Brent Pry Has Dug Himself a Very Deep Hole

The 2025 schedule gave him an immediate opportunity to improve his situation, but instead he quickly buried himself. The opener against No. 13 South Carolina was always going to be a difficult test. But the game was there for the taking at the end of the third quarter, with the Hokies only down 10-8. Instead, it was the Gamecocks that took the game by outscoring the Hokies 14-3 in the fourth quarter. Despite the loss, the Hokies did show some potential and fight. This was mostly because of an attacking defense led by new defensive coordinator Sam Siefkes.

However, any optimism the fanbase had after the South Carolina game quickly dissolved at home against Vanderbilt on Saturday night. After taking a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Commodores outscored the Hokies 44-10 the rest of the way. This included getting outscored 34-0 in the second half. Virginia Tech had an opportunity to gain revenge for the 2024 disaster in Nashville but instead made things worse by getting swept in the home-and-home series.

This was the latest painful loss at Lane Stadium, which used to be one of the toughest stadiums in the country to play. But that was when head coach Frank Beamer ran the program. Since then, Blacksburg, Va. has lost its mystique. With Pry in charge, they have gone 10-8 at Lane Stadium, with three of the losses coming to Purdue, Rutgers and now Vanderbilt.

If you look back at Pry’s first game as head coach, the Hokies lost at Old Dominion. At that time, while disappointing, the hope by fans was it that was just a painful step towards better things. But now it just looks like it was a sign of things to come.