(Virginia Tech) The story behind this trend in Social Media today
03-10-2026
The trend is the Friday night ACC football game in Blacksburg, where Pittsburgh beat Virginia Tech 35-33 on a last-second field goal that was ruled no good.Virginia Tech, coached by James Franklin, jumped out to a 14-0 lead and later led 24-14. Pittsburgh rallied from that deficit, even after losing starting quarterback Mason Heintschel to injury early in the second half. Backup Holden Geriner helped the Panthers score, and Pitt turned four Virginia Tech turnovers into points. The Panthers led 35-24 before the Hokies closed the gap to 35-33 on a late touchdown pass from Ethan Grunkemeyer to Davion Brown. Grunkemeyer finished with a career-high 434 passing yards, and Virginia Tech outgained Pittsburgh 499-295.With the clock expiring, Hokies kicker John Love attempted a short field goal, reported as about 35 or 36 yards, that would have won the game. Officials ruled it wide left. Pittsburgh stayed unbeaten at 5-0 (2-0 in the ACC); Virginia Tech fell to 4-1 (1-1).What pushed the game onto social media was the kick itself. Many viewers, including some national college football voices, thought the ball looked good or appeared to go over an upright, and they criticized the broadcast for not showing enough slow-motion angles. Lane Stadium fans had also reacted as if the kick had gone through. The result left a close, high-scoring game defined by the disputed miss rather than the earlier lead changes.