Tech Talk Live Notes: James Franklin And Tyson Flowers

On Thursday’s edition of Tech Talk Live, Virginia Tech football head coach James Franklin and safety Tyson Flowers joined Evan Hughes and Bill Roth on the show.

The Hokies are 2-0 after beating VMI and Old Dominion, and they head on the road for the first time on Saturday to face Maryland. It’s a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on FS1.

The show's live recording from McClain's at First and Main can be listened to on replay here.

James Franklin

How has the week gone as you prepare for your first road game, and how did Thursday’s mental practice go?

It’s been a good week. Coach [Chuck] Losey, our head strength coach, gets to sit back and watch practice. Sometimes when you’re so close to something, it’s hard to see everything. Coach Losey gets to watch practice, obviously the lifts and all that stuff, and he talked to the team this afternoon about how proud he is of them and how they’re working. He’s watched a lot of football practices and a lot of teams train, and he’s very confident and happy with how we’re working. I thought that was good information. We’re getting better at it each week. The scout teams have been excellent, and we’re getting really good work.

This is a challenge. Maryland is a talented team. There’s no doubt about it. We’re going to have to be prepared. They always have great speed. When I was there for eight years, they always had great speed. We always had a bunch of guys who could run. They always had guys who would get drafted and drafted high.

The statistics are kind of similar. Both teams are 2-0. This is a big step up to really see how the team will compete against a bigger team. It’s a good preview for conference play, too. I think it’s a really good game, and we’re excited about playing it. We’ll be a challenge for them, and they’re going to be a challenge for us. They’ve played two similar types of games like we did. They played Hampton and UConn.

This is a big game for both programs and both athletic departments, and it’s sold out. I’m hoping we have a bunch of Virginia Tech fans and alumni at the game because I think we have 35,000 alumni in the DMV. It should be a great game and a great weekend.

Even though Virginia Tech and Maryland are no longer in the same conference, how important is that area and rivalry from a recruiting standpoint?

Year-round, we’re competing with these guys. Obviously, the DMV is a critical recruiting area for both programs, and really a lot of programs come in here and try to do a great job recruiting it.

That’s really how I got to know Coach [Frank] Beamer, through Coach [Ralph] Friedgen. They both had places at Lake Oconee in Reynolds Plantation. George O’Leary, Ralph Friedgen and Coach Beamer all had places there. That’s how I originally got to know him.

Mylachi Williams and Luke Reynolds were named ACC Players of the Week after their performances against Old Dominion. What have you seen from those two, and what does that recognition say about the program?

I don’t know how much we’ve had that here recently. I don’t know how many awards like that we had last year or the year before. It’s a positive. One of the things we talk about with our program all the time and with our guys is, “With team success comes individual recognition,” in that order. With team success comes individual recognition.

We talk about how the Heisman Trophy doesn’t go to the best player in college football. It goes to the best player on one of the best teams. Our guys have really bought into that and understand that. They’re willing to do the dirty work, and I’ve been very pleased. When you have guys like that who you can point to, when your best players are some of your hardest workers, it sets the tone for the entire culture.

What stands out about Maryland quarterback Malik Washington, especially after he completed 18 consecutive passes last week?

I’m very impressed with him. We recruited the heck out of him, so I know him very well from two years of recruiting him. His high school coach, Kyle Schmitt, played for me and was a captain at Maryland, and now Kyle is actually the tight ends coach at Maryland. He’s a talented guy. I think he’s got a really bright future.

We had a little bit of a knucklehead interview this week where one of our defensive backs got interviewed and said, “I don’t think he’s very accurate.” I think he must have said that before he watched the film. Number one, I don’t know why you’d say that, so that was a teachable moment for our entire team. The other thing is he had just completed 18 straight passes in the game before, so it didn’t make a whole lot of sense either. We got him checked for a concussion after he said it.

Washington is a talented guy. He’s also big. I think he’s listed at 6-foot-5. He’s at least 6-foot-4, 230 pounds. He’s athletic. They didn’t run him much in the first two games, but he could run if he wanted to. There’s no doubt about it. He’s got that type of athleticism. He was a high-level basketball player and an Elite 11 quarterback. He played as a freshman. I think he learned a lot last year, and I think the system they’re running now suits him.

How would you describe Maryland’s offense under its new offensive coordinator?

They’re a spread offense. They’re going to try to spread you out across the field with maximum splits. They’re going to do a ton of perimeter screens with the wide receivers. The ball is going to get out of the quarterback’s hand in a hurry, which can be challenging. When a big part of your plan is trying to get to the quarterback, pressure the quarterback and get them off schedule into third-and-long situations, that quick passing game presents a challenge.

