Virginia Tech football 2023 season in review

The Hokies overcame a 1-3 mark in nonconference play to finish with a 7-6 record. Brent Pry’s second season saw Tech win five ACC games and finish in a tie for fourth with Georgia Tech. Not bad after being picked to finish 11th in the preseason poll.

Here’s a look at some of the highs and lows of a season that has fans excited for the future.

BEST WIN: 41-20 over Tulane (Dec. 27)

Pheldarius Payne said the best gift he could give the program to close his college playing career was two trophies. The first came in the form of the Commonwealth Cup with a 55-17 shellacking of rival Virginia. The dominating performance typically would be a no-brainer for the best win of a season. But what the Hokies did in the Military Bowl was something special.

Tech recorded its only win over a ranked opponent by splashing and gashing the Green Wave’s vaunted run defense. The Hokies racked up 362 yards and had no problem dominating an 11-team team on their way to a bowl win for the first time since 2016. It was the type of performance that set the tone for the offseason.

WORST LOSS: 24-17 to Purdue (Sept. 9)

The 34-3 loss at Louisville was the most lopsided setback of the season, but it wasn’t the worst outcome of the campaign. That came in the season’s second week in a one-touchdown home loss to the Boilermakers.

Tech spotted Purdue a 17-point lead and roared back with 17 points in the final six minutes of the first half to head into halftime tied. Grant Wells suffered an ankle injury on the penultimate offensive play of the half and then played most of the second half with the injury.

It led to the “What if?” moment of the season. What if Kyron Drones played the entire second half instead of coming in for the final series? Would the offense’s transformation made a difference in road losses at Rutgers and Marshall before taking off in ACC play?

OFFENSIVE MVP: Kyron Drones

The Baylor transfer quarterback was instrumental in the offense’s transformation. The transformation saw the playbook expand to fit Drones’ dual-threat ability, and it led to the Hokies being able to consistently score points.

He threw for 2,085 yards, rushed for 818 yards and accounted for 22 touchdowns. Drones made sure opposing defenses had to account for him in all facets of the scheme, and it led to opening up passing lanes to Da’Quan Felton and Jaylin Lane and running alleys for Bhayshul Tuten.

Drones, the Military Bowl MVP, built a rapport with his teammates once he finally took over the reins of the offense after sharing snaps with Wells throughout the entire offseason.

DEFENSIVE MVP: Antwaun Powell-Ryland

Cornerback Dorian Strong delivered one of the best coverage seasons in program history and consistently shut down one side of the field.

However, the biggest impact came from a defensive end who helped make the entire front better as a whole.

Powell-Ryland, who transferred from Florida to Tech after the spring, gave the Hokies a defensive end who could win one-on-one battles and get to the quarterback. He racked up team highs of 14.5 tackles for a loss and 9.5 sacks to garner second-team All-ACC honors.

His impact was felt across the entire line. A unit that didn’t muster a consistent pass rush in 2022 improved dramatically after Powell-Ryland’s arrival.

The defensive line was responsible for the Hokies’ 33.5 sacks and 59.5 tackles for a loss in 2023. Powell-Ryland had a big hand in his fellow defensive linemen facing fewer double teams throughout the season.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Bhayshul Tuten

Transfers impacted the Hokies. Drones and Powell-Ryland immediately come to mind. Felton and Lane dramatically improved the wide receiver corps. Derrick Canteen brought veteran leadership to the secondary.

Tuten was brought in to add an explosive tailback to a running game that lacked big plays in 2022. Tuten accounted for four of the team’s 16 runs of 30-plus yards, a stat that is tied for second in the nation with Northern Illinois, and he added two kickoff return touchdowns that provided the Hokies opportunities to change momentum.

The North Carolina A&T transfer also was reliable in the run game. He led the team with 863 yards and 10 touchdowns, and he scored two touchdowns in the passing game.

Fourteen touchdowns in his first season with Tech certainly made an impact.

STRANGEST MOMENT: The 5 1/2-hour weather delay against Purdue (Sept. 9)

The Hokies’ second home game of the season featured the longest reported weather delay in college football history. There was standing water inside Lane Stadium and there were mini waterfalls coming from the upper deck of the south grandstands onto the lower levels. The only thing missing was ducks floating in the standing water on the field.

The Hokies and Boilermakers kicked off at 12:23 p.m. and finally concluded at 8:58 p.m.

It made for the strangest day in Tech football history.

BEST PLAY: Stephen Gosnell’s TD catch at UVa (Nov. 25)

Tech made sure to deliver a haymaker to Virginia late in the first quarter.

The fourth-and-two call saw Drones roll out to his right and Stephen Gosnell was wide open for the reception. Gosnell hit cruise control on the 44-yard score and Tech took a 10-0 lead, and the rout was on.

It was a well-executed play that fooled the UVa defense into thinking Tuten was getting the carry up the middle. Drones rolled out to his right and Gosnell got behind the UVa secondary. Drones delivered a beautiful pass on the run into Gosnell’s hands around the 20-yard line and Gosnell found the end zone seconds later.

WORST PLAY: One of Ali’s big runs (Sept. 23)

Virginia Tech was not good at stopping the run at the beginning of the season. The numbers back that up. The Hokies ranked 123rd out of 133 FBS teams after six weeks.

The reason the numbers looked so bad were the big runs allowed. The typical runs that may have picked up 10 or 15 yards went for 60 or 80.

The Hokies were bit by that in the nonconference finale at Marshall.

Tech led 10-7 and had a chance to get the Thundering Herd off the field on third down. Instead, Rasheen Ali saw the Hokies crash hard to the right side of the line, cut back to the left and raced untouched 56 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. It led to 17 straight points as the Herd claimed a seven-point win.

BEST DECISION: Sticking with Drones

There were programs across the country that didn’t let injuries dictate whether a player lost his spot. That usually led to inconsistent play as any momentum gained with the replacement took a step back with the returning player.

Tech didn’t let that happen with the quarterback battle.

Wells lost his spot as the starter because of an ankle injury. But Hokies coach Brent Pry saw the strides being made with Drones and let the quarterback know it was his offense. Drones played freely throughout the course of ACC play and became more confident each week.

Tech’s offense made significant strides with Drones and is able to build on that heading into the offseason because a change wasn’t made.