Virginia Tech football head coach Brent Pry and men’s basketball head coach Mike Young joined Zach Mackey and Mike Burnop on Tech Talk Live Thursday night. Pry and the Hokies have a gigantic game vs. No. 23 Clemson on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) while Young’s crew has its second game of the year Friday night vs. USC Upstate (7 p.m. ET, ACCNX).
Brent Pry
How are things?
It’s been a good week, guys bounced back well. We had one of our better Tuesday practices that we’ve had in a while. Good day yesterday, no sweat Thursday was good today. The guys are excited about the opportunity.
What do you know about the injuries?
Guys are working their butts off to get well. They did last week, they’re doing it this week. Kyron [Drones] wasn’t healthy going into Georgia Tech. He’s been treating it like crazy. Brett [Griesemer] and docs are working on them. They’re a lot better this week than they were last week. They’re getting work out at practice and doing some things. We’ll see. We got a few days left to get them as good as we can get them and then we’ll make the decision with medical staff and then again as coaches.
The kids want to play, but if they aren’t 100%, you need to bring in the medical staff.
The health and safety of those guys is first. Secondly, how well can they play? How limited are they, if they are at all? Those guys want to be out there with their teammates. When they aren’t they feel like they’re letting people down. They’re working at it, we’ll see where it ends up.
What is the protocol with making those decisions?
First of all, medical staff. That starts at the beginning of the week. Getting those kids work, making sure to progress them. For some guys, they can play with limited practice time, some can’t. Some guys can be cleared medically, but without the work this week, it can be a tough call to make. We have to make sure they can play well enough. Obviously, Kyron, Bhayshul [Tuten], Mansoor [Delane], they’ve all played a lot of football. They’re experienced. But at the end of the day, it’s the medical staff’s evaluation. We do a staff meeting with the athletic training, rehab, all of that every single day. “Where are these guys?” They get treatment two and three times a day, getting vitamins and supplements to help them recover based on the injury. We have a great medical crew, hands on day to day. They give the information to us and we do what is permissible in practice. Sometimes it’s tolerated, sometimes it’s the blue jersey, sometimes it’s limited reps. There’s a lot of planning that goes into this.
Collin Schlee really played well at Syracuse, especially for a guy who has gotten limited reps.
I was proud of him. He wasn’t perfect, there’s some plays he’d like to have back, but he played well. He’s a guy who started a couple of years at Kent State, a couple of games at UCLA. He’s a competitor, a go-getter, he finds a way to make a play and he did that several times on Saturday. He showed why we were so aggressive to go get him, he gave us a good chance to win the game.
He’s got a sidearm motion to his throw, doesn’t he?
It took a while to get past that. Had to watch a lot of film to realize that he makes it work. Kind of like my throwing style in high school.
You mentioned learning how to finish. Can you touch on that?
It starts with me. We evaluate everything from the way we finish practices or the mindsets of the play caller at the end of the game. There are so many things that go into it. Once you can get that one in the bank and gain that confidence in that situation, it’s huge. We talked about the missed opportunities in the games this season, where we can be better as players and coaches, we shuffled things around to make sure the end of practice has a strong element to it. We talked about starting fast so we started practice fast, we have to finish practice strong. We did a couple of things Tuesday and Wednesday. We’ve looked at everything from conditioning to player rotations in the game, play calls. There are a lot of places where we can move the needle. The biggest thing, though, is the mindset to put that team away, and we have to be better there.
Why did your red-zone defense struggle late in the game and in overtime?
They did a nice job, gave us a gimmick formation and we didn’t adjust to it great. It was a gimmick formation and then they shifted. They gave us something similar earlier in the game that we lined up to and defended really well, but they did a nice job with their plan. We have to go and answer, you hate coughing the ball up there in that critical situation. You want every opportunity to get into the end zone.Pretty impressive what Jeremiah Coney and Malachi Thomas did without Bhayshul Tuten.
It was great. Schlee, Malachi, Coney, all of those guys did great and were really productive in the game. It’s unfortunate, I hate it for Coney and Schlee, to have those turnovers. They were extra effort guys all game long and you really hate that for them. We need to do better on ball security.Schlee was hit pretty hard a couple of times and then Pop Watson had to come in for a play. That was unique.
We preach to our guys, “You’re one play away. If you’re a backup, one play from being a starter. If you’re a third teamer, you’re one play away from being in the rotation.” All of a sudden, Pop goes from not playing to being out there with the team counting on him. It was a great lesson for everybody. Coney learned that lesson too. You have to prepare like you’re a starter so that when the opportunity comes, you’re ready.He took a hard hit there in overtime, too. How is he?