They’ve also done a really good job of running the ball. If you look over Coach [Mike] Locksley’s career there and his background as a running backs coach, they’ve done a really good job of that as well. They’ve had an injury at the running back position, and they’re bigger and more physical on both fronts, including the offensive line. This will be the biggest team that we’ve faced up to this point, specifically on the offensive and defensive lines.

What do you want Virginia Tech fans to wear for Saturday’s road game at Maryland?

I think they’re wearing red, so we don’t want to be wearing maroon because it will look like their red in the stands. I want to make sure everybody is wearing white so we know exactly where our Virginia Tech fans are. Obviously, you can do the maroon and orange accents, but I’d like everybody to wear white so we can clearly see who our fans are.

How important is it to have the Marching Virginians traveling to Maryland, and what have you learned about the bands and traditions at Virginia Tech?

We love the fact that our band is coming to support us. That’s going to be really important, too. It’s a critical piece to all of this. The fact that we have two bands is also unique.

After the Old Dominion game, I was getting ready to leave and saw the band there, so I went up into the stands to thank them. I was walking through and giving them all high-fives, and there was a girl who had cymbals in her hands. We had this weird interaction because I couldn’t give her a high-five with cymbals on both of her hands, so I ended up giving her a hug.

I’m very appreciative of the fans who come out to support us. Obviously, we’ve sold out every game. We want to do that all year long. There are a lot of reasons why that’s so important in creating a great home-field advantage. Then there are the bands, the Corps [of Cadets] and all the unique and special things about Virginia Tech. We’re just trying to embrace all of it.

I’m learning every single day about our history. I think all those things are really important. That’s why you do college football — to be part of a community. We know what a successful football program can do for the community. It’s important.

What have you seen from Maryland’s receivers and pass catchers on film?

It’s been impressive to watch those guys. We know the tight end, Preston Howard. We recruited him out of McDonogh High School. He was there, transferred out and then transferred back this year. He’s a big, athletic target that we’re going to need to be aware of.

Then you look at No. 1 and No. 2, Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding and Kaleb Webb. Those guys have been very successful and productive. I’ve also been very impressed with No. 13, Chris Durr. He transferred from Wyoming. They’ve done a really good job of going out and getting some horsepower out of the portal. Same thing up front with some big guys.

Then there’s Zion Elee, the defensive end, who was a five-star, highly recruited kid that we recruited as well. I know him very well, and they were able to keep him home, which is really important — keeping those types of players home.

What did you make of Keon Wiley losing the ball just before crossing the goal line against Old Dominion, and what did you learn about the team from what happened immediately afterward?

I do not think he was showboating, but the reality is there was no reason to take the ball out from being tucked away. He had it tucked away beautifully the whole run, and then I think as he was crossing the goal line, he took it out of his hands. I think he was going to drop it when he got into the end zone.

Those things drive me absolutely crazy because I make cutups every weekend of college and NFL teams making mistakes, and I show them to our guys over and over again. Now one of our players is going to be shown in meeting rooms all over the country — the mistake that our guy made.

One of the things I thought was important is something we talked about in Week 2, and it’s going to be the same thing this week. That Old Dominion team was going to make some plays. They were going to fight back. They were coming in confident, and there was going to be adversity.

One of the things you don’t know early on about your college football team is how they’re going to respond to adversity. I told them adversity was going to come and talked about how we were going to respond. Then, I’ve never seen it before, but we had back-to-back strip-sack fumbles, and we responded in a great way. I think that’s a really good sign. I made a big deal out of that Sunday in the team meeting.

It’s going to be the same way Saturday. Maryland is a talented team. They’re on scholarship, too. They’re going to make some plays, and we’re going to have to respond and bounce back with the six-second mentality. Every play is its own living, breathing organism, and we’ve got to make sure we treat it as such.

How important is it for the offense, defense and special teams to respond when another unit makes a mistake?

You’ve got to have each other’s backs. That’s as a defensive unit, but if our offense turns the ball over, our defense has to go out and respond. If our defense gives up a touchdown, our offense has to go out and respond. Same thing on special teams. These are complementary pieces. It’s complementary football.

I thought in the first half we played as good of complementary football as there was. Our defense would make a play, and our offense would take advantage. Our offense would make a play, and our defense would take advantage. Same thing on special teams. When we got to the second half, we didn’t do as good of a job with that.

But I also think we were able to get a lot of guys playing time in the first two games. Although some of it was frustrating because they didn’t go in and play to the standard we expect, I still think those reps and that experience are going to be valuable for our team moving forward.

