Hughes: Rejuvenation Reigned for Virginia Tech Football Saturday. Does It Last?

Virginia Tech football captured its second win of the season Saturday evening over NC State; as such, the mood is elevated entering the Hokies' Week 6 clash. The victory brought a sense of direction to a season still searching for identity. However, the focus is still on doing things in the "business as usual" mindset.

WEEK 6 | HOMECOMING: VIRGINIA TECH VS. WAKE FOREST

🧵: ORANGE EFFECT

📍: LANE STADIUM, BLACKSBURG, VA

📺: 1 PM ET ON @TheCW_Sports #ThisIsHome pic.twitter.com/VJifOnJFcx
— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) September 30, 2025

"We played some really, really tough people," said Virginia Tech interim head coach Philip Montgomery. "You know you've been in big games. You know you played some tough defenses. As you continue to go throughout this season, we're going to continue to face those. We faced another tough one there in NC State. We're going to face another really tough one here in Wake [Forest]'s defense. So, we know we got our hands full and for us, we got to focus on what we do, how we do it and continuing to get better each and every week."

So, does it last? My bet is yes — for this week, at least. Wake Forest is no pushover, having taken No. 17 Georgia Tech to overtime before falling in a 30-29 defeat. However, they still sit in the bottom half of the ACC in most power rankings this year. Virginia Tech On SI staff writer Brett Holmes ranked the Hokies No. 9 in his latest ACC poll, one spot ahead of the Demon Deacons. Here's a brief snippet of what Holmes had to say:

"Only the Hokies could be the biggest riser and faller within the same month... Fans almost had to pinch themselves because they achieved the impossible: the Hokies won a one-score game. It's been nearly four years since their last one-score victory, and it couldn't have come at a better time. This fault was one of Brent Pry's biggest, and it took Philip Montgomery one try to right that wrong.... The defense has the most interesting storyline of the week. Names leaving through the portal, some not named on the roster, yet this group looks as unified as ever. These past two weeks have shown who really wants to be in Blacksburg. Adversity is an understatement when looking at what these players have gone through in just a few weeks. The landscape was flipped on its head for Virginia Tech, and they've responded in the best possible way."

Offensive lineman Johnny Garrett referenced that feeling of adversity, calling it "rock bottom" after the firing of then-head coach Brent Pry.

"[Pry's] departure really set us at rock bottom," Garrett said. "And I think for him [interim head coach Philip Montgomery] and pretty much all the coaches, all the players, when you're [at] rock bottom, you can either keel over and die or you can claw your way back up. And he's really reinforced that. And we've all bought into that. And I think every guy you see wearing that Virginia Tech uniform is a guy that wants to fight."

The Hokies enter this contest as 6.5-point favorites over Wake Forest. Oddsmakers may see them as the safer bet, but inside the locker room the mentality remains the opposite, at least for Garrett: a team embracing the freedom of being overlooked.

"It was easily the best game I've been a part of since I've been here," Garrett said. "And I think what I was telling the O-line before the game is and what Coach [Matt] Moore has kind of reinforced over the past couple weeks is [that] no one really expects us to go out there and play hard except for us. Like, I love it. I love going out there with no expectations. And I told him there's nothing more dangerous than a guy with nothing to lose or a group with nothing to lose, especially a group that has the capacity to be violent and win. So, I feel like that's done a lot of good for us and I just love the attitude we've brought the last two weeks."

Virginia Tech contests the Demon Deacons next on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 1 p.m. ET, with viewing available on the CW.

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