'One Side Just Takes Over The Whole Thing': Uneven Effort Highlights First Two Weeks of Fall Camp

The offense and defense have frequently been uneven during the first two weeks of fall camp, with one side regularly gaining the upper hand.

Virginia Tech Athletics

Consistency is the lifeblood of any football program, the sword by which teams live or die. For Virginia Tech, that steadiness has been elusive at times, with the first two weeks of fall camp producing stretches of crisp execution mixed with periods of uneven play.

In his opening statement after Wednesday's practice, Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry pointed to inconsistency as the main takeaway.

"Biggest thing, we were a little off-sided," Pry said. "One period would be really good for the offense and not so good for the defense. And then a couple of periods later, it'd be the exact opposite. We got my message to the guys: 'We got to answer.' So, we can't let a period get away from us. And one side just takes over the whole thing and dominate the period so we still got some growing to do that way... We’re willing to move some guys around and try some things. We’ve still got decisions we have to make on guys. So some guys are getting a ton of reps and some guys we already know enough about, we’re pulling back on them a little bit, so that we can figure out this team over this mini-camp and next.”

Case in point: William "Pop" Watson's trio of one-on-one reps, each of which ended with overthrows. The first two misses weren’t particularly close, sailing well beyond his intended targets. On the third attempt, there was at least some disruption; Shamarius “Snook” Peterkin appeared to get a hand on the ball. Still, it’s worth noting this sequence isn’t representative of Watson’s entire camp performance. In fact, during Media Day, Pry specifically highlighted Watson’s progress and improvement, signaling that the young quarterback has been trending in the right direction overall.

"He is in a much better place," Pry said. "He's not worried about the other guy, he's focused on his play, his technique, his mechanics, his improvements, his decision-making, his reads and he's improved. After five practices, I'm not sure that I've seen him play as consistently. He's had moments [before], but he hasn't been able to do it just day after day. I'm seeing a lot of good things out of him right now."

Meanwhile, Garret Rangel, locked in a battle with Watson for the Hokies’ backup quarterback spot, turned in a mixed showing of his own. His first one-on-one rep, a matchup between Devin Alves and Jordan “Jojo” Crim, resulted in a clean completion to Alves. The second rep, however, was a costly misfire; Rangel delivered the ball straight into the hands of safety Jordan Bass. However, he finished strong, capping his three-rep sequence with a sharply placed deep ball to Cam Sparks.

Garret Rangel 1-on-1 reps from today

Rep 1: Devin Alves vs. Jojo Crim
Rep 2: Micah Matthews vs. Jordan Bass
Rep 3: Cam Sparks vs. Josh Jones pic.twitter.com/PX6CsWO9GG

— Kolby Crawford (@kolby_crawford) August 13, 2025

Speaking on Bass, Pry said that "he plays very hard" and is aggressive but still commits mental errors and misses a handful of assignments.

It’s important to remember that one-on-one drills don’t tell the full story. Players sometimes take risks they wouldn’t in a live game, given the unique situations the drill creates. Unlike a game, a one-on-one doesn’t include a moving pocket or shifting coverage; it’s simply the quarterback relying on his receiver to win the matchup downfield and delivering an accurate, timely throw.

Watson sailed all three of his attempts, while Rangel connected on two passes but was also intercepted once. In the grand scheme, it’s just a snapshot of one day’s worth of reps. While my projected unofficial depth chart flipped from Rangel to Watson following the positive comments I heard from Pry at Media Day, there's a possibility it could flip back to Rangel if the remainder of the week proceeds as it did yesterday.

Pry acknowledged that swings in momentum are part of practice, but emphasized the importance of turning the tide.

"It happens occasionally," Pry said when asked if one side being lopsided has been the theme of fall camp. "I want to get to a place where you know we can always answer. Offense is starting the period, and we're halfway through it, and they've been pretty dominant and we find a way to turn the tide so they make the play defensively to get it back right."