Virginia Tech fans are quickly growing frustrated with head coach Brent Pry. The season began with high expectations, and even national writers and analysts had hyped up the Hokies, but nine games in, they’re just 5-4.
The journey to this 5-4 record has been particularly disappointing for fans. In Week 1, the Hokies fell in overtime to Vanderbilt, then lost at home to Rutgers in Week 4. A recurring theme in both losses was slow starts that led to early deficits, which they couldn’t overcome. In Week 5, the Hokies took an early lead against Miami, even holding a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, only to lose after the Hurricanes scored twice and Tech’s final Hail Mary pass was controversially overturned. Ideally, the game should never have come down to that if Tech had managed to close it out.
Just when it seemed the Hokies had put their struggles behind them, Saturday’s game happened. Riding a three-game win streak, they faced Syracuse without key players Kyron Drones and Bahyshul Tuten. The Hokies led 21-3 midway through the third quarter, but allowed Syracuse to rally and score 28 points, forcing overtime tied at 31. Syracuse tied the game with 29 seconds left, and despite having all three timeouts and kicker John Love, Pry chose to play for overtime instead of making a final attempt to score.
Though backup QB Collin Schlee was in the game, Virginia Tech only needed about 35 yards to give Love a chance to kick the game-winner. Instead, the Hokies ran a handoff, ending the chance for a last-minute win. After the game, Pry explained his decision to avoid risking a play in regulation: “Hostile environment, backup QB, they’ve got the momentum, I didn’t want to put the ball in jeopardy.”
This conservative approach on the road ended poorly, as Syracuse quickly scored in overtime and then forced a Schlee fumble to end the game.
Brent Pry gives same old depressing quote after Syracuse loss
After the game, Pry admitted he needs to coach better, a statement that’s becoming familiar after each loss this season.
“We made too many mistakes, too many penalties to beat a good team on the road,” Pry said. “I’ve got to be better than that, and the coaches need to be better than that.”
While he’s correct about the need for improved coaching, this explanation is starting to sound like a repeated excuse after each disappointing loss. Too many errors compounded the team’s meltdown—from poor clock management and questionable play-calling to the decision to run out the clock and head into overtime. Coaching cautiously rarely results in a win, and given the season’s stakes—even with the injuries—this isn’t the time to play it safe.
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