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Engineering Engineering issue issue
A Collegiate Times Special Edition
A Collegiate Times Special Edition
October 13, 2026
NEWS A NEW SYNTHETIC OPIOID EMERGES ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES
PAGE 2 October 13, 2026
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Christian Larson | News Writer
Hokie Wellness offers opioid training and education for students in response to concerns on campus. A powerful new synthetic opioid has hit the nation’s illicit drug market and is quickly spreading across college campuses nationwide, prompting many students, parents and health officials to become concerned about safety. Cychlorphine, also known as N-propionitrile chlorphine, is a new synthetic opioid that federal authorities say can be significantly more potent than fentanyl. The Drug Enforcement Administration warned that cychlorphine has been found alongside fentanyl in counterfeit pills and illicit drugs. This drug was first detected by Federal Drug Administration scientists in a lab in 2024, and since then, it has spread across many states. This semester, it was reported at multiple college campuses. In September,
officials at the University of Arizona warned students about cychlorphine following detections of the drug in the western United States. Many college campuses have then followed suit as more student overdoses have occurred. There has been no publicly confirmed indication that cychlorphine has been detected at Virginia Tech or in Blacksburg. However, Virginia has already taken regulatory action involving the substance. Virginia Tech offers many resources to students regarding overdose and illicit drugs. Narcan is available in all residential halls and the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad is available and on call on campus. Hokie Wellness offers opioid training and education to students along with a plethora of other resources.
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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.
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COURTESY OF ADDICTION PREVENTION COALITION
Cychlorphine is a new drug with extremely dangerous characteristics. It has been reported that cychlorphine is 10 times stronger than fentanyl and needs to be treated with 3 to 5 times the dose of Narcan to be reversed. Incredibly small doses of cychlorphine can be fatal. The DEA advises people not to take pills that were not prescribed to them or dispensed by a licensed pharmacy to treat illicit substances, as they could potentially
contain fentanyl or other synthetic drugs. This, along with responsible habits in social environments, could significantly decrease an individual’s chances of exposure. As substances like cychlorphine continue to emerge, health officials say the general danger for students may increase regarding what illicit pills or powders actually contain.
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BLACKSBURG INVESTS IN CLEAN ENERGY WITH SOLAR PANEL DEAL Ella Frederick | News Writer
The solar panel installation helps avoid 1,014 metric tons of carbon pollution. The Town of Blacksburg secured a deal with Secure Solar Futures to install a solar panel system for Blacksburg Transit that will save $2.2 million in electricity costs, announced in an article by the town on Sept. 25. The 866.71-kilowatt solar power system will consist of 1,469 solar panels installed on the roof of the Blacksburg Transit facility at 2800 Commerce St. It will generate around 90% of the energy used by the building for transit, vehicle maintenance and charging for approximately 50 BT buses. The project is set to avoid 1,014 metric tons
of carbon pollution in its first year. The project will also come at no added cost to Blacksburg residents. Secure Solar Futures will own and operate the system and sell the energy produced to the town of Blacksburg at a lower rate than local electric utilities. Blacksburg sustainability manager Carol Davis says the town has been motivated to integrate solar energy into its functions since 2016. She said that this deal is an important progression toward fulfilling Blacksburg’s Climate Action Plan. “The power purchase agreement model makes the solar project on Blacksburg
Transit not just possible — but financially advantageous — ensuring significant savings on energy costs for the town, while helping us meaningfully address our ambitious climate goals,” Davis said. Tony Smith, CEO of Secure Solar Futures, believes this deal makes Blacksburg a model in transit systems transitioning to clean energy. “Blacksburg is ... setting an example for this historic energy-producing region to tap into solar power to run some of its most energy-intensive services with zero emissions and cost savings to the taxpayer,” Smith said.
LIFESTYLES
Construction of the system is set to begin soon by Virginia solar service company Baseline Solar, which has been serving the New River Valley for 18 years. Installation is set to be complete by Oct. 31, Davis said in an interview with WSLS-TV. The project is expected to be operational by the end of 2026. More information is available on the Town of Blacksburg’s website.
