As Hokies reset following Week 1 setback, Pry has team preparing for pair of Marshall quarterbacks

— By Bill Cornwell

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Last Saturday’s 34-27 overtime loss at Vanderbilt has caused its fair share of concern from Virginia Tech’s rabid football fan base.

The Hokies, who welcome Marshall to Lane Stadium for their home opener at 4:30 pm Saturday, are hoping to avoid a repeat of last season when they started 1-3. One of those three early losses was a 24-17 defeat at Marshall.

This week’s game is the 14th all-time meeting between Marshall and Virginia Tech, with the Hokies winning 10 of the previous 13 matchups.

Successful Virginia Tech football teams of the past were largely built on sound running games, stifling defense and special teams prowess to say nothing of several successful dual-threat quarterbacks.

That recipe for success wasn’t fully realized last Saturday in Nashville when the Hokies fell behind 17-0 and their rally came up short.

While Virginia Tech out-gained the Commodores 397-371, and was successful on two field-goal attempts, among the negatives were a net scoring number 14 yards less than the overall scoring average, while the offense managed only 75 rushing yards on 30 carries .

Normally productive Hokies’ running back Bhayshul Tuten was held to 34 yards.

On the positive side, quarterback Kyron Drones had a career passing day with 322 yards and two touchdowns.

“In the run game we need to be more physical,” Hokies’ head coach Brent Pry said. “They were shooting gaps and doing some things that we hadn’t expected, and it slowed us down. We have to come off the ball, be more aggressive, be more physical. At moments we looked pretty good in the run game — we were hat on hat, we were moving people. And then in the throw game, we got beat a little bit too often and they had a little bit too much success rushing the quarterback.”

Pry says the VT defensive staff has a unique challenge this week in preparing for Marshall as the Thundering Herd still hasn’t settled on a clear starting quarterback. He expects transfers Stone Earle and Braylon Braxton to both see action on Saturday, just as the duo did in last week’s season opener against Stony Brook.

“We broke down both quarterbacks,” Pry said. “We looked into their film. They both played a couple of games at their prior institution. We looked at those. We looked at what they did against Stony Brook. It was a little bit different with each guy, but there were a lot of similarities as well. You have to study them independently and that’s what we’ve done. “They’re both pretty talented guys.”

Pry says he’s not pushing the panic button after the season-opening loss and that Tech’s players need to have a humble attitude while avoiding outside distractions.

“You can’t ever feel like you’re better than you are,” Pry said. “You hear me say all the time, humble and hungry. They seemed in a good headspace in that locker room. I think the way the game started kind of deflated things. I think there was respect for Vanderbilt. I know as a coaching staff we did and we certainly preached that with our team. It’s my job as a head coach to make sure that we come out guns blazing and playing really tough and really hard — and I don’t think we did that. It wasn’t long into the game where I felt like we lost that. “It took too long to get it back.”

The Marshall game carries special significance to Pry. His father, Jim, was a quarterback on the 1971 MU Young Thundering Herd team that played following the 1970 Marshall football plane crash.

That 1971 team won games over Xavier and Bowling Green, despite featuring many walk-ons and players with little football experience.

Pry still have memories as a youngster in Huntington.

“The folks got married at 18 and had me, and that’s kind of where it all started.” Pry said. “Marshall is very close and dear to my father. Just his experience of him going there and why he chose Marshall being on that Young Thundering Herd. Taking him to that game last year was special. He walked around campus and walked around town and it was emotional for him. Lot of layers that are emotional about Marshall for myself and for my family, for this team, for this school. “I’ve got a lot of respect for Marshall.”