Virginia Tech football coach Brent Pry reveals why Hokies are more prepared for Rutgers

Last season when the Virginia Tech football team traveled to Piscataway, New Jersey, there were a lot of questions facing the Hokies. They were breaking in a new quarterback, they were struggling on offense and defense stopping the run. In the end, the Scarlet Knights ran the ball on them all afternoon en route to a 35-16 victory.

This weekend, Rutgers returns the favor by making a trip to Blacksburg to face the Hokies at Lane Stadium. The visitors come into the game 2-0 after wins over Howard and Akron, while Tech is 2-1. This has been a non-conference game that has been circled on the Virginia Tech roster for a long time and head coach Brent Pry revealed why he thinks his team is better prepared for the Scarlet Knights this time around as compared to a year ago.

Brent Pry thinks his team is better prepared for Rutgers

Last season Rutgers was physical with the Hokies and they had little pushback. This week, Virginia Tech's third-year head coach thinks his team is more prepared and ready to give their pushback this weekend.

"I think we won't know until we hit the ball game and get into it,'' said Pry. "But do I think we're better prepared? Yes. Do I think we're stronger? Do I think we're more physical? Do I think we're playing more sound? Yes. Better technique? Yes. Do I think our quarterback's more comfortable in what we're doing and who we are? You know, I think when we went to last year, our identity was a little bit up in the air. So, are we better equipped, better prepared? Yes."

I do think Virginia Tech is better equipped to handle Rutgers this time around. They know on defense that they are going to get a lot of Kyle Monangai running the ball like last season when he ran for 143 yards and three scores. The additions to the Hokies' defensive line in the offseason should help to try and contain him this year. I know, easier said than done.

Offensively, Kyron Drones has a full year and offseason under his belt in Blacksburg and he is much further along than he was a year ago with the offense. He's the focal point and can hurt teams in several ways with his arms or legs. Yes, the Hokies are better prepared for Rutgers this season, now it's a matter of going out and getting the job done on the field.