their every whim. You might not know our names, but you can say “Excuse me” or “Could I get some help?” It will make your experience as well as ours, monumentally better.
Now, let’s move on to the things you should do. During the time you spend in a store, you will likely pick up different items to look at or try on. If you decide that you will not be purchasing it at that time, put it back where you found it. Don’t put that full-price item from the other side of the store in a random clearance rack. Just bring it to the register and hand it to an employee if you are unsure of where it goes. It makes the recovery of the sales floor much easier.
Be attentive and prepared. For example, when making an exchange or return, bring in both the receipt and the item with the tags attached. Most places cannot or will have difficulty processing these exchanges and returns without these items. We can’t return
something if it has no tags and no receipt, if it’s washed, if it has been worn or if you are past the return policy window of time, which is typically 30 days.
Lastly, the main thing I ask is that you understand that retail workers are human too — we make mistakes, we have emotions, we have good and bad days and we have a life outside of work.
Ishanti Usher, a senior working in retail on the Virginia Tech campus, says that the main issue is “a lack of communication.”
“We could both be having a bad day,” Usher said. “I don’t know what you’ve been going through and you don’t know what I’ve been going through.”
If customers and employees can work together and have compassion for one another, the experience of shopping in person can become far more enjoyable for both sides.
SLOPPY BE DAMNED. HOKIES FOOTBALL WALKS AWAY WITH 42-34 WIN OVER CAL
Dylan
Tefft | Sports Editor
However messy, Virginia Tech beat the Golden Bears under Friday night lights.
Though there were times when the Hokies played par for the course amid another turbulent season, they walked away from Lane Stadium on Friday night with the only thing that matters: a win.
“And boy, what a big win,” said Tech interim head coach Philip Montgomery. “That joy and that excitement in our locker room is unbelievable. I’m really proud of this football team and how hard they fought tonight and how resilient they’ve been through everything they’ve been through.”
It was a far different lesson than the one Brent Pry’s four-year tenure taught Tech and its fans, when “fight” felt meaningless in the face of another one-score loss, or worse.
In the Hokies’ 42-34 double-overtime win over Cal, their fight mattered. A 357-yard night on the ground — including 167-yard and 137-yard performances from Marcellous Hawkins and Kyron Drones, respectively — mattered. Three Kemari Copeland sacks mattered. Most of all, an offensive eruption in both overtimes from Tech (3-5, 2-2 ACC), and a final defensive stand to cement the win, mattered.
What will be forgotten is Drone’s passing struggles and a disastrous game from Tech’s special teams, which included returner Cam Seldon fielding a kickoff then running out of bounds at the 1-yard line, and a false start that forced Nick Veltsistas to punt twice and get blocked on his second one.
Even kicker John Love’s doinked field goal try to take the lead with a minute left, which would typically spell another dark weekend, felt only like the means to a satisfying end — and an uber-entertaining four-hour football game.
Cal (5-3, 2-2 ACC) marched to Tech’s 31-yard line in the final minute before kicker Chase Meyer missed a gamewinning kick to bring about overtime, with the score even at 27.
The Golden Bears started with the ball in extra time and struck fast. True freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele found tight end Mason Mini for a 25-yard touchdown on the first
play. (Overtime possessions begin at the defending team’s 25-yard line).
The Hokies responded with two rushes of eight and 17 yards from Hawkins and Drones, respectively, to nab a touchdown of their own. Both teams made extra points, so a second overtime was necessary.
Tech started on offense this time, and fired off a six-play drive that ended with a Takye Heath touchdown in which he twisted to catch a pass that was well behind him. Drones powered through for the two-point conversion, which teams have to attempt after the first overtime
But the extra cushion wasn’t necessary.
The Hokies’ defense forced four straight Sagapolutele incompletions to turn Cal over on downs, proving that tight games aren’t too intimidating for them.
“We needed it,” Drones said of the win. “We knew we were capable of winning these games. We know the type of team that we have, even though a lot of people might count us out in this game and others. We know, as long as we stay inside this building and know what we’ve got in our team, we know we can go win.”
Before it was a win, however, it was a lengthy fight.
The Hokies came out swinging, overwhelming Sagapolutele with pressure on Cal’s first two drives and forcing deep punts on both. Tech’s offense took advantage of the field position, nabbing 10 points on its first two drives courtesy of a deep Drones pass to Ayden Greene and a 46-yard Love field goal.
Tech’s offense ran out of breath after that, though, being held scoreless until the third quarter. The Golden Bears, on the other hand, found their rhythm with 20 unanswered points to take a 20-10 lead into the half.
It was as simple as Sagapolutele and Cal running back Kendrick Raphael settling in. The two combined for a 55-yard drive that lost steam due to offensive penalties and ended with a field goal. With great field position on the next drive, Sagapolutele found Jordan King for 38 yards to set up three Raphael runs that resulted in a touchdown. He scored again
two possessions later, but not before another Cal field goal.
Down 20-10, the Hokies made halftime adjustments — leaning on creative runs from Drones and running backs — that carried them towards their eventual win.
Seven of their first nine plays of the half were Hawkins or Drones rushes.
That possession ended in a 52-yard John Love field goal, but Tech’s next one featured three straight rushes for 42 combined yards before Drones found Heath for a 44-yard touchdown. It was an ironman drive that began with a 67-yard Isaiah Spencer return being wiped off the board because of linebacker Will Johnson’s illegal block in the back.
Tech took a 27-20 lead in the fourth after a 14-yard Drones touchdown rush that saw him power through multiple defensive backs.
“I feel like that every time I run the ball,” Drones said. “I don’t feel like one person can tackle me unless I’m just diving forward. I’m not worried about a DB trying to tackle me.”
Cal struck back with a controversial
nine-play touchdown drive. It seemed like Hokies defensive lineman Ben Bell sacked Sagapolutele on third down at the Tech 5-yard line, but Bell was called for roughing the passer to reset the downs and set up Raphael for a walk-in score to tie the game.
Little was obvious about what Bell did that was illegal, but the officiating crew likely thought he put too much body weight on Sagapolutele.
“I don’t know what the referees be looking at sometimes,” Copeland said of the flag.
The Lane Stadium crowd was more than unsatisfied, but the Hokies refused to let the call define the game with their double-overtime win. When you win, people forget.
The Hokies continue their season next Saturday at 3 p.m. ET against Louisville (6-1, 3-1 ACC) at home.
SAM LANG / COLLEGIATE TIMES
Virginia Tech QB Kyron Drones (1) rushes through Cal’s defense on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in Blacksburg, Virginia.
