When Brent Pry was fired following Virginia Tech's Week 3 loss at home to Old Dominion, Philip Montgomery was named the interim coach for the rest of the season. He was tasked with keeping the ship upright for the rest of the year.
So far, so good. The Hokies are 2-0 under Montgomery with wins over Wofford and North Carolina State. They will look for a third straight against Wake Forest this weekend. If there is one takeaway from the last two weeks, it's that Montgomery and the coaching staff have the players' attention.
Virginia Tech OL Johnny Garrett praises interim coach Philip Montgomery
Virginia Tech looks organized, excited to be playing football, and prepared, something that couldn't have been said through the first three weeks under Pry. Montgomery has the locker room's attention. Nobody has come out and said that, but after watching the last two weeks and listening to the players talk, it's loud and clear.
"Yeah, absolutely. I mean, Monty, we've been around him all year. He's been our OC,'' said offensive lineman Johnny Garrett. "I mean, he's an open book, and he's a guy who just really prides himself in his faith and with football. And I feel like his biggest thing with us was just playing with that joy again.
"I think Coach Pry, I have the utmost respect and love for him. But his departure really set us at rock bottom. And I think for him and pretty much all the coaches, all the players, like when you're [at] rock bottom, you can either keel over and die or you can claw your way back up. And he's really reinforced that. And we've all bought into that. And I think every guy you see wearing that Virginia Tech uniform is a guy that wants to fight."
Garrett has battled injuries this season, like most of the offensive line, and the Hokies have lost players to the transfer portal, but one thing is for sure: the players who have stayed around are buying into Montgomery and the coaches. Montgomery comes with head coaching experience, and that is something I'm sure has not gone lost on the players in the room. Regardless of what happens over the final seven games, it should be watching a team that is prepared and willing to run through a wall for their coach.