He’s good. A little banged up, probably 85% today. We practiced and got everything in yesterday, just sore today.How tough is Xavier Chaplain? He’s continued to get banged up but has gone right back out there.
His toughness really came around this year and it’s great to see. He does so many things well. It’s part of the game to play with some minor injuries sometimes. It’s a physical game up front and he’s learning how to navigate it.It was nice to see Ali Jennings get back into the mix.
So happy for him, he really looks like himself again as he’s getting back into the grove of things. Good pass by Collin, and certainly a nice catch for the touchdown.Mansoor was productive with an interception and a forced fumble. He got banged up too. How is he?
He looked good today. I was a little worried yesterday, but better today.What about Stephen Gosnell?
What a year he’s having. Mr. Reliable is what we call him around the building. He plays a lot of receiver positions. He makes clutch catches and gets yards after. He fights for everything he gets. He took a heck of a shot in the game and bounced right back. A guy that’s having a big year for us. Veteran, lots of maturity and really, really dependable.How about Antwaun Powell-Ryland? A sack and a blocked kick.
He’s been playing at a high level. He’s mastering his craft and he’s at a place where the game comes easy to him. He’s really stepped it up in the run game this year, that was a big emphasis coming into this season. Obviously, he has continued to elevate himself as a pass rusher.That blocked extra point ended up being huge, took you guys to overtime. What happened there?
He really got good penetration. That’s tricky being on that field goal block team. You have to be firm and plant your feet. He exposed them and elevated.
You had five guys invited to the Shrine Game: Tuten, APR, Dorian Strong, Da’Quan Felton and Jaylin Lane.
Congratulations to them. A big honor and a big post season opportunity. All those guys have NFL aspirations and hopefully they get that opportunity. I appreciate the Shrine Bowl reaching out and giving the offer to those guys. There are a lot of all-star games and we’ll see how it all shakes out.What do you have to do to slow down Clemson running back Phil Mafah?
He’s a big ole back, about 230 pounds. He twists and turns and always falls forward. He’s got strong legs, big lower body, and we have our hands full. We have to gang tackle, hit him, hold your ground, get a second man in there.How about the quarterback play of Cade Klubnik? He’s had a pretty good year despite last week’s loss to Louisville.
Louisville got after him a little bit. We all know Louisville’s got a good team with some athletes over there. I think Klubnik is playing a lot better than he was last season. They’ve done a lot of good with him and he’s got one heck of an O-line in front of him. Four or five starters back, experienced guys, the offense goes through that O-line, through the run game, for the quarterback's protection. The wideouts are as good as anybody we play. That number zero is something special.Klubnik is Clemson’s second-leading rusher averaging about five yards per rush. What do you have to do to stop a mobile quarterback like that?
You have to keep pocket integrity. You can’t just rush up the field and rush by him because he’ll see a running lane and take off. He’s quick, good speed. If you don’t have a spy, you’ll need to collapse that pocket. He extends plays just like out guy does.Clemson has a big tight end in Jake Briningstool, too, at 6-6, 240.
He’s caught some great balls, one-handed, boundary catches, he’s been really good for them. We always put key players up on Tuesdays. Running back, quarterback typically, but the tight end this time, he’s very important offensively.You were a defensive coach for a long time. What’s the matchup like with a tight end?
When you have a guy who, athletically, can give your linebacker a problem, then from a size standpoint, you put a safety on him for the athleticism piece of it, and he can just body him out and make the catch. That’s what the good tight ends do.Is it a key for your defense to shut down the running game and make them one dimensional?
Absolutely. If we can stop that big back and get those guys off schedule, let APR and those guy pin their ears back and put some pressure there, change up some coverages, we like our chances.Klubnik has thrown 21 touchdowns and only three interceptions this season. How critical are turnovers going to be?
I think that’s where he’s most improved. He’s making good decisions and being careful with the ball. When you can protect that football, it goes a long way with running a good offense.They’ve got some good linebackers with size.
They’re long, they can run and tackle, they’re a good group supported by a good D-line. One of the biggest we’ve seen all season.
How does your secondary matchup with those young receivers at Clemson?
They need to match up well, that’ll be a key to our success. If we can stop the run and force them to throw the ball, those guys have to make plays on the perimeter. Strong and Mansoor I think will be up for it. Those safeties have to play well, an area where we didn’t play very well on Saturday. Look for those guys to step up.Dante Lovett is getting a lot of playing time. What are your thoughts on his game?
