Virginia Tech football sustained its second straight loss Saturday afternoon, ceding a late lead to California in a 25-20 loss in Berkeley, Calif. After the defeat, Hokies head coach James Franklin spoke to the media. Here's some of the notables from his post-game media availability.

No. 1: Franklin spoke of the team battling its tails off though — for the second straight week — it wasn't enough.

Virginia Tech's second consecutive defeat followed a similar script to its 35-33 loss to Pitt on Oct. 2. The Hokies remained competitive throughout the afternoon but failed to capitalize on opportunities that could have altered the outcome.

Franklin acknowledged those shortcomings while emphasizing his responsibility to address them.

"Obviously I thought our guys battled their tails off all the way to the end," Franklin said. "But at the end of the day, you know, we did not play well enough to get a win on the road in the ACC and we got to get things cleaned up."

Virginia Tech has now lost consecutive games by a combined seven points, with Saturday's defeat coming despite the Hokies holding a lead for much of the afternoon.

"There's critical moments and critical plays that we're not maximizing and ultimately that's my responsibility to get it fixed," Franklin said.

No. 2: Franklin acknowledged that defensive penalties continue to prove costly.

Although California committed more penalties than Virginia Tech, the Hokies' infractions came at particularly consequential moments. Virginia Tech was penalized seven times for 88 yards, compared with Cal's 10 penalties for 99 yards. Two of the Hokies' most costly infractions occurred on the Golden Bears' game-winning possession, docking Tech 30 total yards.

Linebacker Kaleb Spencer was flagged for roughing the passer, while cornerback Cam Chadwick Jr. drew a pass interference penalty. Those two 15-yard penalties advanced California from its own 37-yard line to Virginia Tech's 33.

"We have opportunities to get off the field," Franklin said. "And we get penalties. We actually had less penalties than they did today, but they came up at critical moments."

The Hokies also failed to force a turnover for the fourth consecutive game.

"We got opportunities for turnovers and we don't make them," Franklin said. "And we got to play the ball in the air. When the ball's in the air, we got to have the confidence to play the ball in the air."

Franklin explained that making an effort to play the football can help defensive backs avoid penalties while simultaneously creating turnover opportunities.

"If there is contact and it also is going to give you an opportunity to get some turnovers, which we're not getting right now," Franklin said.

No. 3: Franklin addresses the final play.

Virginia Tech's final opportunity came from California's 7-yard line, where Grunkemeyer attempted to connect with tight end Luke Reynolds in the end zone as time expired. The pass fell incomplete amid contact between Reynolds and a Golden Bears defender, though no pass interference penalty was assessed.

"As you guys know, I don't officiate and I don't have comments about officiating," Franklin said. "There's very strict rules about that. My job is to coach our team and get us to execute on offense, defense, and special teams."

Franklin also emphasized that Virginia Tech needed to do a better job defending the football throughout the afternoon. The Hokies were flagged for four pass interference penalties Saturday, compared with three assessed to California.

"But things should be called consistently on both sides," Franklin said. "We did not play the ball in the air enough with our defense at critical moments and it cost us and it should be evaluated for both teams the exact same way, especially in critical moments."

No. 4: Franklin spoke of "creating competition at every position" when the topic of kicker was brought up.

Fifth-year kicker John Love missed both of his field goal attempts Saturday, failing to convert from 55 yards in the first quarter and 39 yards in the fourth. The latter miss followed a false start by left guard Michael Troutman III on fourth-and-1 from California's 16-yard line, forcing the Hokies to attempt a longer field goal rather than potentially extending the drive. It's the first time in his career that Love's missed three straight field goals, per Tech Sideline's David Cunningham.

Franklin reiterated his confidence in Love but acknowledged that competition must be emphasized throughout Virginia Tech's roster.

"I love John. He's got a ton of experience," Franklin said. "He works his tail off. We need to create competition at every position."

The Virginia Tech coach stressed the importance of creating pressure during practice and having alternatives available when players struggle to execute.

"Whether it's snappers, whether it's kickers, whether it's punters, whether it's DBs, whether it's quarterbacks, you got to create pressure in practice to put them in those moments," Franklin said.

Franklin did not explicitly announce a kicking change, though he indicated that additional competition would be necessary.

"We're going to have to create some more competition," Franklin said. "There's no doubt about that."

No. 5: Franklin explained Virginia Tech's late-game defensive strategy.

After the Golden Bears advanced deep into Hokies territory, Franklin said Virginia Tech called for its defense to allow California to score, preserving enough time for the offense to attempt a last-second comeback.

"We made a surrender call there at the end there," Franklin said. "We needed to let them score."

California running back Ashten Emory scored on a 2-yard run with 18 seconds remaining, giving Virginia Tech one final possession.

"The only chance we had at that point was to let them score and for us to get the ball back with as much time on the clock as possible," Franklin said. "Because if we would have if they would have took more time off the clock and we would have stopped them, then we would have had no chance to go win it at the end."

Virginia Tech advanced to California's 7-yard line on its final possession, with Grunkemeyer completing consecutive passes of 18 and 20 yards to wide receiver Marlion Jackson.

"To me that was a super impressive drive at the end of the game under very very challenging circumstances," Franklin said. "And again we had an opportunity to win it at the end, but all that stuff is only remembered if you find a way to get the win."

Virginia Tech returns to Lane Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 17, to host Georgia Tech for its annual Homecoming game. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network.