AFTER PRY'S EXIT, BATTERED HOKIES FACE WEEK FOUR GAME AGAINST WOFFORD

The mood around Virginia Tech football hit DEFCON-1 this past weekend. The Hokies fell to 0-3 for the first time since 1987 on Saturday, a shocking start made even worse by a 28-0 halftime deficit against Old Dominion. Numbers alone tell a grim story — missed opportunities and a team struggling to find its identity on either side of the ball — but the broader reality was impossible to ignore: Virginia Tech was in crisis.

Moving quickly to address the turmoil, the Hokies (0-3) announced the firing of head coach Brent Pry just one day after the crushing loss to Old Dominion.

"On behalf of Amy and our entire family, I want to thank President Sands, [athletic director Whit Babcock] and the Virginia Tech community for giving me the opportunity to lead this proud football program,” Pry said in a statement released through Virginia Tech. “Coaching at Virginia Tech has been an incredible honor and a chapter of our lives we will always cherish. To the outstanding young men I have been privileged to coach, you have left a lasting mark on me and my family. Your hard work, resilience, and commitment to excellence — on the field, in the classroom and as members of the community — have been inspiring every single day.”

Pry exits in the middle of his fourth year with a 16-24 (40%) all-time winning percentage, and dating back to Syracuse of last season, was 1-7 in his final eight contests as a head coach.

In the wake of the decision, the program now faces a critical juncture in terms of rebuilding morale, recalibrating the team’s direction and preparing for a Week Four matchup with Wofford (FCS) that will be as much about restoring pride as it is about securing a win.

Should the Hokies lose this contest — albeit a highly unlikely outcome — they will drop to 0-4 for the first time since 1974. In a trio of contests, FCS Wofford has tallied 46 points and allowed 52, dropping all three of their games by one score and only putting up 20 or more points once. However, Virginia Tech’s defense has been lackluster, surrendering 1,016 total yards and 89 total points to Vanderbilt and Old Dominion.

The Terriers’ (0-3) defense against the run is standout, ranking No. 24 in the FCS in rushing yards allowed (123.3) and No. 16 in points conceded per game (17.3). Its air defense is less stellar, however, ranking No. 95 of 118 FCS squads, yielding 259.3 yards/contest.

Although Virginia Tech’s defensive front flashed early against South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, sacking the redshirt sophomore four times, that momentum quickly evaporated. The Hokies have not recorded a sack since and have looked overmatched by nearly every quarterback they’ve faced — from Sellers to Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia to Old Dominion’s Colton Joseph. The defense, once considered the hallmark of Virginia Tech’s best teams has faltered, one of the reasons that prompted a change at head whistle.

“We appreciate Coach Pry’s efforts and service since 2021,” said Virginia Tech president Timothy Sands in a release from the university. “Unfortunately, the results on the field were not acceptable and a change in leadership is necessary… We will continue to fully support our team and student-athletes for the remaining games as we strive together to significantly improve the trajectory of our football program this season.”

Now, the mantle has been handed to interim head coach Philip Montgomery, who served as Tulsa’s head coach from 2015 to 2021. Ironically enough, Frank Beamer’s final win came over Montgomery and the Golden Hurricane in the 2015 Independence Bowl, a 55-52 shootout that narrowly leaned Tech’s way. Now, Montgomery receives the opportunity to lead the maroon and orange, taking over the post after spending seven months in Blacksburg. However, he’s used to being the head whistle and while he recognizes the difference between coming in as an interim versus a de-facto head coach, he's been on this type of rodeo before.

“Yeah, I think it provides some different challenges for sure,” Montgomery said. “That being said, I've been in this role. I understand what it takes. I understand how you're going to get pulled in a lot of different directions, what that does to your time, what that does to the energy that you got to put in certain areas.

“I think I'm well suited for that part of it. I've got a great staff that's going to be supporting me in that sense. And so, those guys are locked in with me. And so, this is not going to be a one-man show. This is going to be a team effort. But at the end of the day, it's really more again, I'm going to continue to keep preaching this. This is more about our players and our program and our locker room and us coming together and really doing some great things to have an opportunity to really make people proud of what we are and what we do.”

In his first press conference, Montgomery continually mentioned the thread of “rewriting a story”, doing so on four occasions. But where exactly does the rewriting come from in terms of turning around such a challenging season? Due to NCAA rules, players now have a 30-day window to enter the transfer portal if their head coach is fired. Cornerback Dante Lovett was the first to announce his intent to depart, doing so on Monday, Sept. 15. He will likely not be the last. Since the Hokies have only played a trio of games thus far, players can enter the portal within the next 30 days and utilize their redshirt year, as Lovett will be doing. Whether any player of note joins Lovett in the portal is yet to be determined.

Virginia Tech football kicks off against Wofford on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 12 p.m. ET, with viewing for the contest available on ACC Network Extra.