Virginia Tech HC James Franklin’s first move after beating Clemson? Helping the equipment staff
Brian Bishop-Imagn Images
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Virginia Tech football made a late comeback at Memorial Stadium to secure its first win over the Clemson Tigers since 2007. James Franklin made a pivotal decision in the closing minutes, and the Hokies rewarded their head coach with a dramatic 20-16 win. However, following the memorable victory, the excited head coach attracted attention for his postgame actions.
Old friends Dabo Swinney and Franklin faced each other as opposing head coaches for the first time in their careers on Saturday. Fortunately for Franklin, he walked away with the victory and took time to greet nearly everyone wearing Virginia Tech gear as they headed into the tunnel. The first-year Virginia Tech coach then doubled back and helped an equipment staff member push his cart.
The victory improved the Hokies’ record to 6-2 after they managed just three wins last season. With the win, the former Penn State head coach also secured bowl eligibility in his first season at Virginia Tech.
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Virginia Tech faced a crucial fourth-and-1 situation at Clemson’s five-yard line while trailing 16-13 late in the fourth quarter. Franklin could have sent kicker John Love onto the field to attempt a field goal and potentially force overtime. Instead, he trusted his offense to reach the end zone and take the lead.
After the game, Franklin admitted that he had briefly considered settling for the field goal. However, his decision to go for the touchdown at such a critical moment paid off. During a sideline interview with ESPN, Franklin also highlighted his team’s composure and ability to avoid costly mistakes throughout the contest.
“Well, we didn’t turn the ball over,” said Franklin to the ESPN broadcast. “For the most part, we didn’t have a bunch of penalties. Before you can learn to win games like this, you’ve got to figure out not to lose them. We lost two games because of that, but our guys have learned from that and grown from that and figured that out.’
The Hokies will now have a bye week before traveling to face SMU on November 6.
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Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.