I like what I see when you parade our players one by one in front of the fans. These other teams are winning! I kinda wish CJF was here. The focus should be on our staff!!! CBP was given a free pass on this season... he doesn't appear to care.
Hokiestud
Personally, I’m not that stressed about this year. I wasn’t expecting much this year, although I certainly didn’t think we’d be 2-7 at this point. The sad fact is that Justin Furnte and his people didn’t recruit particularly well and then they did a crappy job of developing the players they got. For $3+ million a year, we got our program absolutely run into the ground. The cupboard was pretty bare for Brent Pry. But almost every program goes through this at some point. FSU had some miserable seasons after Bowden retired. So did Penn State after Paterno. It’s our turn now. But those programs recovered and started winning again. So will we.
JAG88Hokie
+1
VTAlexandria95
I think dressing less players would be an important start. When I was at the Miami game, I kept watching our sideline while down 20-0 in the 3rd quarter. There are a lot of players that aren't going to play having a good time and joking around on the sideline and not even engaged in the game. It seems like a distraction to the players playing and fighting to win. I kept thinking of Moneyball and Billy Bean losing it while the players were dancing after a loss. "I hate losing more than I even wanna win". We need that culture back of hating to lose.
133951Hokie
We used to bitch and moan, complain about coaching, and cry non-stop when we only lost a couple games a year. We are losing more, winning less but the complaining is about the same! Seems like fall in Blacksburg to me! Cheer up, it could be worse, you could be in Whoville!!!
hokiebone9
How about getting Bruce Arians as a consultant? We need an advisor for Pry.
VT Rockie
If we ask the question - how did we get to this point? There is enough blame to go around the New River Valley. From top to bottom you can find fault. We need to recruit much better. The 3 star players from Virginia will not get the job done. Hiring inexperienced "head coaches" won't get the job done either. Not to mention the hiring of "assistant coaches." Wow, what a train wreck!!!!!
VAHokie89
There a recommendable things:
1. Don’t abandon the run
2. Give brown a try at QB
3. Get Duke more involved in the passing game where he doesn’t have to block
4. Don’t have Holifield downfield. Have a more athletic LB in that role
DelMarHokie
Agree on all points
namibiahoke
Perhaps what Coach Pry thinks and what he says are two different things. He is accountable to field a team every week, even a poor one. His main focus with the team is to keep their morale up day-by-day; that demands words of leadership and support no matter the weekly outcome. He (mostly) inherited his players, but the same cannot be said of the coaches. We must trust that he is not blind to the issues and there will be/must be changes after the season. He is not a man accustomed to the disease of losing.
IB4TECH
Pry probably can’t wait to the off season.
NRAHokie
Good article, I’m sure it was tough to write. Let’s agree the talent is less that average. Does that explain the BS we see out there?
Multiple false starts
Fumbles
Bland playcalling
Lack of second half adjustments
Terrible clock management
Is that lack of talent or lack of effective coaching? Seems like a 2 or 3 star kid in D1 doesn’t have to be amazing to not false start or know when to hold on to the ball. Seems like average talent paired with coaches WAYYY out of their depth is the recipe for this disaster of a season.
Hokiestud
“Less than average”? That’s being kind.
EddieVT
I hear ya on the locker room, but maybe we just SUCK at making half time adjustments?
I know there are a few games left, but we'll learn a lot about Pry this offseason. Changes have to occur. I don't think Bowen is the answer. Is Glenn the answer? He has more experience than Bowen. Or maybe you go the external route.
On defense...is Marve the guy? If so, he needs to start calling plays.
The fact that there are so many questions on the coordinators show that something needs to happen. Chris has discussed how Duke hired experienced coordinators and it is paying off. First time HC with inexperienced coordinators is a bad combo.
LXNTN_HOKIE
Chris, maybe you missed it, but Pry said (I think it was on Tech Talk Live) that they are not walking all the way to the big locker room at halftime. They are going to a space in the Merryman Center.
Chris Coleman
Ok, thanks. Overall, it still probably adds about a minute to get to the locker room, and probably gotta leave an extra minute before halftime.
Probably not a huge deal, but it doesn't seem particularly efficient.
Tim Lewis
How do I feel? I have tickets to the uva game. I don't want to go.
