BLACKSBURG, Va. — Coming off a 35-33 loss against Pitt in Lane Stadium Friday, Virginia Tech football aspires to knock off Cal when it travels to Berkeley, Calif., for its third road game in its last four contests. Ahead of the Saturday tussle in the Golden State, Hokies head coach James Franklin took to the lectern to address questions from the media. Here are the most pertinent notes and quotes from his press conference:
What challenges does Cal’s offense present?
Virginia Tech isn’t entirely sure what version of Cal’s offense it will see Saturday. Franklin said the Golden Bears’ most recent game appeared to feature more run-and-shoot concepts associated with Nick Rolovich’s previous stops at Washington State and Hawaii, including frequent empty formations, or Pat McCann, rather than the existing offensive coordinator, Jordan Somerville. Franklin said he wasn’t totally sure who was calling the shots for Cal against UNLV on Saturday.
Franklin also offered plenty of praise for Cal’s quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, calling him “as impressive of a prospect as there is” and noting his ability to throw accurately both from the pocket and on the move. This year, Sagapolutele has thrown for 1,180 yards, eight touchdowns, and five interceptions, though he was banged up against UNLV and did not return despite being medically cleared.
“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.”
Franklin touched on Ethan Grunkemeyer after the junior threw his first two interceptions of the season.
Grunkemeyer threw for a career-high 434 yards and connected on several deep balls, though he coughed up two fumbles (one was recovered) and threw two interceptions…