Tech Talk Live Notes: Hokies Preview Military Bowl

On Tuesday, Virginia Tech football head coach Brent Pry and other members of the Hokies joined Zach Mackey and Mike Burnop on Tech Talk Live to preview Wednesday’s Military Bowl vs. No. 23 Tulane (2 p.m. ET, ESPN). Defensive coordinator Chris Marve, offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen, wide receiver Ali Jennings, safety Nasir Peoples and Voice of the Hokies Bill Roth joined the show.

Brent Pry

How have things been?

Busy, but good. We’ve had a good week, really proud of the guys, they’ve kept the main thing the main thing, winning this game, we are prepared to do that, but they’ve had a great time. They’ve enjoyed the experience in D.C. They’ve had a bunch of good fellowship. Everybody’s been on time for curfew. There hasn’t been a single guy late for a bus. Practice has been really good. Working hard, executing and I couldn’t be more pleased.

Have you gotten out of those bowl practices what you wanted to get out of them?

Yeah, I think so. While we were still in Blacksburg, we were doing a bunch of developmental scrimmage work. Once we got here, it became like game week and we just concentrated on Tulane, had a couple of competitive periods each day. The facility that we practiced at, The St. James, was phenomenal, really good stuff for us, indoor facility, weight room. And then we threw an extra bus on the end of our caravan and take the kids over. They had ice skating, basketball courts and trampolines. Really some good stuff for the kids, ropes course. So it was good.

What has the experience been like for you and the team?

It’s been great. Obviously, winning the last game in the fashion that we did and over our in-state rival just kind of propelled us into the bowl prep and we’ve got some momentum right now. But it’s been a good week. I promised the guys that we’d enjoy this trip, but when it was time to work and time to meet and time to play, we got to keep the main thing the main thing, and they’ve done that. I think the families have had a great trip. There’s a lot of planning and preparation that goes into this. We got a great staff. Very advanced and did a nice job. The hotels were very hospitable, as has the Military Bowl.

Talk about some of the events that you guys were able to do with the Military Bowl and what they kind of had planned for y’all.

Yeah, it has been a busy week. I mean, it’s a good week, but it’s a busy week. We took the guys bowling last night. Military Bowl with a really nice facility, 36 lanes. We took all the coaches and staff families with us. Pizza, wings, fries. It was a good time for the guys. They enjoyed it a bunch. Christmas Eve, we had a gigantic dinner for all of the players, the coaches, the staff, the family. Santa was there. Really nice set up, full buffet, we all celebrated Christmas together. Let the guys sleep in Christmas day a little bit before we practiced. We had a welcome reception and a great guest speaker one of the nights, so it’s been a lot of fanfare, but it’s been good. I think taking the guys, having them see Washington, D.C., and the monuments and memorials. For a lot of those guys, it’s their first time here, truly in the city. And so it’s been a great trip so far.

I heard that Travis Wells was one of those spotlight bowlers and his daughter, Meredith, was pretty good.

Yeah, he got the trophy.

Any players stand out?

They all think they’re really good and you look up to the scores and it’s like 96, 110. You guys stink.

Did you go?

I didn’t, I couldn’t last night. I had a couple other things going on. I was there. But I beat my wife at beer pong twice. They got that little electronic game and that counts.

Going back to that point where you were 1-3 and counting up the games to be bowl eligible, what about this team was so special to be able to get to this point, a bowl game, in your second year?

I think it stands to the character, the men and women and the players in the program. Great leadership from them. And sticking together, a strong brotherhood, a good culture. And probably just as important there were always positive things each and every week to show these guys we just weren’t doing it consistently. All in all, this is the opportunity that we didn’t take advantage of. That the Louisville, the NC State, the Florida State, the bigger top-20 caliber teams we didn’t play well against, we didn’t play confident, we didn’t execute well. And we’ve got a chance to do that against an 11-2 team. These guys were a New Year’s Six team last year, they got 11 wins this year. This is a game that could put a stamp on the season for us.

What kind of boost did you get after beating UVa when going into households and recruiting the portal?

It was a much-needed win for a lot of reasons. Just the type of season that we had. We needed to go play well one more time to feel like this is the team that we are and then obviously in the recruiting wars, to get that caliber win against a Virginia team that had just beaten Duke and had beaten North Carolina earlier at their place, I think the guys felt pretty good about it, everybody did. But right away, you start looking ahead, you start wondering, ‘OK, what do we get next and what can we accomplish around the corner here?’

We haven’t talked to you since that Virginia game. How crazy was that? You go up big and it’s all Virginia Tech fans in that north endzone, they come out onto the field. What was that like?

Lane Stadium north, right? It was awesome. We took the team over there Friday night and let them walk around and just kind of talked about some things on the 50-yard line, about what we wanted to do, and we had a ton of former players who sent video messages and as you heard, Coach Beamer talked and Coach Foster talked to the team. I mean, these guys understood how important that game was, like in their minds, that was the Super Bowl.

You guys have had videos before the game all year long. What was the video like tonight?

Man, it was awesome. I asked our creative staff to put together just a highlight of all Virginia Tech’s bowl games over the years and show the stadium. Roll the old school TV commercial advertising the game and then show highlights, and the guys were glued to it. And it was a long tape. There’s a lot of bowl games in history. And just to have them understand that’s Virginia Tech, going to bowl games and winning bowl games. So it was good. We then ran it on a loop through the meal.

Your schedule has been all over the place the last couple of weeks — out recruiting, back with bowl practice and back out on the road. Has it been hectic for you?

What day of the week is it? I know it’s Friday game week. I have no idea what day it really is. But it’s Friday of game week, it’s a busy schedule right now, but you do what you have to do. There were retention meetings. I had 40 retention meetings with guys on our roster. Some guys I’ve met with once, some twice, some guys three times. Some of those meetings involve their families as well. And then we were out recruiting the transfer portal and then at the same time, we went and saw all of our commitments at the high school level, the guys that we are going to sign with us, you get in their homes, you get the chance to break bread with them and their families and look at pictures around the house and meet their animals and all that good stuff. But it is busy and you’re trying to practice and get ready to win a bowl game.

And not only were you practicing, but you did a great job of opening up practice to the high school coaches, another nice little recruiting nod.

Yeah, obviously, we’re in our footprint. This is a big area for us in recruiting. We have two coaches recruit up here full time in the DMV. And so why not extend a really nice invitation to those high school coaches to come out watch us practice? And I think in the middle of the week, we probably had 30 coaches out there, maybe more and we had 15 or so every day. So it’s been good. We had several state championship winners this year out there watching practice and hanging out with us.

