When the Virginia Tech football team was blowing teams out, their offensive numbers didn’t matter as much as when they were dropping one-score games. After quarterback Kyron Drones started the first eight games, it was a revolving door after he suffered an injury against Georgia Tech; he only made one start after October. That left the QB duties to UCLA transfer Collin Schlee and youngster Pop Watson.
They did enough to get the Hokies bowl-eligible at 6-6, but the key moment came in December when head coach Brent Pry announced that both Drones and Watson would be returning for the 2025 season. After the skill players lost and the entire offensive line is gone, it’s going to take some time for the offense to come together. When they do, here are three stats that they must improve on under first-year offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery.
36% 3rd down percentage
Getting off the field is always drilled home by defensive coaches, but on the offensive side, staying on the field and picking up first downs on third down is key. Last season, the Hokies only converted 36% of their third downs, a number that must change this upcoming season.
Last season’s number is low considering the talent they had to pick up first downs with Bhayshul Tuten in the backfield and the play-making wide receivers they had. Of course, play-calling had a lot to do with it, but their inability to pick up a first down a lot of times hurt them as a team.
Montgomery is going to have his work cut out for him when it comes to converting third downs, but as crazy as this may sound, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them improve this number in 2025. If they are going to have a better season than they did last season, this number improvement is a must.
59% completion rate
Again, there was a lot of talent at wide receiver last season, and it feels like this number could have been and really should have been higher. Drones will essentially be in his third year as a starter, assuming he’s able to be ready for the season after undergoing a medical procedure, this is a big season for the Baylor transfer.
Drones and Watson are both dual-threat quarterbacks, and running the ball is part of their game, but they have some young and talented receivers along with some transfers. Tennessee transfer Cameron Seldon is someone who impressed this spring and could be a big factor in the offense, along with some veteran tight ends. Expect Drones and Watson to throw the ball more under Montgomery, and these numbers will need to improve.
Red zone efficiency
Last season, scoring wasn’t an issue as much as keeping the other team off the scoreboard was, as Virginia Tech’s defense underperformed. Gone on that side of the ball are some key contributors to the NFL and the transfer portal, and it feels like scoring as much as they can in 2025 is going to be key. Entering last season, improving in this area was expected, but this season it might be tougher.
Last season, Virginia Tech finished tied with ACC foe Boston College for points per game, 67th in the country. One positive is that the Hokies bring back a pair of experienced QBs, and finishing off drives in the red zone is going to be a key, but despite averaging nearly 30 points a game, they finished 97th in red zone efficiency. How many times did finishing a drive with a field goal or no points (remember Miami) cost them?