September is upon us, and with that comes Hokie football season. Tonight, Brent Pry will lead Tech in a rematch with Old Dominion after the Monarchs shocked the Hokies in last season’s opening game, 20-17. Afterwards, both teams went on to have some pretty rough seasons.
In Brent Pry’s first year at the helm, the Hokies went 3-8 and missed out on bowl eligibility. Meanwhile, Ricky Rahne has had a tough start to his coaching career at ODU. To be fair, the first season he would have had with the team was canceled by COVID, and then the 2021 season was actually successful as the Monarchs had a surprise 6-6 season and went bowling. Then last year, they proceeded to go the opposite direction. After beating Tech, they won just two more games on their way to a 3-9 season.
It is safe to say both teams will be seeking some kind of improvement this year. During the offseason, both teams were impacted by the transfer portal to some degree, but Old Dominion was especially. They lost several key players on both sides of the ball. Four big names were on the offense: starting QB Hayden Wolff to Western Michigan; leading OT Khadere Kounta UCLA; standout RB Blake Watson to Memphis, and star WR Ali Jennings, who led the Monarchs in receiving last year, came to play for the Hokies.
On defense, their secondary is young and thin in depth. On a positive for ODU, their linebacker core returns the anchor of their defense last year, Jason Henderson, but he is one of the few guys to note.
As for this year’s Virginia Tech team, they return several key starters. Quarterback Grant Wells will head up the Hokies passing attack, while newcomer Bhayshul Tuten and a healthy Malachi Thomas lead a power-packed Hokies ground game. Tuten, a transfer from NC A&T, led the Aggies in rushing with a historic 2022 season, running for 1,363 yards and 13 touchdowns. Among the newcomers, the Hokies wide receiver room had some remodeling done this off-season via the portal with the additions of Ali Jennings (ODU), Jaylin Lane (Middle Tennessee State), and Da’Quan Felton (Norfolk State).
On defense, the Hokies were good at times last year, but could ascend to greater heights in 2023. They ranked around the middle of the pack in total yards allowed (370.4 yds). Their strong suit is definitely in their secondary this season with some question marks up front. Veteran safety Nasir Peoples helps captain the Lunch Pail D and is joined by a healthy redshirt junior in Dorian Strong and sophomore stud CB Mansoor Delane in the secondary. On the defensive line, they lost TyJuan Garbutt who led the Hokies with 6.5 sacks last year. They did add a potential spark in Florida transfer DE Antwaun Powell-Ryland, who made 13 appearances and had 3 sacks for the Gators in 2022.
After a look at how these teams are made up headed into Saturday night’s game, now let’s get to some player spotlights.
Player Spotlights
Old Dominion: QB Grant Wilson and LB Jason Henderson
With Hayden Wolff out at ODU, the Monarchs were left in a flux at QB. In steps Fordham transfer Grant Wilson. He was a backup QB there and has been during his collegiate career, so this will be his first start ever for a pass-first offense that averaged over 247 yards/game last season. He won the job with his play this spring and he will be one to watch to see how he adjusts against the Hokies defense. It's important that ODU's new offensive coordinator came from Fordham so Wilson does have a decent understanding of ODU's new offense.
Then you have linebacker Jason Henderson who is a key returner for this Monarchs’ defense. He was stellar for them last season as an anchor for their linebacker core. He led the nation in tackles per game in 2022 with 10 of those being for loss. The Hokies will have to stifle him in order to make certain their run game gets going.
Virginia Tech: The WR Transfers
It is hard not to go with this exciting group of receivers the Hokies have added through the portal for this season. Ali Jennings, Jaylin Lane, and Da’Quan Felton will be ones to watch Saturday night. Jennings has tremendous big play ability and is great in open space. Lane broke out in 2022 for Middle Tennessee State, catching 69 passes including 5 touchdowns. Lastly, Portsmouth native Felton is the tallest of the group and his height sure is intriguing at 6’5''. It will be interesting to see how OC Tyler Bowen utilizes that size.
How their chemistry will be with Wells and exactly how they are involved in the Hokie offense will be something worth keeping an eye on.
3 Keys to the Game
1. Apply Pressure
Grant Wilson will make his first ever start at QB… first ever. The Hokies have to take the pressure to him and make him uncomfortable. The Monarchs losing multiple starting offensive linemen this offseason including Kounta has them scrambling to get a solid group together up front. Tech's defense has to take advantage of that and get in the backfield as much as possible. Given the emphasis on improving their pass rush this offseason, this will be a great barometer check to see where the Hokies are in that area.
2. Pound the Rock
Bhayshul Tuten and Malachi Thomas should be in for a big game Saturday considering how thin the Monarchs are on defense and given their inability to stop the run last season (outrushed 198.3 to 92.5 yards/game). The Hokie offensive line is inexperienced, but they will need to set the tone up front in the trenches. If Tech's offensive line struggles tonight, concerns about their inexperience and quality will only go up ahead of next week's matchup with Purdue.
3. Control the Clock
Controlling the run game will ultimately lead to this last key to victory. When you can control the run game, usually that leads to controlling the time of possession. Time of possession for opponents was an average of 35:40 against ODU last season. For the Monarchs, only 24:20. Force Wilson to get rid of the ball before he wants to and get them off the field. With how fast their offense likes to operate, 3-and-outs can happen in a hurry.
