Virginia Tech kicker John Love was named ACC Specialist of the Week on Monday after making two 50-yard field goals in Friday’s 38-34 loss at No. 7 Miami.
“It was fun to get those attempts,” Love told reporters after the game. “That’s always something you visualize before the game, those long field goals. It was a great opportunity. I’m just glad I was able to take advantage of it.”
The redshirt sophomore from Spartanburg, S.C., has made 23 of his last 24 attempts dating back to last season’s game against Wake Forest (Oct. 14). The lone miss was a 33-yarder that was blocked at Old Dominion on Sept. 14.
Here’s a breakdown of his kicks in that span:
- 20-29 yards: 4-for-4
- 30-39 yards: 9-for-10
- 40-49 yards: 8-for-8
- 50-plus yards: 2-for-2 (both at Miami)
Love has been insanely consistent, and he gave the Hokies a huge lift at the end of the second quarter against the Hurricanes when he drilled a 57-yard field goal with 20 seconds remaining. It was the third-longest kick in school history.
“It’s electric,” Love said of his career-long boot. “You go out there, you come up with a target line in pre-game and then you hit right on the target line and you’re like, ‘OK, let’s go, let’s kick it.’ And then trusting the coaching staff, I really appreciate it because obviously I’ve never had anything like that to this point in my career, so to trust me to go execute that, I’m grateful.”
He answered the bell to open the third quarter, too. Love capped off Tech’s eight-play, 41-yard drive with a 52-yarder, extending the lead to 27-17. He was the first Hokies kicker since Dave Strock in 1972 to make two 50-yard field goals in the same game.
“Credit to Christian [Epling] and Peter [Moore], snapping and holding, that’s where it all starts,” Love said. “Offensive line does a great job for me. I’m blessed to help this team score outside of the red zone, and we’ve done a much better job of scoring inside the red zone the last couple games, so I’ve had a few less plays, but that’s awesome to be able to hit from back there and really keep the momentum going.”
He’s the first Tech kicker to be named the ACC Specialist of the Week since Cody Journell in 2013, which came after a 4-for-5 game vs. Pitt (Oct. 12) that included makes from 23, 37, 42 and 48 yards.
Print
Need to get a handle on those jersey numbers. However great kicking by Love!
Congratulations John! Love watching you kick all of those field goals! Can’t wait for one’s of 60 plus yards! Good luck the rest of the year!🏈🏈
Love is having a tremendous season so far – hopefully there will more awards later in the year.
Amidst the angst swirling around the program, we are truly blessed to have John Love as our place kicker. If he stays through his eligibility, and continues to kick as he has done so far in his career, he will carve out a place in the books and in our hearts.
A little puzzled to see that we have to go all the way back to Cody Journell to find the last VT winner of ACC specialist of the week. I would’ve thought Joey Slye would’ve gotten that honor after his 6-FG performance at Pitt a few years ago.
He would’ve been the headliner had we won that game.
No, we would have had two ACC players of the week.
Keep hitting ’em John! Great work!