⚡ CFB Dashboard

Less than 48 hours removed from a rain-drenched victory at Chestnut Hill, Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin was back in front of the media on Monday as he kicked off a short week.  Virginia Tech will host Pitt on Friday night in a battle of two ACC undefeated programs. Here is what Coach Franklin had to say. On returning home and the importance of having a strong home-field advantage against Pitt: "Being back at home this week is obviously going to be significant. We need it to be a home-field advantage. We need it to be a four-quarter game, four quarters of support from our fans and from our students. That's going to be a really important factor in this game. We need to have a significant home-field advantage. "This is also Pitt's first game this year on the road. They've played four home games to start the season. So, we're going to need to have a challenging, tough environment for an offense that's doing a bunch of really good things. So, that's going to be really important in this game. So, tremendous challenge. Obviously, I'm very familiar with Pitt. Obviously, I'm very familiar with Coach (Pat) Narduzzi. I think he's done a phenomenal job in his 12 years there at Pitt. "Obviously, when you think of Pitt and when you think of Narduzzi, you think about their defense, and he has done a phenomenal job. Obviously, you look at Cory Sanders, who's been there for a long time, is now the defensive coordinator, and obviously him and Pat are doing it together, but they're playing really good defense and they got a system and they've been running it for a long time and it is difficult to run on. It is difficult to pass on from a protection standpoint, and they're playing really good defense, as they have consistently done there. "The offensive coordinator hire, Kade Bell, was kind of out of character for really what Pat's done in the past and the style of offense they've played. These guys are going to throw the ball around all over the field.  They also have three good backs that we've got a ton of respect for, and then, like you would expect from a defensive-minded coach, they're also really good on special teams. Mike Proefer does a really good job, too. "So, this is going to be a battle. It's going to be a four-quarter game. I've got a lot of respect for what I've seen on tape. I've got a lot of respect for Pat professionally, what he's done over his career, and again, we're going to need a heck of an environment here at home and a home-field advantage, so we can find a way to be 1-0 this week." On how big of a challenge Pitt's defensive line will be for the Hokies offensive line and the latest on Montavious Cunningham: "Pat, like most defensive coordinators and most defensive-minded guys, they want to make you one-dimensional and stop the run, and then he's got a really good blitz package, whether he's blitzing to your back or whether they're looking at your tendencies in terms of where your slide side is and where your man's side is, they've got a really good plan and it causes conflict. There's no doubt about it. You've got to do a great job of getting the ball out quickly. And then the other thing is, just like our defense, they're an attacking-style front. So, their defensive line is getting off the ball and trying to penetrate, which the twist game also makes it challenging because when you get penetration, it's difficult to pass those twists off, and then their linebackers are downhill. You know, those guys play super aggressive. It's impressive to watch. It really is. And then, like we've talked about, they get all 11 guys running to the ball, so there's some things that you got that you feel good about pre-snap, and the ball's snapped, and then the way they pursue and run to the ball, those windows and opportunities close and close quickly. Cory and Pat are doing a great job.  "We've had some moving parts on the offensive line. I do think (Michael) Troutman came in and really played well, especially as the game went on, so there's a ton of value in that for us long term, but we're also expecting to get some guys back as well. We're expecting to have Montavious (Cunningham) back this week as well, so that'd be helpful." What challenges do the Pitt running backs bring? "They do a really good job. I've been impressed with their offensive coordinator. I've studied him for a number of years, not only during the season, but also in the offseasons, and he knows how to move the ball. He's got a system that has answers in it. The quarterback is obviously playing at a really, really high level for them.  When you've got 13 touchdown passes and one interception, he's obviously a good decision-maker and does a really good job distributing the ball. They're also getting the ball to a bunch of different guys, and then, the running back, not only in my opinion has he been impressive, but the group's been impressive. They've got three backs that all play and all play well. I know they've had a couple of those guys maybe miss a game or so this season, but they got three backs and all three of them are productive. "I would say I would view these guys as a pass-to-set-up-the-run type of offense. That's how, in my opinion, the offensive coordinator calls the game, but they have shown the ability to run the ball, and you better respect it or they're going to have a chance to be productive, but they do a really good job of stressing you out with traditional pass, with formations, with RPOs, and I think they are big and athletic up front. They are big and athletic up front. So, again, they've done a good job of building this thing the right way." On Que'Sean Brown's impact on special teams: "Well, up to this point, he's been as good as pretty much anybody in the country, and really that unit has. We watched a film in here on Sunday and pointed out a bunch of guys that did a really good job of blocking for him and finding work and getting a hat on a hat and covering people up, and then, obviously, Q has a chance to make some plays, but they know that as well, so they're going to put a priority on coverage and they're going to put a priority on hang time and they're going to put a priority on kick location. "Just like we do, you know? They're going to go into this game saying we can't allow their punt returner to be a factor in this game, just like we identify guys and say, 'Hey, these are their top two or three players and we got to do everything we can to limit their impact.' and if I had to guess, they're going to approach it the same way, but obviously we're going to work really hard to create some opportunities for Q because he's done such a great job up to this point of the season and really that unit has." On Virginia Tech being 4-0 to start the season and facing a 4-0 Pitt team on Friday night: "I get that for the media, and I get that for the fans and everybody, but we got to find a way to be 1-0 