As any newlywed couple can attest, the honeymoon phase is a wonderful thing.
The world is at both of your fingertips, with opportunities around every corner. Every day is a dream. New experiences are there to cherish. For a while, it feels as though the future can only be bright. That is, until the light dims ever so slightly, casting a long shadow that makes it easier to see.
What once was endearing becomes more tiresome. Excitement gives way to contentment. And those problems that you both shrugged off as being far in the future? Well, they're here and demand your attention.
This transition out of the rose-colored early days of relationships is often seen as something to mourn. While it's fair to want to stay in the light forever, to truly grow, you have to know what darkness is like.
This is life right now for Virginia Tech and James Franklin, who surely knows his honeymoon phase is over.
For the second straight week, Virginia Tech found a way to lose, this time against Cal 25-20.
The Hokies led 20-19 with 1:15 remaining, but it wasn't enough, as they watched the Golden Bears waltz down the field and score the winning touchdown just a few plays later.
Last week's heartbreaking 35-33 loss to Pitt revealed the cracks in the Hokies' new-look program. In the biggest game in Lane Stadium in years, turnovers and penalties doomed Virginia Tech's effort before John Love missed what seemed like a no-doubt 36-yard field goal to win. It was as gut-wrenching a loss as any in recent memory, but didn't necessarily indicate that deeper issues were at play.
Saturday's head-scratcher in Berkeley was something else entirely. Call it the newlyweds' first real fight. The one that reminds them that life isn't all sunshine and rainbows.
Cal was without its starting quarterback, two top running backs, and its star safety, and it had a new play-caller on offense. Unphased, first-year head coach Tosh Lupoi's group outgained Virginia Tech 403-401, and outscored the Hokies 15-6 in the second half. Backup quarterback Jackson Brousseau had a breakout performance ( sound familiar?), racking up 321 yards on 29-of-43 attempts and a touchdown.
Once again, penalties played a part in keeping victory out of arm's reach. The Hokies committed seven infractions for 88 yards, two of which came on Cal's game-winning drive, gifting the Golden Bears invaluable field position.
If there was any question about whether his miss against Pitt would carry over to this one, John Love made it abundantly clear, going 0-for-3 on the day.
That Franklin's honeymoon phase is over shouldn't be all doom and gloom. After all, no coach walks the primrose path forever. And as anyone in a good marriage knows, these things take work. But for the second straight week, Virginia Tech didn't deserve to win and was beaten in every phase of the game.
"At the end of the day, we didn't play well enough to get a win on the road in the ACC. And we've got to get things cleaned up," Franklin said after the game.
Through six games, this program has shown flashes of what it could be. An efficient offense with record-breaking playmakers. A swarming defense that gets after opposing signal-callers. Timely special teams that can make a difference.
But it's also reminded everyone that it's in the first season of a rebuild coming off a disastrous 3-9 campaign a year ago.
This was never going to be as easy or carefree as the first few weeks proved to be. Eventually, when adversity struck, we'd find out what kind of team James Franklin had in his first season wearing maroon and orange. Saturday's loss solidified what the Pitt loss identified. This team has a long way to go, but it's shown potential. The question now becomes whether it will reach it again before the season ends.
Deeper concerns that have lingered are now more pressing.
In another woeful outing, Brent Pry's secondary was torched by a backup quarterback, the second in two weeks, who had never started at the Power 4 level coming into this game. The Hokies now rank No. 75 nationally in passing yards allowed, giving up 209 per game. It's been a stark departure from how the coaching staff described the unit before the season, claiming it would be a strength of the defense. Whether Franklin will re-evaluate the standings of his secondary coaches at the end of the season remains unknown. But it's clear the status quo isn't up to par.
Another area of regression so far has been the defense's inability to force turnovers. Through six games, the Hokies have just four takeaways, tied for No. 115 nationally. In turnover margin, Brent Pry's unit ranks No. 127 and hasn't forced a takeaway since the ODU game on September 19, hardly a hallmark of a group that's firing on all cylinders.
The same can be said about the performance of the offensive line, which struggled all day long against Cal's pass rush, allowing three sacks. The group hasn't excelled in the running game, either, earning just 148 yards per game, which ranks 82nd nationally. Injuries to starters Justin Terry, Johnny Garrett, Brody Meadows, and now Montavious Cunningham, who left Saturday's game early, have handcuffed the group. Still, it's position coach Matt Moore's job to find answers. So far, he hasn't appeared to have any.
John Love, who made 86% of field goals heading into the Pitt game, is now on the wrong end of the first streak of three missed field goals in his career. Despite moving into fourth place on the Hokies' all-time scoring list, his slump is now a serious issue heading into the heart of ACC play.
As dire as these problems seem, there's a bigger picture to keep in mind here.
I've written before that this season was never about aiming for the stars. In reality, the roster is constructed for next season and 2028, when the bulk of Franklin's Penn State transfers and talented freshmen will mature.
That's not to absolve Franklin or his staff of responsibility to fix these nagging issues, though. Quite the opposite, actually. Any success Virginia Tech has from here on out will benefit the program, so the staff has to figure things out.
The vibe shift around this season that's taken place over the last week in many ways is understandable. Franklin has made moves to build Virginia Tech into a big-time program, so expecting results isn't unrealistic.
But the sky isn't falling, not just yet. Virginia Tech is a few plays and a couple of inches away from being 6-0, which was nearly unthinkable before the season began.
It's been far from perfect. But even after finding ways to lose in consecutive games, there's reason to believe that this team is crawling so the program can run in the long term.
Oftentimes, it just takes a little adversity to bring a relationship closer.
The honeymoon is over. The real work of the marriage can now begin.
