Brent Pry Shows Mirror to Kyron Drones and Co. With Unfiltered LaNorris Sellers Take

Brent Pry didn’t mince words after Virginia Tech’s 24-11 season-opening loss to South Carolina, frankly addressing the team’s shortcomings. While the Hokies showed potential, they were hampered by penalties, dropped passes, and red-zone struggles. Pry emphasized that self-inflicted wounds proved costly, and those glimpses of good play weren’t enough against a focused South Carolina team. His message was clear: the team needs to improve, correct their errors, and perform better. He then proceeded to praise LaNorris Sellers and the stellar game he had.

South Carolina wasted no time getting started. As Sellers burst onto the scene, scoring a 15-yard touchdown run that cut through the Hokies’ defense, setting the pace and giving the Gamecocks a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Tech fought back, as Emmett Laws sacked the quarterback in the first quarter for a safety, and kicker John Love nailed a 29-yard field goal to narrow the gap. Love kept the Hokies in the game in the first half. Right before halftime, he kicked a 56-yard field goal, the third-longest in Virginia Tech history. But even with these successes, they couldn’t overcome South Carolina.

Brent Pry spoke candidly about his QB, Kyron Drones, and his team with a tough reality check after the game. “Too many self-inflicted errors, untimely penalties, drops, and dropped balls at the wrong time. Not good enough in the red zone. You got to have touchdowns down there. And then to give up, and I don’t want to take it away from their players, to give up the punt return and the deep ball after making them earn it after that first series, making them earn everything they got, which is, I mean a really good team, making them earn it to go into the fourth quarter down by two points and then give up those two plays. We got some things to clean up,” Pry said to media. Virginia Tech did have a slight edge in possession and total yards, but it didn’t make it to the scoreboard.

The second half started with promise. Kyron Drones got into a groove, connecting with Ayden Green, Donavan Greene, and Isaiah Spencer for some big gains, each over 20 yards. But a critical problem emerged: the Hokies couldn’t score touchdowns. Drives stalled, and field goals and glimpses of success weren’t enough. South Carolina shut them down late. Even Brent Pry knows his team did have a good run. “Plenty of positives tonight. And you guys can look at the stats. You know what they are. We did some good things. We just have to grow from this. The penalties are disappointing.” 

But a loss is a loss. As the game turned in the fourth quarter due to a special teams play, a classic “Beamer Ball” moment. Trailing 10-8, Vicari Swain returned an 80-yard punt for a touchdown, giving South Carolina a 17-8 lead. Swain’s play was a reminder of the game-changing special teams Frank Beamer was known for at Virginia Tech, now carried on by his son, Shane, at South Carolina. Best part? Shane acknowledged the play evoked his father’s legacy, proving that when the offense struggles, special teams can still secure a win.

Brent Pry’s honest admission on LaNorris Sellers

LaNorris Sellers came in full swing and kept the offense clicking, finding Nyck Harbor for a 64-yard touchdown pass soon after Virginia Tech narrowed the gap with a field goal. Sellers completed 12 of 19 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown, and also ran for a 15-yard score earlier in the game. Harbor was the leading receiver with three catches for 99 yards, despite having a potential touchdown overturned by replay. The Gamecocks capitalized on turnovers and displayed solid fundamentals. Sellers only faced occasional pressure due to faltering pass protection.

And that’s when the game slipped away from Brent Pry’s team hands entirely. Now, pointing one of those moments and praising Sellers’ game he said, “But, you know, we’d make a big play and we’d have the penalty, they would bring it back. And we had them second-and-25 and we let that run get out of there. For the most part, the run defense was pretty good. Sellers made his, he made some plays, which he’s going to. He did against everybody last year. But I think we got to be better than that ourselves.”

Virginia Tech attempted a comeback, with quarterback Kyron Drones connecting with Ayden Green, Donavan Greene, and Isaiah Spencer on some significant plays, but they couldn’t manage to score. Following this loss, Tech will now prepare for a home game against Vanderbilt on September 6 at Lane Stadium.