Did Virginia Tech get robbed? Missed field goal call stuns Hokies in loss to Pitt
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Virginia Tech kicker John Love missed a potential game-winning 36-yard field goal Friday night against Pitt.
Or did he?
Love seemed to think he made it. So did the Hokies fans behind the end zone. But the officials ruled it no good, and Pitt escaped Blacksburg with a 35-33 win in a battle of ACC unbeatens that will undoubtedly land the Panthers in next week's US LBM Coaches Poll (or Pat Narduzzi is coming for you).
Back to the kick.
There was no conclusive angle shown on the ESPN broadcast from underneath the uprights to show if the ball sneaked inside the right upright.
VIRGINIA TECH MISSES THE FIELD GOAL AND PITT WINS 35-33.
UNBELIEVABLE. pic.twitter.com/2RGPPeag2Y
— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) October 3, 2026
What James Franklin said about missed Virginia Tech field goal
In his postgame news conference James Franklin told reporters he was unsure if the kick was good or not.
"To be honest with you, from my angle, I don't know," Franklin said. "I think John Love is the best kicker in the country. I had so much confidence that was going to go through. From my angle, I couldn't tell you… The end of the day, they said it didn't go through so everything else, don't matter a whole lot"
After the on-field decision, Franklin embraced his kicker and told him he loved him.
"He broke us down in the locker room. I got John’s back. So do all of his teammates," Franklin said. "And again that was one play. There were 20 other plays in that game that really wouldn’t have gotten to that point. So, I love him. Got a ton of confidence in him. And I’d put him back out there for the same situation every single time.”
Can missed field goals be reviewed on instant replay?
Per the NCAA rule book, reviewable scoring plays include: “field goal attempts if and only if the ball is ruled (a) below or above the crossbar or (b) inside or outside the upright when it is lower than the top of the uprights. If the ball is higher than the top of the uprights as it crosses the end line, the play may not be reviewed.”
Here's some more reaction:
I think ref blew it. But who am I
Looked good to me. And most of us.Here’s another angle of Virginia tech v Pitt final FG kick pic.twitter.com/ctmy70O2fu
— Isaiah (I.M) Franklin (@IgotThatParlay) October 3, 2026
A kicker isn’t reacting like this if he knows he missed it .. not to mention the refs were giving Pitt favorable calls all night .. refs should need to face the media after games just like the players pic.twitter.com/O4HUnoZvRU
— John (@iam_johnw) October 3, 2026
Are we not gonna get a conclusive camera angle that that kick by VaTech was in fact wide of the upright?
— Chris Harris (@ChrisHarrisWSMV) October 3, 2026
How was that Va Tech kick no good?
— The Former (@Jwiley117) October 3, 2026
I think that Va. Tech kick went in.
— Coach Mike Kessler (@MikeJ_Kessler) October 3, 2026
— Billy Hatcher (@WHatch3) October 3, 2026
We need to see the upright camera view of that Va. Tech kick. Really hard to tell if it was made or missed from the regular camera.
— EricPatrickMarr (@EricPatrickMarr) October 3, 2026
That Virginia Tech field goal vs. Pitt was nuts. Probably good in NFL, but very iffy in college.
• Over upright is no good in college
• Over upright is good in NFL (Must stay inside the outside edge)There's an official under each upright for a reason. They have best view pic.twitter.com/LdZTEJImGh
— John Breech (@johnbreech) October 3, 2026
What just happened in this Pitt vs. Virginia Tech game? The Va Tech fans behind the goalposts were jumping up and down like the kick was good…? 👀 #PittvsVaTech
— Adam Bruce (@BrucemanActual) October 3, 2026
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Did Virginia Tech get robbed? Missed field goal call stuns Hokies in loss to Pitt
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