Virginia Tech Holds Players-Only Meeting Ahead of Vanderbilt Matchup

Nashville—A players-only meeting at this stage of a season could be the start of a storybook run, or an indicator of trouble.

Who knows what it will be for this Virginia Tech team, but after its 24-11 week one loss to South Carolina its leaders felt as if they had to try to push some buttons in order to steer this thing back on the tracks.

"It definitely felt necessary,” Virginia Tech linebacker Jaden Keller–who volunteered that there had been a players-only meeting–said. “Seeing where we at in the game and how close we were, so we had the leadership come together and talk to the whole team. I think the guys got the point of what we need to do and what we need to cut out from last week."

Keller and his teammates enter Saturday’s matchup with Vanderbilt knowing that they have to double down on what won them six games last season. They know that they’re not good enough to skate by without being fully bought in on their principles.

In an important year for fourth-year head coach Brent Pry–a former coach on James Franklin’s Vanderbilt staff, who has a 16-21 record as the Hokies’ head coach–he’s preaching the same thing.

“We've got to double down on discipline and some accountability, on execution and finishing catches and making some better decisions in some areas,” Pry said on Tuesday. “So, looking to correct all that, which we certainly can this week and we started that last night with a heavy correction period and out in the indoor.”

The margin will be small on Saturday as Vanderbilt looks to cut the total number of possessions and play a similar brand of football to what it did last season as it had the least turnovers in the country.

Virginia Tech is betting that Vanderbilt–which is honing in on its efforts to avoid being rattled by the environment that will be present in Lane Stadium–won’t make all that many mistakes. It knows that if it’s going to win as three-point favorites on Saturday it will have to clean up the things that hampered it against South Carolina.

After the meeting, it feels as if it’s in a position to do that.

"We were assured the guys didn't lose hope and are in the right headspace,” Keller said. “We can go out and perform how we know we can play. That was the message: just don't lose our cool and stay composed. Kind of have to flush the last weekend and move on to the next one."

There’s plenty for this group to flush after its season opener in which it surrendered 14 points in the fourth quarter and saw its quarterback Kyron Drones throw two interceptions while his offensive line received a 47.16 grade in pass protection from Pro Football Focus.

Saturday provides Vanderbilt’s first real litmus test of the season. Perhaps it’s more important for its opponent, though. A loss would put Pry’s team at 0-2 and would make his seat a little hotter.

His players say they haven’t given up despite the perception of what a meeting like this happening this early on is, though.

"The guys are still motivated,” Keller said. “Whatever we did last week, we need to take it up another notch or degree. The guys embodied it and are ready for practice today and to attack it. That's the message we told the other guys."