Updated October 2, 2026, 11:40 p.m. ET
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 had succeeded. Hokies fans behind the end zone too. But officials ruled that was bad, 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 LBM America Coaches Poll (or Pat Narduzzi will come for you).
Back to the kick.
There was no conclusive angle shown on the ESPN broadcast from below the uprights to show whether the ball had slipped inside the right upright.
What James Franklin said about Virginia Tech’s missed field goal
In his post-match press conference, James Franklin told reporters that he didn’t know if the kick was good or not.
“To be honest with you, from my perspective, I don’t know,” Franklin said. “I think John Love is the best kicker in the country. I had so much confidence that this thing was going to happen. From my point of view, I couldn’t tell you one way or the other… In the end, they said it didn’t happen, so everything else didn’t really matter.”
After the call on the field, Franklin hugged his kicker and told him he loved him.
“He broke us in the locker room. I got John. All his teammates did too,” 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. I have a ton of confidence in him. And I put him back out there for the same situation every time.”
Can missed field goals be replayed on instant replay?
According to the NCAA rulebook, reviewable scoring plays include: “field goal attempts if and only if the ball is set (a) below or above the crossbar or (b) inside or outside the upright when lower than the top of the uprights. If the ball is higher than the top of the uprights when crossing the baseline, the play cannot be reviewed.”
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