Last season was a long season for the Virginia Tech football team, and it was a long season from the season opener against South Carolina right through the loss to Virginia on Thanksgiving Weekend. After beginning the season 0-3 with losses at home to Vanderbilt and Old Dominion, Brent Pry was fired as head coach after Week 3.
First-year offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery was tabbed as interim coach for the rest of the season and led the Hokies to a 3-6 record. They had wins over Wofford in the non-conference before recording ACC wins at North Carolina State and at home in overtime against California.
As the season went on, and it became a lost season after their seventh loss to dash any bowl dreams, Montgomery could have made some changes, yet he didn't. One position where he could have made a switch was at quarterback. Baylor transfer Kyron Drones was in his last season, but sitting right behind him and begging for an opportunity was backup Pop Watson. Truth be told, he deserved a chance.
However, with nothing to lose as interim coach and James Franklin already being hired in Blacksburg, Montgomery took the easy route and rode with Drones to finish out the season. As soon as the season ended, Watson, to no one's surprise, hit the Transfer Portal when it opened in January. He headed back home and committed to UMass to play 30 minutes from his hometown of Springfield. He made his Minutemen debut at Rutgers on Thursday night and proved that he was misused at Virginia Tech.
Pop Watson was misused at Virginia Tech
I know, it's just one performance at UMass, but it clearly points out the fact that Watson was misused at Virginia Tech. He is a talented player and deserved more time. He more than proved that he deserved more time when he picked apart Virginia in 2024 for a 37-17 Hokies win that made them bowl-eligible. UMass rolled to a 37-14 win that snapped the longest FBS losing streak at 16 games.
Originally committed to Nebraska before flipping to Virginia Tech, the former Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year was a perfect fit for the Hokies' offense, whether it was under former offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen or Montgomery. He went out at UMass on Thursday night and proved just how much he could have helped in Blacksburg.
How's this for making an early statement against a Big Ten program on the road? Watson was 11-for-13 through the air for 144 yards and three touchdowns. During his three years at Virginia Tech, Watson totaled just three touchdowns in Blacksburg. This wasn't done against a MAC opponent, but against Rutgers. For example, Drones lost both of his starts against Rutgers in 2023 and 2024 at Virginia Tech.
The Minutemen took a 24-7 lead into halftime. Rutgers was a 29.5-point favorite at kickoff. They allowed a game-opening touchdown drive to Rutgers before shutting them out for the rest of the half and ripping off 24 straight points. Watson had UMass in territory that they haven't been in for almost a decade. Their 17-point halftime lead was their first halftime lead against an FBS program since Nov. 4, 2017, against No. 21 Mississippi State.
For the game, Watson was 19-for-22 for 197 yards and three touchdowns.
Virginia Tech fans should not be surprised by Pop Watson's first UMass game
Watson was a Virginia Tech fan favorite during his time in Blacksburg. How could he not be? He is an exciting player who proved that he was more than capable of being a Power 4 Conference quarterback. It will be debated for a long time whether he got the short end of the stick in playing time with the Hokies. For what it's worth, everyone who made those decisions, except for Pry who is Franklin's defensive coordinator now, are no longer on the staff.
All Virginia Tech fans would love to see Watson have success at UMass. Maybe reaching bowl eligibility is a long shot at best, but he will bring excitement to the program and will win Minuteman fans over quickly. For one night, he did that against the Scarlet Knights.
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