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Did that field goal attempt at the end of the Pitt–Virginia Tech game go in or didn’t it?
Neither the NCAA nor the ACC will say.
On Friday night, the Hokies lost to the Panthers 35–33. With three seconds to go in regulation, Hokies kicker John Love lined up for the kick, which he pulled over the uprights and to the left. In the stadium in Blacksburg, fans cheered, thinking they had pulled off a win. But the referees had a different opinion: They ruled the kick no good and awarded Pitt its fifth-straight win this season.
On social media after the game, fans and media members dissected multiple angles, trying to determine whether the kick should have been ruled good.
The NCAA’s rules stipulate that certain field goal calls—likely including this one—cannot be reviewed. But an NCAA spokesperson told Front Office Sports that because conferences oversee regular-season officiating, the question should be directed to the ACC. An ACC spokesperson declined to comment.
The call is yet another controversial decision made by referees this season at the end of a game. Michigan’s Week 1 win over Western Michigan also sparked debate after discrepancies in the game clock led to a 13–12 win for Michigan. The Big Ten released a statement explaining the discrepancy; after initially capitulating to the Big Ten, the MAC later asked both the NCAA and CFP to overturn the Wolverines’ win. Both governing bodies said they could not overturn the game’s result.
Both calls have contributed to a broader debate about whether college football should use more technology in game calls.
For his part, Tech head coach James Franklin isn’t protesting the controversial call that led to his first loss as Virginia Tech’s head coach.
Franklin didn’t mention the gut-wrenching call in his opening remarks postgame—but it was the first question he received from reporters. He said he couldn’t tell from where he was standing whether the call was correct. But it didn’t matter.
“At the end of the day, they said it didn’t go through,” he said. “So everything else doesn’t really matter a whole lot.”
Despite the loss, Franklin’s start with the Hokies has been impressive. Going into Friday night’s matchup against Pitt, the Hokies boasted a 4–0 record. The turnaround has been swift—last year, Virginia Tech fired head coach Brent Pry after the program started the 2025 season 0–3. Franklin took the job in Blacksburg in November 2025 after being fired from Penn State mid-season. He brought back Pry as a defensive coordinator.
The Hokies will have a week to regroup before facing off against Cal next Saturday.
