Virginia Tech Postgame Quotes That Matter From James Franklin After 20-16 Win Over Clemson

CLEMSON, S.C. — Virginia Tech football outlasted Clemson 20-16 in Memorial Stadium Saturday, becoming bowl-eligible in its first season under head coach James Franklin.

The Hokies (6-2, 3-2 ACC) scored the go-ahead touchdown with 104 seconds remaining to claim the four-point victory. Clemson was whistled for three penalties on its final two drives — including an overturning on a play that was initially ruled a Bryant Wesco Jr. reception. Here are the three most noteworthy observations and quotes from Franklin's post-game press conference.

Did kicking a field goal instead of going for it on fourth-and-1 at the Clemson 5-yard line enter Franklin's mind?

It did. Franklin said that it did enter his mind, but that the momentum — save for the final drive — was on Clemson's side, given the tough environment of the Tigers' stadium.

"It's fourth-and-1, and we weren't able to run the ball," Franklin said. "We really struggled with their front — in the run game and in protection. To me, that's why it was so impressive, because we had to manufacture yards, perimeter screens, get the ball to our playmakers as many times as we possibly can. [Tight end Luke Reynolds] and [wide receiver Que'Sean Brown] over and over again. But it was challenging. Just felt like fourth-and-1 is as good of a situation that we were going to get.

"And then we called a play that we've had a lot of success with."

Franklin thought his defense made a significant step this week.

Virginia Tech's secondary, which had allowed 300-plus passing yards in three of its five Power Four games, allowed 153 passing yards to true freshman Tigers quarterback Tait Reynolds. The true freshman completed 20 of his 26 passes, though he was sacked four times; he also ran for 63 yards on 18 carries. Part of the reason Tech produced a stellar output? Franklin said the team dialed back on several things.

"I thought our defense took a significant step this week," Franklin said. "We kind of cut some things back and made sure our guys could pay the things that we were asking them to call and play them with a ton of confidence against every formation — motion, shift, empty, unbalanced, whatever adjustment it was — and I thought that helped us play with confidence. ... It wasn't always pretty, right? But we made crtiical plays at critical moments, and I'm proud of our guys."

Virginia Tech's 48 solo tackles were its most of the 2026 season, while its 68 tackles were second behind the season opener against VMI on Sept. 5 (71).

The bye week provides a much-needed opportunity for the unit to regroup.

Virginia Tech will enter its bye week with six wins before traveling to Dallas, Texas, to play No. 23 SMU. It comes at an opportune time for the Hokies, who have played eight straight games and dealt with a batter offensive line. Franklin spoke on Virginia Tech's O-line having an opportunity to practice and also addressed the absence of cornerback Thomas Williams. Franklin said Wednesday that the Hokies expected to have Williams available for the game, but that something came up, rendering him unavailable.

"There is nothing better than a bye week after a win, and and the opposite is also true," Franklin said. "There's nothing worse than a bye week after a loss, so we got a chance to get some guys healthy and back. ... [As for] Thomas Williams, we talked on Wednesday. We thought we were going to have him, and then something came up. He was not available. It was cool. He was on FaceTime in the locker room, going crazy with our guys. But we need to get some guys back on the offensive line specifically that will help us."

The opportunity for rest will prove vital to the offensive line, which is without left tackle Justin Terry (started to open the season) and Johnny Garrett (out with "a long-term injury", per Virginia Tech in the preseason). Right guard Montavious Cunningham was out against Clemson, though right guard Brody Meadows and left tackle Logan Howland played Saturday.

"It'll give us an opportunity to continue to practice in a way to create more depth and include the young guys back into practice, like we do in summer camp and spring ball. It allows us to go on the on the road recruiting and feel good about being on the road recruiting, and then and also some rest and recovery. The players will get more time off than the coaches will. But yeah, the bye week after a win is nothing better."