Why Virginia Tech Won the Military Bowl

Virginia Tech's win over Tulane highlights core truths about the program two years into the Brent Pry era

That Virginia Tech won the Military Bowl as a double-digit favorite was hardly a surprise.

That Tulane came to play and competed for four quarters could hardly be expected, given the circumstances - Coach Willie Fritz and many assistants departed for Houston, most of the top players either opted out or hit the portal, and the game was played in a coldish (for southerners) rain in the Hokies’ backyard.

Indeed, Tulane did not lose the game. Tech won it. Here is why:

1) Pry & Co. are elite talent evaluators

On the one hand, the greatest contributions from guys the Hokies got out of the portal came from three players that left P5 programs:

• Kyron Drones (Baylor)

• Antwaun Powell-Ryland (Florida)

• Pheldarius Payne (Nebraska)

They were no-brainers, right? Wrong.

None of those three guys had even been a full-time starter at the collegiate level before arriving in Blacksburg.

Transfer portal recruiting is often compared to speed dating. Taking that metaphor one step further, with Drones, APR, and Payne, the Hokies were signing up for blind dates.

In terms of raw numbers, here is what the staff had to go on at the P5 level:

• Kyron Drones - 69 snaps over 2 seasons

• Antwaun Powell-Ryland (Florida) - 575 snaps over 3 seasons

• Pheldarius Payne (Nebraska) - 369 snaps over 2 seasons

That’s an average of 338 snaps per player. As a point of comparison, Tech’s starting center, Kaden Moore, played 857 snaps this year.

And yet and still, despite the small sample sizes, the staff identified and secured commitments from three players who led the way for the 2023 Hokies.

2) The roster is filled with guys who play hard and refuse to quit

The 2023 team, overall, showed a unique unwillingness to quit, even when it was soundly beaten. Examples abound:

• Purdue (Drones came in and nearly led Tech to a game-tying TD in the waning seconds)

• Rutgers (Tech closed the gap to 21-16 early in the fourth quarter)

• NC State (The most lopsided seven-point defeat you are likely to witness)

In the Military Bowl, no one exemplified this mantra more than Da’wain Lofton, who, despite having already entered the transfer portal, made a game changing play on special teams.

Although he was nursing a sore hamstring, as Pry disclosed after the game, Lofton, lined up at gunner on the left side of the formation, was the first player down the field, arriving in time to recover a muffed punt.

The Hokies scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive and never looked back.

In case you’re thinking, “Yeah, that’s great, but he’s still quitting on the team by transferring,” here is the reality.

Lofton was staring down another year - his last - as a third stringer. The overwhelming likelihood is that he will not play organized football after the 2024 season. This is it, his last go round.

The Hokies do no need seniors that far down the depth chart. They would only block the development of younger players who still might turn out to be contributors.

And while Lofton does not appear to have a future in the NFL, he is perfectly capable of snagging 30 catches for a G5 school next year and possibly getting a tryout at the next level.

That would be a win for him, and a win for the Hokies.

3) The offseason coaching moves all worked out

Last offseason, Brent Pry said Tyler Bowen was going to be a great quarterbacks coach.

No one believed him.

But in his first season with the added role, Bowen’s quarterbacks threw 22 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions. Not too shabby.

Of course, one could argue that Senior Analyst Brian Crist was doing the lion’s share of the technical coaching, and that may or may not be true, but it is largely irrelevant. The results were outstanding.

Meanwhile, the running game, which was embarrassingly bad in 2022, was a strength of the 2023 team.

Much of the credit for the improvement should go to the coaching staff, as things did not just click from the get-go. Only after scheme and personnel tweaks did the Hokies rushing attack truly reach its potential.

One interesting note is that the offensive line did not magically get better this year. Their PFF grades remained stagnant (just above baseline in pass blocking, but well below in run blocking).

Rather, they became more effective. And that is reflective of a job well done by the entire offensive coaching staff.

4) The fanbase is all-in

Hokie fans have not always been excited by a berth in the Military Bowl. In fact, it was a consolation prize even following this resurgent, six-win regular season.

Given the choice, the overwhelming majority of fans would have opted for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte in what would have been a delectable matchup with West Virginia.

So, Virginia Tech played in a second choice bowl in a monsoon against a G5 program that was a shell of its 11-win self.

And yet, the stadium was filled beyond capacity.

The 2024 schedule is pretty blah. It won’t matter. The fanbase has hungered for a true winner and it finally has one.

If you’re on the fence about getting tickets to a game next year, act now. Those open seats won’t be available for long.

5) The team improved throughout the season

Lost in the narrative of the 2023 Hokies crush bad teams and get crushed by good teams is the fact that the team steadily improved from the beginning of the season until the end.

And while the overall trend is positive, it is especially true if we consider the stretch from the loss at Florida St. through to the Military Bowl win.

Even during the program’s peak back in the 2000s, the knock on the Hokies was that they would start out hot (often against weaker competition), then fade down the stretch.

In 2002, 2003, and 2005, November onward, excluding the bowl game, was particularly hideous (5-9 combined record for Hokie teams that went 10-4, 8-5, and 11-2, respectively).

And late in 2023, the focus clearly shifted from winning to dominating. It has been a long time since that was the mentality in Blacksburg.