ClearLakeHokie
Not much chance of winning when 3 of your supposedly top players can't perform at crunch time. When you kicker all of a sudden can't kick, your best running back can't hold the ball in the red zone and your #1 quarter back fumbles in the open field with the game on the line. Obviously overall not an overall talented team but seems like something missing on the coaching side when even the key personnel can't get them over the hump when it really matters.
HokieAvalanche
This football team only has a few really good players. Not much at all for CBP to work with. Talent level is sub-par. We just don't have enough good players to overcome the inconsistencies costing us to lose close games. We can't get out of our own way. Hopefully some of the younger players will turn out to be better players once they get more playing time. But for next year Pry has to get a few really good players from the portal. He needs to get some better assistant coaches. Game management has been really bad. He has to become the head coach and stop having to set the defenses. I'm sure CFB would be glad to give him some pointers on how to improve.
HokieDDS05
Tired of the lack of talent excuse. It doesn't take talent not to jump the count, to catch a ball that touches your hands, and to hold on to a football when running. If you are on a college scholarship anywhere in any division you have enough "talent" to catch and hold a ball, trust me. What is lacking is DISCIPLINE, not talent.
ACChamps2004
Chris just covered the Liberty recruiting rankings. So who has more talent right now - Liberty or VT? And what do we think is going to happen in that game?
I don't know, its frustrating for all of us I know that.
Bugle76
Here’s what is frustrating to me……Go back and read the columns week after week pointing out the flaws in schemes, play calling , stubbornness by the head coach etc……WHEN TECH WAS WINNING 10 GAMES A YEAR! Feel foolish ?
I feel bad for those whose intro to Tech football was circa 1993 or later. I many didn’t realize what a magnificent era we were in.
earmuffs
If they didn't then, they likely do now.
Wringehokie
I had mostly consigned myself to losing and was rather unemotional after losses, but have to admit that I was angry yesterday. We were up two scores in the 4th quarter, running the ball successfully, but snapping the ball way too early and wasting opportunities to run down the clock and limit GT’s opportunity to get back in the game. Turnovers aside, I feel like there have been similar clock/game management issues like this in almost every game. Failing to effectively manage the situation and game clock have bitten us several times this year and could’ve been the difference in these games. It reinforces my fear that Pry is not fully prepared at this point. I certainly hope that he can get this fixed sooner than later.
Rochester Hokie
I’m with you, same observations and frustration. Yesterday’s loss was self-inflicted and especially painful.
Rochester Hokie
*Saturday’s loss*
grampa
Chris, a lot has been said about the lack of defense in 4th quarter. So is our main problem simply lack of talent or more specifically, lack of backups that can hold down the fort while the starters are on the bench long enough to get needed rest?
NMB Hokie
Wouldn't a lack of backups imply there is a lack of talent?
133895Hokie
Very well presented. I enrolled at VT in the fall of 1966. I have seen everything except leather helmets. The 70's and 80's were very trying times for VT loyalists, but we continued to support the school and the program, and things turned around. It is not a quick fix thing unless you are a big time SEC or Big10 program, especially with the current environment of NIL and the transfer portal. As many have said, it is a 3-year process before you will see actual returns on your investment. There will be changes in staff, a turnover in players and many other unforeseen things. We need to stay calm and look to the future, especially those who can only remember our rise in the 90's. I agree that it is frustrating to see the 1-point losses, penalties and other mistakes, but it is an on-going "culture change" that will take some time. Hopefully we will see that soon. Keep the faith!
LXNTN_HOKIE
Well said. You see it all the time with a new hire in a rebuild. Not a good record for a couple years, then more wins come by the 4th or 5th year. Norvell at FSU is a good example and Coach Sfefc (not sure of the spelling) in baseball. Not so good for 2 or 3 years but look at the 2022 season he had. People thought Kenny Brooks wasn't good enough in his first years, but now he has star players wanting to come join his program. It's a process and you have to face adversity before things get good. Keep the faith. I believe Pry will get this program back to winning in time.
MAHist87
Exactamundo!
1987: 2-9
1988: 3-8
1989: 6-4-1
1990: 6-5
1991: 5-6
1992: 2-8
1993+ the rest is history
New coaches, a patchwork of players, new systems--this is going to take a while; be patient.