You’re coming up here to Annapolis but you’re coming to an area that has more of your fan base than any other part of the state. How much does that play into it?

From what I understand, there are 40,000-plus Hokie alums in the area, and we feel it when we come up here recruiting, there’s Hokies in every school, whether it’s the secretary or a teacher or the principal, they’re everywhere, and so it’s impactful for us. It’s awesome for our fans to be able to easily come to another game. They supported us in Lane Stadium all year, five out of six sellouts, so to give them another game right here in our neck of the woods, I couldn’t ask for better.

How cool was it for Peter Moore and Dorian Strong to be back home? Peter was talking about when he was a junior in high school, he came to the Military Bowl the last time the Hokies played in that game.

Yeah, it’s cool. Those guys, Mansoor Delane, all those guys. I mean, they’ve had their family around a bunch and I’m happy for them and excited for them. And that’s what I told them tonight. I’m so proud of them. And I want two things from them out of this game. Let’s put a stamp on our season and let’s leave an unbelievable memory of what this team was about in the way we win this game.

You had the signing day event last week and got those guys signed up. 19 newcomers coming to join the Hokies. How special is that group? What can you say about that group that you signed?

It’s a good group, 15 high school guys, five from the state of Virginia, a bunch of them from our footprint, four of the top 15 in the state of Virginia. And four transfers right now, we’re adding a fifth one day after the bowl game, but those guys met some needs. We’re losing three defensive tackles to graduation and exhausting eligibility. So we needed to go help ourselves there a little bit and give us some added depth and some help at middle linebacker, inside linebacker and then added an addition on the offensive line to come in and compete with those guys. So feel good about what we did, love the high school kids and the families. Again, a bunch of captains, a bunch of state champions in that group, and 10 of them will start with us in January, 10 of the high school guys, the five transfers, so we’ll have 15 new additions to the team for the winter program.

How much do you have to worry about keeping those guys because this thing really isn’t over till after spring?

Hopefully the type of program you run, the kind of organization that we have, it’s culture-based, it’s relationship-based and you can weather a lot of that. I think it’s one of the reasons we’ve had a lot of guys want to come back and do it another year here in Blacksburg and do it with these guys and these coaches and these teammates. That’s what you hope for. We try to give guys as much information as we can when they’re trying to make a decision, whether it’s to transfer, go to the NFL, or hang it up. Here’s all the information for you and your family to hope that you can make an educated decision the right one for you, and I’m gonna support you either way.

But we were fortunate right now those guys, they weren’t ready to leave and several of them had areas that they can improve on and improve their stock for the NFL. Guys had contemplated transferring, and in the end just wanted to be here. And there’s a couple guys, they could have been done. They have their degrees they could go off to get jobs, and they may not even be starters, but they wanted to stay and be part of it again. So some really good meetings, a lot of work went into it, but the portal doesn’t close till midnight January 3, and then it opens again for two weeks after spring ball.

You went into that portal last year and got a whole bunch of guys, you took your roster to another level. When you’re doing that, what are you looking for in a potential transfer?

Well, they have to absolutely meet a need. And we have to feel like they’re gonna elevate the room, whether they start or they just make everybody around them better. And then secondly, we’ve got to know a ton about them. You can’t bring a guy that’s been in college three or four years into your locker room, he’s got to be a good fit. He’s got to be a worker. He’s got to put the team first, all these things that are important to us. So for us, our recipe is these guys from the transfer portal either played high school ball in Virginia, played college ball in Virginia or played somewhere in college for somebody that we know very well, that’s like minded and has the same values. So we’ve been fortunate we’ve got great teammates, and they’ve also been very productive on the field.

The two safeties are out for the game because of injuries. It’s kind of a big plus that a guy like Derrick Canteen, who went to the portal, is going to play one more game back there.

Yeah, he’s obviously working at safety for our bowl prep along with Mose Phillips, a true freshman, and Jaylen Jones, and we’ve got a couple other guys here, but Derrick Canteen is selfless. He’s one of our best workers. He had the lunch pail, and he wants to start and all of our secondary’s returning again. And he wants that for himself and I get it. I respect that in him. So he’s looking for a place that’s a match for him, where he can be a starter, but he wanted to finish this out with us and I wanted him to and now after Nasir [Peoples], and [Jalen] Stroman had surgery, he’s gonna be a big part of what we do.

So many important guys play special teams. When there are injuries, how do you switch that around?

You can play freshmen in this thing, regardless if they had played four games during the season, you can play them in the postseason. We’ve got some guys moved around a little bit. There’ll be some greater onus on a couple of guys in teams. But we’ve got good, young guys over the course of the roster. They have gotten better all year long and they’re champing at the bit for an opportunity, whether it’s on special teams, offense or defense.

What stood out to you about Tulane? 

Good football team in a lot of places, not just their marquee guys. I mean, they’ve built a nice, nice roster. They play with good fundamentals and techniques. They play smart football, they’re a well-coached team.

A lot of guys left, but they still won 11 games and still have a lot of talent. Some of those guys are already in the portal, they’re going somewhere else, but they’re still gonna play.

Yeah, they’ve got some of that going on as well. I’ve known Coach [Willie] Fritz a long time and he does a heck of a job with his programs. He’s won everywhere he’s been, so these guys have been raised the right way in that program, taught the right things. And the assistants are still there. I mean, these guys have been a part of Fritz’s staff now for a couple of years. They pulled out the bowl manual from last year and tweaked it a little bit and said here we go. There’s a lot of familiarity with the way Willie did it that these guys will do in the bowl prep. It’s not like they’re gonna reinvent the wheel. They were an 11-win team, go do what we do well.

Have you ever been a part of that, the head coach leaving before the bowl and trying to figure out and coach the team because there’s a lot going on? 

Yeah, I have. And it is challenging. But as coaches, you’re kind of built that way. You’ve had that experience in your career. You get it, you got to coach through it. In the end, it’s about how we play, what we do. And that’s what our message was to the guys the last couple of days that we executed, that we communicated. We’ve got our eyes in the right place. We protect the ball, we attack the ball. Those are the things that are going to matter and be impactful in us winning the game.

I’m sure your eyes go to that defensive tape. They’ve got a couple of defensive ends that are going elsewhere. Still gonna play in the bowl game, really productive. What have you seen out of their defensive front?

They’re really good defensively. They are active in the takeaway department. They’re very smart. They fill lanes, they read well, they take the air out of it. Those defensive ends are disruptive. Our tackles will have their hands full. They gotta play their A game. But we’ve got a good plan for it.

How were the wet weather drills this week?