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ENGINEERING AND ENTERTAINMENT: THE THEME PARK ENGINEERING AND DESIGN CLUB Dani Ingle | Lifestyles Staff Writer
Take a look behind the scenes at how students are learning about the science of your favorite theme park attractions. The gust of wind from a nearby roller coaster passing overhead on twisting rails. The rapid heart rate as the ride nears the top of the drop tower. Holding it together on a spinning ride, keeping a junk food lunch down. These feelings may invoke nostalgia for many who have visited one of the world’s various theme parks. However, not many who visit have made it their passion to know how the park operates behind the scenes. At Virginia Tech, a group of students’ passion is the operations and design behind that of a theme park. The Theme Park Engineering and Design club is a student-led group that describes itself as an “academic and professional organization to promote and develop careers in the niche field of themed entertainment.” “We are a club for people who are passionate about the Theme Park Industry and the design aspect,” said Shaun Saunders, a senior studying civil engineering and the president of the club. Themed entertainment is the art and science of creating an immersive experience surrounding a central theme like
those of Walt Disney World, Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Kings Dominion. TPED was founded in 2015 and has continued to bring students together through their interests in the engineering and design of theme parks since. The club allows students to participate in a range of activities like visiting theme parks and experiencing ride design competitions. The intrigue of the engineering behind the famous rides at so many theme parks is the reason many engineering students have joined TPED over the 11 years since the club’s founding. TPED gives students a chance to try engineering marvels on smaller scales. The members are currently creating a model roller coaster for the Ride Engineering Competition. While the majority of the students in TPED are engineering majors, the club welcomes students from all majors and backgrounds. “The biggest component that we focus on is design, which does not necessarily mean engineering,” Saunders said. “Our events are fairly diverse as we try to appeal to the diverse student body of our club.”
One opportunity for members to showcase their design skills is the Toronto Metropolitan University Thrill Design Competition, hosted by Universal Creative. Not only is this a chance for students to engage in a collegiate-level design competition, but it is also an opportunity to network with members of Universal Creative and leaders in the themed entertainment design industry. Another such networking opportunity for TPED members includes attending the Orlando conference of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. This is the largest global trade association for the amusement park and attractions industry. Industry leaders who attend the event vary from those working for theme and amusement parks to those working for zoos and aquariums. Additionally, while in Orlando, Fla., Virginia Tech students within TPED host an alumni dinner where past members of the organization are invited to speak with current members. This is one way TPED allows students to connect with past
members. Students also have the ability to ask alumni who have entered the themed entertainment industry questions. To truly learn the ins and outs of theme parks, members have the chance to take a look behind the scenes of many famous amusement parks. The club typically visits one to two theme parks each semester, where they participate in an educational event, including tours with the engineering and maintenance teams of different parks. This semester, TPED looks forward to an upcoming trip to Dollywood. From networking to design and engineering, the unifying factor of the organization is a shared passion for the themed entertainment industry. “We have so many talented students in our club,” Saunders said. “I have found great joy in teaching, guiding, and helping them find their place in the industry.”
