Closing Thoughts Before Week 5: It's A Season Within A Season For Virginia Tech Football
Let me get this out of the way: I don't think that Virginia Tech football will rattle off eight straight wins or qualify for the ACC title game, shocking the world under interim head coach Philip Montgomery. The odds of that happening are infinitesimally small for a 1-3 team, even moreso one that trailed to Old Dominion, 31-0 and had a four-quarter stretch spanning the closing half of Vanderbilt and first half against the Monarchs where it was outscored, 62-0.
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What Virginia Tech can do, however, is lay the foundation for the future. The Hokies (1-3) enter their ACC schedule with something to prove and an opportunity to evaluate the pieces that will carry the program forward. With the way the nonconference slate went, even a six-win bowl season is now far from guaranteed.
Yet adversity can provide clarity. With several players entering the transfer portal, the season becomes a live audition for those who could emerge as long-term contributors. It’s also a chance for Virginia Tech to identify under-the-radar talent, test depth across key positions, and refine the culture under interim head coach Philip Montgomery. While wins may be sporadic, the lessons learned and leadership established during this stretch could shape the foundation of the Hokies’ roster for years to come. Leadership has found itself displayed on both sides of the ball. After Wednesday's practice, Montgomery talked about how wideout Ayden Greene has taken the bull by the horns and has embraced the leadership role.
"He's really been phenomenal," Montgomery said. "He really has. And he's really taken that role since I've been here. I don't know what he did prior to [me coming in], but I can tell you, since I've been here, he's a guy that does a great job from a leadership standpoint. Talks when he needs to, actions on the field, go make plays, been selfish in some areas like that. So, I've been really, really pleased with what he's done."
Greene has embodied a mentality of relentless improvement, refusing to settle for personal milestones or easy achievements. Following Virginia Tech’s Week 4 win over Wofford, he made it clear that even a 1,000-yard game would not satisfy him; he believes there is always another level to reach. Greene’s drive mirrors the larger challenge for the Hokies: establishing a clear identity not just individually, but collectively. Both the offensive and defensive units are still works in progress, with players learning new roles and schemes under interim leadership.
Head coach Philip Montgomery has expressed optimism about shaping the offense into a system that allows both the passing game and run game to flourish and complement one another in unison.
"Well, I think more than anything, it's finding the balance," Montgomery said. "We got to establish the line of scrimmage. You want to get the run game going, but you got to make sure that whether we're moving the pocket, whether we're standing in the pocket, we're taking our shots down the field. Our philosophy is always going to be [that] we're going to spread them as far as we can, spread them when we're going to stretch the field as far as we can stretch it. And we got to be able to pick and poke on different parts of the field to be able to move chains, stay ahead of the chains, stay out of third-and-long, and when you get down the red zone, you got to convert."
Establishing the run has been inconsistent and protecting quarterback Kyron Drones remains a challenge against more physical fronts like NC State’s. Yet Montgomery’s emphasis on balance provides a multitude of ways for Virginia Tech to succeed — whether by leaning on Terion Stewart and Marcellous Hawkins in the ground game, using Greene to stretch defenses vertically or dialing up quick throws and checkdowns to keep the offense ahead of schedule. The blueprint is less about reinventing the wheel and more about executing consistently, turning manageable drives into sustained production. That insistence on not reinventing the wheel extends to the defense, as well. Even amid a turbulent period following the firing of now-former head coach Brent Pry, the goal does not change.
"It doesn't change much," said defensive coordinator Sam Siefkes on Wednesday. "We have a saying on our defensive staff. That's 'Stay in process', and whether the result was good or whether the result was bad, we believe in what we're doing from a process standpoint. We tinker and we do things slightly different from week to week, but at the end of the day, we know what we're doing and how we're doing it is the right way. We just got to continue to work at it, so that we can get the results that we want to week in and week out."
Virginia Tech football kicks off tonight at 7 p.m. ET in Carter-Finley Stadium, with viewing available on the CW Network.
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Thomas is a sophomore at Virginia Tech majoring in multimedia journalism with a minor in creative writing. He currently works with Collegiate Times, Virginia Tech's student-run newspaper, as a staff writer for its sports section. In addition, he also writes for 3304 Sports as a staff writer and on-air talent, as well as Aspiring Journalists at Virginia Tech as a curator. You can find him on X: @thomashughes_05.