Brent Pry’s Virginia Tech tenure began with a loss to Old Dominion. It might end with one too.
The Hokies’ season reached new depths Saturday in Lane Stadium with a listless 45-26 loss to the Monarchs that sent Tech to its first 0-3 start since 1987 and perhaps fast-tracked an exit of the team’s embattled head coach.
Virginia Tech fell behind 28-0 after a dreadful first-half effort to underdog Old Dominion (2-1), a cross-state Group of Five program that has vexed the Hokies over the years.
A 49-35 loss in 2018 in Norfolk was the canary in the coal mine of Justin Fuente’s time as head coach, and the Monarchs greeted Pry in the 757 with a 20-17 defeat in his debut as the Hokies’ coach in 2022.
Neither of those felt quite as damning as the beatdown Pry’s old Penn State colleague Ricky Rahne and the Monarchs handed out Saturday night.
ODU rolled over a Virginia Tech team that offered little to no counterpunch, putting up 526 yards of offense. Quarterback Colton Joseph threw for 276 yards and two scores and the Monarchs ran for 251 and three touchdowns in the rout. It tied the most points allowed in the Pry era, matching the 45 Pitt scored in a 16-point loss in 2022.
The Monarchs scored on drives of 93, 97, 88 and 77 yards in the first half, punctuating each with touchdowns to stun a Lane Stadium crowd and lead 28-0 at intermission. Tech had no response, only putting together one drive longer than 30 yards in the first half. It ended with a Kyron Drones fumble at the ODU 4-yard line.
Boos rained down from the fans as the Hokies and Pry left the field at halftime down by four scores, with the second half offering only the slightest reprieve, since many of the 57,627 in attendance quickly filed for the exits. Over four quarters, from the second half of last week’s Vanderbilt game through the first half of Old Dominion, the Hokies were out-scored 62-0 and outgained 641-168.
It marked Virginia Tech’s seventh loss in its last eight outings, dating back to last year. It’s the Hokies’ first home loss to a Group of Five team since Liberty’s infamous walk-off field goal in a nearly empty stadium during the COVID year in 2020.
Things went downhill almost from the start Saturday. After Virginia Tech wasted a fumble recovery near midfield by Ben Bell, the Monarchs went on the move, kickstarting the drive with a 38-yard one-handed catch by Ja’Cory Thomas and ending it with a 6-yard touchdown run by Joseph to make it 7-0.
Tech got in gear on the next drive, getting 31- and 32-yard runs by Terion Stewart and Drones. The quarterback appeared to pick up a third-and-11 with a nifty run in the red zone, but Monarchs linebacker Jeremy Mack Jr. stripped the ball at the end of the run. Officials initially ruled him down, but replay showed the ball came out before his knee touched. ODU had a clear recovery, giving it possession at the 4-yard line.
The Monarchs again took advantage. A 44-yard reception by Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding got ODU rolling, out near midfield. Five plays later, Maurki James bounced to the outside and met no resistance, easily scoring on a 10-yard run to make it 14-0 at the 12:38 mark of the second quarter.
A Drones interception on a deep ball ended the next drive, with defensive back Jerome Carter going up to make the play. ODU turned around and marched right down the field, finding the end zone again on an 11-yard touchdown run by Trequan Jones to make it 21-0.
ODU scored once more before halftime, going for it on fourth-and-8 from the Hokies' 39 with a minute and a half left. Tech forced an incompletion, but cornerback Thomas Williams was flagged for a facemask penalty, giving the Monarchs a first down. It was one of 12 accepted Virginia Tech penalties for 113 yards.
A few plays later, Tre' Brown reeled in a beautifully-placed 13-yard pass in the corner of the end zone from Joseph for a touchdown to make it 28-0 going into the break.
Tech got on the board in the third quarter, following up a 67-yard reception by Ayden Greene with a 10-yard touchdown grab by Donovan Greene. ODU came right back with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Joseph to Gladding to make it 38-7 near the end of the third.
Drones got in the end zone on a 4-yard run in the fourth quarter, making it 38-13, though it was far too little too late. Devin Roche added a 15-yard touchdown run for ODU with 7:02 left, bringing the score to 45-13.
Drones added his second touchdown pass to Donovan Greene with 4:20 left before connecting on a 2-yard score to Tyler Mason just inside the two-minute warning to make it 45-26 ODU. Drones finished with 266 yards and three touchdowns in the air.
Box Score: Old Dominion 45, Virginia Tech 28
