The 130th season of Virginia Tech football begins Saturday night at Lane Stadium, and for many in a group of 7,000 freshmen at the University, this will be their first-ever game.
For most of us, the lure of a home game at Lane Stadium—especially a prime-time game under the lights—is as much a cultural and nostalgic experience as it is a sporting event.
The masses convoy to Blacksburg each fall to cheer their favorite team of course, but also to reconnect with old friends and classmates, hear the band, and absorb all that makes a Virginia Tech football game a near-religious experience for so many.
But for some, Saturday will be their first experience in Lane. From Enter Sandman to Skipper to shaking keys to, well, even dropping your phone underneath a mass of jumping sneakers, the memories of that first game at Lane last forever. And those memories keep you coming back year after year.
It never grows out for the gray hairs because that fight song hits like Cupid's arrow to the heart, and we all still gasp at the sight of fireworks exploding in a dark Blacksburg sky.
First games are special because everyone is undefeated, and every team has hope.
So, what will we see on Saturday? What should the first-time attendees and veteran Hokie fans expect?
"It's a much more skilled team," Mike Burnop, who starts his 41st season as the analyst on our Tech broadcasts said. "They have more speed and game breakers at receiver and tailback. It's a newer roster than last year. Coach Brent Pry did an incredible job addressing the key areas of need and bringing in new players. Look at the two-deep. All those new guys are either going to start or play key roles in the offense."
One veteran returnee is quarterback Grant Wells who was named QB1, winning the position over Baylor transfer Kyron Drones.
"I was not surprised (Wells) won," Burnop said. "He had better control of the offense in the pre-season practices and scrimmages. He's been in the program as long as he has, and it shows. He has the experience over Drones."
Drones, however, will play on Saturday. It's not a true "two quarterback system" but the Tech coaches want to see how good the former Baylor quarterback can be in live action. In spring practices and pre-season camp, quarterbacks didn't get hit or tackled to prevent injury.
"It's been difficult to see how good he is because he wears that orange shirt. As soon as you get near him the whistle blows," Burnop said.
But Drones will be live on Saturday night, maroon jersey and all.
"As much time as he's spent with the first team, he knows the offense," Burnop said. "In certain times, you bring in Kyron off the bench and see how he does. Let's see how ODU defends him."
The arrival of Drones in the Tech program has already had a positive impact. It pushed Wells to improve. That competition, he told me, has made him a better quarterback.
"I embraced the competition," Wells told me. "We both did. He's a tremendous player. He's a mature guy. We spit a lot of ideas off each other during the off-season."
"I have a role to play. I know my play. Right now, that's the starting QB. Kyron adds something that will be difficult for defenses to stop."
All summer, having someone else in the meeting rooms and practice fields pushed the Hokies' 23-year-old fifth-year senior to be even better.
"I'm a different quarterback," Wells said. "The skill sets are the same, but the majority of improvement was on the mental side. Working with Tebow (Offensive Coordinator Tyler Bowen) and immersing myself in this offense all summer long."
"We realized after last season we needed to meet more. We added a lot of guys. Coach Pry and staff did a great job of getting guys who fit our offense. And they are great culture guys. All the wide receivers and running backs we got fit into place great, into our offense. We spent a lot of time over the off-season getting to know each other."
"This was my fifth fall camp. Each one is different. This offense is unique in that we have so many different playmakers. We have some aspects this season that I am really excited about."
Wells was firing lasers on the Worsham Field turf in the scrimmages. The receiving corps is basically all new and with a healthy Malachi Thomas and speedster Bhayshul Tuten at tailback, it's a totally different group than the last time the Hokies played at Lane Stadium 10 months ago, a November 5, 2022, game against Georgia Tech.
The defense has a new look:
Back in 2019, when University of Florida defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and Gators defensive back coach Torrian Gray popped on the tape of Indian River High School star Antwuan Powell-Ryland, they knew they wanted him to be a Gator.
