BLACKSBURG — Virginia Tech football evened its record in league play back to .500 with a 34-24 victory over Georgia Tech at Lane Stadium on Saturday. After the 10-point win, head coach James Franklin fielded questions from the media. Here are the most pertinent notes and quotes from his post-Georgia Tech proceedings:
Franklin spotlighted opening drives as critical to the team's preparation.
Franklin emphasized the importance of coming out hot and scoring on opening drives. The Hokies scored on the game's second play when wide receiver Que'Sean Brown logged a 60-yard receiving touchdown. The senior transfer from Duke finished with a career-high 182 yards — all but two of his yards came in the opening half.
"I think opening drives are critical in terms of, are we preparing the right way?" Franklin said. "Are we having an understanding of what we're going to go against and making sure we're running our best plays that we anticipate this week? We've done a really good job for the season on opening drives.
"We actually scored so fast [on the opening drive against Georgia Tech] hat we still had plays left for our next drive that we felt really good about."
Brown also logged a 63-yard punt return that set up a Virginia Tech field goal. The Hokies took a 24-3 lead at halftime, though a 21-10 Georgia Tech run in the second half cut into Virginia Tech's lead in an eventual 34-24 win.
"The punt return was big," Franklin said of Brown. "He's done that all year long. I can't imagine he's not top five in the country in punt returns right now with how he's playing. We've got to be able to finish it."
With a battered O-line, Virginia Tech still came through.
Franklin's referred to the offensive line as a unit with plenty of moving parts in recent weeks, but the Hokies still managed to close out Saturday's contest on the ground.
Virginia Tech utilized multiple inexperienced linemen, including a true freshman at guard and redshirt freshman Troutman, who made his second start. Despite the changes, the Hokies successfully moved the chains late and forced Georgia Tech to burn its remaining timeouts.
"As you guys know, we've had a lot of moving parts on the offensive line, which is not really typically a recipe for success," Franklin said. "You'd like to keep your starting five, or you know maybe one rotation, but got a lot of moving parts."
Franklin believes those opportunities will benefit Virginia Tech's depth moving forward, particularly once injured starters return to the lineup.
"But when you're able to close the game out like we did in that situation, run the ball in a predictable run the ball situation. Make them burn the timeouts, get first downs, and then end the game on your terms in a victory formation," Franklin said. "It's it's pretty cool, and you know I know I know our offense line takes a lot of pride in that, and I know Coach Moore and Coach McKenzie do as well.
Franklin praised Aycen Stevens' development and defensive impact.
With Georgia Tech mounting a second-half comeback, Virginia Tech needed its defense to respond. Stevens provided a critical play as the Yellow Jackets threatened to erase the Hokies' advantage.
Stevens has registered a tackle for loss in every game this season and a sack in six of seven contests, according to Franklin. The head coach highlighted the defender's consistency and growth since the coaching staff arrived in Blacksburg.
"Yeah, huge play. And and and Mendoza's slippery man. He's he's he's an impressive young man. He does a really good job," Franklin said. "He's accurate. He's slippery in the pocket. He got out of a few. We could have had a few more."
Franklin also noted that Virginia Tech missed an opportunity to recover a fumble, emphasizing the importance of sound fundamentals when attempting to secure loose footballs.
"Yeah, I agree with you. Ason's doing a really nice job," Franklin said. "You know, his development really since we've arrived here has been big. I think his scheme has been good, and he's just been all in."
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