We had to do some. Obviously, every time I looked out there during special teams, the snapper had to snap a wet ball. The punter had to feel the wet ball and that’s just part of it. We’ve had to do that several times this year. So I think the guys get used to it and nowadays, they’ll have 20 some balls on the sideline, they’re gonna keep them dry and keep them rotating in and that’s not to say you won’t have to handle a wet one over the course of the game, but for the most part, if the ball boys are on point, you’re going to be OK.

What about the run game? They’re running back eclipsed 1,000 yards this season.

He’s a good player, well-rounded. You’ve got to know where he is. They line him out wide, motion him in, he gets the ball on the perimeter, he gets the ball inside. He’s got good hands. He’s a really good football player.

Anything that stood out on special teams?

This is the irony of it. Coach Stu Holt, our special teams coordinator, went and visited Tulane and Coach Fritz this offseason on special teams because he’s always done such a nice job. So they’re highly ranked in a couple areas like we are. We need to win that phase of the game tomorrow. Really important. We’ve done well in the kicking department with Kyle [Lowe] and John [Love] and Peter [Moore], in the return department with Bhayshul [Tuten] and Tucker [Holloway] and Jaylin Lane. We’ve got to do a nice job all the way across the board. But particularly on special teams, we need to win that phase of the game.

Speaking of special teams, Peter Moore is going to wear No. 25 tomorrow?

Yeah, he is.

How is taking the last three weeks off affect the speed of your game, does that concern you at all?

That’s why you do the competitive periods in practice. That’s why you have to go good-on-good, ones vs. ones, to keep that element where you need it to be. Doesn’t always make sense from a scheme standpoint. Tulane is a three-down group, we’re four-down, but it was important that we worked against each other so we got that high level competition. We did that each and every practice in some way shape or form.

What is the importance of getting a win in this bowl game in terms of where you want to take the program and on the recruiting trail?

It just moves that needle a little bit stronger in the right direction. We’ve got momentum either way going into this offseason, but you could get a win over a really good football team. I think it just gives more credence to the team that we can be. It moves the needle a little bit stronger in the right direction. As you mentioned, a team gets a win over a ranked team.

What’s gonna be the biggest key or keys for y’all tomorrow?

I think like always, particularly with some of the weather that’s in a report, we’ve got to protect the ball. We have to have zero turnovers, and we need to get a few.

Chris Marve

How’s it been with the bowl prep the last couple of weeks now coming off that nice Virginia win?

I’ve been really pleased, our guys have handled it really maturely and have approached each day as an opportunity, because we didn’t get this opportunity last year. So this time together, I think the guys have approached it with an attitude of gratitude, but also with the mindset and approach to go out and win a football game, not just to enjoy the bowl festivities, but to go out with the proper mindset and with the attacking style of defense we want to play to get the outcome that we want.

What kind of boost did you feel after the big win over UVa on the recruiting end?

For me, it’s all about our kids. And so as a coach when you’re on the sideline and the actual moment of the game, right after the game ends, you can see the kids actually see the fruits of their labor all the time that they sacrifice and commitment and dedication that’s required to play this game at a high level and do it against an opponent such that we play, it was beautiful to see and obviously when we got the opportunity to get on the field, take that photo and the sprinkler started to go off, that was even more fun.

Not only did you get after the high school recruiting, but you also got a couple of transfers on that defensive line. I’m sure that’s got to excite you.

It really is exciting. You talk about an area of need, and being able to get some young men who come from great families, have tremendous tape, tremendous potential in front of them. We’re really excited about both of them coming in and making an impact early.

You’re gonna miss those three guys — Norell Pollard, Mario Kendricks and Pheldarius Payne — aren’t you? 

Big time. I mean, just talk about mature young men who played at a high level, do everything we asked them to do on a consistent basis and show up on the tape. Not just off the field but on the field. You feel their impact and the growth that Norell [Pollard] has had. Pheldarius [Payne] finally having a healthy year and Rio Kendricks absolutely being the best he could be this year has put a smile on all of our faces, so we’re absolutely going to miss him. But again, next man up.

How big is it to have APR and Josh Fuga coming back next year?

For Coach Pry, Christmas came early. But those guys talked to us about coming back. I think it just speaks to the culture and what they feel about the program, the relationships that they have with their teammates, their brothers, how they feel about the coaching that they’re receiving and the development I think that’s clearly showing on the tape. It’s exciting for all of us. Obviously, we’re excited about this game tomorrow. We will look at 2024 in a couple of days.

As a defensive coordinator, what did you learn about yourself that maybe you didn’t know, or what was maybe the biggest surprise?

Well, what I’d say is that it’s a collective situation. Everybody has ownership in that defensive role as to what we’re doing up front what we’re doing at the second level, what we’re doing on the back end, nothing has really changed about that and as relates to me personally, this has been a situation and an opportunity that I’ve always prepared for. And so every day I wake up, I’m grateful. I go to my maker, say thank you and then I walk into the opportunity with the best that I can and we operate and work together as a defensive staff to put the kids in the absolute best situation that we can and so we’ve prepared for it, but we’re working for it every single day.

Has anything changed with that too or do you feel some confidence in Year 2 in the defensive coordinator position?

I think what’s changed is that the kids again, it’s all about them. They have a second year in the program. And so they have a different level of comfort when you make a call, whatever it is, you have your bread and butter calls, whether their coverages or pressures, and you know what the kids feel good about. And so for me and for all of us defensively, it’s making sure that those guys feel good, so we can play fast and be effective.

How about the challenge without Stroman and without Nasir Peoples back there, having those surgeries, but nice to have a guy like Derrick Canteen back to play.

Absolutely, you’re gonna miss those guys. I mean, made a ton of plays for us. Big time leaders. You turn on the tape. They’re flashing, they’re making plays everywhere. The beauty about this game and any defense at any level. You don’t win a championship with 10 guys on the field. It takes all 11, so even though we’re going to miss them, there are going to be some guys who have tremendous opportunities to step in and do some good stuff.

How difficult is it at times to kind of piece it all together with some of those injuries you’ve had at the secondary?

Certainly has been challenging at times. But as coaches you’re built for it, you see it as an opportunity. You develop the guys who are considered starters and everybody else that’s behind them for that opportunity to step in. So you rep them, you develop them, you have meetings and you just prepare them for that situation. It’s a physical game. You never know when your number is going to be called. And so Coach [Pierson] Prioleau has done a phenomenal job. I mean, you talk about guys playing to the boundary, guys playing to the field by mixing, matching our zone and our man and our pressure schemes been really impressive. And guys stepping in and not not missing the beat.

And every one of those reps that you get these extra practices here leading into next year for a younger group, they’re really key aren’t they?

