Spring has a different feel to it in Blacksburg on the heels of a 7-6 football season that saw Virginia Tech turn a corner in ACC play and wrap things up with a bowl victory for the first time in seven years, especially with almost all the key pieces returning on both sides of the ball.

There’s — how do you describe this feeling again? — optimism, real optimism, for a change.

That creates a different challenge for Brent Pry and his staff, however: Trying to keep the team constantly motivated.

“It’s about staying hungry,” Pry said Tuesday in a news conference. “And to do that, you have to stay humble. 

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