Game Time and TV Network Announced For Virginia Tech's Week Eight Game vs. Clemson

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Virginia Tech football's Week 8 game time and TV channel for its Week 8 clash against Clemson were announced Monday afternoon by the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Hokies (4-2, 1-2 ACC) will face off against the Tigers (3-2, 2-1) on Saturday, Oct. 24, at either 7:00 or 7:30 p.m. ET on either ESPN or ESPN2. It's the first matchup between the two in Clemson, S.C. since the 2012 season — an affair Virginia Tech lost 38-17.

Can the Hokies beat the Tigers?

Virginia Tech has not beaten Clemson since Oct. 6, 2007; in that affair, the then-No. 15 Hokies raced past the then-No. 22 Tigers, 41-23. Tech holds a 12-24-1 record against Clemson all-time with a 2-5 mark in ACC games. The Hokies have lost their last seven games against the Tigers, dating back to that 2007 game.

Tech and Clemson have matched up only twice in the 2020s, with both matchups coming in Blacksburg. The first, which took place in 2020, was a 45-10 Tigers rout, while the second, a 2024 game, was a 24-14 Clemson win defined by instability under center.

Hokies quarterback Kyron Drones was 9-of-20 for 115 yards, no touchdown and one interception, leaving the game in the second half and not returning for its remainder — or the season. Backup Collin Schlee was 7-of-17 for 73 yards, one touchdown and a pick. A hobbled Bhayshul Tuten was the only Virginia Tech running back to log carries, taking four carries for zero net yards. The Hokies rushed 21 times for only 40 net yards (1.9 yards per carry). It was the second straight loss for Tech, one of four in a five-game stretch to close a disappointing 6-7 (4-4 ACC) campaign.

This year, Virginia Tech is 4-2 six games into the season, its campaign defined by cresting peaks and disappointing lulls. The Hokies opened their campaign with a 73-3 drubbing of VMI before beating Old Dominion 44-21. Tech's 23-point win over the Monarchs came nearly a calendar year after its 45-26 loss the year prior. Virginia Tech then defeated Maryland 35-26 in College Park, Md., on Sept. 19, snapping a 15-game losing streak against non-conference Power Four opponents.

The Hokies opened ACC play with a 21-14 victory against Boston College amid a nor'easter, courtesy of sophomore running back Jeffrey Overton Jr. totaling a career-high 209 rushing yards — including 140 yards in the final quarter and a 76-yard house call to pull Virginia Tech ahead. Tech sustained its first defeat of the season on Oct. 2, falling 35-33 to Pitt in Lane Stadium.

In spite of racing to an early 14-0 lead and outgaining the Panthers 499-295, the Hokies conceded a 35-10 run to the Panthers, rallying in the fourth-quarter with a nine-point spurt. However, fifth-year kicker John Love's 36-yard field goal attempt to win the game was no good, preventing the Hokies from accomplishing their first 5-0 start since the 2017 season.

Tech then dropped its second straight contest on Saturday when it ventured to Berkeley, Calif. to play Cal, losing 25-20. Holding a narrow 14-13 lead entering the final quarter, the Hokies conceded a 14-play, 79-yard go-ahead drive to the Golden Bears that chewed 7:07 off the clock. Tech scored off a 1-yard rushing touchdown from quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer. but California marched down the field in 57 seconds. The Golden Bears' 2-yard rushing touchdown gave them the lead with 18 ticks to go.

The Hokies mounted a last-gasp rally to push the ball down to the 7-yard line, but Grunkemeyer's final throw to a well-covered tight end Luke Reynolds was incomplete, handing Tech a five-point loss. Backup quarterback Jackson Brousseau, who made his first start for Cal Saturday, was 29-of-43 passing for 321 yards.

Grunkemeyer, meanwhile, was 21-of-31 for 288 yards and two total touchdowns (one passing, one rushing), though he absorbed three sacks. Through six games, Grunkemeyer is 152-of-208 (73.1% completion percentage) for 1,734 yards, 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. His 1,734 passing yards rank No. 6 in the nation, while his quarterback rating of 78.6 is 24th.

In the meantime, Virginia Tech's next game is against Georgia Tech on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 3:30 p.m. ET on the ACC Network.