Virginia Tech football head coach Brent Pry and the Gosnell brothers, Stephen (wide receiver) and Benji (tight end), joined Zach Mackey and Mike Burnop on Tech Talk Live on Wednesday. They discussed the recent 21-6 win over Georgia Tech and Saturday’s challenge at Syracuse.
Brent Pry
That was a 15-round heavyweight fight vs. Georgia Tech
It was a good one. Four quarters against a good football team in Georgia Tech. Our guys battled, they were aggressive on both sides, Peter Moore was awesome. Definitely things to improve on, but we’ll do that this week and move on to Syracuse.
One of the guys who’s getting some publicity this week is Jaylin Lane. He now has a passing, returning, rushing and receiving touchdown this year. How about his play?
He’s a versatile guy and a great athlete, tough to tackle. He’s skilled with the ball, smart, we’re really excited about the year he’s having.
How about the Kyron Drones hat trick?
That was pretty cool, great job by Coach [Tyler] Bowen and the staff. Runs for one, throws one, catches one, he can do it all.
Seems like the effective trick plays can really swing momentum.
It sure can. They don’t always work, but we’ve got an environment where we’re confident in those calls. We have a period every Tuesday in practice where we let our guys test those things out against our defense. Benji [Gosnell]’s touchdown catch was an unbalanced formation and they had a linebacker on [Xavier] Chaplin instead of Gosnell.
How about the defense holding them to just two field goals?
That was awesome, I’m very proud of Coach [Chris] Marve and the kids. They’ve done a good job all year running the ball and we held them to just two yards per carry.
How critical was the defense on its fourth down opportunities?
Those are high-pressure plays. Fourth down with the game in the balance when the offense is really stalling out. To get those stops over and over and over is an awesome job. People are going for it more and more on fourth down and the guys did a great job.
Keli Lawson had an interception and so did Jaylen Jones.
Keli is a long guy, 6-5, and he’s vertical and you can’t throw it over him and that’s what [Georgia Tech quarterback Zach Pyron] tried to do. And Jay Jones, we’ve thrown him that ball in Friday situational practice I’d bet five times this year, and everytime he’s gone down. Of course he gets it in the game and not only tries to run with it, he crosses field. Of course he got in trouble with that one.
What were the positives that you shared with the team on Sunday?
Wilfred Pene had a really good game. Some of the things were obvious and productive. The retrace on the screen, the tackle he made with the lineman between him and the ball carrier, what was special. But there were also some things off the ball where he did really well. That was one of the items I took away.
What about Keonta Jenkins having 10 tackles and that big fourth-down stop?
I think he’s playing his best football. He and Pene shared the defensive player of the game. He’s playing with knee bend, his pads roll over, he’s tackling well. He’s one of our more improved players.
What did you see that limited the offense on third down?
We had way too many negative plays on early downs. We took shots, which I’m fine with, but the second-and-12, second-and-13, then a third-and-9 or third-and-10, we didn’t stay on schedule.Was the Georgia Tech defensive line maybe better than you guys thought?
I thought they were an aggressive front. They rushed the quarterback a little better than I saw on film. They’ve got a good defense and a good football team.That first offensive play was near disaster, not how you want to get started.
Not at all, but the guys hung in there and gave us a chance. We made the plays we needed to make. The offense struggled and the defense and special teams stepped up.What can you say about Bhayshul Tuten and Xavier Chaplin?
Not a whole lot, we’re mid-week and there are still some things to work out. They got some work today, but they're somewhere between questionable and probable.Guys heal a lot quicker with the treatment these days.
They do, and we’ve doubled down on that. They’re tough guys and they’re working hard. We know how tough Bhayshul is and what he played with for a couple of weeks there. The medical staff is all over both of those guys.Some of the guys who come on here say that they have to go see the trainers if they’re injured. They’re in there a lot more than when they’re not, it’s a constant thing to get back.
There’s two or three treatments a day, depending on the injury. These guys have to go to class and they’ve got a lot going on. They may be in a boot or in crutches. There’s a lot of work to do.The red-zone defense has been great, fourth in the country. That’s also the fourth time this year you guys haven’t allowed a point in the fourth quarter.
Coach Marve and the staff do a fourth-quarter drill at the end of every Wednesday practice. It pays dividends. We’re a much better defense than we were against Vanderbilt.Your motto each week is 1-0. How has your team done at buying into that motto?
They’ve had to, especially after that tough loss at Miami. We focus on one at a time and keeping it that way all season. It’s the staff, players, support staff. We keep the same mindset of worrying about today. What can we do today to help us win the next game and to do well today?Ten punts over 50 yards and five inside the 20-yard line for Peter Moore.
