Even though the Virginia Tech football team was 4-0 through the first four weeks of the 2026 season, things have not exactly gone as planned for James Franklin and his team. Sure, every coach is going to find something to nitpick about, but Franklin is right in one area, penalties.
Friday night at Lane Stadium against Pittsburgh, that was what came back to bite his team in a stunning 35-33 loss to the Panthers in an early-season ACC showdown.
James Franklin was irked with penalties after the loss to Pittsburgh
After grabbing a quick 14-0 lead over the Panthers early in the game and forcing some three-and-outs of the explosive Pitt offense. However, penalties began piling up, especially on defense, and a once-disciplined unit became undisciplined, and it cost them.
"We've been talking about the penalties, specifically the pre-snap penalties and the post-whistle penalties," Franklin said. "Too many penalties, specifically at critical moments in the game where we let them off the hook."
How bad was it? On Pittsburgh's second scoring drive of the game, the Panthers closed the gap to 17-14 with a 75-yard drive, with 41 of the yards coming from Virginia Tech penalties. That can't happen. Not in a game like that. For the night, Virginia Tech was flagged eight times for 82 yards, while Pitt was hit with seven penalties for just 58 yards. You get the point.
Sure, turnovers also played just as big a part in the game, the Hokies were on the offensive side, but penalties on the defensive side played a big role in the outcome. Earlier in the season, the penalties were something the Hokies had been able to overcome, but sooner or later they were going to catch up with them, and it finally did.
Three of the next four games for the Hokies are going to be on the road in tough environments. If they want to have success away from Blacksburg against California, Clemson, and SMU, penalties are going to have to be cleaned up and cleaned up quickly.
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