On Saturday night, Virginia Tech did exactly what they were supposed to do on the field against VMI. The Hokies entered the game as 50+ point favorites, and Bill Connelly's SP+ rankings ranked the Keydets 405th in college football, behind several Division II and III teams. The talent gap was clear from the opening snap, and the Hokies dominated VMI for 60 minutes. However, last night's significance goes well beyond the field, so here's my comprehensive breakdown of the first win of the James Franklin era.

The Big Thing: Virginia Tech Football Feels “Big Time”

My biggest takeaway from Saturday's action.

While there may not be much to take away from Saturday from a football perspective, the gameday environment in Blacksburg is absolutely worth noting. From the moment I woke up Saturday morning, the air had a different feel to it. For the first time in years, it truly felt like a Virginia Tech gameday again. As I walked around the tailgate lots, I could feel the anticipation, excitement, and hope exuding from Hokie Nation. Then came the Hokie Walk, where fans packed Beamer Way to welcome James Franklin and the team for the first time this season. Linebacker George Ballance was amazed at how many fans showed up for the walk, noting there were definitely more people and more energy at the walk than there had been in years past.

(photo courtesy of Will Trent @willytmedia)

Virginia Tech fans then made their way from Beamer Way into the house that Beamer built. The stands of Lane Stadium filled up quickly, per James Franklin’s request earlier in the week that fans show up early. With nearly 30 minutes until kickoff, the stands were almost full, despite some apparent complaints from fans about how long it took to get into the game. Hokie Nation was ready for this game, and ready for a celebration worthy of the new era that began Saturday night. During starting lineup introductions, James Franklin received an enormous ovation as he popped on the jumbotron to say, “I live in Blacksburg, Virginia,” over the roaring tones of “I’m a Boss” by Meek Mill and Rick Ross. In addition to the buzz James Franklin has brought to Blacksburg, the pregame ceremonies were also filled with incredible tradition, honoring the historic rivalry between Virginia Tech and VMI. The pregame flyover was a joint effort between Virginia Tech and VMI pilots, and of course, the legend Homer Hickam was on hand to fire off Skipper, the second iteration of the cannon he helped create.

(photo courtesy of Will Trent @willytmedia)

The Little Things

It is the little things in football that decide wins and losses. Here are some things that caught my eye on Saturday.

A Dominant Defense

One of James Franklin’s biggest objectives this season was to give Virginia Tech fans something to cheer for after Enter Sandman. With that sentiment in mind, let’s finally talk about what happened during the game last night! Virginia Tech absolutely dominated in every single phase, with James Franklin calling it a “complete game” in the postgame press conference. Brent Pry’s defense absolutely swarmed VMI, holding a triple-option rushing attack to negative rushing yards and racking up tackles for loss on 32% of the Keydets’ offensive plays. VMI had no answers for the Hokies' rebuilt defensive line, which imposed its will on the offense. The Hokies looked disciplined, prepared, and most of all, angry. This defense, and really the entire roster, embodies the attitude of their Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator. James Franklin, the man who rebuilt Penn State, who then fired him at the first sign of trouble in years, and Brent Pry, the man who just one year ago was getting booed out of Lane Stadium on his way to getting fired himself. These two men come into 2026 with something to prove, and they coached like it Saturday night.

An Efficient Offense and the Return of MAN FOOTBALL

Offensively, the Hokies played an incredibly clean game in Ty Howle’s first test as a playcaller. Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer looked cool and confident operating the attack, and the Hokies’ playmakers stepped up big time. The Hokies' “Thunder and Lightning” duo of Marcellous Hawkins and Jeff Overton lived up to their billing. The backs combined for 173 yards on 8.7 yards-per-carry and five touchdowns. Hawkins handled a lot of the dirty work, grinding out tough yards and handling the short-yardage duties for the Hokies, while Jeff Overton flashed his explosiveness and breakaway speed in the open field. Overton averaged 11.6 yards when he carried the rock and ripped off multiple long runs, including scoring totes of 23 and 50 yards. Overton certainly has the makings of an “eraser,” or a player who can erase team mistakes with one big play. James Franklin has coached many of these players in his career, including Saquon Barkley, Micah Parsons, and Tyler Warren. This offseason, Franklin said that he was still looking for those players on Virginia Tech’s roster, and Overton now looks like an early candidate for Franklin’s first Hokie “eraser.”