I think it’s essential. Going back to a year ago, we didn’t have this time. And so when you look at every single level of the defense, when I was able to have one off conversations with guys about, ‘Hey, did you enjoy this time together?’ Yes, but also, ‘Do you feel like you’ve gotten better, like in a very substantial and evidenced way?’ And every single player that I’ve talked to, it’s been true.

You spent a lot of time in the linebacker room and now working with those guys. What can you tell us about that room?

This will be Alan Tisdale’s last game. This is a young man who’s given his all for this program and has a tremendous amount of respect from everyone, who’s played multiple positions for us in his time here. I’m excited to see him go out and play. I know he’s going to wear it on his sleeve. Jayden McDonald, Jaden Keller, Keli Lawson. All of them had good years, some more productive than others. But they have grown up in our defense and figuring out and still learning the position but play very physical at times, very athletic at times, and are continuing to get better each and every day. Just going back to your question about this time and this preparation with these extra practices. You can see the growth, you can see the consistency of play, and those guys having this extra time, and we’re excited about the youth in that room. We are also excited about Sam [Brumfield] coming in, and we’ll see where we go.

As you’ve turned on the tape on this Tulane team, what stood out about them to you?

They do a really good job of playing together. They don’t make a ton of mistakes. I think the quarterback, he’s a really good decision-maker, has been really accurate on tape at times. The run game has been consistent, really good personnel across the board. You can tell when you cut on the tape, regardless of the opponent that they’re playing a three down, four down team. They have a good plan. They go out and stick to the plan and do a good job of playing together so we got our work cut out for us tomorrow. We’re excited about it. 

What do you expect them to see? Are you expected to see them try to run the ball first and foremost, try to establish that?

Absolutely. Who they are, they’re an efficient offense. So everything runs through the running back, No. 21. They try to force feed him the ball. What they also like to do is give you a few unorthodox formations early. They motion a fair amount to try to get the second and third levels eyes. And then what they’re going to do is bring an extra quarterback and probably throw two or three trick plays in to see if we have our eyes in the right place. For us, it’s going to be about making sure fundamentally that we’re consistent and that we’re playing at a high level that we can tackle well, and when we have the opportunity to attack the ball, we do.

Backup quarterback Kai Horton is taking over. What specifically have you seen about him?

He played in the Ole Miss and also the SMU game. So who he is again, he’s similar to the guy who was the starter, very smart and cerebral player. He runs the offense really well. I think he made good decisions. Not great. That’s why the other guy came back in, but he’s a good player. And they don’t take guys there who don’t think and process well. And so I think he’s going to run offense as best he can. But we’re certainly going to get after him as best we can.

They also got a couple of really good offensive linemen too, right?

They do and again, they work well as a unit. For us, it’s going to be about trying to confuse the guys pre-snap and then playing harder and more aggressive once that ball is snapped. Just getting out and playing on the other side of the line of scrimmage getting in the backfield. We can’t allow him to be comfortable for the duration of the game. Got to get after 21. Before we really get started and suffocate him, make sure there’s no air in the run game and make sure we maintain great leverage on the ball. And again, we have to attack it and we do so with fervor.

Have you been happy with what you’ve seen out of your defense at generating more turnovers this year?

I think that we’ve done a better job, but there’s still more meat on the bone, a fair amount of interceptions that we’ve had in our hands that we’ve dropped and all three levels. So I’d love to see tomorrow us be more aggressive, and we finish the job when we have the opportunity to get them.

You’ve had these extra practices with these young guys which have been invaluable to anybody. Who’s the one guy or two guys that really stood out?

Well, I think when you look at the young guys, one name that jumps out immediately is Mose Phillips. He’s gotten better and better and better throughout the course of the year. I think these extra practices certainly helped him and his confidence. He’s getting more reps because of the guys that are out there we discussed earlier, but it’s slowing down for him. When you play at any level of this defense at this level of football. When a game starts to slow down for you, you get to play faster. So he’s communicating with confidence. He’s making more plays in practice, and what that usually does, that’s a microcosm of what he’s going to do in the game. So I’m really excited about him.

The momentum you guys have in the latter part of the season, especially a bowl win as you go and continue with the recruiting front now, what can a win do for this team, for this defense and overall, the program?

Really, from a macro standpoint, again, you talked to coach Pry about it. And as it relates to tomorrow, I think it allows the seniors to go out with a stamp on the program. I mean, you think about all the things that they’ve had to go through those six year guys. They’ve played through COVID, they’ve played through coaching changes, a head coach, defensive coordinators, position coaches, and all they’ve done is fought through adversity and have come out stronger on the other side because of it, man. So again, I’m about seeing the fruits of their labor and having them leave with a smile on their face.

How good is it not having any staff changes from last year to this year?

When you talk about continuity of language or consistency of language and understanding the proclivities of the guys that you’re in the same room with every single day, I think it helps, it allows the workflow to be more efficient and allows the trust level to continue to increase and allows us to do things that may be a little bit unorthodox from time to time because we trust one another. And we know that etiquette is taught and we know that it can get done.

What are parents, what are recruits, what are coaches saying about Virginia Tech, what they are seeing out of the Hokies, where the momentum is going, what are you guys hearing?

They’re excited, really excited about the direction we’re headed. I’m excited about the branded defense that we’ve played. Excited about the production that they saw from guys like APR, Jalen Stroman, Dorian Strong, really excited about that. And the coaches that’s been the awesome part as well because of the investment that we’ve made into the state. They’re more excited and more eager to come back and come to Blacksburg and visit and talk ball and they’re opening their doors of their high schools to allow us to come in and really form the relationships that are necessary in order to get the best talent here that we need.

Talk a little bit about the swag that you guys got. What was all the stuff that you got?

Yeah, Stew Carter and Coach Pry did a great job. In terms of the gear that we got for the bowl game, the piece that I’m most excited about is the VT onesie that my baby girl got. The whole family is going to be decked out in VT gear on gameday.

What about Christmas? Nice to be here in Annapolis for Christmas?

Yeah, Christmas is awesome. I want my family to get used to having Christmas at a different location every year. That’s what we’re excited about. And just to see the girl smile and see my wife happy. That’s why we do what we do, man, so I enjoyed it. I also remember the reason for the Lord and Savior. And so it was a good time. 

Did you bowl? 

I didn’t bowl yesterday. I was chasing around my four and one-year-old. That’s what I was doing.

I know you’re a history buff too. And obviously being in D.C., getting the guys to go around to some of those Smithsonians, some of the different places to be able to see some of that stuff that had to have been cool.

