BLACKSBURG, Va. — Fresh off a seven-point victory over Boston College, Virginia Tech gears up for a Friday night fray vs. Pitt (7 p.m. ET, ESPN), one of its two Friday games of the season. Ahead of the week, head coach James Franklin replied to the media's questions at his weekly press conference. Here's the five most pertinent notes and quotes to take away from Monday's presser:

No. 1: Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel presents a different challenge than any quarterback Virginia Tech has faced this season.

Heintschel may be the most potent quarterback Virginia Tech's squared off against all season. The sophomore has completed 88 of his 130 passes for 1,191 yards, 13 touchdowns and one pick.

"He's obviously a good decision maker and does a really good job distributing the ball," Franklin said. "They're also getting the ball to a bunch of different guys."

Heintschel hasn't been perfect, though. After a 31-of-41, 453-yard, seven-touchdown performance in the Panthers' opener against Miami (OH), he completed 18 of 29 passes for 212 yards and no touchdowns in a 12-7 victory over UCF. The next week, Heintschel went 10-of-23 for 123 yards, no touchdowns and an interception in a 2-13 win over Syracuse.

In Pitt's most recent win — a 59-0 thumping of Bucknell on Sept. 26 — Heintschel completed all but eight of his 37 passes, going for 403 yards and six scores.

"They do a really good job of stressing you out with traditional paths, formations, RPOs," Franklin said. "I think they are big and athletic up front. They've done a good job of building this thing the right way."

No. 2: Pitt's defense is aggressive in Franklin's eyes.

Pittsburgh's conceded just 60.7 rushing yards through the first four games of its season. That total ranks No. 4 in the country behind only Miami (40.3), LSU (47.5) and Notre Dame (53.8). Franklin spotlighted their blitz packages in particular.

"Like most defensive coordinators and most defensive-minded guys, they want to make it one-dimensional, stop the run — and then [Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi], he's got a really good blitz package," Franklin said. "Whether he's blitzing to your back or whether they're looking at your tendencies in terms of where your slide side and man side is, they've got a really good plan and it causes conflict. There's no doubt about it. You've got to do a great job of getting the ball out quickly. Then, the other thing is, just like our defense, they're an attacking-style front.

"So their defensive line is getting off the ball and trying to penetrate; the twist game also makes it challenging because when you get penetration, it's difficult to to pass those twists off, and then their linebackers are downhill. Those guys play super aggressive. It's impressive to watch. ... They get all 11 guys running to the ball.

No. 3: Franklin further addressed Virginia Tech's struggles before the Hokies broke through in the fourth quarter.

In a blustery showdown against Boston College Saturday in Chestnut Hill, Virginia Tech opted to play conservative for much of the game with winds that reached nearly 40 mph. In Franklin's opinion, that made them more predictable.

"That's why the four-minute offense is so difficult, because everybody in the stadium knows you're going to run the ball, as well as the defensive coordinator," Franklin said. "I think we opened it up a little bit [late]. If you look, [quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer's] stats are not going to blow you away. But under the circumstances, I think the statistics were really impressive."

Overton was the catalyst, totaling 140 final-frame rushing yards — including a 76-yard house call off the right edge that gave Virginia Tech a 21-14 lead it wouldn't relinquish.

"We were able to get Overton some more touches, some more opportunities — and he's shown his ability to make people miss," Franklin said. "It's not just the big long runs. It's also some of the short runs where he's breaking tackles and making people miss."

No. 4: It's the first clash between 4-0 and 4-0 teams in Blacksburg in a while, though it's business as usual.

Virginia Tech and Pitt both enter Friday with unblemished records. The Panthers have taken down Miami (OH), UCF, Syracuse and Bucknell, while Virginia Tech's beaten VMI, Old Dominion, Maryland and Boston College.

It's perhaps the biggest game of the year yet from a pressure perspective, though the focus remains on going 1-0 week-to-week, per Franklin.

"I get that for the media, and I get that for the fans and everybody," Franklin said. "But we've got to find a way to be 1-0 this week. Each week, it's been critical, and we've got to find ways to get wins. Our approach should be consistent every single week... As a program, we should be getting better every single week. ... We should be getting into a rhythm."

Virginia Tech may work its way into the AP Top 25 if it wins, given that it's the fifth team located in the others receiving votes category while Pitt is seventh. The Hokies winning on Friday against the Panthers would mark their first 5-0 start since the 2005 season. It'd be Virginia Tech's first ranking in the poll since the third week of the 2021 season.

No. 5: What's the scoop on injuries?

Virginia Tech's battered offensive line will be without left tackle Justin Terry for several weeks, according to a team spokesman. Wide receiver Ayden Greene and right guard Montavious Cunningham, though, are expected to be back for Friday, per Franklin.

Greene and Cunningham both were out last week against Boston College, while Terry was injured in the Hokies' game against Maryland. Left tackle Logan Howland also went in vs. Boston College after Brody Meadows was injured in the first half.