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PIVOT STUDENTS TURN PHYSICS INTO REAL-WORLD ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS Morgan Brown | Lifestyles Staff Writer
PIVOT is the place to be, a club where engineering, physics and community meet. For Virginia Tech students interested in tackling real-world challenges, the student-run organization, PIVOT, might be the perfect fit. PIVOT, or Physics Infused Vision for Onward Thinking, was created to give students hands-on engineering experience and opportunities to solve tangible engineering problems while using fundamental physics. The organization’s name reflects the team’s emphasis on critical thinking and collaboration. “We want to prove that engineering at Virginia Tech is a great program, and that the students have a lot of great ideas,” said TJ O’Connor, a junior double majoring in electrical engineering and physics and the founder and president of PIVOT. PIVOT welcomes students from all majors, which brings different perspectives and expertise to the team. Projects are interdisciplinary, with a focus on physics, and require members to collaborate to solve problems. Members meet three times a week to propose ideas, evaluate varying approaches and ultimately decide which projects resonate most strongly with the group. Currently, PIVOT is taking on four projects, with the team divided into groups
to work on each. “We want to work on real projects that help real people,” O’Connor said. One of these projects is the Active Noise Cancellation Bubble, which aims to expand noise cancellation from headphones to a speaker system that creates a “quiet zone” around a person’s head. The technology is intended for different applications, such as during sleep, creating a quieter environment without the need to wear a device. “All you do is take a sound wave and play an opposite sound wave at the same time,” O’Connor said. “That way they cancel out. We want to take this technology off your head entirely” The team also recently completed a project titled Sentio. The technology is an “emotional state wearable” that collects data from four sensors, each measuring distinct information from the wearer’s wrist. The collected data identifies emotional spikes, predicts emotional changes and provides real-time haptic feedback. While offering these capabilities, the device is still the size of a standard watch. Sentio was PIVOT’s first project submitted to an engineering competition,
Red Bull Basement. The international competition invites students around the world to showcase ideas. The team placed 65th of 25,000 applicants. The team also participates in the Collegiate Inventors Competition, another innovation competition. Sophomore Avery DeMots, a materials science and engineering major, and new member, feels the team has given her a chance to grow as an engineer and make new friends. She described her experience with PIVOT as both educational and enjoyable. “It’s a nice group of people, and a very lively atmosphere,” DeMots said.“We have serious projects and we’re a serious design team, but we can joke around too.” For students still gauging their interests, PIVOT offers an interactive way to work on projects around engineering problems. The team’s environment allows participants to learn from one another, regardless of previous experience or skill level, as long as they are engaged and interested. Members of PIVOT gain valuable hands-on experience through practical application. Through projects and teamwork, members develop skills in
computer-aided design, idea execution and applying fundamental physics. The team provides members with the opportunity to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary environment to strengthen skills in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Interested students can apply on a rolling basis through a Google Form on PIVOT’s website. The team meets Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6-8 p.m. and membership is free. The only requirement for joining is a strong passion for inventing and creating solutions to help the greater community. PIVOT is more than an engineering team – it’s a community of people. The team hopes to allow students to turn passion into tangible invention and explore new ideas. As the team expands its campus presence, it hopes to represent the innovation and creativity of Hokie engineers while allowing students to transform ideas into reality.
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FROM THE LAB TO THE RACETRACK: VIRGINIA TECH MOTORSPORTS FORMULA SAE Ella Winterling | Lifestyles Editor
Explore the creative and competitive aspects of building formula cars with one of Virginia Tech’s student design teams. For engineering students at Virginia Tech, design teams are a great way to get involved beyond class responsibilities. One organization, Virginia Tech Motorsports Formula SAE gives student engineers the opportunity to build a formula car to send to competition. Virginia Tech Motorsports was founded in 1988 and placed in its first competition in 1991. Since then, they have placed in the top 10 a multitude of times. Elle Wince, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering, is a member of the Formula team, working on the aerodynamics subteam. Wince has been working
on cars since she was 9 with her dad in their garage. Her parents, both chemical engineers, were also a source of inspiration in pursuing her major. “I grew up with two engineering parents,” Wince said. “They’re awesome. I was always kind of living in that realm and seeing what they do.” The team works to build a car ready for competition; the work comes with challenges, like scheduling, design plans and deadlines. However, Wince and her teammates get to experience engineering outside of academics by seeing their designs
go from a concept to the racetrack. “We design something from scratch from computer-aided design all the way to analysis, all the way to manufacturing,” Wince said. “We see a literal piece that gets put on the car, so I think that’s a really rewarding part.” Wince was recruited to the team in the fall of her sophomore year and has been on the team since. Currently, she is the only female on the aerodynamics subteam. Wince speaks highly of her team members, yet acknowledges the difference in experience of being the only woman on her team.
