Brent Pry shares initial reaction to Tulane matchup

Following a three-win season in his first year at the helm for the Hokies,  Virginia Tech is headed in the right direction and headed to a bowl game in their second season under head coach Brent Pry. Virginia Tech will take on a Group of Five powerhouse in their bowl matchup, facing Tulane in the Military Bowl on December 27 in Annapolis, Maryland.

The Green Wave achieved their second double-digit win season this year, making back-to-back appearances in the American Conference Championship game. And on Monday, Pry was asked how deeply he’s been able to look at Tulane’s roster ahead of their matchup later this month.

“Not a ton,” Pry admitted. “I’ve watched them, I watched a little bit of their game yesterday. They have a talented quarterback, they’ve put a lot of points up. This year in particular they’re playing very good defense, I think they’re nationally ranked. But as far as their personnel obviously we’re deep diving into that now.”

Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt has been at the center of Tulane’s recent success, regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation and a prospect for the 2024 NFL Draft. Pratt took home the AAC’s Offensive Player of the Year award following a second straight stellar season of getting it done with his arm and his legs, throwing for 2,406 yards and 22 touchdowns along with 286 rushing yards and five scores on the ground.

Pratt led the Green Wave to a Cotton Bowl win versus USC last season and will be more than ready to perform on a big stage yet again in late December, that is if he plays in the bowl game and doesn’t forgo the opportunity to focus on the NFL Draft.

The Tulane offense is a well-oiled machine with Pratt under center, but their defense may be the team’s crowned jewel after holding opponents to just 18.9 points per game this season. Over half of their defense consists of First or Second-Team All-Conference selections represented on all three levels of their defense, which will surely make things interesting as they take on the improved Hokies offense.

Willie Fritz was recently named Houston‘s new head coach after spearheading the program’s recent turnaround, with Slade Nagle now assuming the role as Tulane’s interim head coach for their bowl game.

Virginia Tech is currently a 7.5-point favorite over Tulane for the Military Bowl according to FanDuel SportsBook, as the two squads will face off at 2 p.m. ET on December 27 in a game airing on ESPN.