Grantham and Gray are two of the most respected and beloved Hokies ever. Both were star players and elite coaches for the Hokies in the Frank Beamer-era. You won't find two better people who represent Tech.
But their jobs at the time meant recruiting the best players to Gainesville and that included luring a four-star defensive end from Virginia to Gainesville.
And they got him.
"T Gray and Coach Grantham are awesome," Powell-Ryland recalled this past week. He signed with the Gators and spent three seasons in Gainesville.
But now Gray is at South Carolina and Grantham is back in the NFL as defensive line coach with the New Orleans Saints.
And "APR?" as the coaches call him? He's traded in his No. 52 Florida Gators blue jersey for a Virginia Tech maroon uniform where he'll wear the same number. He will start for the Hokies on Saturday night.
"After the spring I thought it was best to make a move from Florida," Powell-Ryland told me. The Gators hired a new defensive coordinator, bringing in Austin Armstrong from Southern Miss, and changed from a 4-3 look to more of a 3-4 alignment this fall.
"I wanted to be a defensive end. I want to rush the passer," Antwaun-Ryland said.
The 6-3, 242-pound defensive end recalled visiting Virginia Tech for the 2018 Notre Dame game and loved the experience. He admitted he had a great visit to Tech, but the attachment to Gray, Grantham, and the Gators was too strong to decline.
"I see myself as an aggressive pass rusher. I want to be explosive. I'm pretty fast and I want to be a playmaker. When it comes to time to get the quarterback, I want to be the man to do it."
At one point, APR was playing at 260. But now, at 242, he's leaner and faster.
"I try to be like a Khalil Mack (Chargers) or Von Miller (Bills). An edge rusher with good moves,"
How good are those moves? One Hokie who has been blocking him since camp opened is offensive tackle Xavier Chaplin who offered this scouting report:
"He's got twitch," Chaplin said about APR with a big smile. "Man, I don't want to give away too many of his secrets, but he's got twitch."
So, with newcomers on both sides of the ball, it truly is a new-look team for this coming season.
Lots of hope and lots of anticipation for this game on Saturday, as season No. 130 of Virginia Tech football begins under the lights at Lane Stadium.
BROADCAST INFO
Our radio coverage of Saturday's game between Virginia Tech and ODU begins at 6 p.m. ET, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. We've expanded our network pre-game coverage to two full hours this season for the first time ever.
Zach Mackey, Mike Burnop and I are excited to be back to tell the stories and describe the action of this season on our network of radio stations across the region. Here's a list of affiliates within the Virginia Tech Sports Network.
You can also catch all our broadcasts on the new HokieSports mobile app. The app is getting incredibly positive reviews just a few weeks after its launch and is a must-have for all Hokie fans.
You can also hear Saturday's game on Sirius XM Radio Channel 193 and the Varsity Network App.
And if you bring your portable radio with you to the game, you can hear our broadcast (with no delay) in the stadium on our flagship station WBRW-FM, 'The Bear" 105.3 FM.
We'll have in-stadium radio broadcasts of all road games again this season as well, although that FM frequency will change week to week and will be announced on Virginia Tech social platforms.
PODCASTS
We have a full lineup of programming on our Hokie Pod network again this fall:
Mike Burnop had I have our weekly Level Seven podcast each Tuesday. It's an in-depth look at Hokies football featuring players and coaches, game highlights and more.
Hokie Sports Insider with Evan Hughes drops each Wednesday. It covers all sports at Virginia Tech.
X's and O's podcast has returned for season two. Part of our Hokie podcast network, every Thursday Zach Mackey welcomes an assistant football coach to discuss his position group and the Hokies' season.
You can hear all these podcasts on the new HokieSports mobile app, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. We hope you subscribe and like what you hear!
We're excited about all our programming offerings and our expanded lineup this fall. We all hope you enjoy this coming season starting Saturday night.
See you there!