“It’s definitely a unique experience,” Wince said. “You know just how you feel when you’re in a room and you just notice that you’re the only person with a certain characteristic or you just kind of stand out a little bit.” Wince says her mother, who is a chemical engineer herself, prepared her for being in the STEM fields. “(My mom) did a great job of teaching me how the ropes were going to be,” Wince said. “A lot has changed since she went to college continued on page 5
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continued from page 4 but also kind of not at the same time.” Wince loves her team, their dynamics and friendship, but emphasizes the importance of supporting women in STEM fields. “I think that representation is super
important,” Wince said. “The more that you see other people like you do it, the more you believe you can do it.” Work for the Formula SAE team can range anywhere from eight to 40 hours a week. Through problem-solving designs and
working towards the same goal, Wince says the team is like “a big family.” “My favorite part is the people,” Wince said. “I really do love everyone. Being able to have that friendship and close community with other people that like the same things
you do and have the same goal as you and have the same passions is really cool.”
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OPINIONS WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE OUTRAGE FADES? Arsheya Prasad | Opinions Writer
The recent events of the Cornell sexual assault case is a long-needed reminder for personal change. On Sept. 16, 2026, a former Cornell University student filed a lawsuit alleging that seven members of the Chi Phi Fraternity sexually assaulted her on Oct. 19, 2024. According to the lawsuit, the student, who was 20 at the time, was intoxicated and unable to consent when the alleged assault took place at a fraternity house. At least one of the accused has disputed the allegations, but the case has sparked outrage and reignited conversations about sexual violence on college campuses. Growing up in India, I heard several gruesome stories of violence against women. Coming to America, I expected to feel safer. Yet here I was, reading allegations that involved someone my age at an Ivy League university. It was an admonition that sexual violence isn’t constrained by geography, social standing or university rankings. What troubles me more than the allegations themselves is why we seem to need another horrifying case, another Jane Doe to appear on our Instagram feeds, to restart conversations that should have never paused. But Cornell is in Ithaca. I go to school in Blacksburg. According to Virginia Tech’s 2024-25 Title IX Annual Report, the university recorded 379 allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct, 95 of which comprised of sexual assault. These are reports, not necessarily incidents; nevertheless, they serve as an eye-opener to the fact that such conversations are not irrelevant to our own campus. Now and then, another VT Crime Alert arrives in our Outlook inbox. My first reaction, usually shared with my roommate, is something along the lines of, “Oh God, another one?” We read the email, discuss the details and carry that conversation with us for a while. Later, I’m walking across the Maroon Loop, Fleetwood Mac playing in my ears, thinking about everything that’s due at 11:59 p.m. And eventually, I move on. It’s not that I’m indifferent; it just means I’ve become accustomed to hearing about
something I never wanted to become accustomed to. Somewhere between being disturbed by these stories and learning to carry on with our days, I fret that we’re beginning to treat sexual violence as just another part of everyday life. Watch your drink. Don’t walk alone. Share your location. I don’t remember where I learned these rules. I just know that I did. For many women, these precautions become second nature, so instinctive to us. They’re not bad advice, and I’m not suggesting we should abandon them. But why don’t our internalized lessons sound like this? Make sure they actually want this. Don’t take advantage of someone vulnerable. Say something when your friend is crossing a boundary. The length of my skirt should be a conversation about the weather, not my safety. Why are we so comfortable discussing how women dress, drink or behave rather than questioning the behavior of those who violate boundaries? George Mason University’s What Were You Wearing? exhibition challenges the tendency to scrutinize survivors’ clothing rather than the behavior of the perpetrators. The question inherently reveals how easily responsibility can be misplaced. We’ve heard the proverb “prevention is better than cure.” Somewhere along the way, we’re thinking of risk reduction synonymously with prevention. Prevention should mean changing the behavior that causes harm, not merely the behavior of those trying to avoid it. One can make a possibly unsafe decision without becoming responsible for another person’s decision to violate them. Downing another green tea shot does not mean yes. Neither does downing two more. Drinking, clothing and vulnerability do not imply consent or excuse assault. In the Cornell case, a fraternity group chat reportedly included the message, “Like you can walk in and whip it out.” I cannot get past how casually another person’s body was discussed