133839Hokie
Heading into this season, I gave Pry a complete pass. Allowed myself no expectations about how we would do and planned to just watch and observe, with the hopes of a better future once Pry got his system in place, etc. The one thing I HOPED I would see over the course of the season would be some rays of light or positive trends that suggested that the coaching staff had been chosen well and was coaching the kids up. I am not a football expert nor an x's and o's guy, but I must say I am still waiting to see those trends. It's concerning in so much as I wonder what the pitch to recruits sounds like. There may be playing time available all over the field, but what's the argument for a top kid to come to VT and be coached by this staff. Hoping we can muster a few wins at the end of the season to kick us into the offseason, but it's tough to watch this team and predict a win for them between now and the end of the season.
ACChamps2004
This is a good point as well. What is Pry and this staff selling to recruit the bright spots we have (to keep from transferring out) and what are they selling to HS recruits at this point?
GO_HOKIES_GO
On a team with as few playmakers as VT currently has they really can’t afford to lose any of them. M. Thomas going down has cost the Hokies the last two games - there is no one who can fill his role. On defense, there is no one who can replace D. Strong at corner. Playing a freshman (no matter how talented) every down is a recipe for disaster. There is some improvement, but it is obscured by the many issues in all three phases. I am worried about next year, but I have not given up on the current staff or the program. There will be better days - it will just take some patience (and a lot of cash) to get there.
Durham Hokie
All teams have injuries this time of yr. UVA was without their top 3 receivers; yet scored a bunch of points against UNC.
Tech’s assistants are way overpaid
kwnock
I was there in 1992. We lost a lot of close games but we’re playing the schools a lot of us in my years at Tech desired we play. I personally prayed for Beamer to stay and was glad they gave him time. The rest is history. We are used to so much better play. I am frustrated but will continue to buy my season tickets and support the school. Pry needs time.
Alfie
After the game, Georgia Tech safety Clayton Powell-Lee said, “I still knew we could win the game, honestly, It was a matter of who was going to take it, who was going to buckle down for the ride and who was going to step up and make plays when the opportunity came. … I feel like me and a lot of my teammates stepped up."
Do any Hokie players have that confidence? That attitude has evaporated over the last 4-5 years, especially on defense.
OKDokeyHokie
I’m not depressed nor demoralized. I listened closely in the beginning when CBP said it was going to be not easy and painful at times. My expectations were none. I knew we could maybe be 6-6, 5-7 or even 2-10. I’ll admit that when we forged ahead in the last two games, I perked up. And, when the two snaps into Peter’s face happened, when Keyshawn dropped the first pass after halftime in the flat and then fumbled at the 10, I thought, yep, we did it again. But my outlook in all the games so far was focused on underclassmen showing some signs of the future - Holloway, Delane, Lawson, Duke, Black, Wright, Prioleau, Keller, etc..That’s where my hope for the future stays strong. I’m not X & O’s smart enough to say there’s something amiss with the coaching. I see depth, execution & lack of focus a lot but I can’t articulate why.
kovalsky
AD should be on the hot seat - as of now PRY looks like a bad hire and losing to ODU and LU on the road in the same let along playing them on the road in the same year unacceptable
OKDokeyHokie
Respect your opinion but this AD has given me, Kenny Brooks, Mike Young, John Szefc and Pete D’Amor. Nobody’s perfect but he has my vote to not be on any hot seat.
Long-Lost Hokie
Agree.
McHokie78
Agree. Whit has done a great job.
phoenixhokie
100%. Whit could leave tomorrow for the SEC and cash in. One of the best and highly respected.
NC Hoke
I agree with you too. Anyone who was expecting a .500 season with a complete change of HC and coaching staff was kidding themselves.
When I was 9, Jerry Claiborne was HC. Back then nobody dreamed we would one day have 10 win streaks, much less play in a national championship game. The future’s hard to predict, but one thing about it is that things change. This season will be of little consequence 5 or 10 years from now, but one sure way to elongate the road back up is by firing and hiring ADs and HC’s and to keep starting over.
LXNTN_HOKIE
Right on.
hokies1579
Adding another agreement that Whit is a fantastic AD and those calling for his head are silly.
Long-Lost Hokie
Sadly the blocked PAT and missed FG isn't new either. It happened at Pitt too. Hard to keep track of all the miscues this season.
I just want rational, shrewd assessment from all of us -- fan base, coaches, players, admin. It has gotten to the point where even I think seeing silver linings re: this season (*not* this program) has become counterproductive. Saying you're close isn't true and it's not helpful. I don't think it will help this team win games, and it runs the risk of helping the disease morph from acute to chronic.