The credit for the Hokies' strong rushing performance cannot just go to Hawkins and Overton, as the Virginia Tech offensive line was creating truck-sized holes for the running backs all night long. Much like the defense, the Hokies blocking unit looked nasty and physical at the point of attack, moving people out of the way with authority. Saturday night also was the official reintroduction of the tight end position in Blacksburg. After years of under-utilizing the spot, tight ends were featured heavily on the field against VMI. In the receiving game, tight ends combined for eight catches, 99 yards, and one touchdown from Luke Reynolds. However, Ty Howle’s pride and joy made their presence known more in the run game, delivering crucial blocks all night. On multiple occasions, the Hokies rolled out three tight ends and two running backs to run a ‘tush push’ style quarterback sneak with Grunkemeyer. After a decade of running spread offense almost entirely out of the shotgun, it was refreshing to see the Hokies run a more balanced, pro-style attack, and run it with some physicality.

Some Lingering Questions For the Passing Game

Don’t get me wrong, Ethan Grunkemeyer and Bryce Baker both looked incredibly solid spinning the rock. Grunk finished 17/20 for 224 yards and two touchdown passes while Baker went 10/12 for 127 yards and one incredible touchdown throw on a rollout play where Baker found Chanz Wiggins in the corner of the end zone. At the receiver position, Que’Sean Brown demonstrated why he was such a highly sought-after transfer when he entered the portal from Duke this offseason. Brown flashed his elite speed and elusiveness all night, punctuated by a 51-yard catch-and-run that finished in the end zone. Brown caught a short crossing pattern from Grunkemeyer, then let his elite speed do the rest, hitting a different gear to leave Keydet defenders in the dust.

(photo courtesy of Will Trent @willytmedia)

However, there are still some concerns for the passing attack that will need to be improved moving forward. Ayden Greene, who has been billed as the Hokies’ top receiving threat, was held to just three catches for 23 yards. I am not going to overreact to a quiet night during an absolute blowout, but Virginia Tech will need more from Greene moving forward to keep defenses honest. Also, Grunkemeyer seemed to struggle connecting the deep ball Saturday night, overthrowing wide-open receivers a couple of times. The deep passing chemistry is always the last thing to click for an offense, and Grunkemeyer probably just had a tad too much adrenaline on the deep throws. The passes from Grunk were not misses by a mile, just a few yards. I believe they will get those ironed out, but the Hokies need to show they can stretch defenses vertically to make the rest of the offense work effectively.

BEAMERBALL

Other than Enter Sandman, nothing fires up a Virginia Tech crowd quite like a big special teams play, and the Hokies had a few of them on Saturday. Virginia Tech blocked two punts, and recovered one of them for a touchdown. During a halftime interview, James Franklin was asked about the blocked punts and said, “They’re obviously making me proud. I hope Coach Beamer is proud.” On his quest to “reestablish” Virginia Tech, the return of big plays on special teams is a big marker of the Hokies’ quest to return to glory. Coordinator Doug Shearer understands the legacy of elite special teams in Blacksburg, and he certainly made a great opening statement on Saturday. During my preview podcast, I said I wanted to see a clean operation on special teams and some impact plays after years of special teams gaffes under the prior regime, and the Hokies certainly delivered on that against VMI.

Gotta Clean Up the Penalties

On a night where it will be hard for the Virginia Tech coaching staff to find negatives and coaching points, the Hokies’ penalties will certainly be something that needs to be corrected. Virginia Tech racked up several offside penalties, something that James Franklin said was caused by how deep VMI’s offensive line sets up. Franklin said he was “disappointed” by the pre-snap and post-snap penalties during the game, as the team racked up 11 fouls for 93 yards. That amount of penalty yardage will come back to bite the Hokies against tougher competition, so cleaning up those issues will be paramount over the next week before ODU comes to town.

Hokie Heroes

These are my MVP’s of the game: the players, coaches, or other contributors who made the biggest impact on and off the field.

Hokie Nation

As I said earlier, Virginia Tech fans showed up early, cheered loud, and even stayed for most of the game despite the splattering on the scoreboard. Virginia Tech fans have been clamoring for a night like this after years of disappointment, and the crowd let all of the negative emotions and demons loose on Saturday night. Hope returned to Lane Stadium, and every person in the stands embraced it and showed their appreciation to the coach who has breathed life back into this sleeping giant of a program.

Jeff Overton

Jeff Overton was the MVP of the offense Saturday night, putting up his first 100-yard rushing performance and creating impact plays on offense. I suspect as the season continues, Overton’s role will only continue to grow, and he will cement himself as the true starting running back, with Marcellous Hawkins being the more than capable backup and short-yardage back.