He came through when we needed him. Talk about having your brother’s back, the offense was struggling. They came after several and the protection was great. He flipped the field and we covered well. The pride unit did well.Keonta Jenkins had two TFLs and a career-high 10 tackles. Talk a little about how he’s done at the star position.
Coach [Shawn] Quinn has done a great job with Keonta, he was a safety when he got here and we brought him down the star. He was solid last year and he’s playing at a high level this year too.
Since 2012, you’re 58-12 when winning the turnover battle. This year, you have 14 takeaways through eight games.
I like the pace, it’s been good for us. You look at Syracuse when they played down in Raleigh. Both teams played well, but NC State had 3 turnovers and Syracuse had none. It’s not rocket science, you have to protect the football and take it away.You’ve won three straight in the ACC. Have you seen a change in anything at practice?
We’re a confident bunch. We keep them humble and hungry, but we’ve got some confidence. They’ve got a long term goal but they know to keep their sites set on today. They do that and keep high aspirations.What has impressed you about Jaden Keller?
He’s been incredible. Right now with Caleb Woodson at will, JK at mike and Keonta at star, we’ve got some long guys that can run and guys that are playing better and better each week.You have a big crew here tonight of recruiting interns that are excited about that 2025 class.
It’s a heck of a class. The staff has done a great job with the recruiting department. James Johnson, Alex Jones, Jalyn Ballein, Gunter Brewer. It’s been an awesome effort in putting this class together. It’s a talented class with good character and it’ll be good for Virginia Tech.You’ve been working the phones a bit tonight.
Wednesday is usually our call night. We spend an hour-and-a-half, Jalyn overworks me, Amy is waiting for me at home. It’s a bit of a wrinkle since we’ve had to combine the two.Give us a sense of what that recruiting group does.
I gave a shout out to some of our guys there, but it's unbelievable what they interns do on official visits and on gameday. They’re awesome. The experience and the way that kids are treated when they come on campus is important, and they’re a big part of that.You’ve been up to Syracuse one time. What do you remember?
We had a 13-game win streak, we went up there and Donovan McNabb got the best of us, that wasn’t a good trip.What was Pitt’s defense doing so well to confuse Kyle McCord into throwing a number of interceptions last week?
It was a combination of pressure and coverage. Syracuse had a bunch of drops. He threw two picks that were bad decisions, the rest of them, the wideouts had something to do with it. You have to make him move his feet and wreck the decision maker. Our DBs have to be on point.People have made it a big deal going up to the dome, but your team has never been up there before.
Correct. They’ve never been there, it’s a new coach and a new culture. We’re going to do our regular deal. Go by the stadium and do our normal deal.That’s something you like to do, go see the team you're visiting’s stadium.
When it works out scheduling wise, I like to. You used to always practice at the other team's facilities on Friday. You’d travel early, practice. Nowadays you’d rather practice at home. We just go by if it's convenient from the airport to the hotel. We pop in there and spend a little time so the guys can see the field, check the surface, the lighting, the stands and the kickers want to find their mark between the goalpost. Things you do pregame that you can knockout before then.Give your Hokie Stone Players of the Week a shout out.
The Hokie Stone Players of the Week are the scout team guys who do the best offensively, defensively and on special teams. We want to reward those guys. We give them a graphic and put it out on our social platforms. It can be hard practicing your butt off every day and not getting to play on Saturdays. Their jobs and their roles are as important as anybody’s, those guys did a great job last week and that’s why they got the shoutout. We like to travel those guys as a reward if we can. They’re so important to what we do. You have to be Syracuse all week long, you have to be the receiver, the tight end, the linebacker, the rush end. They do a good job at it and get our guys ready.
Syracuse leans heavy on the pass with its quarterback. How important is it to be ready for the pass but not be so drawn to forget the run game?
They have a bunch of explosive run plays. You have to make it a one-dimensional game. I’d rather know that they’re going to throw it and eliminate the run game.Talk about how much the Gosnell brothers have meant to you.
Outstanding kids. Steve transferred in from North Carolina as a developmental guy with a lot of redeeming qualities. His brother committed to Ohio State and decommitted, he was a huge get in our first cycle. Outstanding family, those two guys are two of 12 or 13 children. Mom and dad are awesome and I’ve gotten to know most of the crew through the recruiting process. The other thing is that they’ve both overcome serious injuries. Their rehab and recovery for both of them were ahead of schedule for how they worked and committed to it. They’re having success, both of them are really instrumental in what we do offensively.This Syracuse team is first in the country in time of possession. What kind of challenges does that present?
They’re able to throw the ball short and quick to stay on schedule and convert. They do a nice job at it. They throw the ball 60 times if they need to. They keep the clock rolling with a four-yard and five-yard pass, and we have to stop that.How important will it be to keep the defense fresh?
Having good drives and moving the football and staying on schedule is going to be vital for this game.How was the trick or treat you did up at the office for Halloween?
