Virginia Tech's Loss to Pitt Boils Down to More Than One Missed Field Goal
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John Love had tried 44 field goals from inside 40 yards in his Virginia Tech career before the final snap Friday night. He'd made 42.
The 45th, a 36-yarder as time expired, was ruled wide left, and the Hokies lost to Pitt 35-33 at Lane Stadium.
That kick is going to get argued about for a long time. Head coach James Franklin would rather talk about the others. He said the tape would show "20 plays that we could have made" to keep the game from ever landing on Love's foot.
He's not exaggerating by much. Tech (4-1, 1-1 ACC) outgained Pitt 499-295 and still needed a walk-off to win.
Forty-two free yards on one drive
Tech led 17-7 in the second quarter when Pitt went 75 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown. The Hokies supplied 42 of those yards in penalties.
The worst of it came on third-and-16 from the Tech 38. Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel's pass fell incomplete, which should have brought up fourth down. Instead, junior defensive back Kenny Woseley Jr. drew an unnecessary roughness flag, then an unsportsmanlike conduct flag on top of it. Twenty-six yards later, Pitt had first-and-10 at the 12.
Franklin singled out pre-snap and post-whistle penalties afterward. Tech finished with eight flags for 82 yards. It rushed for 65.
The interception before halftime
Up 24-14 with 1:13 left in the half, Tech faced third-and-6 at its own 19. Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer threw to cornerback Cameron Lindsey at the Tech 23. Two plays later, Heintschel found Cataurus Hicks for 22 yards. It was Grunkemeyer's first interception of the season.
A 10-point lead was three at the break.
"Can't turn the ball over four times," Franklin said.
A third quarter worth 27 yards
Pitt lost Heintschel to injury on the fourth play of the second half. The Panthers ran it six straight times after that, covered 54 yards, and took a 28-24 lead on Damon Ferguson Jr.'s 15-yard touchdown.
Tech answered with three possessions that ended in a lost fumble, a punt, and another lost fumble. The Hokies gained 27 yards in the quarter, with minus-12 on the ground.
Penalties started the trouble on two of those drives. Offensive pass interference on Davion Brown wiped out a 6-yard completion and made it second-and-20. Two snaps later, Jaeden Moore stripped Grunkemeyer on third-and-17. On the next series, an illegal use of hands call on Layth Ghannam turned second-and-1 into second-and-16.
Pitt didn't cash in the first two times. A fourth-and-1 pass fell incomplete at the Tech 19, and a low snap wrecked a long field-goal try.
The third time, it did. Running back Jeffrey Overton Jr. fumbled on second-and-1 at midfield; Pitt recovered at the Tech 41, and four plays later, backup Holden Geriner hit Hicks for 29 yards. That made it 35-24 with 13:55 to go.
Empty trips to the 18
Tech reached the Pitt 18 twice in the fourth quarter and scored neither time.
Down 11, Ayden Greene's 48-yard catch set up second-and-6 from the 18. Grunkemeyer threw for the end zone, and cornerback Shawn Lee Jr. intercepted it at the 3.
The Hokies answered fast. Linebacker Noah Chambers' safety and Overton's 62-yard return of the free kick set up a 28-yard touchdown to freshman Davion Brown, and it was 35-33 with 10:07 left.
Then the offense stalled. With 7:31 left and the ball at its own 35, Tech ran Overton on second-and-4 and third-and-3 for a net of minus-1. Nathan Totten's punt went 15 yards.
The last drive was the best football Tech played after halftime. It covered 62 yards in 16 plays and stayed alive on a 23-yard throw to tight end Luke Reynolds on fourth-and-5. It reached the Pitt 19 with 37 seconds left. Three runs from there netted 1 yard.
This one isn't on Love
Love's miss will be the replay. It shouldn't be the reason.
He's one of the best kickers in the country, a two-time All-ACC honorable mention who has made 61 of 72 career field goals. Franklin drops the "one of." He called Love "the best kicker in the country" and said he'd put him "back out there for the same situation every single time."
Tech finished minus-4 in turnover margin, four giveaways against zero takeaways. Pitt turned those into 14 points and won by two. The Hokies now have nine giveaways in five games.
Tech visits Cal on Saturday, Oct. 10, and what it has to fix this week has nothing to do with its kicker.
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James Duncan serves as a staff writer for Virginia Tech On SI, covering football, men’s and women’s basketball and recruiting. He is a 2026 Virginia Tech graduate, having majored in Sports Media and Analytics with a minor in Professional and Technical Writing. Duncan previously covered the Washington Commanders as a reporter for The Lead, where he reported on the team throughout an offseason.