Nothing about this season is close to good enough. That can't be denied anymore. It's actually dangerous to deny it. Everybody has to accept that if we're going to get any better.
pharlap_99
100% agree
Strat Man
This is an undisciplined football team that seemingly has no clue how to win. They are their own worst enemy.
That is without a doubt a reflection of coaching. There is no other excuse. It’s a poorly coached team that is on the way to being routed by Duke and Liberty. Honestly who knows with UVa but they damn sure played a lot better vs May and UNC than we did.
This looks a lot like 2-10. A lot.
Brent Pry will have no choice but to make a few staff changes in the off season.
And he better mine that portal for a durable back, some better OL, and maybe some type of difference maker at wideout.
A tall order to try to show any difference for next year. Because this one is an utter disaster.
fcraig
My word, I guess is just plain old disgusted. Oh Lord, we need to find a QB from somewhere. Wells a nice guy, but just seems to have a loosing mind set.
.
HokieNLot11
There is nothing left to say.
vt49701
+1
SCHokie1103
I wished we had given Hugh Freeze a chance personally. But then I am a lot more forgiving that a lot of people on TSL. People make mistakes and learn from them. He looks like he has done that quite well at LU and from what I heard. He wanted the job. He will show VT no mercy when we play them soon and I will certainly understand that. I hope Pry can get this tuned around but I would have liked to have seen what a former SEC head coach could have done at VT with what he has done at LU. Right now they have the best football team in Virginia after JMU.
st_andrew
Yeah, screw that.
Jeffrey4VT
Hugh may be back in the $EC if he wants it, Auburn. Granted, Liberty opened the check book to get him, so I’m not sure I’d take the Auburn job.
IB4TECH
My word is okay. I’m more than happy to sacrifice an average season to lay a foundation for success. I think we may have problems in a long of areas but the biggest problem is lacking talent.
Durham Hokie
This is not an average season. As Chris points out an average season is 6-6. We will finish at best 3-9.
As Chris also the recruiting rankings for VT are not terrible. As he discussed several teams with worse recruiting are doing much better than us
IB4TECH
I did not say this is an average season.
Maroon Unit
I believe Pry knows full well what winning feels like and ultimately how to get there. He wants to be at VT, is a great cultural fit and he will stay in Blacksburg once things get turned around. And they will. I believe there is no one hurting worse about this season than Pry. We all knew, as did Pry, this season was going to be a huge experiment given the talent departures, lack of depth and unproven assistant coaches. We all predicted that, on paper, this team was, at best, a 6 or 7 win team. Injuries have hit the team hard and the bench has been called up a lot.
This season needs to play out. I frankly don't see us winning another game except perhaps the hoos, and that is assuming they play a bad game.
This off season is crucial for Pry. Four priorities: evaluate his assistants and make some tough decisions, get this current recruiting class across the finish line, keep our few good players out of the portal, and get a decent QB (or 2) from the portal.
Pry has 2 more years to show progress and we need to give him an emotional leash during that time. All this bitching is not helping anyone.
hokiebird1990
Agree.
vtgriff09
I would say I feel gutted. We are not in a rebuild, we return tons from a 6-6 record with more experience. We are in a tear down...and the more realistic people watch, the more they should realize that we hired the wrong guy. I just hope he doesn't destroy this for 10 yrs. I love nothing more than enjoying Hokie football...that has been taken away by people in-charge with no clue. I don't see a win left. Coaching is everything..Duke was awful and was fixed in one offseason and less time and far less talent than Pry has.
That said..If we are going to run Wells as much as we do..we should just play Farrell. It was Corny's exact offense from last yr yesterday..but at least we had a pulse.
hokiepro
My word is frustrated: I liked all the words & actions of the coaches in the off-season & wanted the attitude translate to on-field success. But culture without competence = crap. Right now that’s what we’ve got
meglow000
One thing I have noticed at times during the game is they take out Dax and Tisdale on long yardage downs and seems like it ends up being a busted play or missed tackle for a first down. I wonder if anyone else notices this happening.
gemrooty
Rebuilds take time. We don't live in a vacuum; we should compare our situation to that of other similar ones with new coaches. Look at Miami...the players have (at least temporarily) already quit on Cristobal. UVA is somewhat competitive, but their recruiting is subpar. Duke is doing well, but their ceiling is not as high as ours.
