At ACC Kickoff this Summer, James Franklin was asked about expectations for year one of his Virginia Tech football rebuild. Franklin opened with a quote that quickly drew both praise and criticism online: "I think we have won the offseason." Franklin quickly provided context, saying the Hokies needed to translate offseason success into on-field results, but the end of his answer was also interesting. For Franklin, the barometer of success in year one, and long-term, is "Frank Beamer in Charlotte, watching TV, and he looks and he looks, and he goes, ' That's what it's supposed to look like."

Well, on Saturday, Frank Beamer was not watching the Hokies on TV. He was inside Lane Stadium, celebrating his 80th birthday. During the first half, Coach Beamer was welcomed back to the sideline that he roamed for 29 seasons to be honored and celebrated. During that moment, James Franklin ran down and hugged the man who built Virginia Tech into the program that Franklin is now trying to reestablish.

James Franklin embraces Frank Beamer on his 80th birthday (photo courtesy of Will Trent)

During Saturday's Homecoming clash against Georgia Tech, the past, present, and future of Virginia Tech came together to watch a Hokie win. It wasn't always pretty, as Virginia Tech nearly squandered a massive first-half lead as offensive line and secondary issues continued to plague the team. However, James Franklin's crew showed toughness and resilience, bouncing back from two straight losses and staving off a hungry Georgia Tech comeback. In his opening statement following the game, James Franklin said he was happy that all three phases contributed to the win, something Frank Beamer was no doubt proud of as well. The Hokies still have plenty to work on, but Saturday was a gritty, tough, all-hands-on-deck ACC victory, and that is what Virginia Tech football is supposed to look like.

The Big Thing: Mental Toughness and Improved Discipline

My biggest takeaway from Saturday's action.

As they've done several times this season, the Hokies came out of the locker room firing in the first half. The offense scored on four of its six possessions, including touchdowns on the first two drives. The defense forced two turnovers, ending a four-game drought without takeaways, and allowed only three points after a muffed punt. After forcing a three-and-out, the defense had to come back on the field and defend the Yellow Jackets with their backs against their own end zone, and they did. Overall, the Hokies' defense was much better situationally, with Georgia Tech going just 4-for-11 on third down and scoring only one red-zone touchdown. While Brent Pry's group certainly needs improvement, they battled hard and showed some strides on Saturday.

Then came the second half, the Hokies' nemesis this season (more on that later). When the third quarter kicked off, it looked like the teams had switched jerseys at halftime. Georgia Tech drove downfield on its first two drives, needing just five plays and 1:16 of game time to nearly erase the Hokies' first-half advantage. On the other side of the ball, Georgia Tech's pass rush was crushing the Hokies' beat-up offensive line. Three of the five sacks the Yellow Jackets recorded came on those first two drives of the second half.

(photo courtesy of Will Trent)

All of a sudden, before some fans had even gotten back to their seats from the halftime break, Lane Stadium's energy had been zapped. Amid the tense atmosphere, it would have been easy for a young Virginia Tech team coming off two brutal losses to fold, but they didn't. After another three-and-out for the Hokies, Nathan Totten booted a great punt that GT muffed, but recovered at their own 11-yard line. Then, Aycen Stevens stepped up and delivered a game-changing play. On first down, Stevens hunted down Georgia Tech quarterback Alberto Mendoza for a 9-yard sack, flashing the relentless motor that has garnered him praise from the coaching staff. After the game, Franklin said it was a "huge play at a critical moment." The sack reenergized Hokie Nation, and the players rode that energy. After the sack, GT was forced to punt, and Virginia Tech's offense capitalized on good field position and Jeff Overton's prodigious talent to go back up two scores.

In the fourth quarter, the Hokies' defense bent but did not break, forcing a missed FG from Georgia Tech. Then, after allowing a TD later in the frame that kept the game in doubt, the Hokies' offense would need to run over five minutes off the clock behind an inexperienced, patched-together offensive line. Jeff Overton and Marcellous Hawkins rumbled for 59 yards, and Virginia Tech ended the game in the best possible way: victory formation. This game epitomized mental toughness and a "next play" mentality. The Hokies gave up several big plays, turned the ball over once, and sputtered on offense multiple times, but they kept fighting.