I mean, this place is very unique. It’s a unique place in this country. It’s kind of an enclave as it relates to all the history and the concentration of things that you can see just a stone’s throw away. So for all of us, I think it was eye opening. My wife and I have been here a number of times before our players who haven’t had the opportunity to spend that much time in this part of the world. Think it has been really impressive.

How about your last message to the team, your defense?

We had a great meeting tonight. My last message to them was leave it all on the field, to go out tomorrow with the proper mindset from start to finish. We gotta make those guys feel uncomfortable and let them know that Hokie Nation is in town.

Tyler Bowen

It’s been kind of neat. You got your family here and people coming in from near and far and talk about that.

It’s awesome. Awesome having my family up. My wife’s family is going to come down. My family’s from Georgia. Her family is right here in Maryland. I think we ended up with 38 tickets. Should be a good group but it’s always nice to spend the holidays around your family. Good to spend it around a bowl site too.

Is that 38 ponchos too? 

38 ponchos. We better have them. We might have to cut a couple in half for the little kids but we will have 38 ponchos for sure.

How has the bowl prep been going now with a couple of weeks under your belt?

It’s been great. Number one, you start out in bowl prep you’re excited to get the extra practices right there’s light at the end of the tunnel, something to practice for with the game, but it’s been awesome seeing our young guys develop getting those guys back in the fold running our offense doing our system even guys that were on the developmental squad throughout the year. And then as the game has gotten closer, obviously you get that bonus work at home, but I think our guys have had a very mature approach. This has been one of the better bowl preps that I’ve been a part of and I’ve been really impressed with how they’ve handled the entire trip.

How about getting all those receivers back, you gotta be feeling like you won a lottery?

Yeah, that was definitely an early Christmas present, if you will. Now, I think it speaks to the culture of the team, that coach Pry’s put in place what Coach [Fontel] Mines does in that room with those receivers in particular they’re excited. I think they’re excited about the direction we’re going, the identity of our offense. And I’m certainly excited as a play caller to have those guys to get the ball to that’s for sure.

How different has it been this year, you’ve switched over to be in the quarterback room as the offensive coordinator. How has that been as you wrapped up the regular season?

I think it’s been great. I think just from the quarterback standpoint, having the play caller in the room. We talk a lot of time about play caller intent, like what’s the intent of the play. Why are we calling it, what’s the situational identity of it and I think that’s been huge for our guys in that room just to get a little closer to me and understand the why behind what we’re doing offensively. And I always joke the whole thing with switching over to coaching quarterbacks, I played O-line obviously, that’s been my background, coaching tight ends. But obviously I was involved with the quarterbacks before but I think that day in and day out, it’s a give and take, they understand me a little better as a play-caller, but also understand their strengths and weaknesses a little bit better. So maybe I can help them out a little bit.

Talk about Kyron Drones’s development throughout the season, where did you see him during the Purdue game and now against UVa?

I think you see it, he’s growing every week. And the first thing I look at is how his leadership is growing every week. He’s really grown into that starting role and how he handles himself. He’s unbelievable with his preparation, just his routine that he goes over every week, just how he prepares he tweaks that refines and his preparation and routine. I’ve been very impressed and I’ve seen him grow not only as a player, but more so from that leadership standpoint. I think he’s a guy when he steps on the field. He sparks our team with his style of play. What he goes out and does in the run game in the pass game, so it’s been awesome to watch him grow.

Where do you see Kyron’s ceiling as he is going to be that guy throughout the entire offseason?

Well, I think he’s certainly got a lot of potential to reach, you talk about a ceiling. I think he’s got a very high one. And the best part about Kyron is he’s his own worst critic. I mean, he wants to do well he’s gonna hold himself accountable, hold himself to a high standard and you mentioned earlier having that receiver room back, having that supporting cast back being able to build offense around those guys all the pitching and catching and the timing and everything that you get in the full offseason I think he’s gonna grow a ton.

Were you surprised that all those guys came back? What kind of boost to get you on the recruiting trail because you got a heck of a receiver coming in from Virginia Beach?

I don’t know if I’d say surprised. I was certainly elated. That’s for sure. I hope they want to come back. I think we’ve got some good continuity of where we’re going offensively and how we can distribute the ball. There’s some peace of mind to who the quarterback is and what that’s going to look like going forward. And then you talk about those same things carrying over on the high school recruiting trail, right? Knowing that there’s a vision in place of what the offense is going to look like, what type of quarterbacks we’re going to attract and put on the field and I think you mentioned that plays on that trail as well.

What about having a weapon too in the backfield in a running back like a Bhayshul Tuten and what he’s able to bring? What’s that been like as a play-caller this year?

Oh, it’s been awesome. I mean, you want to establish a run. That’s the identity of any good offense when you want to create explosive passes down the field and everything that looks really good. You gotta have that run game and the most impressive thing to me with Bhayshul is just how he breaks tackles. I mean, he’s a guy we can get him the ball in the alley. Get it blocked up, get him one on one with the safety or corner and he’s gonna make you look really good. He’s gonna make the offensive line look really good the way he reads. I always joke I think Tuten is a guy I don’t know if he ever really gets tackled, he just kind of gets corralled and runs out of room. So I think it’s 62 broken tackles on the year. We want to get him in space, but he’s a guy that can score from anywhere on the field.

And he can catch the ball too in space?

Amen. He’s a guy you can get touches to in the screen game, out in empty packages and he’s really a guy that can do it all and watching his development through the year I think there’s a ceiling to still reach.

How tough has it been to manage the amount of touches Bhayshul gets and having that thought oh we need to go back to the running game?

I won’t say it’s tough, but I would say that we got to stay efficient on first down if we stay ahead of the chains, it’s gonna allow the entire offense to be open but he’s certainly a guy on my call sheet I’ve got marked. I’ve got to get him this many touches. I’ve got the plays list on how to get him the touches with the ball. Sometimes the defense dictates that in the pass game, but we can certainly get it to him on the run game. And I think it’s been shown that when we can get it to him, somewhere between 18 and 25 times it’s gonna be a pretty good day offensively.

You guys were remarkably efficient on fourth down when you look at the UVa game and some of the other ones just well executed plays.

We put together a plan. I think the biggest growth with an offense is understanding situational football, and those guys understand when we’re going to be in four down territory, you get a third and eight, you’re around the 50 yard line. And those guys understand and especially the quarterback that we’re going to be in four-down territory that allows you to manage the third-down play. It allows you to open up the playbook on the third down play and that can lead to some manageable fourth downs. So I think it’s a combination of all that but hats off to our guys up front starting up front and then all the way to the perimeter with some of the RPOs we’ve been able to capitalize and move the pockets, the guys have done a really nice job in executing.

What stands out about the Tulane team to you?

