BC Preparing for a Virginia Tech Team With New Staff Yet Veteran Players
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)Publisher
Brent Pry is in a similar situation Jeff Hafley was two years ago.
Pry is a former defensive coordinator who is now a first-time head coach. He has to reconstruct a Hokies program that eventually snowballed under Justin Fuente, a coach that—like BC's Steve Addazio—struggled to build out complete recruiting classes. Unlike Hafley, however, Pry didn't start his head coaching tenure with a win.
Rather, the longtime coordinator's stay in Blacksburg began with a disheartening defeat to Old Dominion—Virginia Tech's second loss to its little sibling in Norfolk since 2018—which saw the Hokies commit 15 penalties and five turnovers.
What's more, a handful of Virginia Tech assistant coaches got stuck in an elevator up to the booth, delaying the start to the second half. And, after the game, Hokies players discovered that some of their items had been stolen from the visiting locker room while they were playing.
Except, not everything was doomsday-level-bad for the Hokies last Friday. They did hold Old Dominion to just 245 yards of total offense. Not only that, but they also controlled the clock (35:55 possession time) with a ground game that rolled behind redshirt junior running back Keshawn King, who rushed for 111 yards on 19 carries.
For Virginia Tech, this week has been about cleaning up the correctable mistakes that haunted the Hokies in their opener. Although Pry is in his first year at the helm, and Virginia Tech looked quite green at Old Dominion, Hafley is well aware of what's in store for him and his team, which suffered an embarrassing loss of its own last weekend.
"This team's got a bunch of veterans," Hafley said of Virginia Tech. "This is a team that has a lot of guys who have played a lot of football. New staff, I get it. But this is a veteran team."
Hafley added: "It will be a well-coached defense. I'm sure of that."
Hafley explained that he doesn't know Pry personally. That said, they overlapped in the Big Ten when Hafley was Ohio State's co-defensive coordinator in 2019. At the time, Pry was Penn State's DC.
Hafley pointed out, though, that he didn't study Pry's coaching until this season because, back then, they were on the same side of the ball.
"I have a lot of respect for him," Hafley said. "He's done a great job. He's kind of worked his way up as an assistant. He was a coordinator for a long time and got a chance to be a head coach."
BC offensive coordinator John McNulty, on the other hand, has worked alongside Pry. McNulty was an offensive analyst for Penn State, his alma mater, in 2019 before his two-year stint as Notre Dame's tight ends coach.
Pry also coached against McNulty when McNulty was in his second go-around as Rutgers' OC in 2018.
"John’s a really good football coach," Pry told reporters Tuesday, per Virginia Tech Athletics. "A great guy. ... He’s got a lot of experience. I look for him to have a great plan against us. He knows what we like to do.”
Hafley said Pry's defense is strongest in the middle. That, of course, starts with middle linebacker Dax Hollifield, who has started at least six games for the Hokies in each of his first four seasons with the program.
Hollifield led the team with 92 total tackles, 9.0 TFLs and 4.5 sacks in 2021. He's off to a stellar start this season. The Shelby, North Carolina, native notched 10 total tackles, 1.5 TFLs, two pass break-ups, a forced fumble and a pair of fumble recoveries at Old Dominion.
"[Hollifield] just plays with his hair on fire," Hafley said. "He's a strong guy who makes a ton of plays. He plays with a high motor, he plays with great effort. I saw it last year live."
While Hollifield is the seasoned quarterback of Virginia Tech's defense, Grant Wells is the signal caller on the other side of the ball. In two years as Marshall's starter, Wells piled up 5,623 passing yards and 34 touchdowns.
He did have an interception problem, though, as he tossed 22 picks in that span. That flared up in his first game as a Hokie. Wells threw four interceptions at Old Dominion.
Pry is confident the redshirt junior will bounce back. Hafley mentioned how Wells has the arm to make all the throws. Wells posted seven completions of 50-plus yards last year, which was good for 17th in the FBS.
"I'm sure they're really happy to have him," Hafley said. "I think he's a good player, solid quarterback who can run and throw. I've been impressed with him."
Virginia Tech isn't strapped with the talent Hokies fans are accustomed to. Pry inherited a program that's last three recruiting classes ranked outside the top 40, according to Rivals.com. Plus, Virginia Tech has seen eight of its players drafted over the last two years. The Hokies returned only one All-ACC honoree: punter Peter Moore.
But what Virginia Tech may lack in established stardom, the Hokies make up for in a wealth of experience. Of Virginia Tech's 22 starters on offense and defense, 18 are upperclassmen.
"They're experienced, a lot of guys coming back," BC tight end George Takacs said. "A lot of guys who have played a lot of football. So they're not going to make as many mistakes.
"They're not going to quit if they go down early."