Cortez Harris

Cortez Harris is an absolute PROBLEM, folks. This offseason, multiple coaches told us the defensive end room was one of the most competitive on the roster, so it was unclear who would rise to the top. During the spring, it became pretty clear that Aycen Stevens had earned the coaches’ trust because of his work ethic and physicality, but the rest of the defensive end rotation remained unclear. Players like Mylachi Williams, Javion Hilson, Jason Abbey, and Deric Dandy all seemed like top contenders and will still play significant roles this season, but it was Cortez Harris who emerged late in camp, earning the praise of James Franklin a couple of weeks ago. His rise was also strong enough to earn him a starting job in week one, and Harris made the most of his opportunity, racking up three tackles, 1.5 TFLS, a sack, and a blocked punt. Harris is an extremely explosive athlete who plays with an incredibly high motor. Franklin told us that Harris put on some much-needed weight this offseason, allowing him to hold his own against bigger offensive linemen, a body transformation that seems to already be paying dividends. Coming into the game Saturday night, the end spot was a group filled with a lot of talent and potential, but also a lot of unknowns given the lack of game experience at the position; Harris and Co. emphatically answered any questions Saturday night with their five-sack performance.

(photo courtesy of Will Trent @willytmedia)

Hot Take: This Game Was Extremely Beneficial for Virginia Tech

Leading up to, and following Saturday night’s games, some Tech fans and members of the media complained about why Virginia Tech was playing this game against a vastly inferior opponent. I would like to argue that this was the perfect first game for the Franklin regime. At ACC Kickoff, James Franklin said the Hokies “won the offseason,” but that it had to translate to the field. After all the hype over the last nine months leading up to kickoff, the best the Hokies could do in week one was meet expectations, and they did that. The payoff to the months of waiting felt worth it, as Virginia Tech fans finally got to see a Virginia Tech team live up to the hype.

Also, when dealing with 18- to 22-year-old football players, the importance of good vibes and momentum cannot be overstated. This win allows the Hokies to start the season on a high note, rather than with doubt that can come with a season-opening loss (see Rutgers against UMass) or an unconvincing close win against an inferior opponent (see Michigan against Western Michigan or Vanderbilt against Austin Peay). The Hokies left Lane Stadium Saturday night riding high with a complete performance, but not overconfident, as they understand that VMI was not even close to the same league, or even the same sport, as Virginia Tech.

Quotables

Football coaches and players can give us some incredible quotes, here are some of the best from Saturday.

“I don’t know why we can’t high-five somebody in the military. It seems somewhat un-American to me.”

James Franklin was upset with his team for most of the penalties Saturday night, but he fired this shot at the officiating crew after RB Marcellous Hawkins was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after high-fiving the Corps of Cadets following a touchdown. The penalty definitely seemed soft and nitpicky, and I loved that Franklin called it out, even if he did so somewhat jokingly.

“We’ll die for that man”

Linebacker George Ballance is rapidly becoming a fan-favorite for his undying loyalty to Virginia Tech, work ethic, and overall endearing personality. Ballance was voted a captain by his peers and awarded the #25 jersey for the season, and quotes like this are the reason why. Ballance was referring to his loyalty to Head Coach James Franklin, and to hear someone who loves Virginia Tech, and understand everything it means to be Hokie, say this about Coach Franklin is an enormous vote of confidence for Franklin and how he has engrained himself into VT culture.

Final Thoughts

Coming into Saturday night, I said I wanted to see the Hokies play a clean, 60-minute game where they didn’t let their foot off the gas pedal. While the clean part could certainly be called into question given all the penalties, there is no doubt James Franklin kept the intensity at an 11 for the entire game. At the end of the half, Franklin was irate at the officials, clamoring for an extra second to be put on the clock. In the second half, when the Hokies’ backups began entering the game, Virginia Tech remained aggressive, continuing to throw the ball downfield and run the same schemes that the starters did. When asked about this postgame, Franklin said it is his responsibility to get the starters out and the backups in when the score gets ugly, but he also still wants to allow the reserves to play real football. Franklin said that continuing to call the offense and defense the same way for the backups creates a healthier locker room with less resentment, makes the players’ parents happy, and also allows the coaches to get a true evaluation of the depth on the roster. The coaching staff now has a much clearer picture of guys like backup quarterback Bryce Baker, who was allowed to run the full offense despite the Hokies holding a massive score advantage. While I don’t know if the Hokies needed to deploy a trick play at the end of the first half, or run the ‘Wild Hokie’ formation with AJ Brand in the second half, I appreciate and understand the sentiment from Coach Franklin: to respect the opponent, but never fear them and coach every game with the same level of commitment and attention to detail, regardless of the score.

Now the Hokies set their sights on ODU, a team that has obviously given Virginia Tech several headaches in the past. This will be the first true test of the James Franklin regime, and we will surely learn a lot more about this team next Saturday, but for now, we should all sit back and enjoy this win and relish the fact that Virginia Tech football has officially reintroduced itself.

(photo courtesy of Will Trent @willytmedia)

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