DE Aycen Stevens racked up 1.5 sacks and 2.5 TFLs on Saturday (photo courtesy of Will Trent)

The other factor that separated a win from another back-breaking loss was Virginia Tech's improved discipline. After racking up 170 yards in penalties over their last two contests, the Hokies had just four penalties for 40 yards on Saturday. More notably, VT had no post-snap penalties and only one pre-snap penalty, something James Franklin had emphasized the team needed to fix. The players took the coaching and cleaned up the penalty issues. The improved discipline showed growth and maturity from the young roster, a hopefully positive sign for the rest of the 2026 season. So, for as much grief as the coaching staff continues to take (even after a win), maybe they're doing something right during the week.

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.

Que'Sean Brown is a Star

Sons of Saturday Virginia Tech
@SonsofSatVT

Yeah…Queso had a day😎

If his dazzling performances this season didn't already make it clear, Que'Sean Brown left no doubt that he is one of the top offensive weapons in college football. After posting over 250 all-purpose yards on Saturday, Queso now ranks 18th in all of college football in that category. As a punt returner, Brown is second in the country in punt return yards and leads the nation in average, with 24.3 yards per return. He also currently sits 12th in the country in receiving yards and has shown an impressive mix of yards-after-catch ability and downfield lethality. James Franklin summed up the incredible plays and numbers we've seen from Brown by saying, "He's playing big time." Brown, when combined with Luke Reynolds, has created a potent middle-of-the-field duo that perfectly complements Ethan Grunkemeyer's play style. Before the season, I predicted that Brown would lead the Hokies in receptions, and right now Brown has racked up the most for VT with 46 (Luke Reynolds sits just behind with 43). Queso has no doubt been one of the best transfer portal additions not just in the ACC, but in the country, and should continue to see more targets and opportunities as the season continues.

Second Half Issues

Ok, let's talk about the bad now. The Hokies have been abysmal in second halves this season, and that trend continued on Saturday. The defense allowed 21 points in the second half, bringing their second-half points allowed this season to 94, compared with just 54 allowed in first halves. The Hokies' defense has given up 56 points in fourth quarters alone, meaning they've allowed more scoring in those 15 minutes than in all first halves this season. The secondary again struggled mightily on Saturday, with Alberto Mendoza posting his first career 300-yard passing game. Several coverage busts showed communication remains a major issue on the back end, and several missed tackles again plagued the Hokies' defensive backs. Thomas Williams and Josh Clarke posted the best coverage grades according to PFF, but they were still just above average. Jaquez White continues to struggle in coverage after being heralded as the Hokies' top corner by multiple coaches this offseason. Much of the blame for the secondary issues has fallen on the coaching staff, and they certainly deserve some of the criticism. However, Brent Pry and Nick Perry cannot play cornerback or safety. The coaches can critique and correct all week long, but the players still have to execute. Hopefully the Hokies can make some much-needed adjustments during the bye in a couple of weeks, and the secondary can round into form over the second half of the season. James Franklin downplayed the secondary issues post-game, saying, "ultimately, the defense's job is to give up one less point than our offense scores." It was a diplomatic answer from a coach who hasn't had a chance to watch the film and get the full story on what may have gone wrong, but the defense clearly needs improvement. In the meantime, the defense will need to keep applying pressure to succeed, and Sean Spencer's crew bounced back on Saturday after struggling to get home against Cal last week. The Hokies generated three sacks and seven quarterback hurries on Saturday, a recipe they'll need to repeat until the secondary shows progress.

