The Pittsburgh loss from Week 5 still stings, but Virginia Tech cannot afford to linger. Week 6 is approaching, and James Franklin’s squad now has California in its sights. There’s just one problem: while studying the Golden Bears, the Hokies have uncovered an unusual wrinkle that could throw a wrench into their plans.
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Hokies head coach James Franklin revealed in his recent press conference that their primary challenge is figuring out who was actually calling the plays for the Golden Bears during their loss to the Rebels.
“I think that’s the challenge, right? Like, I think you guys know this as well, but I’m not sure if Coach [Jordan ] Somerville, who’s the offensive coordinator, was watching the game and reading reports. I don’t know if he necessarily called this last game,” said Franklin
The Rebels edged the Golden Bears 39-31 in their Week 5 game, but the result was not the only thing that caught Virginia Tech’s attention. As James Franklin and his staff broke down the tape, they struggled to identify who was actually directing California’s offence.
The Hokies’ head coach noted that the scheme featured several run-and-shoot elements reminiscent of Nick Rolovich’s time at Washington State and Hawaii, including repeated empty sets. At the same time, other sequences appeared to point towards Pat McCann rather than California’s current offensive coordinator.
For Franklin and his defensive staff, not knowing who is calling the plays has made scouting and game planning a nightmare. Franklin knows the challenge is real, but the Hokies are already looking for an answer.
“A lot of moving parts, a lot of things to be prepared for, a lot of things to consider,” Franklin said. “But all we can do is watch the film, evaluate the film, and read every report that’s out there.”
Virginia Tech faces another layer of uncertainty heading into its matchup with California. The Hokies must prepare for multiple possibilities at quarterback, with Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele no longer a certainty after suffering an injury in Saturday’s loss to UNLV.
Although he was cleared to return, Cal ultimately kept him on the sideline. That leaves James Franklin and his staff preparing for an opponent whose quarterback situation remains difficult to predict.
Franklin has praised Cal’s quarterback, calling him an “impressive of a prospect as there is” and noting that his ability to throw accurately both from the pocket and on the move is impressive.
Through the opening stretch of the season, Sagapolutele has accumulated 1,180 passing yards, eight touchdowns, and five interceptions. However, he suffered an injury against UNLV and was ultimately held out for the remainder of the game despite receiving medical clearance to return.
Speaking about the Hokies’ defensive capabilities, Franklin believes one of the best things the team can do is simply find the ball and make a play on it.
“It does two things: It allows you to get interceptions, but it also reduces the amount of times that you’ll get called for pass interference, as well. You can get away with a decent amount of contact if you’re looking for the ball,” said Franklin.
“Not only do we need to do a better job protecting the ball on offense, we’ve got to create some turnovers on defense. It’s both things, so throughout practice, but then also having isolated periods where we’re emphasizing those things as well,” he further added.
With the Week 6 clash carrying even more weight after the Panthers loss, James Franklin and Co. are already hunting for cracks in the Golden Bears’ game plan. The question now is whether the Hokies can actually exploit them.