It wasn’t scary enough. The kids were laughing, I like it when they’re crying. [Laughs] They’re 4, 5, 6, 7 years old. They did a Candyland theme instead of a scary theme. They had fun, kids, all of the coaches and staff came in. Some of them dress up. They come out to practice and come through the weight and training room, by my office and then down the assistant coaches hall where they have a family dinner upstairs.What have you seen on the special teams unit for Syracuse?
They’ve had some mishaps but they’re aggressive. They come after your field goals and punts. They have the athleticism and speed to make plays on teams.How about Aycen Stevens?
Coach [J.C.] Price and Jan Johnson have done a great job at developing him as a redshirt freshman that was a linebacker. He plays hard and tough, he’s got a bright future. It’s great that he’s getting meaningful reps right now.What do the next couple of days look like?
Tomorrow the coaches will look at today's practice before no sweat Thursday. It’s a bunch of mental focusing and pre-snap communication and execution. The scout team will be jogging around but the guys who play the game will be walking everywhere they go. Friday we pick it back up for fast Friday, 85% of the max. We aren’t out there long, just getting it greased up and going. Some running and throwing, blitz trigger and some scout work. Then we go through a 25-play situational, kicking game, offense, defense, end of game, two-minute, backed up.Are you glad about the noon kick?
I’m never glad until that morning. I get to wake up and it's here and we can get moving. We get them up and on a team walk around the hotel. Quick walkthrough, pregame meal, then we go out to the stadium.
Gosnell Brothers
How are things with you, Benji?
Great. Things have been smooth, the week has been good.How are you feeling about getting more involved in the offense?
Good, the offensive coordinator does a good job at getting those tight ends open and scheming things up to get the ball in our hands.What were some of the things happening that let those back-to-back plays happen?
We ran those back-to-back deceptive plays to get close to the red zone and in the end zone. Those both worked out well. We had four gadget plays in the gameplan and two of them were drawn up to the tight end.Stephen, you went to UNC out of highschool and decided to come here through the portal. What drew you to Virginia Tech?
Looking back, there's a lot. I didn’t fit the program I was in and I knew I was better than what was happening. Benji was coming here with the new staff and after talking with them it just felt right. It’s been everything I imagined.Benji, what’s it like having a brother on the team?
It’s fun. It’s nothing new — the only time I haven’t played with him was for the two years he was at Carolina and then a year or two in little league. It’s definitely cool having legitimate family on the team to play with and live with.What about you, Stephen?
We joke all the time that this is the only question we get asked, but Benji gave the exact answer. We feed off each other's energy and hold each other accountable when the other is slacking.How many siblings do you have and where do you guys fit in?
Stephen: 13. Nine boys, four girls. I’m the 11th child, he’s the 12th, there’s one younger.Any other athletes?
High school. Not really collegiately, though.Are your parents athletes?
Dad is a golfer.Do you guys golf?
We definitely try.How much do you guys talk about the previous game and upcoming opponents now that you live together?
In the house, we work at work. We talk about it occasionally but we mostly chill at the house.
Do you guys cook?
Yeah, we’re big carnivores, cook a lot of meat.Who’s the better cook?
Stephen: I always say me, but he makes a good ribeye.What’s the go-to meal?
Stephen: Anything steak, preferably ribeye.Benji: I like making taco salad.
You had that 28-yard reception on the flea flicker. Do you get excited about those trick plays, Stephen?
When you see the play-action protection signal, your antennas go up as a receiver. As the signal is coming in, you visualize and execute.
How’s Ali [Jennings] coming along with his injury?
He’s fully cleared and not limited now. He’s ready to contribute.
Benji, why did you choose Virginia Tech?
I took one visit here. The culture is great. My first football memory was Tyrod Taylor whooping Carolina. I love the culture, atmosphere, campus, it’s close to home and I knew the staff that Coach Pry was bringing in and what he brought to the table. There was no other choice.
How is Nick Gallo doing, Benji?
He’s been out there working his tail off and staying in shape. He’s almost an extra coach. He’s been a great friend and a great leader. He’s always been close to the team and supportive.
Do either of you have a memorable on field moment together?
Stephen: The first-ever game in little league, I was the quarterback and he was a receiver. We ran a play-action and I chucked it up to him in triple coverage and he caught it.
What’s your favorite stadium other than Lane?
Benji: Playing at Hard Rock was pretty cool.
Stephen: I went one time to Notre Dame. Out in the middle of nowhere and the campus is just surrounded by football history. I’d say that was pretty cool.
Least favorite?
[Simultaneously] UVa.
What stands out about Syracuse this weekend?
Stephen: The defense, they try to get you uncomfortable and force you to communicate. They run different fronts and a lot of different variations of coverages. We’ve seen a lot of games on tape so we know how to prepare.
