James Franklin suffered his first loss as the head coach of Virginia Tech football on Friday night as the Hokies fell 35-33 to Pittsburgh. The game ultimately came down to a final-second field-goal attempt, with John Love missing a potential game-winning kick. Despite the heartbreaking finish, Franklin immediately made it clear that he would stand behind Love.
The loss brought an end to Virginia Tech’s perfect start under its new head coach. However, during his postgame press conference, Franklin explained the message he delivered to Love after the missed field goal.
“I told him I loved him, he’s the best kicker in the country, and then go shake hands. He broke us down in the locker room. I’ve got John’s back, so do all of his teammates,” Franklin said.
Though Love’s missed field goal was the final play of the game, Franklin said that Virginia Tech had plenty of other opportunities throughout the game that could have changed the outcome long before the game reached its final seconds.
Article Continues Below“There are 20 other plays throughout that game that really wouldn't have gotten to that point. So I love him. I’ve got a ton of confidence in him. And I'd put him back out there for the same situation every single time,” Franklin added.
Pittsburgh scored 21 consecutive points to take a 35-24 lead in the fourth quarter and get the game in their favor. Virginia Tech fought back and gave itself a final opportunity to complete the comeback, but Love’s 36-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide as the clock expired, allowing Pitt to escape with the 35-33 win.
The final result was undoubtedly a difficult one for Virginia Tech, particularly because the Hokies had a realistic chance to finish the night with a victory. Still, Franklin made it clear that the team would not treat Love as the sole reason for the loss.
With the loss, Virginia Tech dropped to 4-1 on the season. The Hokies will now look to bounce back when they take on California for their next matchup on Oct. 10.