To me, he’s no longer a rookie. He’s got game experience on defense, on teams, in big moments, I’ve got a lot of trust in Dante.What about that offensive line of Clemson?
I like the match up, it’s a great one for our group. Just have to come out on top of it and make more plays than they do. We gotta win 1 on 1’s, get on their side of the line of scrimmage. That’s the key to getting them off schedule. Put the hard hat on for first and second down, play the run, the play action, be physical and get them to 3rd and long. That’s where you can have some fun.How about the defensive backs? How do you like the way they match up with your receivers?
They got good speed and good depth. It’s an interesting matchup. Our guys will have to win some one-on-ones. They play man, traditional three-match, we will have to win those one-on-ones with our guys out there.You’re on ESPN at 3:30. What’s the message this week?
Easy — the guys are excited. Staff, players, they know what that environment will be like. Sellout, national TV, great opponent. That’s why you come to Virginia Tech, to play games like that, you have to go win it.Got a bunch of recruits coming in?
We do, had to cut it off. A couple guys on official visits and then 100 recruits, Juniors, seniors coming in.Do you like the stripe effect in the stadium?
I like all of it, anything that adds to the atmosphere. All of my recruits want to know if they’re maroon or orange. I don’t know, they have to ask somebody else.How about Jaylin Lane wearing 25 again?
He’s doubled up, he’s done really well. You have to see how courageous he is out there. He fields everything, has no fear, he gets every yard he can have. If we can block a little bit better for him, he’ll spring one. Those can be difference-makers.What does the next day-and-a-half look like?
We had no sweat Thursday today, a big mental day. Tomorrow the guys will come through, stretch, roll out, things like that to get ready for fast Friday. We won’t be out there long, but we get some good speed work in. Spiders and helmets only, a little Clemson work. Just have to get them going at 85-90% full speed. Then we have our meetings and head to the hotel for personal shares. Da’Quan Felton will address the team tomorrow night and tell his story before dinner. Lowkey evening, a little snack and a walkthrough on Saturday before we get on to the stadium.APR is one of 12 semifinalists for the Lombardi Award.
It’s an honor for him, and deserving. I want to see him be in that final four. He’ll need a good stretch in these last couple weeks here. He’ll have to make a few plays. He’s one of the best in the business. He’s just hard to block. Every coach I talk to in the pregame mentions how good he is. J.C. Price and Chris Marve have done a good job moving him around and getting him to rush against different positions. We’ll need him here. For him to have a big game and a big stretch would be really impactful for our football team.What do you think is a big key for your guys against this Clemson football team?
I think it comes down to whoever is more physical. They pride themselves on that and so do we. It’s not just being physical, it’s being physical for four quarters. And if it takes overtime, it takes overtime. We have to be more physical all game.Penalties are important too.
There were a lot of those yellow markers last week on both sides. Some of them were ticky-tack, but we can’t handle those foolish ones.
Mike Young
Thank you for joining us.
Every time I put on this headset after Brent Pry, I get worried that my hair is going to come out like his, but it never does. Good to see you guys.You said going into the game Monday night, you had so many questions. Did you get any answers?
About two out of a thousand. They played really hard and played the right way. Effort was there but we’ve got some things to sure up. I knew we did. We were able to ease into it a bit, that won’t be the case tomorrow night, that bunch is pretty good. We’re a work in progress, and I really enjoy working with them and coaching them, and we will.There are nine new guys on the roster, 12% of the points from last year came back. What are some of the challenges you and your staff faced?
We do not have enough time. Offensively, defensively, the things that we value and things that are important to us come up every day as new to them. We have guys coming from Duke, VCU, guys coming from all over. Those places are great programs, but they do things differently than we do. Defensively, it’s not easy. It’s hard with some of the situations that teams put you in with the ball-screen coverages. Then you go to the offensive end where you have the basketball with five people trying to move in a coordinated effort that requires a lot of timing. I’m thankful that we got to practice in the summer months, that’s new. We came into the season starting September 26, we practiced 16 times over the summer. We spend time together and that is beneficial. We’re into it now, tomorrow, Monday and next Friday. It is no relief, off to a good start.Fans got their first look at Tobi Lawal from VCU, he can fly. Over 20 points and he had eight rebounds.
He’s really worked hard. He made two 3-pointers. Bless his heart, he couldn’t make it in the Ocean when he got here. J.D. Byers, an assistant coach, did a great job with him. I bet the kid took 10,000 shots. He’s got good hands, good feel for the game, he’s taking good shots. I’ve never coached an athlete like him. He’s a joy to coach.The crazy thing about him is that he only started playing basketball when he was 16 years old. He’s still really young in terms of basketball play.
