After limping through their non-conference schedule at 1-3 and firing head coach Brent Pry, the Virginia Tech football team had a new beginning in 2025 with the opening of ACC play on Saturday night at North Carolina State. The Hokies started conference play with a 23-21 upset victory.
What happens the remainder of the season remains to be seen, but vibes are totally different right now than they were two weeks ago at this time. Following a huge win, here are three overreactions as Virginia Tech gets ready to host Wake Forest on Saturday afternoon at Lane Stadium.
3. Terion Stewart is the stud we heard about
After generating a lot of hype after committing to the Hokies in the winter portal cycle last December, former Bowling Green running back Terion Stewart has been dealing with injuries. It took four weeks to get him fully healthy, and man, what an impression he made.
He rushed for 174 yards on 15 carries, which included a huge 85-yard run down inside the NC State 5-yard line at the end of the third quarter. On the next play, Kyron Drones connected with Cameron Seldon for a short touchdown pass. Stewart is a small back, but he is tough to bring down; he bounced off tacklers and picked up a lot of yards after contact. That's the Terion Stewart Virginia Tech fans were hoping to get.
2. Anything is possible the rest of the season
Will Virginia Tech find four more ACC wins to become bowl-eligible? Who knows, but one thing is for sure: this will be a fun team to watch over the final seven games. Expectations are not high considering all the changes, but for one night, they battled, played hard, and won a game on the road in conference play.
Next week, they play Wake Forest before traveling to Georgia Tech ahead of their first bye of the season. Then a gauntlet awaits them in November to close out the season. Again, no matter what happens, this is going to be a fun team to watch.
1. Players are buying into Philip Montgomery
There is no doubt that whatever Montgomery is telling them, the players have bought in. He's been a head coach before and been through the wars in charge, something that Pry did not do before coming to Blacksburg.
Believe it or not, it makes a difference. Players these days can easily be turned off, and that was the case under Pry through the first three weeks. A new voice was needed, and everything positive that happens the rest of the season is used as a big springboard into 2026 and a new coach. If the players buy what you're selling, then wins like Saturday night happen when nobody expects them.