Last Monday afternoon, James Franklin did his weekly press conference after the Hokies improved to 2-0 with a win over Old Dominion. As is the case every week, a couple of his players addressed the media after their head coach to field some questions about ODU and looking ahead to Maryland.
One of the players who spoke was defensive back Jaquez White, a transfer from Troy. He has been a big part of the Hokies secondary, but he had a quote that was likely plastered all over Maryland's locker room and quarterback Malik Washington's dorm. Franklin did some damage control after practice on Wednesday, and after Virginia Tech's 35-26 victory over the Terrapins in College Park, the veteran coach doubled down on his damage control.
James Franklin praises Maryland QB Malik Washington after Virginia Tech's win over Maryland
To refresh your memory, White was asked about Washington and said the following,
“He's a pretty good quarterback,'' said WhiteI. "He has a decent arm. I don't really think he's that accurate, but I mean, he's pretty good. He's not a runner. He’s looking to throw the ball every time.“
I'm sure that didn't sit well with Franklin, and on Wednesday, Franklin addressed it by complimenting Washington. On Saturday night, the former Hokies recruit was 30-for-43 in the loss to the Hokies, for 359 yards and three touchdowns. He made some big throws but also had a head-scratching throw on fourth down in the third quarter when he tried a shovel pass two yards shy of the first-down marker to turn the ball over on downs. Regardless, he was good when he needed to be. Franklin didn't mince words after the game about the comments again.
"I don't know why we made the comments we did during the week," Franklin said. "I didn't agree with them when they were said, and I don't agree with them now. But that's an opportunity for growth and a teaching moment for our guys.''
A veteran coach like Franklin is going to use that as a teaching moment, no doubt. White finished with three tackles in the game, but you can bet that whichever athletes talk with the media this week, there will be some coaching done off the field on what to and what not to say ahead of next weekend's game at Boston College. Franklin made things clear in his opening statement after the win over the Terrapins about what he thinks of Washington.
"I don't know why you've watched the film from the week before — the guy completed 18 straight passes — and make a comment like that. He's one of the better quarterbacks in the country, and we're fortunate to get out of here with a win," Franklin added.
Those 18 straight completions were done against UConn, but he made some big throws, throwing across his body at times, including a big throw in the fourth on 3rd-and-20 from Maryland's 10-yard line to jump-start a scoring drive.
A win is a win, but Franklin isn't wrong about Washington. He's a good quarterback, and Virginia Tech will take the win and move on to BC. It would be stunning if there were any bulletin board material this week for the Eagles.
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