Peter Moore couldn't corral the snap from Enzo Anthony that turned into an ODU touchdown. (Ivan Morozov)[/caption]

Friday's season-opener at Old Dominion was full of mistakes

for Virginia Tech.

Brent Pry's first game in charge of the Hokies featured 15 penalties for 106 yards, four interceptions and a special teams gaffe for the ages. Ahead of their first ACC game against Boston College on Saturday, they've tried to put Norfolk behind them.

Speaking with the media on Tuesday, Pry said Tech practiced on Sunday to address the errors, make corrections and get some closure from the first game of the year.

"We had a normal Sunday, which is a team meeting, one group will lift, one group will watch film," Pry said. "Then we’ll all go out and practice, and practice is structured where it’s a warmup to get them physically kind of greased up and get the kinks out, the soreness out. Then it’s a correction period, multiple periods.

"We dive in, and one of the things I ask the staff, both sides of the ball and even on special teams, the mistakes that were made, what are we doing in practice to correct them? How are we going to fix the penalties that are correctable? What do we need to do to make sure they don’t occur again? So those things are addressed in the meetings and then addressed on the field."

Pry said there isn't a consequence for penalties unless they're a blatant disregard for the program's expectations. In his mind, penalties come down to a lack of discipline or lack of detail, and those are the ones the Hokies worked to fix on Sunday.

"There are in-game penalties that occur," Pry said. "There were several I didn’t agree with that were discussed in the locker room pre-game with officials. But too many penalties, obviously. You eliminate four or five penalties, could be the difference in the game. You take away one takeaway, could be the difference in the game."

Then there were the interceptions. Grant Wells was picked off four times, though Pry said there didn't appear to be a common denominator. He referred to Wells's experience as a veteran, too, and said he expects the Marshall transfer to rebound and play well.

[caption id="attachment_7348257" align="alignnone" width="2100"] Virginia Tech quarterback Grant Wells was picked off four times at ODU. (Ivan Morozov)

The Hokies also had clock management issues late in the game. They let 28 seconds run off the clock because the staff didn't realize Old Dominion declined a penalty, leaving the clock running before Pry had a chance to call timeout. The head coach referred to it as "a great learning situation," one of several on Friday.

"You want to talk about those, discuss those," Pry said. "We talked about things that happened in other games over the weekend to continue to educate ourselves and prepare us to make the best decisions in game. But we’ve got to do a better job there at the end, particularly me."

Injury/Eligibility Notes


Pry highlighted a few players who have missed time for a slew of reasons on Tuesday.

Wide receiver Kaleb Smith: Pry labeled the captain as "day-to-day." Late in the first half at ODU, Smith was injured on a deep pass, and he came up holding his leg a few plays later. "He's a tough young man," Pry said. "If he can go, he will. ... He's doing everything he can."

Linebacker Alan Tisdale did not travel to Norfolk with the team due to an eligibility issue. He's "week-to-week," though he was last week's Scout Team Player of the Week. Tisdale has spent most of his time with the scout team, though he's taken some reps on the varsity field. "He's got our support and he's doing everything he can to get it right, as are we," Pry said.

Cornerback Brion Murray was suspended for the season-opener at Old Dominion due to traffic violations. On Aug. 31, Pry called it "a lesson for the whole team." Pry informed the media that Murray has been reinstated and will play cornerback for the Hokies against the Eagles.

Running back Jalen Holston did not practice much leading up to the ODU game. He was very limited due to his injury all week, but Keshawn King carried the load (19 rushes, 111 yards) against the Monarchs. "I look forward to him having a good week of practice to get back to his A game," Pry said.

Depth Chart Notes


Virginia Tech released its updated depth chart ahead of the Boston College game on Tuesday. Here are some notes and takeaways:

After a great performance, Keshawn King is the No. 1 running back on the depth chart for Virginia Tech. Holston, who is still recovering from an injury as previously mentioned, is the No. 2 back.

Jaylen Jones and Christian Moss are now into the two-deep at wide receiver. The Hokies' depth is scarce behind Smith and Lofton, especially with Jadan Blue not at 100%.

C.J. McCray wasn't 100% leading up to the Old Dominion game and wasn't listed in the depth chart at defensive end. Ahead of the Eagles, he's the No. 2 end behind TyJuan Garbutt, indicating he's healthy.

After missing some time with an injury, Keli Lawson is listed as the No. 3 Sam linebacker. He's also one of four Will linebackers on the depth chart, meaning he's practiced at two positions. Jayden McDonald, Jaden Keller and Tisdale are the three other players at Will.