Pry era begins at Virginia Tech with designs on dominant D

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Brent Pry’s initial stint at Virginia Tech came 25 years ago as an assistant to longtime defensive coordinator Bud Foster.

In his return as the Hokies’ coach, the former defensive coordinator at Penn State and his defensive coordinator, Chris Marve, count restoring the program’s defensive reputation as a top priority.

“When I walk in the building every day, Bud is upstairs and Brent Pry is down the hall, so you’ve got a lot to live up to,” Marve said. “You have a tremendous amount of responsibility, a pride that comes not only with this program, but specifically with the defensive segment of the team.

“And so we talk about it a good amount because I think to know where you’re going, you have to know where you’ve been.”

The Hokies’ defense, typically among the stingiest in the nation under Foster, has eight starters returning and should improve significantly from the unit that allowed 393 yards and 25.3 points per game en route to a 5-6 record.

The Hokies were expected to thrive offensively under coach Justin Fuente, who was fired after last season, but never really reached that standard.

Pry, whose last stint in Blacksburg was 1995-97, hopes transfer quarterbacks Grant Wells from Marshall and Jason Brown from South Carolina improve his team’s chances to be effective on that side of the ball.

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