PHOTO COURTESY OF TIME as though her consent was theirs to assume. With the advent of social media, it’s easy to share horrifying news or scrutinize someone in a headline. However, what happens when your own friend crosses the line? Do we refuse to laugh along when someone is making a degrading joke? Do we intervene when we can see a boundary being crossed, be it at a party, on the street or in a group chat? Universities have responsibilities, but so do the students who are representative of their campus cultures. We set the precedent for the behavior our friend groups normalize, what jokes we laugh along with and what we’re willing to challenge rather than disregard. I’ve watched male friends respond to these stories with genuine horror. This is precisely why I believe prevention should expand the realm of responsibility rather than shifting blame onto all men or placing another burden on women. Social media outrage, nevertheless, has value. It brings attention to issues that we usually ignore. But today’s news is tomorrow’s fish and chip paper, and eventually, the Cornell headlines will fade. Another story will take over
our feeds and we’ll return to our everyday lives. The next time a sexual-assault crime alert appears in my Outlook inbox, I do not want my only reaction to be, “Oh God, another one.” I don’t want to read it, feel disturbed for a couple hours and then carry on as though it’s somethingwe’vesimplycometoexpect.Ithinkwe’ve become better at reacting to these stories than actually learning anything from them. We don’t have to have all the answers, but I think we can be more conscious of what we choose to overlook. We shouldn’t need another allegation, another headlineor another woman whose story becomes public knowledge to remind ourselves that sexual violence deserves our attention. In retrospect, the measure of whether we cared was never how loudly we reacted or how many times we hit repost when everyone else was watching. It’s what we say when the screens are off, what we’re willing to change about ourselves and what we do when nobody is watching.
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THE HOLLOW GENERATION Jack Duenas-Bonham | Opinions Contributor
Generation Z today is a reflection of the Lost Generation of the 1920s. The Lost Generation were the individuals born between 1883 and 1900, a time that produced great literary minds such as T.S. Eliot, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein, who coined the phrase. This generation saw the calamities of World War I and was born on the heels of the war that pitted brother against brother. Never before had the world seen, on a global scale, the carnage capable of man. Hemingway and others left America to pursue tranquility and vice; the Roaring ‘20s in America were without their greatest cultural minds. This left behind a shallow form of art in aestheticism, thus causing an internal decay brought upon by the extreme decadence of the decade. This time of endless desire and lack of creative depth is all too familiar to Generation Z. The leadership of the time, the Warren G. Harding administration, was rife with corruption, and the president hired his cronies to bring the country “back to normalcy,” a sentiment similarly uttered by the Trump administration from 2015 to the present day. Harding failed at his goal and only added to the feeling of distrust in the affairs of the government after World War I. The Lost Generation shares many similarities and subtle differences with Generation Z; they are most clearly highlighted through the modernist literature and its context. Many novels of this time were centered around expat culture, and Paris served as the milieu for stories of drinking and losing oneself in a city. The franc had dropped in value, and the American dollar went far in France, with one being able to live comfortably off of $1,000 a year. Hemingway described his experience in the city best when he said: “We were very poor and very happy.” This generation was aimless and disillusioned after the war and witnessed the capacity of man for evil and the inability of governments to stop this malevolence. They questioned whether it was the end of the human spirit and life itself, as meditated on in T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Waste Land” when he says, “I will show you fear in a handful of dust.” This line reminds the reader of their own
