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Protection is a focal point to ensure quarterback Kyron Drones and the skill position players can maximize each play in Saturday night’s matchup against Old Dominion inside Lane Stadium (7 p.m. on ACC Network).

“I don’t think it means we’re doing anything different necessarily, so it’s kind of the same plan as usual of how we’re going to spread the field and things of that nature,� tight ends coach Brent Davis said after Wednesday’s practice. “But whenever anyone’s injured, hopefully everybody’s trying to pick them up and just kind of improve your level of play.

“I thought last week we did some good things, got a lot of things to work on, but, no, I don’t think there’s just an onus on one position. It’s everybody.�

Pry said seven of the 10 offensive linemen on the two-deep depth chart were receiving treatment twice a day. It’s not uncommon for offensive linemen to receive treatment throughout a week after playing anywhere between 50 to 100 snaps during a game, but the Hokies (0-2) have limited experience on the offensive line and need every lineman available to play against the Monarchs (1-1).

“They’re getting all they can right out of practice,� Pry said. “And we’ve had to change some tempos up to make sure they get the work and ID stuff, but we’ll be all right come Saturday.

“Right now,� he added, “it’s a work in progress.�

Pry said there was encouraging news from the first two practices of the week with Auburn transfer Jaden Muskrat practicing. Muskrat dressed but wasn’t cleared to play in last week’s home opener against Vanderbilt, and he provides experience at tackle.

Tackle is a position that the Hokies were thin at entering the season, and it was compounded with both starting left tackle Johnny Garrett and starting right guard Montavious Cunningham leaving the game against Vanderbilt early.

Cunningham previously played tackle at Georgia State, and he was expected to be an option to shift to tackle if either Garrett or Tomas Rimac needed to take a series off.

Redshirt freshman Aidan Lynch is factoring into the equation after playing 21 offensive snaps in the loss to Vanderbilt. He had a false start on one play but graded out well in both run and pass blocking.

“He’s just young. Right now, he’s not sure about things,� Pry said of Lynch. “Having a full week at practice, getting a bunch of good reps has helped him, because when you hesitate out there at any position, it usually doesn’t go well.�

Part of the plan during the week was to make sure the patchwork crew could move around and play at different spots if needed.

For instance, Rimac and Lynch both played right and left tackle against the Commodores. Backup center Tommy Ricard played at right guard against Vanderbilt and previously lined up at left guard during the spring game.

“Matt’s a really good coach and he’s a good teacher,� Pry said of position coach Matt Moore. “We’ve got some guys that have played different positions, which I’ve always believed in that, so they believe there’s some flexibility. And the thing is, we’re working through a lot of different things. We did it (Tuesday), we did it Sunday, so it’s not like this all of a sudden happens on a Wednesday and we’ve got to deal with it. We’ve had a plan all week, which helps.�

Pry added that Davis, a former offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, has “got impact in that room.� Davis’ position group was utilized more in 12 personnel (one running back and two tight ends) packages against Vanderbilt, and that could happen again against ODU to get extra blockers in Benji Gosnell and Ja’Ricous Hairston on the field.

“I think there’s different ways to solve problems, right? Coach Montgomery does an unbelievable job just spreading the field and making you defend all 53 1/3 or whatever it is,� Davis said. “Whether that’s throwing a bubble or whether it’s adding a hat and running the quarterback, there’s different ways to do it. Coach takes input from everyone in the room. All the coaches in there have input. I really appreciate that with him.

“And working with Coach Moore and the offensive line, if you’re the tight ends coach, you better work closely with the offensive line coaches, and he and Coach (Jens) Danielsen do a great job.�

Davis said everybody needed to help the offensive line, and that includes the running backs and wide receivers.

“Coach Monty’s offense, it’s a little bit different. We have a lot of RPOs and so it’s a little bit less blocking than some offenses because a lot of times we have a pass option, even if it’s a run play,� wide receiver Tucker Holloway said. “I think everyone knows that’s kind of the offense that he runs. But at the end of the day, every game, every practice, we also talk about going into the game setting the tone on the perimeter blocking-wise.

“That sets the tone for the rest of the game, and we know at the end of the day we’re going to have to block on the perimeter for us to be great. That’s something we take pride in. We practice, we talk about the mentality of that going into the game. Usually you see that early in the game, getting something out to the perimeter for us to block and just set that tone from a receiver to DB standpoint.