Virginia Tech improved on third down against Old Dominion, but you also emphasize “conversion downs.” What do you mean by that?

One thing people have to study is conversion downs. A lot of people are sequencing in football now. I get on the headset with Coach [Ty] Howle, and on each one of the drives, I tell him as soon as we’ve crossed into four-down territory.

What happens when you’re sequencing like that is, on third-and-7, you don’t have to call a play to pick up seven yards. That would be great, but you also have the ability to break some of your tendencies and run the ball on third-and-7 or use the quick game because I’ve already told him that if he can get it to fourth-and-4 or fourth-and-3 or less, we’re going to go for it.

At the end of the day, the most important thing is whether we get first downs, whether it’s on third down or fourth down. That information is critical. I do the same thing with Brent [Pry] on the headset to let him know when the opponent is probably doing it. I might tell Brent, “You’ve got to understand it’s third-and-long, but I wouldn’t treat it as third-and-long because they’re at the minus-45 right now,” which is kind of no-man’s land. You’re out of field-goal range, and if you punt it into the end zone, you haven’t gained a whole lot.

A lot of people are going to go for four downs anywhere between the minus-45 probably all the way to the plus-30. We make sure Brent is aware of that as well and calls the game that way.

You studied psychology before getting into coaching. How has that background translated to coaching college football players?

I didn’t want to coach. I was going to get my master’s degree and then my doctorate in psychology. I was actually a biology major going to medical school until I got to organic chemistry. That was the weed-out class. Then I switched to psychology, and I was going to get my Ph.D. in psychology.

I did two summer jobs working at two psychiatric facilities in Philadelphia — an adult and an adolescent psychiatric facility — and I said to myself, “This is not what I want to do.” I was still getting my master’s degree by being a graduate assistant, and I realized that through the game of football I could help people just as much as I could through a degree in psychology and working in the field.

That’s kind of where it went from there. When you’re dealing with 18- to 22-year-old males, and I’ve got 120 of them I’m responsible for, you better have a background in psychology.

How significant is it to get Montavious Cunningham and Kyle Altuner back on the offensive line for Maryland?

Getting Montavious back was a surprise, so we were obviously really excited about being able to get him back. He’s a really talented guy. He can play both guard and tackle. I think he’s got a really bright future, and I think he’s going to continue to get better and better as the year goes on.

Then having Kyle Altuner, our starting center, back is big because Kyle is basically the captain of your offensive line. He’s the one who handles all the calls and communication, and he’s played a ton of football. He played well last year, and we’re building on that right now. He’s a guy who could have played last week, but he wasn’t 100 percent. We were trying to hold him, and Ricard played well enough that we could hold him out so he could be 100 percent for this week.

Being able to get both of those guys back was big. Altuner has practiced all week long. He’s from Maryland and went to Good Counsel High School, so we’re excited, and I know he’s excited about this, too.

How does Maryland’s size and physicality along the defensive front compare with what Virginia Tech has faced so far?

I’ve been following Maryland and Coach Locksley for a while because we’ve competed against them for a number of years. A lot of what Coach Locksley has talked about is that they felt like they needed to get bigger on both fronts, the offensive and defensive lines.

Derrick LeBlanc is a guy we recruited heavily as a young man out of Florida. They are big and physical across the offensive line and across their front four as well. They’ve got some big, physical guys.

What impact has quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien had on the program, and what will returning to Maryland mean for him?

Danny was the quarterback when we had Torrey Smith, who went on to have a great NFL career. Torrey is still really involved with the Maryland program, and he put some stuff out this week about Danny and the program. Danny had a great freshman year. It was just kind of a challenging situation. I ended up leaving to become the head coach at Vanderbilt, and a new coordinator and a new head coach came in. It just didn’t go as well for him.

But he had as good of a freshman year as you could have. He played extremely well. I think we won nine games. I think they scored 60 points in the bowl game. He really had a nice career. He ended up playing, I think, five or six years in the CFL before he joined us at the last place. He’s got great experience. He knows how I want things done. We see the game in a very similar way. He’s also gained a ton of experience from his time in the CFL.

If you look at his coaching experience, he doesn’t have a big number in terms of years because he played professionally for a number of years. That experience was really valuable. He’s done a great job in recruiting as well. I think you look at what we’re doing right now in the passing game and the success that [Ethan Grunkemeyer] is having, he’s a big reason for that.

What has impressed you about Ethan Grunkemeyer and the passing game through the first two games?