Well, they’re a good defense. They’re well-coached to start with and they tackle well, they leverage the ball well, you’re talking about a top-25 rush defense, a team that’s turned the ball over 25 times this season, I think that ties them at fourth in the country. So we’ve got our work cut out for us. There’s been some in and out with the portal in this day and age. That stuff happens but when you really look at the core of the defense, we’re going to play there without a couple of secondary players, lost a little bit of depth, but we’re expecting 90 and 5 to play up front. I think they’re linebacking core is the strength of the defense when you talk about 13 there, number 99 and number 8, so we got our work cut out for us but they leverage the ball, tackle well, they’ve been a really good run defense. I know listening to some of Coach Fritz’s stuff for a long time before he departed for Houston that’s a core component of their team. They want to run the ball and be able to stop the run. And obviously that we know that something we’ve got to establish to play good offensive football, so I’m expecting a good matchup,

The messy field, the rain, the wet ball drills and all that sort of stuff. You’ve been an offensive guy and you’ve coached tight ends. Did you ever feel like the advantage went to the offense because they kind of knew where they were going, and all it takes is that defensive guy to make a false step or just hesitates for a split second and you got a big time advantage here?

A lot of defensive football is reactionary so you hope those big boys upfront can use that to their advantage, you know, particularly in the pass for us, but the rain doesn’t necessarily help you throw the ball so you know artificial turf, we’ll see what the rain is, you know, our guys do a great job on the sideline, giving us dry balls, making sure we’re ready to roll so we’ll see what happens but we’ve put in the preparation wet ball drills all week. And we can’t control the weather. We’ll go out and play and our guys will play with rain shine don’t matter.

What about some of the trick plays we’ve seen this year you guys have drawn up a number of them. How do you come up with those? How often do you guys practice those?

Well, number one, I wouldn’t necessarily call them trick plays. A trick play kind of has a chance to work, maybe it doesn’t. We call them deceptive. And we work them all year. Our guys will tell you we have a library. There’s a period that we do at practice where we get a lot of them off the sheet against our defense, guys have fun with it. I think they’ve developed a comfort level with them. Some of them that we know might look at one in the UVa game and you think it’s that week we might have practiced that for nine weeks in a row. So our deceptive plays are a big part of it. And the biggest thing we want to make the defense defends all 53 and a third, every element we want to make sure we keep them honest so whether they work or not sometimes it definitely you know gives you a big benefit for your other offensive plays.

Does that go the same way for two-point conversions if you get in that situation to you just kind of have your little list of two point plays? 

For sure. We keep a list of two-point plays for every game, you have to prepare, now with the new overtime rules if you were to get in that situation that could go to a two-point shootout if you will. So you know we practice those all year and we carry a menu that varies. Obviously, we’re going to look at what that defense does that week in that situation and pick the ones that fit us the best or maybe add something new that we feel like we need but all that comes down to situational football no different than the deceptions.

Talk about your call sheet because I think so many fans never get a chance to know about what you’re thinking about, what plays next. What’s going through your head, what do you look at it?

You come into the game there’s some analytics that go into it. I want to know the play-callers’ tendencies. That’s been one thing that’s different about this game, going back and diving back in on a new play caller but you’re looking at tendencies. I’m also looking at our tendencies. I think the biggest thing that we do as an offensive self scout, run pass ratios on down and distances, run pass ratios on field zones. All those things play into it. So that’s the starting point. Then you’re gonna go into that game as you practice throughout that week, however many normal downs calls we have, we’re going to put together open or script, you know, and that’s not anything new or foreign, but we’re gonna have so many openers we want to get to. Our guys are going to be aware of what’s our first 3rd and one to two call. What’s our first 3rd and three to six call. What’s our first 3rd and seven to ten call and so on and so forth. Same thing, when you hit field zones. What are we going to do when we’re in the coming out area inside of the 10, defenses change in those areas, then we have a freewheeling zone. Then you get into the red areas, all that stuff is planned out. I think the biggest thing is you want the guys on the field when you get into those situations when you get to those areas of the field when you get to that down and distance. I want them to be able to anticipate what’s going to be called because it’s not just a play call, right? It’s the play call in that situation with what the defense does. And I think that’s when you really start to get cooking offensively.

And it’s pretty comforting to know too that when not every drive works, obviously and you end up having to punt or you end up with a field goal situation but you got two pretty reliable guys back there for that.

Oh, amen. They’ve done a great job all year. And I think that’s something we gotta get much better in the red zone. You know, we talked about when we get down there, those red zone third downs, those are four point plays. You got a chance to feel good about getting the field goal, right, but the field goal leaves four points on the field. So that’s been a big area of emphasis. We’ve worked out a lot there in bowl prep. So you know we got to be a little bit better in that area. We don’t want to leave those four points on the field, but those guys have done a great job of cashing them in when we’ve been down there.

Ali Jennings

How are you feeling, kind of give us the update?

I’m feeling pretty good. I got cleared to return to play a few weeks ago. I’m just finding my way back. I feel like I’m finally back and a part of the team out there practicing and doing as much as possible, running around and stuff so I’m excited.

When you were out and couldn’t make it to the games. How tough was that this season?

It was pretty tough on me, especially how I went out the year before. Just creating so much hype around my name and giving everyone just a glimpse of what I can do. And then for my season to end so quickly, and to see how the season started to go once I went down. It was looking shaky for a second. But got back in the facility around all the guys trying to help bring along the older guys and coach up the younger guys and we started to find our way again, and it was great to see the guys pull off the season that we’ve had and so much success we’ve had I know there’s been a lot of ups and downs but we’re gonna try and pull off one tomorrow and finish on the upside with the season.

Five catches, two touchdowns in that first game you were rockin’ and rollin’ and then you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing blocking downfield for teammates and you get hurt. That’s just bad luck isn’t it?

It was pretty tough to go out that way. Not like having the ball in my hands or anything. Just kind of getting blindsided but I wouldn’t wish it on anyone else. It’s just just the way the game goes. Football is 100% injury rate and just how things go and I’m excited that those guys got to use me as a little bit of motivation and go out and play for something bigger and we had a lot of guys have a pretty good year, in my room especially.

Walk us through that process of coming back.

It was a pretty tough decision. I know with my resume that I could have gone pro, but just seeing how much that the guys love being around each other and how much they wanted me to be a part of the success coming in the future. And talking to my fellow receivers talking to guys that were leaving as well. And a lot of guys that were coming back and they all just showed me how much they wanted me and how much how much they expected from me and I came to a realization that I can’t just go out like that I have to come back and live up to all the hype that I’ve built around my name and show Hokie Nation what I’m really about and I’m excited for it.

