When Virginia Tech fired Brent Pry after a 0-3 start to the 2025 season, it didn't come as a surprise. The writing was on the wall, and after the ugliest loss of his tenure in Blacksburg in a 45-26 loss to Old Dominion in Week 3, the move was made by the higher-ups.
Truth be told, it was probably a move that should have been made long before it was. You could even make the case that it could have and should have been made after the disastrous 2024 season that saw a massive Transfer Portal exodus after a 6-6 regular season.
There were a number of areas that Pry failed in, whether it was in-game management or a dismal record in one-score games; he had just one win in four years. That's hard to do at any level, but Pry managed to do it. When he was fired, the reins were turned over to offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery, who has revived the locker room and gotten better efforts out of the team.
Oh, and he also has two wins in one-score games, doubled what Pry had.
Philip Montgomery has more one-score wins in five games than Brent Pry had in four years at Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech's 42-34 double overtime win over California on Friday night at Lane Stadium was Montgomery's second one-score win in five games in Blacksburg. His first was one Sept. 27 at North Carolina State, 23-21. Coaching does matter.
To be fair, Montgomery has had previous head coaching experience, whereas Pry did not. That's big. Montgomery has managed the in-game decisions as well as still calling the plays as the OC while carrying the interim coach tag.
Montgomery's future at Virginia Tech is in doubt after the school hires the next head coach. Regardless, he's taken advantage of his opportunity for the rest of 2025 and accomplished a feat in five games that Pry couldn't in four years. The bar wasn't high, but it is a statement as to where the program was under the former Penn State defensive coordinator.