When the Virginia Tech football schedule was announced last winter, the first four games were going to be a test for James Franklin in his first season as the Hokies' head coach. The first two games were at home against VMI and Old Dominion before road games at Maryland and Boston College.
It would have been easy to see Virginia Tech go anywhere from 2-2 to 3-1, to maybe even 4-0. In the end, the Hokies went 4-0 after beating BC on Saturday afternoon in the middle of a Nor'easter, gutting out a 21-14 come-from-behind win.
Now they return home on Friday night at Lane Stadium in an early-season showdown against 4-0 Pittsburgh. Ahead of their battle with the Panthers, Franklin had a message for Hokies fans.
“Being back at home this week is obviously going to be significant,” Franklin said earlier this week. “We need it to be a home-field advantage. We need it to be a four-quarter game, four quarters of support from our fans and from our students. That’s going to be a really important factor in this game. We need to have a significant home-field advantage.”
James Franklin is looking for a rowdy Lane Stadium crowd on Friday night
Part of the reason Franklin is calling for a loud stadium is that this is the first road game for Pitt after the first four games were at home. The Panthers' offense has been explosive this season against Miami of Ohio, Central Florida, Syracuse, and Bucknell. They have a prolific passing attack behind Mason Heintschel.
Not to be overlooked has been Virginia Tech's offense, which has also been very good in their wins behind Penn State transfers Ethan Grunkemeyer at quarterback and Luke Reynolds at tight end. Trailing a gritty BC team, 14-6, in the fourth quarter in less-than-ideal weather conditions, the Hokies rallied with touchdowns on back-to-back drives to pull out a seven-point win.
It has been a long time since there has been a meaningful game like this early in the season in Blacksburg. This is a big game for two teams with what many consider a manageable ACC schedule in 2026, but a loss could be like an elimination at this point in the season. James Franklin has the home-field advantage and wants to use it to his advantage. There is little doubt that Hokies fans will show up and be loud, as they have been waiting years for a night like this in Blacksburg.
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