You put that video out, all you guys call yourself the bad boys right? Where does that come about?

It was between me and J Lane kind of came up with the name with Coach Mines when we first committed. Coach Mines wanted us to kind of build a group name for each other to kind of let people know who we are. And Quan Felton came up with our slogan standing on business and we’ve just been riding with that ever since I got here in January. And yeah, we’re the bad boys, we come to take what we want on the field. So yeah, it’s been pretty fun being a part of that room. And a lot more bad boys are coming in the future. And hopefully it sticks around.

I saw some of the biggest smiles on your face in the locker room at that UVa game. That was pretty cool, wasn’t it?

Before that game, I was 0-1 versus UVa, we were supposed to win at my previous school. Last minute, good plays happen and they kicked the field goal with time expiring. So I was telling guys all week, ‘Yeah, we need this one because I know I’ve told people that I had a little bit of a grudge with Virginia Tech before I got here but I hated UVa even worse,’ so I’m really glad we pulled that off in the way we did. Man, I couldn’t do anything but smile.

This was a team that was 1-3, fought week in and week out, and now stands in a bowl game. What does that say about this team?

It starts from the top. Even when we were one win with multiple losses, and things weren’t looking so great from the outside looking in, Coach Pry always told us it’s a long season is not over yet, we still have a chance to be a very successful team. And we believed and we went out every day to work hard. We grinded until we could figure out what we were missing to pull out those wins and we figured it out. We got it together. I know it was a little bit shaky. We had to bring it down to the last game but to finish the season like that and have so much momentum going into the bowl game. It was amazing to do that.

Watching Kyron Drones develop and how he came along through the course of the year. You gotta be super excited about what the winter workouts and spring and next year is gonna look like. 

Oh yeah, we’re already making plans and things like that. I told him I’m probably going to come home with him a few times next year when we go on breaks and stuff to train with him. I don’t know. We’re going to try and get a few other guys out there. We’ve just been making a lot of arrangements to really grind this offseason because with success it just becomes harder. You have to go back to the drawing board and figure out what we need to work on to keep getting better and improving on things that we didn’t capitalize on the previous season. So I’m excited for him. He’s a really good quarterback. I see his work ethic and his dedication to the team and the program and his position. He does a great job coming in everyday pushing guys. He’s not the most vocal, but from his actions, you can see what he does and how it just motivates guys to do better for him.

There’s so much excitement around this team this program with you guys coming back with the recruiting classes coming in. How much do you guys feel that and sense that excitement around the program?

We sense it. Even the older guys that aren’t coming back they’re always telling us y’all gonna be a team to look out for next year and it may be a little bit of bias but those guys know especially how much talent we’re bringing back. And we were a pretty young team this year and we’re bringing in a lot of vets and bringing in some talented young guys coming out of high school who could potentially play early and we’re just trying to capitalize on the moment, we have the momentum right now and we got to keep taking advantage of it.

Nasir Peoples

You have that cast on that right hand, how are you feeling?

Good, getting better day-by-day. Just taking one day at a time. You know, just trying to be the best I can be.

And then you got something on your left leg too. You’re like the bionic man here tonight.

Yeah, basically, I’m working on a few things right now trying to get through a knee injury, ACL. Two weeks out, so just going through that whole process. Taking it day by day really. 

Getting the range of motion back? 

Yeah, almost there. I’m a little bit ahead of schedule. I wasn’t really supposed to be walking this early. So that’s good. I had the injury before so just learning what I learned from last time understanding the mental aspect of it, just trying to be better.

I know you battled the last couple of games with a thumb injury. How difficult is it to have that thumb like that when playing defense?

It’s tough, just the pain, obviously, I just wanted to be out there with my teammates and everything. Just having respect for my coaches and everybody just wanted to show and just to create a win. So that was the main thing for me.

Has it been frustrating just kind of getting banged up a little bit because every game that you played in the last two years before this, you started and played every game this year. But this year It’s kind of been like the injury bug kind of got you a little bit.

This year is very frustrating, starting out it happened week two, so just going through that whole process. It was a long season. We’re really just understanding that things happen. It’s football, like Ali said, like you have to get prepared for it and move forward after that. So just taking it day by day trying to be the best I can be just fight through the injuries.

So what’s this week been like? You’ve been around the team and that opportunity to be able to be here in Washington, D.C., go to a bowl game for the first time in the last couple of years. What’s this week been like?

It’s fun. Last week, just being together as a team is never going to be the same. So that’s a big thing. Just having the guys all together, coaches. It’s a big thing to be around because last year we didn’t get this opportunity. So just spending a little bit extra time with the teammates and everything is fun. I wish I was out there playing but I’m happy to be here.

But you’ve been a great mentor to those young guys because you know everything. You’ve seen it all trying to coach those guys up a little bit and now they played well.

Yeah. I think they’re gonna play really well. You know, Mose is in that position right now. He’s had a lot of time this whole season. At this point in his career. I told him he’s not a young guy anymore like you can play a lot. So I’m pretty excited for him and J Jones, also not a young guy like he’s got a lot of experience now. I’m excited to see what they do tomorrow.

What can we expect out of those guys tomorrow and that entire defense tomorrow? 

Just play hard, play fast. I mean, we prepared a lot just last month. We haven’t really taken time off. We really tried to win this game. That was a whole mindset to go in and dominate this game. So expect that. 

What would it mean for this team after being 1-3, to get back to 6-6, get the big win over your rival to get a stamp on the season with a win against an 11 win program?

It’ll mean a lot. I think it shows a lot about how he fought through adversity and everything, early in the season, going through our little down, and then we came together as a team. Like he said before, Coach Pry kept talking to us about how we’re so close to winning those games, you just got to figure out how to do it. And we ended up fighting it off and getting a couple of wins when we needed them. And just putting a stamp on the season will be great, you know, and then going into next season you got a lot of momentum building out right now. So I’m excited to see it.

What’s it like going up against those four dudes that are coming back next year? Those receivers, How much did it make you guys better?

It definitely matters a lot better. Just going up against them in practice the whole summer you could tell they were all going to be special. Tuten as well, that whole offense had its days like you could tell it’s gonna be special like me and Norell used to talk about it. Like it hasn’t been like this in a minute. Like, you can guard one guy but there’s so many weapons and everything and they’re all like best friends, brothers like their chemistry is real.

Bill Roth

How are you doing?

It is so nice to see so many Hokies here in D.C. tonight. It’s funny, these are my favorite bowl friends, who are dear to us, gather near to us once more. And that’s what we do at bowl games. It’s nice to have a real bowl trip again for these Hokie fans. 