mortality and the absence of the magic that makes one human in an increasingly modern world. In the United States, especially in the South, African Americans are being deprived of the very thing that makes one an American: civil liberties. This leads to further disillusionment with the ideals of America and perceived loss of humanistic vitality. In Paris, one could feel the almost supernatural air of the open and truly liberal society in France; this is a factor that later brought James Baldwin to the city in 1948. It was the expat heaven that shaped Pablo Picasso and encouraged true leisure that heartened these creatives to fully express their artistic insight. In 2026, true methods of evil were uncovered with the Epstein files. It revealed the structure of power that allows perverse behavior that undermines an entire nation and steals the innocence of youth. Similar to the First World War, to a less fatal extent, this has disenchanted Generation Z from the assumption of world progress and enduring positivity. This is coming off the electricity that the Obama campaign ran on: hope and the “Timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people, yes we can.” Though the spirit of the people increasingly seems powerless to hold Donald Trump accountable for his involvement in the Epstein files. This is the President who sexually raped women and then proceeded to get elected and rape the country of its hope and feeling of unity. We were denied the feeling that what we do matters, and deprived of the sentiment, “yes we can.” We were robbed of the ability to be “very poor and very happy” as the national debt continues to soar and the gas prices cause the phrase “highway robbery” to take on literal meaning Cornell University is being widely criticized for an alleged sexual assault that took place on its campus about two years ago. The response to the allegations and the subsequent investigation has led many to feel that the institutions and structures of power have stripped the American people of their dignity; that all systems have failed, the
COURTESY OF THE ESTATE OF F. SCOTT FITZGERALD
establishment has failed us, and we have failed each other. The consent of the governed no longer applies; the consent of a person no longer applies to those in power. We have lived through the worst of human depravity, and most are fully aware of man’s capacity and the lack of accountability in government, which has gradually eroded trust in everything and left the cities we love with blood on their hands. The assumption of good has departed from us gradually and has made the current world devoid of freedom and taken choice out of our lives. This is distinct from the disillusionment of the Lost Generation, as the belief in anything better is nowhere to be found. We are plummeting, and those who feel so compelled to go have nowhere to run. Paris no longer exists, you are no longer free and we are no longer innocent. The magic of human excellence and endurance spills through our fingers in a fine dust. The current generation feels their own humanity withering away in the barren room that is intellectualism, justice and culture. The plague of early 20th-century decadence
has infected the entire world and has left the remarkable people of our generation without a haven, and society attempts to strip them of their spirit, leaving them hollow. In T.S. In Eliot’s poem “The Hollow Men,” he illustrates the remarkable people of a modern generation as “We are the stuffed men leaning together, headpiece filled with straw. Alas! Our dried voices, when we whisper together, are quiet and meaningless.” The Modernist movement and the Lost Generation hold a distinct place of nostalgia in the hearts of Generation Z as we ache for the novels we will never write, the cafes we will never sit in and the people we will never become. The death of the human spirit has struck; returned to ash, the marvels of man have decayed — we are the hollow generation.
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SPORTS COLLEGIATETIMES.COM
October 13, 2026 PAGE 7
MISTAKES HAUNT HOKIES IN SECOND STRAIGHT LOSS Brody Bryan | Sports Editor
