A Few Week 1 Observations

Like most other Hokie fans there are mixed emotions when it comes to looking at the ODU win. On one hand, we won and that is a helluva lot better than last season, so in that sense we've seen some progress. On the other hand, how are we at a place where we are celebrating a relatively "boring" win against ODU?? In any event, Saturday evening was a HUGE win for the VT football program - All day ACCN coverage, and some of the best I've seen to be honest. Sold out, LIT crowd. And a win to cap it off! Below are a few observations, please feel free to add...

1. I don't think it can be overstated how much more disciplined this team is. They took care of the football and we had 4 penalties for 39 yards (targeting was the culprit here, not silly pre-snap errors). The coaching staff has done an excellent job in this regard. We should all be celebrating this!

2. The transfer portal will be the very thing that pushes this program one step forward to where we all want to be. Most of the stars from Saturday night were players we grabbed from the portal. From APR to Jennings, to Lane, to Tuten... Other players made some plays, but the real stars were from the portal. Coach Pry and Co. went after the players we needed, they got those players and they've put them in places where they can find success. This is what good coaches do. While we don't have a "Coach Prime - Colorado" situation on our hands, I do appreciate the evaluations our staff is doing.

3. French will highlight this in his film review, but the front seven, which seems more talented than last year, had significant issues as it relates to gap integrity and discipline. It was epically poor. Had we been playing Pitt, or any other P-5 team for that matter, we may have surrendered another one of those 350+ yard rushing games (look for Purdue to try and take advantage of that next week). This will likely be an issue all season. We will certainly see aggressive play calling on that side of the ball along with some big plays. But buckle up folks, I think we'll struggle with gap integrity all season long (Alan Tisdale was lost on a few of those big run plays, as French prophesied).

4. While the OL was fantastic in Pass Pro. (surprisingly good) it was equally as poor in run blocking. It was really poor at about every level possible. Add to that the fact that (1) Grant Wells still can't "read" in the read option game, or (2) he simply isn't allowed to do so. In either case, it will be tragic for this offense if that trend, whichever it is, continues.

5. I like what Tyler Bowen is trying to do. I thought the play calling was really good. I like what the passing game looks like. The OL gave Grant Wells a clean pocked all night. This offense, the passing game anyway, will go as Grant Wells goes. T-Bowen did an outstanding job of getting guys open in space and stretching the field. Can Grant Wells continue to evolve and become a decent QB? If so, we should lean on that as opposed to the run game.

I'll conclude with this - Mike Norvell is starting year 4 down at FSU and they appear to be firing on all cylinders. Now, to be fair, if he had Grant Wells instead of Jordan Travis the beatdown would have been a complete reversal. Great teams need great play from the QB position and FSU got that. I digress... My point is this - I see Pry and Co. taking a similar approach to the one Mike Norvell has taken. Ramp up recruiting to FSU level (Coach Pry is working to get us back to those annual top 20 classes - VT level). Hit the portal to fill in the gaps (as with VT, FSU's big stars were transfers). And patiently build the culture you want. I like Pry a lot! I hope the fanbase can be patient and continue to support, because the foundation for a genuine rebuild is being laid. I don't know if it will be 2024, 2025 or 2026, but VT football will be back in due time. Let's buckle up and enjoy the ride, even if there's some turbulence along the way.