Virginia Tech has an opportunity to look in the mirror after a tough seven weeks. (Jon Fleming)[/caption]

It's Virginia Tech football's open week. The media observed practice on Wednesday evening and spoke with head coach Brent Pry and defensive coordinator Chris Marve, along with a few players.

Here are some notes on the Hokies (2-5, 1-3 ACC) as they get their feet back under them ahead of a tough clash with No. 23 NC State next Thursday.

Pulling Back the Pail


On Tech Talk Live on Oct. 14 ahead of the Miami game, Pry said the staff decided to put the iconic Lunch Pail on the shelf. After giving up 320 yards on the ground to Israel Abanikanda, the coaches didn't feel like the players really earned it. So they took it away as a motivating tool.

Pry said the defense showed some good things in the second half of the Miami game that might call for bringing the Lunch Pail back, so conversations are ongoing.

"Motivation is not the thing," Marve said

on Wednesday. "I think we need to focus on our inner locus of control. We want it to be personal. We want it to be something we take a lot of pride in, that we, on a daily basis, go out and earn.

"It’s not a motivational tactic; it’s reality for us. What are we going to do to make sure we represent the standard and uphold the standard and legacy?"

Back in August, the Hokies revived Bud Foster's Lunch Pail. Pry said it was one of the first things he wanted to do when he got the job. The standard, however, remains the same, and the current staff didn't feel like the players earned it for the time being.

Hokies Take a Look in the Mirror


One of the most important things during a bye week is the opportunity for self-reflection. Virginia Tech did just that on Monday, breaking down the first seven weeks.

The Hokies have had opportunities this season, but the ball hasn't always rolled their way. (Jon Fleming)

"The data, the film, defensively [we] broke down every single explosive play against us and why it happened," Pry said. "Run play, pass play, was it a missed tackle, we didn’t edge the defense, execution error, good play by the offense? Broke down every one of them."

However, it's not a normal bye week. Instead of playing the following Saturday, the Hokies have NC State on Thursday, Oct. 27. As a result, they spent less time reviewing previous games than normally.

"What we did with a limited time is we studied where we were inefficient," Pry said. "Where weren’t we good enough? Offensively, we looked at how do we maximize our strengths? Our best personnel and the things we do the best. And where can we create a few more challenges?"

Pry said there wasn't anything too surprising to him that he discovered on Monday. Marve said the defensive staff had suspicions of certain players and situations or specific run or pass plays that teams attacked the Hokies with in particular areas.

During the season, Tech reviews the most recent game each Sunday and Monday, along with the previous ones. The open week was an opportunity to dive a bit deeper.

"Some suspicions were confirmed, and we found out a few things we didn’t know about that I think are ultimately going to help us down this stretch," Marve said.

Generating Turnovers


Through seven weeks, Virginia Tech is tied for 114th in the country in turnover margin. With the exception of Alabama, Kentucky, Washington State and South Carolina, most of the teams between 100 and 131 are sub-.500.

That's the case in Blacksburg where the Hokies have a -5 turnover margin this season. They've picked off opponents twice and recovered three fumbles, but they have 10 turnovers themselves.

[caption id="attachment_7361610" align="alignnone" width="2100"] Tech only has two interceptions this year - vs. Boston College and at Pitt. (Jon Fleming)

There seems to be a bit of randomness where a turnover margin, like the Crimson Tide's -4, doesn't necessary correlate to a team's record. But that area has been a point of emphasis in the open week for Virginia Tech.

"First of all, you’ve got to teach it, right? You get what you emphasize as a coach," Marve said. "If we deem it as positive and show it to them and continue to emphasize it, they want to replicate that behavior, so it’s about talking about it in unit meetings, it’s talking about it in position meetings, it’s focusing on it in practice, it’s tracking it in practice.

"Ultimately, when game day comes, it’s about getting to the football. Attacking the ball when it’s in the air, swarming the football as a defense, all 11 getting to the rock, and then attacking the ball carrier if you’re the second man in after the ball’s been secured."

Elijah Howard Changes Positions


A 5-11, 176-pounder from Knoxville, Tenn., redshirt freshman Elijah Howard has transitioned to running back from cornerback.

He was repping with Stu Holt's room during Wednesday's open practice. Pry said it's to give him an opportunity to see the field.

"He had a nice career in high school as a back," Pry said. "In this developmental stuff, you want to move guys around a little bit and see what they can do. He hasn’t really worked out in the secondary. He’s not earning any time there. So give him a shot, based on his high school film. So we’ll do that for a couple weeks and see where we get with it."

Howard has appeared in ten games across two seasons, including all seven in 2022. According to PFF, he's played 90 snaps this season; 77 have come on special teams. He has two tackles in that span.

Howard ran for 800 yards, had 110 receiving yards and scored seven touchdowns in a shortened senior season in high school. As a junior, he totaled 1,422 rushing yards and 22 scores. Composite rankings from 247Sports listed Howard as the No. 18 prospect in The Volunteer State.

Pry said he "looked out of place" with the cornerbacks and "pretty natural" running the ball, so the Hokies decided to give him a shot there.

Mansoor Delane and the young cornerbacks are learning, one of the reasons Elijah Howard changed positions. (Jon Fleming)

True Freshman Corners Continue To Develop

One of the contributing factors to Howard's move is the growth of Tech's young cornerbacks. Mansoor Delane, Cam Johnson and Devin Alves have all burst on the scene.

Delane's played in four games while Johnson's seen action in two. Alves does not have an appearance on the season. However, their development gives Pry confidence in the future of the cornerback room.

"Obviously what Mansoor did, the development that we have with Cam and Devin has me excited," Pry said. "And I’m excited about the class we have in the secondary. So there’s some good, young prospects in the program and coming into the program."

Delane, a 6-1, 177-pound freshman from Silver Spring, Md., has 10 tackles in four games. In addition, he has 1.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups, both of which came for Virginia Tech against Miami on Saturday. He's played 132 snaps, 119 on defense, and showed his ability to tackle in the open field over the past few weeks.

"Mansoor is a very mature young player," Marve said. "He’s very confident. He prepares the right way, no panic in him. To be so young… you don’t really always expect that from somebody who hasn’t seen as many snaps in real live game action.

"Playing in practice against your teammates is one thing, but actually being on the field in front of fans, on national television and having a cool about you, it’s been really impressive to watch, and it just goes back to preparation."