Virginia Tech faced another heartbreaking ACC loss. For a brief moment, it looked as if Virginia Tech saved itself from a second straight heartbreaking defeat. None of the costly penalties, missed kicks and offensive struggles seemed to matter anymore. With 1:15 to play, Ethan Grunkemeyer took a quarterback sneak into the end zone from a yard out to give the Hokies a 20-19 lead over California. But just as quickly as Tech took the lead, it let it slip away. Three defensive penalties on three consecutive snaps helped the Golden Bears march 75 yards down the field in six plays. Running back Ashten Emory capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown with 18 seconds remaining, handing the Hokies a 25-20 loss at California Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon. “We did not play well enough to get a win on the road in the ACC,” said head coach James Franklin. “There’s critical moments and critical plays that we’re not maximizing.” Tech got the ball back after Emory’s score, and two catches by Louisiana Tech transfer Marlion Jackson, along with a defensive pass interference penalty, gave the Hokies one final chance to steal a victory from the 7-yard line. But Grunkemeyer’s pass to tight end Luke Reynolds in the back of the end zone was batted away, and despite contact on the play, no flag was thrown for defensive pass interference. “I don’t officiate and I don’t have comments about officiating,” Franklin said. “But things should be called consistently on both sides.” The Hokies were penalized seven times for 88 yards, while Cal was given 10 for 99. Eight days after a potential gamewinning field goal sailed wide left, kicker John Love missed from 55 and 39 yards, leaving six potential points on the board in a game ultimately decided by five. “I love John,” Franklin said. “He’s had a great career, but nobody cares about (a) career right now. It’s what we’re doing
right now and it’s what we’re doing today. … You’re only as good as your last kick.” The Golden Bears were without starting quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who was held out after being a game-time decision. Sagapolutele exited Cal’s 39-31 loss to UNLV with a potential concussion, and head coach Tosh Lupoi opted to start backup Jackson Brousseau. Brousseau completed 29 of 43 passes for 321 yards and a touchdown in Sagapolutele’s absence. He made the most of his opportunity, but Tech’s defense didn’t exactly make his life difficult. Defensive lineman Kemari Copeland sacked Brousseau on Cal’s third offensive play, but the Hokies failed to register another sack all game “We were not able to get pressure,” Franklin said. “We were not able to make their quarterback uncomfortable in the pocket.” The Hokies’ defensive problems weren’t limited to their inability to pressure the quarterback. For the fourth consecutive game, they failed to force a turnover, continuing a troubling trend for the unit. “We’ve got opportunities for turnovers and we don’t make them,” Franklin said. “When the ball’s in the air, we’ve got to have the confidence to play the ball in the air.” Even when the Hokies appeared poised to get the ball back, the Golden Bears got creative to extend possessions. Tight end Dorian Thomas caught Tech’s special-teams unit off guard on a fake punt for a gain of 29 yards late in the third quarter. The Golden Bears kicked a 22-yard field goal later that drive to bring themselves within a point. Cal faced a third-and-1 on its next possession, and Brousseau walked to the sideline as if he were looking for the play call, but Emory took the direct snap for a 9-yard gain and a first down. The Golden Bears scored a go-ahead touchdown later that drive.
DAVID SUITER / COLLEGIATE TIMES Virginia Tech Hokies head coach James Franklin prepares for the run out in SECU Stadium on Sept. 19, 2026, in College Park, Md.
The difference also showed near the end zone. Cal scored on all five of its red-zone trips with three touchdowns. Tech, meanwhile, converted two of its four into points. Despite their struggles in critical moments, the Hokies moved the ball on the Golden Bears with relative ease, surpassing 400 total yards for the fifth time this season. Grunkemeyer completed 21 of 31 passes for 288 yards, though Cal sacked him three times. His lone passing touchdown came early in the second quarter on a 30-yard connection with wide receiver Ayden Greene, who dived for the left pylon to finish his catch and run. Greene ended the afternoon with 62 yards on two catches, his third consecutive game with at least 50 receiving yards after failing to reach that mark in Tech’s first two contests. On the ground, Jeffrey Overton Jr. rushed for 73 yards on 12 carries, averaging 6.1 yards per attempt. Marcellous Hawkins Jr. added 45 yards on 12 carries
and a 3-yard touchdown run that gave the Hokies a 14-7 lead late in the first half. The backfield duo split carries evenly after Overton received more than twice as many as Hawkins in each of the previous two games. Just eight days removed from a 4-0 start and renewed optimism surrounding Franklin’s first season with the program, the Hokies now find themselves at 4-2 after consecutive losses decided by a combined seven points. Tech had its opportunities in both games, but costly mistakes proved decisive. Potential momentum-building wins turned into crushing defeats and have left the Hokies searching for answers as they prepare to return to Lane Stadium to face Georgia Tech next Saturday. “Ultimately, that’s my responsibility to get it fixed,” Franklin said.
