Coaching Matters

For the last three-plus seasons, Virginia Tech has consistently found ways to lose games.

Not this time, Satan.

Virginia Tech's 23-21 victory over NC State was a prime example of a team finding ways to win a game. The Hokies weren't perfect — Tech's offense looked clunky at times and they committed seven penalties for 55 yards. In the past, these issues would have handed the Hokies another one-score loss.

Instead, Philip Montgomery's ragtag bunch marched into Carter-Finley Stadium and won a back-and-forth affair where Virginia Tech had to regain the lead twice in the second half.

Tech showed resilience that we've yet to see over the last few years. Brent Pry's poor record in tight games is well-known, as the Hokies usually folded in crunch time with critical mistakes that doomed any chance they had of winning.

Saturday was different.

Trailing 14-13 late in the third quarter, Terion Stewart ripped off an 85-yard run to set up a Cameron Seldon touchdown just one play later.

NC State proceeded to matriculate down the field over 10 plays for 75 yards and a touchdown, putting Virginia Tech in a 21-20 hole. 

The Hokies' response? A four-minute, 20-second drive resulting in John Love netting his third field goal of the day to put the Hokies ahead for good.

Everybody played a role in Saturday's win. Kyron Drones threw two more touchdowns, Virginia Tech's running backs combined for 222 yards on 19 carries, 11 different receivers caught a pass, and the Tech defense registered eight tackles for loss and five sacks.

Despite the persistent turmoil in Blacksburg, the Hokies showed up to play with tremendous effort and toughness — two things rarely present in Virginia Tech's first three games. The men who showed up and refused to quit on their teammates deserve a standing ovation.

With that said, no one plays with tremendous effort and resilience without coaches holding them together. There's ultimately one man responsible for that accomplishment — Philip Montgomery.

As tumultuous as this month has been for Tech's players, it's been equally as hectic for Tech's coaches. Montgomery was run out of college football just a couple years ago, eventually landing in the United Football League. A middling coach rescued him from irrelevance and brought him back home.

Then that guy got fired, and multiple players decided to sit out the remainder of the season. Not exactly a cakewalk, eh?

Montgomery has seemingly steadied the ship. Tech's win over Wofford wasn't remarkable, but Saturday's win over NC State felt like a meaningful one.

It felt like this was what the season should've looked like all along. It showed that as good or as bad as your roster might be, having a competent head coach leading the way makes a world of difference.

The first five weeks of the 2025 season have put Virginia Tech through a meat grinder. And while Tech is just 2-3, they're 1-0 where it matters most.

No one is seriously going to argue that the Hokies are an ACC contender, but a dachshund-long season remains. Virginia Tech's schedule will not be easy, but just about everything these players wanted before the season is right in front of them.

Virginia Tech did not play anywhere close to their potential against South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Old Dominion. They did, however, play to their potential on Saturday.

Maybe, just maybe, Montgomery is the right man to get the most out of this group.