If Franklin Had Something To Prove Last Night, He Certainly Made His Point…

I guess it was toward the end of the first period in Virginia Tech’s 73-3 rout of VMI last night that it really hit me.

Something was missing. Something that has been going on for far too long with Hokie football. Something you always hoped would one day be fixed, but that one day certainly hadn’t arrived in the last decade or more.

The team was up 21-0 in a game nobody expected to be close. But what was missing was offensive linemen moving before the snap. Mental mistakes that led to penalties negating positive offensive plays. Poor communication that at times resulted in both too many men or not enough players being on the field at the right time.

Heck, it got to the point two seasons ago that making it through a game without having two players on the field at the same time wearing the same jersey number was a bit of a moral victory.

But not last night against VMI. From the opening kickoff there was a crispness. A focus. An intensity. Discipline. A business-like culture that said we’re serious about doing this the right way the first time.

Valid criticisms were made all day and all night about just how downtrodden the VMI program was and how you really couldn’t tell anything by beating up on such a team down on its luck. But when you’ve been your own worst enemy like the Hokies have so many times, the first step is fixing yourself; the opponent when it comes to that issue doesn’t really matter.

The Hokies certainly looked like that black hole had been paved over by the new coaching staff, and it was refreshing to see Saturday night. I had written earlier in the week that James Franklin was coming into the game with something to prove, a point the television announcers made frequently in referring to a chip on the shoulder of the head coach, staff and even many of the players.

It sure seemed to me he more than proved his point. As did Brent Pry, whose defense suffocated VMI to the point their total offense was in negative yardage for a significant part of the game. As did just about everyone, as the game turned into a greatest hits package of Virginia Tech’s glory days: a powerful running game, stifling defense, quarterback sacks, blocked punts…even a special teams touchdown.

There was so little to complain about, the worst thing mentioned was when my good friend Ricky LaBlue noted quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer had missed on two long passes to receivers who seemed to be open. LaBlue, who probably also thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive but needs to be another inch or two taller, was then made happy a few plays later when Grunkemeyer found Que‘Sean Brown for a 51-yard touchdown pass 😊

Television announcers kept saying you couldn’t have written a better script for Franklin’s first game than what happened last night, and while correct, this was not some fairytale story where the stars and moons somehow aligned themselves for a great result.

This looked like the fruits of hard work, as if Franklin had methodically gone down a list of addressing the problems Virginia Tech football has been plagued with since the Frank Beamer glory days. The focus and discipline were back. The depth of talent was markedly improved with a wealth of options at what has been historically trouble spots like quarterback, running back and offensive line the last decade.

The game, for coaches, players and fans, seemed to be fun again. Brent Pry has at times looked so beaten down on the sidelines while overpromoted to head coach, but he was smiling last night back in his familiar defensive coordinator role. There have even been times in the past I’ve looked at the sidelines and seen players looking down at the ground as if it were a job, not an adventure, but not last night. They all seemed engaged and ready, as assistants were encouraging and “coaching ‘em up,” even while up 45 points.

The game, to be honest, was something Hokie football fans needed. No, the win doesn’t mean “we’re back” and everything is fixed and the Hokies are now going to be some unbeatable juggernaut, as it was a nice game against an overwhelmed VMI team.

But Franklin came into this game with something to prove, so he had his list of things he wanted to get done. Most of us came in with a similar list of things we expected for the first game of a new regime, plus another list of things on top of that we hoped for.

Last night, it might be fair to say, we got both.