Virginia Tech's Brent Pry Rips Officiating Process in Controversial Loss to Miami

The Hokies head coach still does not understand how the end of the Miami loss was officiated.

Virginia Tech head football coach Brent Pry remains confused about the officiating of the end of the game against Miami in Week 5. / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech head football coach Brent Pry met with the media on Tuesday for his weekly press conference and remained confused about the ACC's officiating at the end of the program's 38-34 loss to Miami last Friday night at Hard Rock Stadium.

Pry, who did not receive a good explanation for why wide receiver DaQuan Felton's would-be game-winning touchdown catch was overturned immediately following the game, says that he still hasn't received any insight into the decision to reverse the call on the field that cost Virginia Tech the win.

"As far as the call at the end of the game on Friday night, I received no explanation on the field [and] no explanation in the locker room," Pry said. "The first thing I heard was what the general public heard at 1:30 that night - a statement that to me was confusing, at best. I was finally contacted Monday morning, which was a solicited contact, by the head of officials for the ACC. I asked for an explanation and the video that they viewed that merited overturning the call with indisputable evidence. The explanation was that there was a loose ball that was touched by a Miami defender that was out of bounds. The video showed nothing new, nothing that none of us hadn't seen already. The words used with me were 'interpretation' and 'hard to find,' which to me, don't align with indisputable," Pry added.

Pry raised an issue not only with the call being overturned as a catch, but the process that the ACC took in making the call that went in Miami's favor.

"I watched the video that they watched. If it was ruled a catch, I don't see how you overturn it. There's no evidence. If it was ruled not a catch, I don't see how you overturn it. You can't see enough to tell. That's my take on it. I feel for our players, our fans. But we've turned the page."

Brent Pry on the call at the end of the Miami game#Hokies pic.twitter.com/KUd10aiGJw

— Kolby Crawford (@kolby_crawford) October 1, 2024

The loss for Virginia Tech was an obvious heartbreaker, and a much-needed victory in what was a rocky first month of the season for the Hokies. Virginia Tech was considered to be a dark horse in the ACC in the preseason, but was upset in a road opener against Vanderbilt before falling later in September at home to Rutgers and then again on the road at Miami.

Virginia Tech heads to Palo Alto to take on Stanford on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. ET on the ACC Network. The Hokies are looking to improve to 3-3 on the season and 1-1 in ACC play.

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