this week. Each week, it's been critical and we've got to find ways to get wins, and our approach should be consistent every single week, and our players are hearing it probably from everybody else, but, for us, we just put all of our energy and time on respecting what we see on tape, having a plan for it, and making sure that our preparation each week is getting better. "We should be, as a program, we should be getting better every single week. The players understand kind of how we operate now. The coaches do. We should be getting into a rhythm. We should be refining our process and how we approach things. "Like, a perfect example, is with this being a short week, I think our players have done a really good job on Monday, the off day, coming in and doing their own recovery, whatever they need to do to get their bodies right from a nutrition, from a hydration, from a sleep perspective. Obviously, getting ahead in their academics as well to take off some of the pressure later in the week, but then also watching film on their own. "Grunk (Ethan Grunkemeyer) getting together with the O-line and running backs and going through protections and having some conversation so that our Tuesday practices can be really effective. So, how do we handle that in a short week when we don't have the Monday off day? I think our guys did a really good job last night after practice, coming in and doing that on their own in a similar way. So, again, for us, it's about making sure that we're getting better with our process every single week and respecting the opponent that we play and then taking advantage of the opportunities that come, which is which is a really good Pitt football team coming in here, and being prepared to play our best." On the fourth quarter run game surge against Boston College: "Well, I think a couple things. I think the first thing is I think we opened up the offense a little bit. I think we probably got a little conservative based on the 39 miles per hour wind and the rain that both teams were playing in, but when you're predictable, it can make things challenging, right? That's why four-minute offense is so difficult, because everybody in the stadium knows you're going to run the ball as well as the defensive coordinator. So, I think we opened it up a little bit. If you look, Grunk's statistics are not going to blow you away, but under the circumstances, I think his statistics were really impressive. So, us with the ability to open it up, throw the ball more, move the ball around, I think that loosened the defense up and showed them that we're willing to do it and able to do it. So, that created some, a little bit of wiggle room. "If you're not careful, those safeties get lower and lower and lower as the game goes on, and by throwing the ball and showing them that we're going to be able to do it, I think it helped with that. "Obviously the other thing is, we were able to get (Jeff) Overton some more touches and some more opportunities, and he's shown his ability to make people miss, and it's not just the big long runs, it's also some of the short runs where he's breaking tackles and making people miss. I think a lot of people will bring up the 76-yard run and, you know, those things skew the stats, and I get that, but they always do, right? Like, a long run for any offense, a long pass for any offense skews the stats, and that's why everybody wants to be as explosive as you possibly can because those big plays really matter. "So, I think it was a combination of both. Getting Overton a few more touches and then opening the offense up and not allowing the rain and the wind to impact it. Understanding we were going to have to do this to go win the football game, and that was my responsibility., because we're communicating to the booth and Ty's (Ty Howle) up there like you were, eating chili dogs and drinking hot chocolate in the nice, controlled environment in the press box of making sure he understood kind of what was going on down there on the field. "So, I think once we made that decision, it opened everything up." On finishing strong over the past two weeks: "Yeah, I think it's obviously strength and conditioning and our staff led by Chuck Losey, and the players have done a really good job there, but I also think it's the depth that we've worked really hard to develop. It's also playing a number of guys in the first couple games to create that confidence and that depth and get guys on the field. Getting more of a rotation at some positions has been really important. Some of it has been forced through injuries, and some of it has just been us trying to get as many guys in the game as we possibly can so we can keep our best players fresh. "I thought Kamari Copeland played his best game by far in that game last week. Not all of those things show up in the statistics, but if you watch the game, he's very disruptive, but I also think that's part of Sean's (Sean Spencer) playing five D-tackles and we're playing five D-ends. Those things, I think are really important, and as the game goes on and against these type of opponents." On Brent Pry's approach as Virginia Tech's defensive coordinator after serving as head coach: "Yeah, I think obviously there's experiences that have been gained there, but for the very same reason why he got the job in the first place is not only was he a great defensive coordinator, but how he ran that side of the ball, how he conducted meetings, how organized he was with the staff and challenging. So, all those things, he already had a lot of those qualities. Obviously, they've been magnified over the last couple years, but I think the combination of him and Sean being back together, I think is a really important piece of this, the two of them together, and, you know, right now, I would say defensively, there's some things that we're doing really well, but there's also some areas that we got to get cleaned up like a lot of programs across the country, and this is going to be an important week for it - I was actually hoping that last week, but the conditions really didn't allow us to do some of those things, but it's going to be really important for us to take another step this week as his role as the defensive coordinator and running the defense against a really good opponent that's going to cause a bunch of challenges. "But for me, I just kind of always viewed Brent in that way. He had a lot of head coach qualities to him. He's charismatic, he's articulate, he's very clear, kind of with his messaging and does a really good job up in front of the defense and up in front of the team. So, all those things have been magnified, but that's kind of how I always viewed them before." Injury updates on Justin Terry and Ayden Greene: "So, Justin, I had a chance to talk with him. He's going to be out for several weeks. We'll see how that all plays out, and then Ayden, we're anticipating having Ayden this week."