Virginia Tech football coverage leading up to Georgia Tech game

BLACKSBURG — The sight of Kemari Copeland chasing down California quarterback Jackson Brousseau for a sack was expected to be a precursor of things to come for Virginia Tech’s defense last weekend. Pressure coming in waves was going to set the tone.

Copeland’s sack came on the third play from scrimmage. Sixty-six plays later and the defensive line — and the Hokies, for that matter — still had a ledger with one sack on it. Sure, there were more tackles recorded behind the line of scrimmage, but the pressure that became a trademark over the season’s opening month never materialized.

BLACKSBURG — An element of the Virginia Tech passing attack that’s been established through the season’s first half is Que’Sean Brown and Luke Reynolds are going to get their touches. It’s that not quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer is specifically targeting the pair, but those two frequently get open and have developed into reliable targets.

That’s not to say Brown and Reynolds are the only options for Grunkemeyer. Ayden Greene has capitalized in the past two games when he’s gotten the chance to find the end zone. Freshman Davion Brown has caught five of the last six passes thrown to him. Louisiana Tech transfer Marlion Jackson had two big catches to put the Hokies in position to try for the winning touchdown last week at California.

BLACKSBURG — Penalties weren’t a major issue for Vanderbilt and Penn State under James Franklin’s watch. His teams finished those 15 seasons committing less than six penalties per game, and only once did one of his squads average more than 50 penalty yards per contest.

That’s what makes the start of his first season at Virginia Tech puzzling.

BLACKSBURG — John Love has essentially been penciled in as Virginia Tech’s placekicker since the end of the 2022 season. Sure, there’s been kickers who have challenged Love to handle the Hokies’ extra points and field goals, but his consistency allowed him to keep the role.

A lack of consistency hasn’t been an issue for Love. Until now.

BLACKSBURG — James Franklin let Danny Rocco have the floor at the conclusion of the Virginia Tech football team’s Sunday practice. Rocco, who spent nearly two Hokies eager to rebounddecades leading Liberty, Richmond, Delaware and VMI, gleaned from his past experiences in how to address a team that is on a losing streak.

Rocco’s message concluded with a question. Are you inspired to play this game?

BLACKSBURG — The first matchup between James Franklin and Dabo Swinney will come under the lights at Memorial Stadium.

The ACC announced Monday that the Hokies’ Oct. 24 road contest against Clemson will be a primetime showdown. The clash will either be at 7 p.m. on ESPN or 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2, with the kickoff time and network designation finalized after this weekend’s slate of games.

BERKELEY, Calif. — The Virginia Tech football locker room was understandably subdued Saturday afternoon. Another final play didn’t go the Hokies’ way in a one-score setback, and the players weren’t focused on the ruling on the field.

Wide receiver Ayden Greene was adamant that Tech shouldn’t have been in position to have to score on the final play to win for the second straight week. The same issues that caused the Hokies to fall 35-33 to Pittsburgh two Fridays before showed up in a 25-20 loss to California at California Memorial Stadium.