First look: Virginia Tech gets easy win over Wofford with interim coach

Virginia Tech interim coach Phillip Montgomery coached his first game, and the crowd was fired up in the first half in supporting him with 57,229 in attendance.

Virginia Tech hired Montgomery this offseason, and he became the interim coach when coach Brent Pry was fired after starting 0-3.

The Virginia Tech defense overwhelmed Wofford and its backup quarterback Jayden Whitaker with a 38-6 win to improve to 1-3. The Terriers threw for 142 yards and rushed 23 times for minus-one yard.

Virginia Tech plays at NC State at 7 p.m. Saturday on the CW Network.

Who is Phillip Montgomery?

Montgomery was an Art Briles protege from 2003-14, between stints at Houston and then Baylor. Briles was the head coach at Houston from 2003-07 and then Baylor from 2008-15.

Montgomery got the Tulsa head coaching job prior to Briles getting fired. Tulsa went 10-3 overall and 6-2 in the AAC in 2016 in his second year. The Golden Hurricane then crashed the next season, going 2-10 overall and 1-7 in the league.

Tulsa climbed back to respectability and went 13-9 in 2020-21 with two trips to bowl games, but he was led go after going 5-7 in 2022. Montgomery finished 43-53 overall and 28-34 in the AAC in his eight years.

Auburn coach Hugh Freeze hired Montgomery to be offensive coordinator in 2023, and he was fired a year later. He then was the offensive coordinator for the Birmingham Stallions in the United Football League in 2024.

Virginia Tech’s problems started in the second half against Vanderbilt on Sept. 7. The Commodores went to Blacksburg and out-scored the Hokies 34-0 in the second half in a 44-20 victory. That followed with trailing Old Dominion 31-0 with 9:54 left in the third quarter. The Monarchs went on to win 45-26 and Pry was fired after the game.

Offense goes as QB Kyron Drones goes

Wofford with its backup quarterback starting Saturday didn’t have a chance against Virginia Tech. Senior quarterback Kyron Drones got into a good rhythm and threw touchdown passes to Devin Alves and Ayden Greene and ran for two scores. The Hokies put in the reserves for most of the fourth quarter.

Dornes finished going 27-of-32 for 307 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed nine times of 17 yards and two scores.

The top back this season is former Central Missouri standout Marcellous Hawkins. The 5-11, 219-pounder rushed for 1,053 yards on 157 carries and 18 touchdowns in 2023, and then he played three games and redshirted in 2024.

Hawkins has rushed 40 times for 187 yards at Virginia Tech, and senior Tyrion Stewart is the backup.

Former Wake Forest wide receiver Donovan Greene is healthy and has 10 catches for 203 yards and two touchdowns, and junior Ayden Greene has 12 receptions for 200 yards and a score. Senior P.J. Prioleau has become a playmaker.

The offensive line has been above average this season, allowing two sacks against South Carolina and three sacks vs. Vanderbilt. 

Virginia Tech went to the transfer portal to help with the offensive line, with guard Montavious Cunningham coming from Georgia State and both senior tackle Tomas Rimac and center Kyle Altuner arrived from West Virginia, where they followed line coach Matt Moore to Blacksburg. Altuner is one of three redshirt freshman linemen that started against Wofford.

VT defense uneven, but have elite kicker

Former NC State junior college target Kemari Copeland has become a weapon on the defensive line. The 6-3, 283-pound junior has 16 tackles, one sack and one interception this season. Senior defensive tackle Kevin Gilliam, a three-year player at Oklahoma, has 12 tackles and two sacks in complementing Copeland.

Former Charlotte (N.C.) Mallard Creek and North Carolina linebacker Michael Short has found a home at Virginia Tech for his junior year. He has 21 tackles and a sack this season. Fellow linebacker Caleb Woodson, a junior, leads the squad with 24 tackles.

Another Charlotte product, former Independence High sophomore safety Quentin Reddish, didn’t play against Wofford.

Kicker John Love is a true weapon and has gone 6 of 7 with a long of 56 this season. The Spartanburg, S.C., product has gone 45 of 51 on field goals in his career, including 4 of 7 on 50-plus attempts and a long of 60.