There’s never been a bad bowl, has there?

I recall, it would have been 30 years ago this month. We were in Shreveport, Louisiana. And we did our night before the game back then it was called the Hokie Hotline. And we were in the Econo Lodge in Shreveport. It wasn’t a historic hotel. And the only people there were Cheryl, Shane and Casey Beamer. Casey was about three years old and she was on mom’s lap, and it’s nice to see everybody. I’m excited about this game. Hopefully tomorrow, Virginia Tech starts a new bowl streak.

Yeah, that’d be great. You think about that game and we were up on the roof of that stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. Crazy how far we’ve come.

Everywhere we go, you guys talk about how we were hanging. We almost died putting this antenna up somewhere over here. What bowl game is this for you?

We did the math earlier. It’s either 23 or 24. For the two of us. It’s an exciting day. We say this is home and people think of Blacksburg, but wherever Hokies gather, this is home. We’ve done bowl games in El Paso and for that week this is home and for so many Tech alums, Northern Virginia is home. And so this is our biggest alumni base. And to see all these people who are here tonight and who will be at the game tomorrow. This is really exciting for them because they make that drive down 81 all the time. It’s nice to be able to bring our team up to them. It’s great to be up here and to play in our region so to speak. 

What excited you about this matchup tomorrow?

I’m really excited about it because Tulane is ranked, they’ve won 11 games. Their guys on defense are playing. They got a terrific tailback, a freshman who’s rushed over 1,200 yards. It’s a group coached, we were visiting with them earlier today. Tulane they’re 23-4 in their last 27 games. Some kids are used to winning, they have good habits. They don’t commit silly penalties or turnovers. Last year in the Cotton Bowl, they beat USC, a team that had the Heisman-winning quarterback, and won the game. And I think if the Hokies win, it’s going to be a great win and we’ll be talking about it for a while because it’ll be Coach Pry’s first bowl win, the Hokies’ first winning season under Coach Pry and then there’s so much momentum with as you guys were talking earlier, the return of all those receivers coming back, Kyron Drones coming back, Hokies appeared to have really done well in the portal once more as we look ahead to ’24. There’s gonna be a lot of excitement. There’s gonna be a lot of wins. But they gotta get the job done. The weather isn’t great, but that’s okay.

The 35th bowl that the Hokies had been in and you’ve been around for more than half of them. Any that stick out to you, and memorable moments? 

We were talking earlier today, Mike and I did an interview for one of the Roanoke TV stations. We talked about what is the key to the game? That’s like the obligatory question. What is the key to the game, but so many Tech bowl games have come down to special teams. When the Hokies have won big bowl games — Brian Still’s punt return in ’95 two block punts against Alabama in ’98; a blocked kick returned for a touchdown at the end of the first half in the independence bowl, you can go all the way through it. And on the other side, Florida State blocked a punt for a touchdown and returned one for a touchdown in ’99 Carolina blocked the punt in the bowl game in ’97, Florida State returned a punt for a touchdown in Jacksonville 2002. What I’m saying is that so many big plays are in the special teams. Chris Kinzer makes the kick to beat NC State. 

He was a straight on kicker, great kicker. When was the last time you saw that? Was it that game?

Hokies had another, Ryan Williams was a straight on. First Ryan Williams that we had at Virginia Tech was the kicker but they can launch the following season when you win a ballgame. There’s a bunch of guys from the Hokie Club here tonight. When you win a bowl game, it helps raise money, the Triumph people are here. It helps, everyone feels better when you win the bowl game. It’s the last thing you remember. It’s the desert of the season. We’ve never been to a bad bowl game. But some of them do standout.

This year it’s different from any other in the sense, this person is coming back, this person is going to the transfer portal but playing in the bowl game this person is going to the NFL Draft. How do you keep track of all that?

Tulane has two really good defensive ends. Really good. That’s why they were ranked and one of them is going to Houston. He’s committed and he’s going to play for coach Fritz in Houston. The other one is going to TCU they’re gonna be a Horned Frog next week, but they’re both going to play against Tech. And I never recall playing in a game where you knew the key guys on the other team were about to transfer. Are they going to wear the TCU and Houston helmet and it’s going to be like the senior bowl? You wear the helmet of your real team. So it’s very interesting. I’m interested to see what they do at quarterback, because you know Kai Horton is a kid that is technically the number two guy, but everything we’ve been told we might not see much of him tomorrow. 

That’s true. They got the guy that’s waiting that needs to debut. 

Yep, he’s from Metairie, Louisiana. His family, it’s a big name down there. He’s a fan-favorite. The previous staff thought Horton was the guy. But there’s the new staff, Coach Jon Sumrall, who’s from Troy, what impact does he have on who plays tomorrow? There’s a lot of drama around Tulane. I think that helps Tech a little bit too.

One of the fastest growing majors that you’re leading the charge of, is the Sports Media and Analytics program. How’s everything going on that front?

Thanks for bringing it up. We have 331 students currently enrolled at Tech. Our kids are covering the game tomorrow. They’ve been doing a great job. We’re so excited about the commitment Tech has made institutionally to our studio at the Moss Arts Center, to getting the top kids that want to be not only on air, but journalists of all types, storytellers, behind the scenes, producers, directors, and the ACC Network, the Blacksburg operation has been great. The athletic department has provided great access, everybody in our league is providing access for our students. So you guys will see them running around, a bunch of kids in coats and ties everywhere we go and those are our SMA students.

And how about the news of Northern Virginia the potential of that?

Totally excited about that. I mean, hopefully it comes to fruition but obviously the campus across the river and what’s happening here with the possibility of the NBA and the NHL team could really help us there as well. So if the state legislature gives it the okay, I know there’s some traditional Washington Wizards fans, former Washington Bullet fans that are disappointed the team is moving potentially three miles down the road but it’s great for Virginia Tech and if it happens, I think it’s great for the Commonwealth. It can be really good for our students and I’m curious and eager to see what the next step is there. It could be really exciting for kids.

What are you looking forward to most tomorrow? 

I want to see Bhayshul Tuten get as many touches as possible. I want to say Bhayshul Tuten’s name a lot tomorrow. We’re rooting for Tuten over here. I’m excited to see him play again. And that receiving corps. Mike and I have great jobs because anytime the Hokies are in scoring position, we can have the ball on the 15 yard line and like Felton’s ready to take it 85 yards. The other team is ready to kick off, Bhayshul is ready to run it back 98 yards, the other team might be punting but Tucker Holloway he’s ready to roll that back 75 yards you know so it’s a really exciting team because offense, defense, kicking game they can score in so many different ways. And I’m excited to see that tomorrow.