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Dakich: College Football Will Be Worse Without Sanders, Hunter | Don't @ Me w/ Dan Dakich
"I'm sad about this because I think college football was more interesting when Colorado had Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter and Deion was fresh, but they crashed last year. Three and nine, five game losing streak they're currently on. Seems like there's a lot of things. Dion's health, that kind of thing. I don't know, man. This seems to be headed in a bad direction. And as importantly, I guess it's not interesting anymore."
The James Franklin era at Virginia Tech got off to an emphatic start on Saturday with the Hokies trouncing VMI by a count of 73-3. It was very much a celebration in Blacksburg, and as stress-free a day as the Hokies will have all season, but Franklin did have a small bone to pick with the officiating crew after the final whistle.
A coach on the winning side of a 70-point blowout shouldn't have any complaints, but Franklin's issue appears to be well warranted.
"We got a penalty for high-fiving one of our members of the core," Franklin said. "Not a huge fan. I don’t know why we can’t high-five somebody in the military; it seems somewhat un-American to me."
Virginia Tech Hokies head coach James Franklin greets fans during the "Hokie Walk" prior to a college football game between the VMI Keydets and the Virginia Tech Hokies on September 5, 2026, at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, VA. (Lee Coleman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Unlike in the NFL, where there are essentially no limitations on what players can do in terms of celebrating, there is a set of rules for excessive celebrations in college football. Apparently, those rules are strictly applied, even when the player in question is celebrating with cadets seated in the front row.
Virginia Tech running back Marcellous Hawkins Jr. was the player flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after scoring what was his third touchdown of the evening.
HokieBird, mascot for the Virginia Tech Hokies, poses with members of Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets in the second half during a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Lane Stadium on September 21, 2024 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Ryan Hunt/Getty Images)
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After punching it into the end zone with 6:59 left in the third quarter, Hawkins immediately ran over to the large group of cadets and high-fived a number of them, which is what drew the penalty from an official in the end zone.
According to NCAA Rule 9-2, players are prohibited from any "delayed, excessive, prolonged or choreographed act by which a player (or players) attempts to focus attention upon himself (or themselves)."
Players are also mandated to immediately return the football to an official after scoring. Hawkins held onto the football while celebrating with the cadets, which very well could have led to the penalty flag being thrown.
Head coach James Franklin of the Virginia Tech Hokies walks on the field before the game against the Miami Hurricanes at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va., on Nov. 22, 2025. (Ryan Hunt/Getty Images)
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Despite the "un-American" penalty that Franklin very much did not appreciate, it was a big-time Saturday for the Hokies as they picked up 619 yards and held VMI to just 83 of its own.
Virginia Tech's Corps of Cadets dates back to 1872, and the school remains one of a select few public universities with both an active cadet corps and a civilian campus lifestyle today.
Mark Harris is a writer for OutKick.
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