The one storyline that will hang over the outcome of Friday night's Virginia Tech/Pittsburgh game is going to be the missed 36-yard field goal by John Love as time expired, allowing Pitt to escape Blacksburg with a 35-33 win.
Was it good or did he actually miss it? We may never know. However, when the dust settled, the Hokies came up two points short in a 5-0 start in the James Franklin era. Instead, they are stuck with a gut-wrenching loss and a trip cross-country to play Cal next Saturday in Berkley.
The cold, hard truth is that the game never, ever, should have come down to that kick. After the game, Franklin pointed to the biggest factor in why his team is waking up 4-1 on Saturday morning.
James Franklin points the finger at why Pitt beat Virginia Tech
If you didn't watch the game and just looked at the box score, you would have thought the Hokies had won. Virginia Tech had 499 total yards of offense in the game, while Pittsburgh had 295. Virginia Tech led 14-0 after just two offensive drives, and the Panthers couldn't get anything going. Then everything flipped in the second and third quarters, and not for the better for Franklin and the Hokies. So, James, what happened?
"Since the beginning of time: turnovers and explosive plays,'' said Franklin.
He's not wrong. Not only did the Hokies dominate yardage; QB Ethan Grunkemeyer threw for 434 yards, but it was his complete line that proved to be the difference. He threw three touchdown passes, but he also threw two picks and fumbled the ball once. Jeffrey Overton Jr. also had a third-quarter fumble.
Not only did the Hokies turn it over four times, but Pitt never turned the ball over. Then there were the explosive plays where Pittsburgh's offense didn't make them early, but that made them as the game went on, even when starting quarterback Mason Heintschel went down with an injury early in the second half.
Did Virginia Tech play well enough to win the game? In some areas, no. However, they had a chance to win it late and missed a golden opportunity to overcome four turnovers and win the game. However, turnovers and big plays went against the Hokies, and because of that, Virginia Tech is left licking its wounds this weekend.
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