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

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,” Brent 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.”

Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt opts out of Military Bowl vs. Virginia Tech, per report

Playing an 11-2 Tulane team is not an easy matchup for Virginia Tech, but the Hokies should be helped by the fact that the Green Wave will not have their starting quarterback.

Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt has opted out of the bowl game and will not play, according to Garland Gillen of Fox 8. The expectations are that Kai Horton and Justin Ibieta will be the options for the Green Wave at quarterback in the bowl game.

Pratt is turning pro and will begin his preparation for the upcoming Reese’s Senior Bowl and the 2024 NFL Draft.

He’s been one of the better quarterbacks in college football the past few years, throwing for over 2,300 yards for three straight seasons for the Green Wave. This season, Pratt completed 65.4% of his passes for 2,406 yards, while tossing in 22 touchdowns with five interceptions.