I don’t know why. I’ve seen him touch the top of the backboard. His face is above the rim, effortlessly. He’s a strong, hard worker. Some of the nuances to the game are still new to him. He had five turnovers. He understands that he tries to do too much. He’s not stubborn, he’s just continuing to learn the game. He is a dandy, we’ve had a number of people who continue to go up, he’s that talented.Was there any one thing that surprised you?
I thought that [Jaden] Schutt played well. Kept his feet on the ground. He picked up his second foul at about the 10-minute mark in the first half, which I thought was a bad call. I had to sit him down, I hesitate to put them back in with two fouls in the first half. That’s burned me before. I thought we were OK. I’m not sure he scored in the second half, but he played well. Competed defensively, he’s smart, knows how we want to play. Tobi and Mylyjael [Poteat] were both very good. Coach Pry mentioned it, you turn the ball over so many times in football, you have no chance. You turn it over 15 times in basketball, you have no chance. You won’t win that game. We had 20 assists on 26 field goals made. Tobi had five, we had two or three guys with two. That will improve as the season goes on.
Were some of those turnovers a product of just playing together for a first time?
Yeah, the freshman, [Ben] Hammond, who has been impressive in the early going, he told me he was nervous. and boy, I could tell. He’s tough and quick. That had something to do with it, but it’s under our belt. Let’s play a better ball game tomorrow and continue to improve.Mylyjael was so efficient. He had 22 minutes, 14 points, five rebounds, and a team-leading five assists.
He’s lost a lot of weight and he’s moving well. Five assists on only one turnover. He was efficient. That 22 will go to 27, 28 if that is possible, and I think it is. His body feels good, he’s running well, his ball screen coverages have been good. A great night for him in a new role.Delaware State started in that zone where you lit it up. Then it switched to the man. What did you see there?
I don’t know what the football equivalent would be. I’m scared out of my mind without film, what could you see that you aren’t ready for? A 1-3-1 zone, a 2-3 zone, but they threw a 3-2 zone to start off. We prepared for it last week. And the game just becomes awfully easy when the ball goes in the basket. We shot the fire out of it in the early going, we got them out of it and he didn’t go back to it much.They have a heck of a player in Martaz Robinson.
That kid has been there for five years. He looks like a guy who’s been around for five years and plays like it. We fouled him incessantly and he’s got all the tricks. He falls, he flops. He’s got a nice game. Shame on us for letting somebody have that kind of game. Gotta keep them off the foul line and we’ll do that going ahead.What did you take away from Brandon Rechsteiner’s first start?
I thought he had a good night. Not as many assists as I anticipated. I think he kicked it twice, which is unusual for him. He knocked down a few shots. He’s been good in our early practices. He’s been around, and that one year is huge. I’ve always said that the biggest jump in a person's game is between the freshman and sophomore year. They’ve been through it, they know what it looks like, what it feels like, the kind of preparation that goes into it. The scouting is not as foreign anymore, which has certainly been evident to Rechsteiner and Jaydon Young, who played well.What did you think of your shot selection?
A bad shot is no different than a turnover. A bad shot where your offense isn’t prepared, the spacing is confused, it lets the defense get a long rebound and get in transition. It’s really hard to get the defense set off of a turnover. Shot selection was all in all not bad. We took and made good shots, but we need to improve on the poor shots. My teams very rarely take poor shots, I think it’s just a big byproduct of all the newcomers and new roles.What have you seen from USC Upstate two games in?
Looked like a video game against NC State. Up and down, bad shots, turnovers, and this and that. Not to take away from Coach [Kevin] Keatts’ team at NC State, they look good, but their style of play is so different from us. They press and create turnovers. Upstate did some really good things, they have a freshman, [Mister Dean], who’s a good player. A few good guards that make shots, I watched them play better basketball at home last night against another school. I like to say I got a lot out of the NC State game, I did not. We have our hands full. Looking forward to being in Cassell [Coliseum] tomorrow before going to the football game on Saturday to see our Hokies take on Clemson. It’ll be a great weekend for the Hokies.They’ve got a really good player with a great name. Mister Dean is averaging 19.5.
That’s him, that freshman that I mentioned. Really athletic, can spin over both shoulders, good finisher, gets fouled. He’s not shown the ability to shoot the ball, but he’s such a violent driver, I don’t blame him for not shooting. He gets to the rim regularly.