"We have to be better. We have to have a better plan."
This would be Head Coach Brent Pry's early thoughts in his September 3 press conference. The more things change the more things stay the same. That's the overall tone clouding Hokie Nation after a violently disappointing kickoff to a new season - a trend which has, unfortunately, haunted us for years.
With an 86% return rate (highest in FBS), a seamless coaching staff, and momentum from the 2023 season, there was substantial offseason hype for the Hokies. So much so that Virginia Tech was viewed, by some, as a CFP dark horse with the 12-team expansion. Just last week Pat McAfee was giving us tremendous praise on College GameDay.
In a presser just days before the game, Coach Pry attempted to tame the clamor from McAfee and others. He noted that “preseason hype and predictions don't mean a thing. It's just noise." The head coach simply stated his guys needed to remain humble, hungry, and trust the process.
The final result of said "process" didn't live up to an ounce of that hype despite fans painting Nashville with maroon and orange. From early in the game, Vanderbilt appeared hungrier and more sound on assignments. The in-game mimosas were flowing at a rate of which I'm ashamed to admit.
Pry also used the word "rotation" often in his late-August press conference in reference to our depth at numerous positions. However, if you have two eyeballs and a few brain cells even our starters appeared incapable at times. Tech's biggest blunders?
- Play Calling: Both sides of the ball saw awfully suspect calls. Tuten only touched the ball nine times and explosive wideout Ali Jennings only saw TWO targets. Yes, one of them cashed in for six, but the short passes, screens, etc. just were not effective against a prepared defense. We came out for the entire first half appearing catatonic.
- Energy: The whole team appeared lackluster coming out the gates. Most notably, quarterback Kyron Drones who is normally a dual-threat stud. Without KD1 getting into a comfortable rhythm, the entire team seemed to follow suit. Pry talked about digging a hole early and dug a hole we did. It was ultimately too tough to climb our way out.
- Quarterback Pressures: The Hokies only had six QB pressures as compared to Vanderbilt's fifteen on us.
- Missed Tackles: 13 missed tackles are just inexcusable for a program that puts all their eggs into this football program.
- Run Game: The run game was managed poorly on both sides of the ball. We could not get a steady rhythm on the ground and we allowed Vandy to run all over us. See above "missed tackles."
The above gaffes would result in a 34-27 loss for Virginia Tech. Add Vanderbilt to the growing list of teams that Virginia Tech should have knocked off in the month of September over the years. Other past September losses include Marshall, Rutgers, and in-state headache Old Dominion.
"...preseason hype and predictions don't mean a thing. It's just noise."
As we push ahead to week two to host the Thundering Herd at Lane Stadium, I am curious as to the game plan because it has to be very different than we saw last Saturday. Priorities have to begin and end with coordinators setting up our players for success. Brent Pry said it himself in today's presser: "This is a good team we're playing. We're gonna get their best effort."
Execution is paramount, but how can play-callers throw out garbage and expect positive results? Something to watch for as we have a clean slate by 4:30pm EST on September 7. As always, Go Hokies!
