Virginia Tech will be without one of its starting offensive linemen for some of next week's game at Maryland. Right guard Montavious Cunningham was ejected on Saturday against Old Dominion, and therefore will be suspended for the first half against the Terrapins, in accordance to NCAA rules.
The incident took place in the 4th quarter, after Hokies' quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer snuck into the end zone for a touchdown. As the officials worked to clear the pile on the goal line, Cunningham appeared to stand up and throw a punch, presumably striking an Old Dominion player, resulting in a flagrant foul.
Head coach James Franklin expressed his frustration about the situation during his post-game press conference.
"The thing that disappoints me about Montavious is that he was getting hot earlier in the game, and I already addressed it with him," Franklin said. "There was some back and forth, but he lost his composure in that moment. We call them selfish penalties, when, after the whistle, you've got a personal battle with somebody and you allow that battle to be put in front of the team. And now our team is going to face adversity because of it."
In place of Cunningham, Franklin said that fifth-year Brody Meadows will start at right guard, a move that the coaching staff is comfortable with.
"Brody has played a ton of football around here, so we've got a lot of confidence in him," Franklin said. "We view him as a starter."
Meadows, who missed all of last season due to a preseason injury, started 11 games in 2024 and logged 328 snaps.
Franklin later said that Cunningham "manned up" and apologized to his teammates in the locker room after the game, something that Franklin said impressed him.
"When you make a mistake, you own up to it, you take responsibility, and you move forward."
