How to Watch and Listen: Virginia Tech vs Old Dominion
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After an 0-2 start to the season, Virginia Tech is looking to get its first victory of the season on Saturday when they face Old Dominion. The Monarchs have not always been the easiest opponent for the Hokies in the past, but this is as much of a must win game for Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry as you can have. A win does not settle things down, but a loss would be catastrophic for Pry. Can Virginia Tech defend Lane Stadium this weeekend?
How to watch and listen
TV: The game will be televised on ACC Network with Jorge Sedano (play-by-play), Jay Walker (analyst), and Victoria Arlen (sidelines) on the call. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET.
Radio: The Virginia Tech Sports Network will carry the contest over the airwaves in Blacksburg on 93.1 FM and 105.9 FM. Bill Roth will handle play-by-play duties while Mike Burnup provides color commentary and Zach Mackey reports from the sideline.
ESPN's SP+ is giving Virginia Tech a 67% chance to defeat them while projecting the final score to be 31-24.
What is SP+? Here is how ESPN analyst Bill Connelly describes it:
"In a single sentence, it's a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency. I created the system at Football Outsiders in 2008, and as my experience with both college football and its stats has grown, I have made quite a few tweaks to the system.
SP+ is indeed intended to be predictive and forward-facing. It is not a résumé ranking that gives credit for big wins or particularly brave scheduling -- no good predictive system is. It is simply a measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football. If you're lucky or unimpressive in a win, your rating will probably fall. If you're strong and unlucky in a loss, it will probably rise."
The Hokies have had trouble with the Monarchs over the past decade and you can bet that ODU believes they can win this game, which they absolutely can.
Is Pry's job on the line?
After the loss to Vanderbilt, Pry, of course, faced questions about his job, and here is what he had to say about feeling the heat:
"I'm not. I tell the players to ignore the noise. The expectations here are to win. I'm not happy with where we are right now. Not from a wins standpoint. But I like this team. I'm still excited about what we can do."
The questions are going to continue swirling around Pry and his future.
College football insider Bruce Feldman wrote Pry being on the hot seat in the preseason:
"Last year felt like the season where the former Penn State defensive coordinator would break through in Blacksburg. It didn’t happen. Getting hit by a run of injuries didn’t help, but going 0-5 in one-score games really stung. Pry, who is 16-21 in three seasons, is now 1-12 in games decided by seven points or less.
The Hokies are talented enough to compete with everyone in the ACC, and they pretty much have. They probably should’ve beaten Miami last year on the road. This season, Pry has two new coordinators (Philip Montgomery on offense, Sam Siefkes on defense) and a very experienced QB in Kyron Drones. The opener against South Carolina and Frank Beamer’s son, Shane, is tough, but Virginia Tech doesn’t play either of the ACC’s two Playoff teams from last year, Clemson and SMU. And Miami visits Blacksburg.
Seven wins might be enough to buy Pry another season, but the Hokies have to find a way to start winning close games. Sooner or later (preferably sooner for Pry’s sake), the ball has to start bouncing the Hokies’ way, right?"
The Hokies have a chance to win some games coming up against Old Dominion, Wofford, NC State, and Wake Forest, but will they?
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Jackson Caudell has been covering Georgia Tech Athletics For On SI since March 2022 and the Atlanta Hawks for On SI since October 2023. Jackson is also the co-host of the Bleav in Georgia Tech podcast and he loves to bring thoughtful analysis and comprehensive coverage to everything that he does. Find him on X @jacksoncaudell
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