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PAGE 8 October 13, 2026
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MEN’S SOCCER COMFORTABLY BEATS LONGWOOD 3-1 Joe Ratcliffe | Sports Staff Writer
The teams were close on paper, but Tech cruised to a win. In a game that ebbed and flowed like the temperature, Virginia Tech took down in-state rival Longwood 3-1 on Tuesday night at Thompson Field. The Hokies were riding high coming off a narrow 2-1 win over bitter rival Virginia last Friday and had won four of their last five games, with that sole loss coming to No. 1 SMU. “We spent a lot of emotional energy on that UVA game,” said Tech head coach Mike Brizendine. “I didn’t want us to think that we’d arrived. We haven’t arrived.” Despite the Hokies’ momentum, Tuesday’s game seemed a lot closer on paper before kickoff. Longwood and Tech had nearly identical records: Both teams had six wins, averaged 2.3 goals per match and took a little over six shots on goal per game. All signs pointed to exciting offensive performances from both teams. Brizendine appreciated the challenge his team was up against. “I knew it was going to be a tough game,” Brizendine said. “Actually, they’ve been ranked higher than us, so we knew it was going to be difficult.” That difficulty hadn’t been seen in the matchup’s recent history. Coming in, Tech (7-3-1) had won six straight against Longwood (6-5) while allowing the Lancers just one goal in the last decade. The odds were stacked heavily in the Hokies’ favor; however, the last time they played a non-conference opponent they historically had little trouble with, things didn’t go their way. An earlyseason upset at the hands of ETSU on Sept. 9 was a home game, facing a team the Hokies hadn’t allowed a goal from in over a decade and had a long streak of comfortable victories against. Sound familiar? “I think everyone’s head was on ETSU,” said Tech center back Amir Ariely. “We didn’t want that to happen again.” The match kicked off at 6 p.m. ET. Right off the bat, Tech got on the front foot. It dominated possession and forced the Lancers back on multiple attacks, which resulted in two dangerous corner kicks in the first eight minutes. Then, in
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the 10th minute, Tech struck first with a beautiful long-distance header from sophomore striker Dagur Traustason. The attack was assisted by fellow sophomore Alvaro Ruiz-Mateos, who launched an inch-perfect cross between two leaping Lancers to find Traustason’s head. The Hokies refused to sit back and continued to dominate the ball for the rest of the first half, tallying five shots on goal and forcing Lancers goalkeeper Nicolas Pucci to make multiple saves. Longwood developed a few threatening counterattacks, but nothing came of those chances. Despite the lead, Brizendine wasn’t satisfied. “I wish we would have scored a little bit more in the first half,” Brizendine said. “I thought we had some chances to really put this game away.” Longwood took advantage of those missed opportunities. Three minutes into the second half, Lancers left winger Brando Bedolla beat two Hokies and drove into the box where he was met
by junior Alex Perez. Bedolla sped past Perez, who tripped him in the box. Bedolla converted the penalty kick into the bottom-left corner. However, the Hokies’ fire returned instantly, and they attacked viciously. Their efforts were quickly rewarded. In the 58th minute, Tech was awarded a free kick in a dangerous crossing position just beyond the box, and Perez redeemed himself with a precise in-swinging cross that found Ariely wide open for a header into the side netting. “I was just trying my best to do what I could to make sure we got one back,” Ariely said. “I just managed to get my head on (the ball), and then it was a great goal.” The fiery offensive push from the Hokies caused plenty of fouls: Four of the game’s six yellow cards were awarded in the second half. Tech tacked on one more goal in the 82nd minute to put the game to bed, and Ariely was there again with the assist on his cross to redshirt junior Chase Vazquez.
At the final whistle, Tech emerged victorious, 3-1. Ariely was encouraged by his team’s performance. “I think this team can go achieve really big things this season,” Ariely said. “We’re not afraid of anyone. … We can compete with the best teams out there.” “(This game) keeps our momentum going,” Brizendine said. “We know every ACC game is going to be tough, playing there is really tough, but we’re up for the fight.” With the win, the Hokies sit in second place in the ACC standings with 10 points, just three above Pitt, which is tied with Louisville for fifth place. Tech is chasing No. 1 SMU at the top, and is only two points behind the top team in the nation. The ball is in the Hokies’ court — or field — and with only five games left this season, their hopes are running high.
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