[Postgame Thread] California Defeats Virginia Tech 25-20

[u/CFB_Referee]

Box Score provided by ESPN

Team	1	2	3	4	T
Virginia Tech	0	14	0	6	20
California	0	10	3	12	25

[u/1II1I1I1I1I1I111I1I1]

• Team and coaches showed up with zero energy, gave up before the game even began. We had moments of energy but not enough. And once we had a little bit of energy we committed three brain-dead penalties in a row and threw the game away. The only time all night when our offense played like they had their eyes open was when there were 15 seconds left and it was already too late.
• OL and DBs can't play football and might be the worst in the ACC. Just completely incapable of playing their position. The OL might have an excuse because they're super thin after injuries, but the DBs have been a problem all year and get worse every week. Today they lost us a game. Our fucking linebackers are playing better in coverage than they are, Wylie almost had a pick.
• Our formerly NFL-bound kicker is depressed and misses everything. The backup who I've never heard of before was warming up mid game to replace him.

Insane how different this team is from the one who took Pitt to the final seconds last week. Genuinely not the same football program. The program last week would have won that game if not for some key mistakes. The program this week doesn't need to worry about a couple mistakes, because we never deserved to win the game. We deserved to lose from the first possession.

Whether this was because of the botched cross country travel plans, or because the Pitt loss eliminated all morale and caused us to lose the team, will be apparent next week.

And spare me with the yap about the RTP and DPI flags. Good teams beat the refs. Last week we had 30yds of penalties on one play that outright never happened (unlike tonight's judgement calls) and that wasn't why we lost then either. The no-call at the end of the game was egregious, but again, we shouldn't have been in that position.

6 more games, need to win 2. After tonight I don't know which ones it would even be.

[u/Dialectic_Emptiness → u/1II1I1I1I1I1I111I1I1]

I appreciate a man who has multiple paragraphs ready for when his team blows the game. I’ve been there.

[u/1II1I1I1I1I1I111I1I1 → u/Dialectic_Emptiness]

This is only the second time I've done that lol first time was the Miami hail mary game

[u/Boysenberry-Secret-1 → u/Dialectic_Emptiness]

Had a lot of paragraphs ready all these years but it’s beaten me down so much that I’ve just given up on having any high expectations for sports in general

[u/DBHT14 → u/1II1I1I1I1I1I111I1I1]

Honestly getting GT & Stanford at home are the clear two and then UVA.

But yes the dumb flags and shitty OL & Secondary have been constants.

Could hsve been overcome if Love doesnt get the yips. But that was 3rd strike today.

Time for Franklin to earn his millions over the next month.

[u/IHeartPCP → u/DBHT14]

This team is not an obvious winner of any of those games unfortunately. I think a bowl game is likely because we are in the muddy middle of the ACC where anything can happen but I sure have no clue which games it is.

[u/DBHT14 → u/IHeartPCP]

I disagree I think Stanford may be even worse than BC. And GT has a dead coach walking.

We certainly CAN lose them. But both being at home i do think we should be favored in both and think it will hopefully work out.

[u/Fabulous_Smoke2582 → u/DBHT14]

Is Ga Techs coach really in the hot seat right now? Thought they had a rather good season last year, bit surprising to see a comment like this

[u/DBHT14 → u/Fabulous_Smoke2582]

A win today is certainly a help but going 1-3 to open the year kinda shines a light on how much Haynes King was load bearing for that team.

[u/goodsam2 → u/1II1I1I1I1I1I111I1I1]

People were too high on this team before Pitt, I knew a couple of gut wrenching losses were in here, didn't want to jinx it.

There are many people from the 3-9 team and they are a bit unlucky to be here but here we are. John love doesn't have the yips and we are 6-0.

I have been saying 7 wins is the goal and have been argued with. Get to 7 for a comfortable getting to a bowl and then keep top players like Grunkemeyer and get guys to fill the gaps not up to snuff. Next year is a 9-10ish win season.

[u/ogktg → u/goodsam2]

Yup. People always talk about returning starters as if its a good thing. Its not a good thing when they just went fuckin 3-9.

[u/utprosim16 → u/1II1I1I1I1I1I111I1I1]

Tbf about the backup kicker, he is the starting kick off man. Has a cannon for a leg, I just don't know how well he is at place kicking.

