Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin labeled a penalty on running back Marcellous Hawkins Jr. as "un-American" after the player was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct following a touchdown celebration. The incident occurred during the Hokies' dominant 73-3 victory over VMI in Franklin's debut game as Virginia Tech's head coach.
Hawkins Jr. scored three touchdowns in the game. After his third score, he sprinted to the end zone to high-five military cadets in attendance. Officials deemed this act to be unsportsmanlike conduct and threw a flag.
"We got a penalty for high-fiving one of our members of the core," Franklin said after the game. "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."
According to NCAA Rule 9-2, players are prohibited from engaging in any "delayed, excessive, prolonged or choreographed act by which a player (or players) attempts to focus attention upon himself (or themselves)." Additionally, players are required to immediately return the ball to an official after scoring, a rule Hawkins Jr. also appeared to violate by holding onto the ball during his celebration.
Franklin, who was hired by Virginia Tech 36 days after being fired by Penn State in October, witnessed a strong performance from his team. The Hokies' offense scored on their first six possessions, and the defense limited VMI to just 83 total yards. Special teams also contributed, blocking two punts and recovering one for a touchdown.
"There's a ton of teams across the country that play opponents that people may say, 'You're supposed to do this,' or 'You're supposed to do that,' and they don't," Franklin commented on the team's execution. "At the end of the day, we did what we were supposed to do. We executed in all three phases. We did it for four quarters."
Franklin, tasked with rebuilding the Virginia Tech program which has experienced losing seasons in five of the last six years, brought in 27 transfers. Among them, quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, who previously started the final seven games for Penn State, had a notable debut, completing 10 of his first 11 passes and finishing 17 of 20 for 224 yards and two touchdowns.