Over the last couple of weeks, there have been several reasons as to why the Virginia Tech football team is 4-2 rather than 6-0. The painful truth is that they should be undefeated when they take the field on Saturday afternoon against Georgia Tech at Lane Stadium.
Two weeks ago at home against Pittsburgh, the Hokies trailed 35-33 as John Love lined up to attempt a game-winning field goal from 36 yards out. His kick, however, sailed left, and the Panthers escaped with a two-point win.
Then last weekend, Virginia Tech had to fly cross-country and play an undermanned California team that was dealing with multiple injuries to key players. Instead of rolling to a win as many expected, the Hokies were flat, outplayed, and outcoached in what was a 25-20 loss. There were two more missed field goals by Love. One of them was a 55-yard kick, which probably wasn't the best decision after he missed his final kick eight days earlier.
However, Virginia Tech's defense leaves a lot to be desired in terms of coverage and penalties, which has been an issue that needs to be cleaned up. After practice on Wednesday, Franklin dropped a subtle quote and sent a message to his team before facing the Yellow Jackets.
James Franklin drops a subtle but blunt quote about one trend Virginia Tech needs to quickly fix before Georgia Tech
Penalties on the defensive side of the ball have been an issue this season; that was never more evident than last Saturday afternoon at Cal. Multiple pass interference penalties helped the Golden Bears move down the field late in the game to pull out a win. Franklin said the penalties have been addressed multiple times this season, but they continue to happen. He had a message outside of the Sunday meetings.
"It’s been addressed, it’s been discussed, but we also can’t come in every Sunday and keep saying the same thing over and over again,” said Franklin.
That quote sounds like a frustrated coach who is tired of addressing them. Last week wasn't the first time they have dealt with injuries, and it just isn't in the secondary. Lineman Aycen Stevens recorded a second-quarter sack, but was hit with a taunting penalty after the tackle, something that can't happen with a backup quarterback. That turned a sizable loss into a sizable gain for the Golden Bears.
Yes, I know, Virginia Tech was hosed on the game's final play with Luke Reynolds being interfered with and no flag was thrown. There was some taunting from the Cal defender. If it's a foul earlier in the game, it's a foul later in the game on the last play. Fans, players, and coaches ask for consistency when it comes to officiating. Good luck with that.
Several things need to change this weekend against the Yellow Jackets if Virginia Tech is going to break their losing streak. At the top of the list is fixing the penalties; if that happens, good things could happen, and the Hokies need good things to happen.
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