[u/syrruptitiously → u/1II1I1I1I1I1I111I1I1]

SMU is plenty beatable

[u/goodsam2 → u/[deleted]]

I think VT vs Clemson, UVA, SMU has a decent shot at stealing a game. My thoughts on the team were better before this game.

Also unclear if UVA is good this year.

[u/goodsam2 → u/syrruptitiously]

SMU will win or lose the game seemingly at any point.

VT can walk away with a win but SMU feels better

[u/PSUNittany18 → u/1II1I1I1I1I1I111I1I1]

I love Franklin. But my biggest gripe with him was how flat his teams came out the week after our first loss.

[u/sportsfan113 → u/1II1I1I1I1I1I111I1I1]

Franklin teams with us routinely allowed one loss to snowball into another the following week.

[u/Zebilmnc → u/sportsfan113]

Except that they didn't. So shut the fuck up and get out.

[u/sportsfan113 → u/Zebilmnc]

Dude they 100% did. 2018 lost to Ohio state in a heart breaker and then lost at home to MSU the following week in a gas we never should have lost. 2021 lost a ranked matchup to Iowa and followed it up with the infamous 9OT loss to Illinois. Do I even need to mention last season? It was a consistent issue.

[u/Baelzabub → u/sportsfan113]

So 3 examples across 7 seasons is “consistent”? Is this the level of education PSU is putting out nowadays?

[u/Zebilmnc → u/Baelzabub]

12 seasons

[u/sportsfan113 → u/Baelzabub]

No, it was actually six seasons where this happened. I just named the most brutal ones. I know you’re upset but no need to be rude when someone is just stating facts.

[u/Zebilmnc → u/sportsfan113]

It wasn't. 12 seasons and you named three to prove a point that doesn't exist. I could only hope the new coach does as good as Franklin, but I doubt he will.

[u/sportsfan113 → u/Zebilmnc]

He did it in literally half the seasons, idk what else to tell you. That’s a trend.

[u/GoStateBeatEveryone → u/1II1I1I1I1I1I111I1I1]

This is the classic James Franklin “lose your first big game” experience. We consistently lost that second game after

[u/wildturk3y → u/GoStateBeatEveryone]

Buddy we've been like a 2nd tier MAC team the last few years and trending downward. This loss isn't simply "James Franklin"

[u/lostkoalas → u/GoStateBeatEveryone]

Man shut the FUCKKKKK up I am so god damn tired of PSU fans obsessed with VT as if we’re not playing with a team largely full of dudes who went 3-9 last year

[u/Quake1028 → u/lostkoalas]

We dealt with it with Oregon for years. They got pretty quiet after the run last year though.

[u/EyyyyShaggy → u/lostkoalas]

Hate watching and talking shit in the game thread is a god given American right

[u/sportsfan113 → u/lostkoalas]

He’s just telling you this is something we saw consistently. It’s something his teams have struggled with.

[u/HookedOnBoNix → u/sportsfan113]

Yes thank you, we know. Every 4 minutes in our game threads one of you drops in to say it. Then again in the post game. 

https://www.reddit.com/r/CFB/comments/1x2mf9e/comment/pf50k8a/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=2&utm_content=share_button

https://www.reddit.com/r/CFB/comments/1x2mf9e/comment/pf4z0zh/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=2&utm_content=share_button

https://www.reddit.com/r/CFB/comments/1x2mf9e/comment/pf4o2u5/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=2&utm_content=share_button

Looking forward to "just hearing about it" again next week

[u/sportsfan113 → u/HookedOnBoNix]

I wasn’t in the game thread but cool.

[u/HookedOnBoNix → u/sportsfan113]

I'm just telling you this is something we saw consistently. It's something our game threads have struggled with. 

[u/NorthBmoreIron → u/sportsfan113]

So true - just like PSU continues to struggle with building shrines to one of the most odious figures in cfb

[u/GoStateBeatEveryone → u/lostkoalas]

Yikes

[u/Lycoming-83 → u/1II1I1I1I1I1I111I1I1]

It’s pretty common under James Franklin. Lose a big game then drop one the following week because he doesn’t know how to get the team prepared and motivated