Brent Pry stresses importance of opportunity vs. Tulane

Brent Pry and the Virginia Tech Hokies realize they have a shot to end their season on a high note, facing the Tulane Green Wave in the Military Bowl.

If Pry is able to lead Virginia Tech to a win, it’d be one of the best victories the program has achieved under his watch. The Green Wave are a formidable opponent, and Pry recognizes that. He doesn’t want the opportunity to slip.

“What I told the guys was, ‘We came up short.’ Right? We didn’t play well against Florida State. NC State. Louisville. Like, the games with these Top 20 caliber teams, we didn’t do it. We didn’t play well. We didn’t cut the rug. So this is another opportunity like that, in my mind,” Pry explained, speaking with the media. “These guys have 11 wins. They played in a New Year’s Six last year. This is an opportunity to go make a statement, and to really put a stamp on our season.

“To say that we do have the momentum, and we are going in the right direction. There are so many positives. We need to keep moving forward, and to go win the game I think says that.”

The Green Wave were 11-2 on the season, with their two losses coming to highly-ranked squads. They’re going to be an immense challenge for Pry’s team, and he’s viewing it as a chance to show how far along his squad has come.

It’ll all be decided on Wednesday, Dec. 27 at 2:00 p.m. ET. We’ll see if Brent Pry’s Hokies can end their season on a positive note.

Brent Pry assesses the value of Virginia Tech being able to play in a bowl game

Moreover, Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry has the task of rebuilding the Hokies program into an ACC contender. Virginia Tech took a step in the right direction this season, going 6-6 and earning a spot in the Military Bowl.

The Hokies beat rival Virginia 55-17 in order to become bowl elegible. Pry recently spoke about what it means for his program to reach a bowl game this season.

“Yea, I mean the excitement, the momentum, is awesome. Particularly in the way we got bowl eligible,” Pry said. “I think everybody in the program feels like we’re moving the needle in the right direction. There’s a lot of things that we obviously have to improve on, but we’re doing some good things.”

Making a bowl game and going 6-6 is a big improvement from what the Hokies did in Year 1 under Pry.

In his first season in Blacksburg in 2022, VT finished a disappointing 3-8. But the Hokies are clearly making strides. Getting extra practices by making a bowl game will only help.

“For these guys to have a chance to play together again, that was the right thing for them. They wanted that. This team will look different,” Pry said. “We come outta here and come back on January 16^th that locker room and that team room’s going to look different. So it’s our last chance to do this together.

“I promised them we will have fun. But we’ll also be on a mission to go win this football game.”

On3’s Matt Connolly contributed to this article.