Examining Virginia Tech’s Slow Starts

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Justin Fuente and the Hokies have struggled in the beginning of games. (Photo by Ivan Morozov)

Chris Coleman hit me up a little while back asking me to take a stab at topic of high importance on the boards lately — what’s up with Tech’s struggles early in ball games? I’m going to be arbitrary and call a “slow start” any time this season that Tech’s offense fails to score seven points in roughly the first quarter of play/first two drives versus a Power 5 squad, and fourteen points versus everyone else within the same parameters. For the defense, I’ll say it’s any time they allow more than six versus a Power 5 squad in roughly the first quarter of play, and more than three versus everyone else.

I’m going to focus on the offense’s performance this season. Most of the defense’s slow starts going back to last year can be blamed on the secondary and linebackers finding new and creative ways to blow pass coverage, and aside from ECU and Clemson it’s been a pretty good string of first quarters for the Hokies’ defense this year. But for you folks wondering, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Clemson (ACCCG), Arkansas, ECU and Clemson (regular season) all had dudes running free because different Hokie defenders got confused or abandoned their assignments.

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