Coming off a 35-33 loss to Pitt at Lane Stadium on Friday, Virginia Tech is heading to Berkeley, Calif., for its third road game in the last four contests with plenty to sort through on both sides of the ball. Ahead of Saturday’s matchup with Cal, Hokies head coach James Franklin spent his availability breaking down what his team is seeing, what went wrong, and what has to clean up fast.
One of the biggest unknowns, Franklin said, is exactly what Cal’s offense will look like. He said the Golden Bears’ most recent game seemed to lean more toward run-and-shoot ideas tied to Nick Rolovich’s previous stops at Washington State and Hawaii, with plenty of empty formations and what he described as a different feel than what might be expected from current offensive coordinator Jordan Somerville. Franklin added that he was not completely sure who was handling the play-calling against UNLV on Saturday.
What Franklin does know is that Cal has a quarterback worth game-planning around. He was glowing in his assessment of Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, calling him “as impressive of a prospect as there is” and pointing to how well he throws both from the pocket and while moving.
Sagapolutele has passed for 1,180 yards, eight touchdowns, and five interceptions this season. He was also banged up against UNLV and did not return, even though he had been medically cleared.
“A lot of moving parts, a lot of things to be prepared for, a lot of things to consider,” Franklin said. “But all we can do is watch the film, evaluate the film, and read every report that's out there.”
Franklin also spent time on Virginia Tech’s own mistakes, especially after Grunkemeyer’s career day. The quarterback threw for 434 yards and hit several deep shots, but the night was also marked by two fumbles, one of which was recovered, and two interceptions. Franklin said the main lesson is simple: details matter, and Grunkemeyer has to keep working through his progressions and take what the defense gives him.
The turnover that seemed to sting the most was the red-zone interception on a naked bootleg. Franklin said Luke Reynolds was open in the flat and the throw wasn’t necessary in that spot. He also pointed to two of the giveaways coming on plays where Grunkemeyer tried to make a pocket throw after stepping up, only for the defensive line to retrace and strip the ball loose.
“I think it was [Luke Reynolds that] was clearly open in the flat; we tried to make a throw that we didn't need to try to make in that situation,” Franklin said. “...
Two of the turnovers, if I'm remembering correctly, were in the pocket, where he's made a big-time play, stepping up in the pocket and delivering on a crossing route or on a route that's coming into his vision. He tried to do that again, and their defensive line did a really good job of retracing and stripping the ball back out.'
Franklin’s other major focus was ball production on defense. He talked about drills the whole team can take part in, including the peanut punch, but said the simplest thing is often the most effective: find the ball and play it. That, he said, can lead to takeaways and also help cut down on pass interference calls.
“It does two things: It allows you to get interceptions, but it also reduces the amount of times that you'll get called for pass interference, as well,” Franklin said. “You can get away with a decent amount of contact if you're looking for the ball. ...
Not only do we need to do a better job protecting the ball on offense, we've got to create some turnovers on defense. It's both things, so throughout practice, but then also having isolated periods where we're emphasizing those things as well.”
He also tied Virginia Tech’s run game to what the passing game can force defenses to respect. Franklin said short swing passes, including dump-offs to sophomore running back Jeffrey Overton Jr., function as an extension of the run game, especially when the offense can get an extra block or make the free hitter miss. He added that hitting explosive plays last Saturday should help loosen things up, since safeties can’t keep creeping down if the ball is going over their heads.
“The ceiling starts to lower and lower with those safeties if you're not able to throw the ball over their head,” Franklin said. “Our receivers doing a good job of coming in and digging out the safeties on a consistent basis will help, or putting those defenders in conflict with RPOs. I think the other thing is just making sure that we have enough ways to get the ball on the perimeter, as well.”
In Other News...
Virginia Tech Faces A Huge Opening In Unsettled Cal Matchup
Virginia Tech heads into its trip to California Memorial Stadium with plenty still to sort out on its own side, but the bigger question may be how Cal lines up at quarterback. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele left the Bears' previous game because of a head injury, which leaves an already important matchup feeling even less settled as the Hokies prepare for another road challenge.
Ethan Grunkemeyer gave Virginia Tech a glimpse of its passing upside by throwing for a career-high 434 yards in the last outing, even if the turnovers undercut the effort. The Hokies could find some room to operate if Cal is without key playmakers, though the Bears also have safety Kingston Lopa, the FBS leader in interceptions, and his status after leaving early in the last game adds another layer to a matchup that already feels full of variables. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech's Next Two Games Will Test What Pitt Exposed
Virginia Tech comes out of its open date facing a stretch that should say plenty about where the Hokies really stand. The next stop is Georgia Tech on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 3:30 p.m. ET on the ACC Network, and it arrives after a recent run that has already put the offense and defense under the microscope. The broader picture around both teams makes the timing matter even more, with each side carrying recent results, standout performers and the kind of midseason questions that tend to sharpen once the calendar turns deeper into October.
For Virginia Tech, this is also about more than one Saturday in Atlanta. The Hokies upcoming travel and the next portion of the schedule will force them to show whether the issues exposed recently were a one-game problem or something more persistent. Georgia Tech has its own momentum to manage, but for Virginia Tech the real value of this matchup is in what it can reveal before the road gets any tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Let A Winnable Pitt Game Slip Away
Virginia Tech walked away from a 35-33 loss to Pitt with the uneasy feeling that a winnable conference game had been there to take. The Hokies outgained the Panthers in total yards and spent much of the night with enough offense to keep the pressure on, but turnovers and penalties kept undercutting their chances to put the game away.
In a race where every result matters, the loss leaves Virginia Tech tied with Pitt in the ACC standings and adds another layer of frustration to what could have been a useful step forward. The margin was slim, the opportunities were there, and the Hokies will now have to carry the sting of knowing this one was within reach. [Read more 🡒]