With three seconds left on Oct. 2, John Love’s 36-yard try sailed above the left upright, and Lane Stadium erupted. Then the officials waved it off.
Virginia Tech hasn’t won since. Eight days later at Cal, Love missed twice more, and the Hokies lost on a touchdown with 18 seconds left.
That’s the Hokies right now. They’ve been the better team for long stretches and the worse one in the moments that decide games, and the kicking is only part of it.
Georgia Tech (2–3, 1–1 ACC) visits a sold-out Lane Stadium for Homecoming on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The Yellow Jackets won 35–20 in Atlanta last October, though the Hokies (4–2, 1–2) still lead the series 12–9.
Virginia Tech should win this one. Georgia Tech’s only victory over an FBS opponent came last week, and its run defense is among the worst in the country. But “should” hasn’t meant much lately.
1. Can Virginia Tech stop beating itself?
The turnovers cost Virginia Tech the Pitt game well before the last kick. The Hokies gave it away four times, and Pitt turned those into 14 points without a turnover of its own.
The penalties followed them west. Virginia Tech was flagged seven times for 88 yards at Cal, including back-to-back 15-yard flags on Cal’s winning drive.
Then there’s Love. The fifth-year senior made his first six field-goal attempts this season and is 0-for-3 since, from 36, 55 and 39 yards. Coach James Franklin said after the Cal loss that he could look elsewhere for his placekicker.
2. Will the Hokies commit to the run?
Ethan Grunkemeyer has held up his end since following Franklin from Penn State. He’s completed 73.1% of his passes for 1,734 yards with 12 touchdowns and two interceptions.
The running game hasn’t matched him. Virginia Tech ran 64 times for 178 yards in the two losses, 2.8 yards per carry.
That imbalance hurt when it was time to close. Jeffrey Overton Jr. ran for 10 times for 67 yards in the first half at Cal. He got two carries after halftime, both in the first minute of the third quarter, and none in the fourth. Virginia Tech had a 14–13 lead and the ball in the fourth quarter, and it punted right back. Cal answered with touchdown drives of 79 and 75 yards.
This is the game to get the running game more involved. Georgia Tech allows 183.0 rushing yards per game, 117th nationally, and Duke still ran for 159 yards in a loss. With Overton and Marcellous Hawkins Jr. in the backfield, Franklin and offensive coordinator Ty Howle have no reason to abandon the run game.
3. Can Brent Pry’s defense close?
Virginia Tech leads the ACC with 19 sacks under defensive coordinator Brent Pry, the head coach it fired in September 2025. Twelve of them came against VMI and Old Dominion.
The Hokies have one sack in each of the last two games, and both teams that beat them finished with a backup quarterback. Pitt’s Holden Geriner threw the touchdown that capped a run of 21 straight points after starter Mason Heintschel got hurt. Cal’s Jackson Brousseau threw for 321 yards in his first start.
Georgia Tech just showed it can drive for a winner. Down 25–21 to then unbeaten Duke with 2:40 left, the Jackets went 61 yards, and Trelain Maddox scored from a yard out with 54 seconds remaining. Quarterback Alberto Mendoza, the younger brother of 2025 Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, finished 23 of 30 for 218 yards.
But Georgia Tech has fallen apart late, too. The Jackets squandered a 20-10 halftime lead at Stanford, with their final two possessions ending in a Mendoza interception and an intentional grounding penalty that left Georgia Tech facing a nearly impossible fourth-and-45 with the game on the line. Even after beating undefeated Duke, Mendoza wasn’t satisfied.
“We’re nowhere near where we need to be, by any means,” he said.
Pressure is how Virginia Tech wins this matchup. If Pry’s front finds its September pass rush, the Hokies get the late stop they couldn’t get at Cal.
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