BLACKSBURG — For the first time this season, Virginia Tech football has a week off from game action. The Hokies will use the bye week to regroup before returning to the gridiron on Nov. 6 against No. 19 SMU in Dallas, Texas. Though head coach James Franklin did not hold a Monday press conference, he did hold a post-practice media availability on Tuesday. Here are the most noteworthy observations and quotes from Tuesday's availability:

Where does Franklin feel his team is at two-thirds through the 2026 season?

Virginia Tech enters the bye week with a 6-2 (3-2 ACC) record, with each of its last six games decided by 10 or fewer points. The Hokies kicked off October with back-to-back losses to Pitt (35-33) and Cal (25-20) by a combined seven points; they then defeated Georgia Tech 34-24 on Oct. 17, taking a 24-3 lead into intermission. Virginia Tech then claimed its first win over Clemson since 2007 in Memorial Stadium Saturday, overcoming a 16-10 fourth-quarter deficit and turning it into a 20-16 victory.

Virginia Tech's loss to Pitt was exacerbated by a season-high four turnovers — including two interceptions by quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, which are his only on the season (disregarding interceptions nullified by penalties). In the words of Franklin, though, "it's not always a thing of beauty."

"I think we've got a resilient group," Franklin said. "It's not like the offense, the defense, the special teams is just clinic tape. I wouldn't say it's that, but I think they're resiient. I think they battle their tails off. I thought we played complementary football. Offense, defense and special teams all had a role in this game [against Clemson] — and we played winning football."

The miscues that resulted in those two losses to the Panthers and Golden Bears aren't effort mistakes in Franklin's eyes.

"We just did things you can't do," Franklin said. "we'd come in on Sundays and talk about those things, but we weren't learning the lesson fast enough. So, I thought we took a step in that direction."

How is Virginia Tech approaching practice during the bye week?

The Hokies typically conduct 21-period practices during the regular season, but Tuesday's session featured just 16 periods. Franklin also noted that the coaching staff modified the number of repetitions for certain players, while allowing third-string players to receive additional opportunities — something that has been largely absent during the regular season.

"Very similar to a training camp model, very similar to a spring ball model, but not out here very long," Franklin said. "A little bit longer meetings, but probably the most important thing is getting everybody back involved in practice, and very little D-squad stuff. More good on good."

Virginia Tech practiced Sunday and Tuesday and will hold another session Wednesday before taking the remainder of the traditional workweek off. With the Hokies' next contest against SMU scheduled for Friday, Nov. 6, the team will resume practice Saturday before taking Sunday off.

The additional repetitions have also provided an opportunity for Tech's reserve quarterbacks, with Franklin reiterating that the competition for the backup quarterback position remains closely contested.

"It's still a close competition with those other three guys and who's battling each week for the backup quarterback spot," Franklin said. "So I think that's been probably as valuable as anything."

What does Franklin want to see from Virginia Tech's freshmen?

Though several Virginia Tech freshmen have already carved out significant roles through the first eight games of the season — wide receiver Davion "FatRat" Brown and more recently, guard Benjamin Eziuka are chief examples — Franklin believes there are others who haven't quite taken advantage of their opportunities.

Franklin estimated that four or five additional freshmen could be contributing for the Hokies, but their approach to meetings, weight-room sessions and practice repetitions has prevented them from making the necessary strides.

"I still think there's some guys that kind of in their mind are already thinking towards spring ball and next fall, and they're not attacking it the right way," Franklin said. "There's probably four or five other freshmen that I think could be factoring in right now."

Franklin described the mentality as "redshirt mode," with certain players seemingly looking ahead to next season rather than preparing for an opportunity that could arise during the final third of the current campaign.

"I could see a situation this year where you're going to be needed to play, and your number's going to get called, and you're not going to be ready, and you're going to regret it," Franklin said.

For Franklin, the message is relatively straightforward: Players who aren't currently seeing the field can't afford to operate as though their opportunities are limited to the 2027 season.

"They think they have a lot of time, and the seniors will tell them it flies by," Franklin said. "They don't have as much time as they think they do."