He’s playing with a ton of confidence. I think he really has command of the offense. I think he’s comfortable. On Thursdays, myself, Ty Howle and Danny O’Brien meet with the quarterbacks. We go over the game plan and our openers. We make sure if there’s anything on the game plan that they don’t like or don’t completely understand, we get rid of it and throw it out. Depending on which quarterback is in the game, you’re going to call it a little bit differently, so we have those discussions. We sit down and have a meeting every Thursday about that.

He’s playing at a high level. He’s decisive. You don’t see him sitting in the pocket patting the ball. He’s decisive, and he’s also working through progressions. Some quarterbacks throw it to the first progression or they run. He’s going through progressions. He hasn’t done a whole lot with his legs yet, but he has the ability to do that. I think you’ll see that as the season goes on.

He’s making them defend the entire field. He’s got the ability to stretch the field. I also thought we did a better job last week — and we’ve got to continue to do this — of pushing the ball down the field in the vertical passing game.

Tyson Flowers

You scored a touchdown against Old Dominion. What happened to the ball after your scoop-and-score?

I don’t know. I gave it to the official. I was happy I was in the end zone. It had been over a year, so I was just happy to be in the end zone.

Have you ever been part of a game where your defense had back-to-back scoop-and-score opportunities like that?

No. In the moment, I didn’t think twice about it. But when I got to the sideline and after the game, when I was talking to my mom, stepdad and dad about it, the more I thought about it, I realized I’d never been part of something like that. It was pretty cool.

Take us through the sequence where Keon Wiley appeared to score, the play was reviewed and then you went back onto the field and scored on the very next play.

I remember running down the field, and even in some of the videos, I’m celebrating with Keon before he even gets into the end zone. That’s probably my fault, too. I’m celebrating with Keon before he even gets in, and I’m ecstatic.

I think one of the cool things about our defense and this team this year is just how excited we get when we’re making plays. That’s what you play football for. That’s the fun stuff — celebrating with your guys, being on the field and making plays.

When they went to review, I think the coaches did a good job of having it organized. It was, “Hey, if they overturn this, defense, be ready. Be hot.” I think they take the emotion out of it, which is really nice because in times like that it can get very emotional. It’s easy for your mind to wander and take you out of the moment.

The coaches do a good job of saying, “Let’s just keep playing one play at a time. Defense, we’re up. This is the call we’re expecting. This is the call. Let’s just go play another snap of football.” They make it really easy for us to stay in the moment and play one play at a time.

How important is having a short memory as a defensive back?

I work with a mental performance coach, and he talks a lot about just being present — being as present as possible and playing one play at a time. That’s all you can control. Whether it’s pass interference, calls not going our way or, like Coach Franklin was talking about, the other team gets scholarships too. They’re going to make some plays on you. You can’t control any of that. Let’s just be as present as possible and try to win and play one play at a time.

What kind of impact has safeties coach Anthony Midget had on you and the room this season?

I think the unique thing Coach Midget brings to the room is obviously all of his experience coaching in the NFL. All of the guys in the room, that’s our goal. We want to play in the NFL.

But I think something that makes Coach Midget really unique is his insight into what it was like here when this place was rolling, when they were winning games and when they were on a national championship-level team. What was the atmosphere like? What was Lane Stadium like? What were the expectations and the vibe around Blacksburg when they were really winning and rolling? His insight into that has been awesome.

Along with everything he knows, he’s able to give us the “why.” For me as a safety, I want to know: Why do I need to call this? Why do I need to run this this way? He’s able to give me that insight, which I really appreciate, and that helps me learn things more. He’s been awesome in all the different aspects you could ask about from a coach. Coach Midget brings it to the table, so I’ve really enjoyed growing in my relationship with him.

How much easier does Virginia Tech’s defensive front make your job on the back end?

It makes my job so easy. Especially as a safety in the run fits, I’m stepping down into the box, and they’re wadding everything up and making it hard for offenses. It becomes, “All right, Tyson, just don’t mess this up now.” If they don’t make the tackle, it’s going to be really easy for me.

Aycen Stevens, Cortez Harris, Kemari Copeland and Elhadj Fall — even Mylachi Williams, he balled out against ODU. I feel like we’re very deep up front. When those guys dominate, it makes everything behind them — linebackers, safeties and corners — so much easier.

What are your impressions of Maryland quarterback Malik Washington and the challenge he presents to Virginia Tech’s secondary?

The ball jumps out of his hands. I’ve got nothing but good things to say. I’m excited to go up against him and excited for the challenge that he brings us, especially as a secondary and a back end. I think we’re excited to go against him and the challenge he brings. I can’t wait to play.