I would like to look at it this way. Check back after spring practice. If the 35-40 players that the coaches have identified to be part of our success in the future are still here, then we are in pretty good shape. If many have entered the portal (and wind up at similar or more prestigious programs than Tech), then we have reason to be concerned.
hokiepro
Need to win soon so the best players (the Fr) don’t start getting used to it and/or transferring
TomTurkey
Actually, a good article for the situation. Can Pry et al turn the corner? There are glimpses but no other team is going to cooperate. VT will have to step up and take it.
cdogvt
This article sums up how I feel well. I disappointed this team is in this position and we have a coaching staff that doesn’t show any consistent approach to game planning well and solving problems. I know Foster was one of the best, but he had a good plan, made half time adjustments, and fixed issues. I thought Pry would be at least good on D and showing signs of improvement on that side of the ball. Fair or not, doesn’t feel like we have a plan.
VAHokie89
The point about "playing more of the younger players." - We already are. Look at all the r-freshmen and sophomores playing on defense, for example
Durham Hokie
Really? The front 4 are all veterans.Linebackers Hollifield and Tisdale have been here forever
Db, Conner, Peoples, Stronmen have been here quite a while
Every team has younger players
Just another excuse for losing
khakiblue
Regardless of talent winning teams are often the ones that are the best coached.
HokienGeorjaw
I traveled up with friends, one a GT alum. We have been doing this ever since GT got on our schedule. The GT alum always says that he enjoys coming to Blacksburg because he loves seeing compassionate fans that care. GT had 29,000 show up their last home game, we had 60,000. He commented how we were still screaming even when things weren’t looking good. GT fans would of vacated early. I would rather see us win, but you can’t beat our environment or experience. Go Hokies
Beach Hokie
I so agree, but I fear that eventually we will lose our passion because many will feel that they are giving everything and getting nothing in return. And the young people will tire of Enter Sandman and instead will think “Meh”
HOKIERIT
They are gone by halftime as it is..I'd realistically put the number of students who hung around through halftime at 50
Efigalaxie
Students on a noon Saturday game ALWAYS leave halfway through…..The opposite sex and studying them, exploring the joys and agonies of alcohol, other outings with friends….are all more interesting than football…even in the best of times.
daddio
Should have found and hired a coach who had actually been a head coach, and didn’t have to learn on the fly. I think coach Pry is in over his head. Somewhere CJF is probably laughing his ass off!
HokienGeorjaw
Yep
Willamette Hokie
Nope
phoenixhokie
That’s a cop out and such an old trope. How many people over the years here have said, ‘we need a guy who truly understands VT culture, understands VA, blah, blah…’ Those SEC guys churn like butter. It would never work. You guys blasted Fu for that very reason, for not understanding the VT way. The SEC coach or learn on the fly excuses are total garbage. So you wouldn’t have hired McVay at age 30 then, at the NFL level no less, right? C’mon, everybody is hiring guys ‘on the fly’. Get a clue.
hokiebird1990
Yep.
teaysvalleyhokie
Chris, you asked how we feel. I am sad, and somewhat resigned to losing. It does hurt worse when we show that we could actually win the game. If we were behind by 10 the entire game, it would not hurt quite as bad as the way we lost.
And like you, when King fumbled, my internal thought was "We know how this one ends". Sadly, it was right.
I want to feel like, and want to believe, that something about this season is setting us up for more success next year. I'm not convinced that is the case, though. I sure hope it is, though. I do think these kids are far too used to losing. This will be the 4th losing season in the past 5 years. Losing stings...until you get used to it.
pjbudha
I think a lot of us share this sentiment.
DaveVT
We just need a cure.
Beamer's cure was Cornell Brown. Plus the talent increasing all over.
HokieEngineer
I agree that talent would help a lot. Where on the field or on the sideline/press box did we get better than we were last year? Pry may ultimately be better at doing all the things a head coach needs to do to be successful, but some of those things take time for results. I'm not convinced that Pry is better than Fuente when it comes to Xs and Os. At offensive coordinator? Bowen may eventually be better, but Cornelson had more experience. Special teams? While we struggled catching punts at times under him, the kicking piece under Shibest was really good. I don't see us being better there immediately (although Holloway looks like he could quickly make me eat those words). Resume-wise, I guess Rudolph and Pry (as DC) look better than what we had last season. However, OL has been a disaster and Pry is splitting duties. Are we simply getting what we deserve?
jfhokie
You want another Cornell Brown, go to Leesburg and get 6-8. 330 Fletcher Westphal at Tuscarora. Would be a major get
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