While much of the ire on Saturday was directed at the defense, Virginia Tech's offense also struggled at times in the second half. Georgia Tech tallied three of its five total sacks on the Hokies' first two second-half drives. The offensive line remains a major issue as the team continues to shuffle bodies to find the best five up front while multiple players are sidelined with injury. True freshman Benjamin Eziuka was impressive on Saturday given the circumstances, posting an 84 pass-blocking grade and an above-average total grade. The coaching staff has raved about Eziuka's ability, but his inexperience was the biggest concern; given how he played Saturday, he may be the answer for the Hokies until they get some linemen back. Layth Ghannam continues to struggle in pass protection while playing out of position at left tackle, and major chemistry issues persist up front with all the rotating. Hopefully, Brody Meadows, Montavious Cunningham, and Justin Terry are close to returning and can give Virginia Tech experience and continuity on the offensive line.

We Still Love John Love

After missing three straight field goals against Pitt and Cal, James Franklin said there would be an open competition for the kicking job in practice this week. During pregame warmups, both John Love and Cole Byrd alternated kicking field goals as the coaching staff made their final evaluations of who would kick for the Hokies. Ultimately, James Franklin stuck with the team captain, who has been consistent throughout his Virginia Tech career. Love responded well, making both of his short field-goal attempts, which will hopefully break him out of his recent slump. After his first make, James Franklin was as fired up as we've seen him on the sideline, showing immense love and pride in his kicker for responding to adversity. Hokie Nation also gave Love a standing ovation after the kick, showing why this is one of the country's most special fan bases. Virginia Tech fans are loyal almost to a fault, and they're not giving up on John Love yet, and clearly neither are the coaches.

Quotables

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

"It's a really cool place to play football"

-Head Coach James Franklin

Win or lose, good season or bad, one thing remains consistent: Hokie Nation's passion and commitment. They showed up again on Saturday and delivered another special game-day atmosphere on Homecoming. After the game, James Franklin made it clear the Hokies don't take this fanbase's support for granted. He said it motivates the team and helps immensely with recruiting. The best moment from the fans on Saturday came in the third quarter, as Georgia Tech mounted its comeback attempt. After another good punt from Nathan Totten, the Yellow Jackets had the ball just outside their own end zone, with the Corps of Cadets bearing down on them, and one of their offensive linemen false-started, igniting the Lane Stadium faithful.

I had a friend in the crowd on Saturday attending his first-ever Virginia Tech football game. He was born a Georgia fan and has spent his life attending some of the best SEC atmospheres in the country. After the game, when I asked him how Lane Stadium compared to those environments, he said it was among the best. He compared the energy to Tennessee's Neyland Stadium, which holds thousands more than Lane. Only in Blacksburg can 66,000 sound like 100,000.

Aycen Stevens celebrates with the Cadets on Saturday (photo courtesy of Will Trent)

Now the Hokies need to survive one more test before they get some rest and a chance to adjust during the bye week. They head into a hostile Clemson stadium as slight favorites. The Tigers will bring a defensive front that could give the Hokies headaches, and it won't be an easy test for James Franklin and Co. However, if the Hokies can leave South Carolina with a dub, they'll head into the bye at 6-2, with all their goals still in sight as the ACC continues to cannibalize itself. Before we turn the page to the Tigers, however, let's enjoy this win. Virginia Tech still has plenty to clean up, especially defensively, but can we wait until this first season of the Franklin era is over before we start cleaning out coaches' offices? The Hokies have not won five games before October 17th since 2017, and they have already won two more games than all of last season. Expectations for this program are obviously higher now, but we can still enjoy the wins. On Saturday, Virginia Tech cleaned up their penalty issues, won the turnover battle, and fought back from adversity when they could have let the game slip away, and in the end, got a nice win over a tough conference opponent. The Hokies clearly need to get healthy and make defensive adjustments, and we will see what the rest of the season has in store; at the end of the year, if changes are needed, we will talk about them and ask James Franklin how he will address the issues. For now, though, let's enjoy this win and take heart that Virginia Tech is building a program that is getting closer to a product Frank Beamer can be proud of.