Marty Gordon
Virginia Tech returns home from Nashville, where they were shellshocked in its first football game of the year by Vanderbilt.
Coach Brent Pry and the Hokies were burned by a Southeastern Conference (SEC) team. Now they will turn their attention to Marshall, who is coming off a 45-3 win over Stoney Brook.
The game served as the first action for Marshall in the new Air Raid offense, although the rushing attack proved just as effective throughout the matchup. The Herd amassed 549 yards of total offense with 259 yards on the ground and 290 through the air with three quarterbacks combining to complete 65 percent of their passes with five touchdowns and no turnovers.
A.J. Turner led the way for the Herd on the ground with 119 yards on eight carries
Fans will remember a 2023 Marshall team that beat (24-17) the Hokies in a 3-10 season.
Under Pry, Tech last year won four of its final six regular season games to clinch bowl eligibility. The Hokies advanced to the 2023 Military Bowl presented by GoBowling.com, where they defeated No. 23 Tulane, 41-20. Now, they turn their attention Marshall in the first home game of the 2024 season.
Virginia Tech achieved a 5-3 ACC record during Pry’s sophomore head coaching season, finishing in a tie for fourth place in the year-end standings.
The Hokies averaged 41.8 points during their five ACC victories and sported a +126 scoring margin, including November road romps at Boston College (48-22) and at Virginia (55-17).
Virginia Tech ranked fourth among NCAA FBS programs and led the ACC in fewest passing yards allowed (168.8 per game), trailing only Ohio State (145.9), Michigan (157.0) and Notre Dame (157.3).
Defensively, the Hokies tied for the nation’s 10th most sacks per game (3.00) and the 10th most total sacks (39), ranking second among ACC programs in both categories. Individually, defensive end Antwaun Powell Ryland tied for the 14th most sacks per game (0.73) and the 16th most total sacks (9.5), also ranking second among ACC players in both categories.
Tech ranked 13th nationally in team TFLs per game (7.2) and 14th in total team TFLs (94), ranking second and third, respectively, among ACC sides.
Virginia Tech boasted the country’s 20th best team defense, holding opponents on average to 316.8 yards per game.
Virginia Tech retains 42 letterwinners from its 2023 roster.
In February 2024, ESPN staff writer Bill Connelly ranked Virginia Tech as the No. 1 FBS program in terms of returning production, clocked at 86 percent. Connelly also ranked the Hokies as the No. 1 FBS program in returning offensive production, assessed at 95 percent.
The Hokies return 19 of their 22 offensive and defensive starters from their 2023 Military Bowl victory against No. 23 Tulane, including all 11 starters on the offensive side of the ball.
The incoming freshman class includes 15 scholarship players who had impressive high school careers. The group includes 13 players who served as team captains and five state championships as a class.
Pry and his staff continue to focus on the Hokies’ recruiting footprint, inking five in-state signees, all ranked within the top 25 in the Commonwealth per 247 Sports. Six of the 15 signees are from within a 325-mile radius of Blacksburg, including defensive lineman Deric Dandy and running back Tyler Mason, both from Mount Airy, North Carolina, along with defensive back Quentin Reddish from Charlotte, North Carolina.
The class represents seven states. In addition to Virginia, three signees hail from North Carolina, with two each from Maryland and Ohio and one each from Georgia, Florida and New Jersey.
During preseason camp, Coach Brent Pry announced the seven 2024 team captains following a program-wide vote. This year’s captains are redshirt junior QB Kyron Drones, senior OL Kaden Moore, redshirt senior LB Sam Brumfield, graduate WR Da’Quan Felton, graduate CB Dorian Strong, senior DL Cole Nelson and senior P Peter Moore. Kaden Moore is a repeat captain from 2023 while Peter Moore is a captain for the third straight year.
