Virginia Tech football: Hokies hope to make most of possessions vs. ball-control Jackets

BLACKSBURG — As a play caller, Justin Fuente had never quite experienced anything like it before.

Back in his TCU days, when the Horned Frogs were playing Wisconsin the 2011 Rose Bowl. Fuente — then Gary Patterson’s offensive coordinator — got a clear understanding of what it was like to play against one of the country’s better ball-control offenses .

TCU ran only three plays in the second quarter, a three-and-out sandwiched around two clock-killing, seven-minute drives by the Badgers that only netted three points. But those Wisconsin possessions emphatically set the rest of the game’s tone.

“The pressure I felt as the play caller when we did finally get the ball back to be efficient on first down was something I had never really felt before that game,” Fuente said. “And just that feeling of you never know when you’re going to get it back and how important it is when your defense is on the field, trying to stop these guys for a long time, that creates some pressure.”

Fuente likened that experience to No. 17 Virginia Tech’s challenge on Saturday at Georgia Tech, the one-off, triple-option matchup of every ACC season that tests the Hokies’ patience and perseverance on both sides of the ball.

Typically the Yellow Jackets are a bigger strain on Bud Foster’s defense, but Georgia Tech’s style stresses out an opposing team’s offense just as much.

“It’s a similar type incidence, where you’ve got to do a really good job of being efficient to help the football team out, knowing that you’re going to get fewer opportunities,” Fuente said.

That could be problematic for the Hokies (7-2, 3-2 ACC), who haven’t been an efficient offense this year, particularly in the first quarter .

Falling behind against Georgia Tech — 4-4 this year and only 3-3 in the ACC but has three losses to Tennessee, Miami and Virginia in the final 1:22 of regulation or overtime — is digging a hole that’s tough to escape.

Witness last year, for example. The Yellow Jackets, with a 5-4 record, stomped the No. 18 Hokies in Lane Stadium, building a 20-0 halftime lead en route to a 30-20 final that stunned Virginia Tech.

A slow offensive start doomed the Hokies in that one. They had one drive longer than 24 yards in the first half, with only two drives that produced a first down. On their one chance at points, following a 12-play, 55-yard drive that stalled out at the Georgia Tech 20, Joey Slye’s 38-yard field goal attempt was blocked.

Georgia Tech held the ball for nearly 36 minutes to Virginia Tech’s 24, coming away with a resounding win that jump-started a late-season surge.

The Hokies haven’t been any sharper early in games this year. The first quarter has by far been Virginia Tech’s least productive period.

The Hokies are outscoring opponents 48-30 in the first, although that’s the smallest gap of any quarter, with Tech holding a 94-31 advantage in the second, 96-24 in the third and 55-35 in the fourth.

A closer look those first-quarter points reveal an even uglier offensive picture, with only three of the Hokies’ six touchdowns. Two others came on Greg Stroman punt returns and a third when Ricky Walker returned a fumble for a score.

Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Georgia Tech football: TV schedule, time, game preview, live score.

ATLANTA - No. 17 Virginia Tech looks for a much better experience on the road this week at Georgia Tech, considering last week’s visit to Miami resulted in a 28-10 defeat on the field and a travel nightmare after the game that delayed the Hokies’ arrival back home until Sunday afternoon.

The scenario is less than ideal considering Georgia Tech’s triple-option offense that is third in the nation in rushing, but coach Justin Fuente said he is relying on his veterans to lead this week.

“As a head coach, you’ve got to weigh the good with the bad,” Fuente told reporters Monday after the Hokies – who were the nation’s No. 2 scoring defense entering last weekend – were gashed for 429 yards. “That’s what we have do all the time every single week, trying to figure out the best way to get your team knowing what to do and playing good.” Georgia Tech has not played well of late, dropping three of its past four, and must win two of its final three games in order to become bowl eligible.

“That’s life,” Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson told reporters Tuesday. “If you don’t learn to deal with adversity, you’re not going to make it very far.” The Yellow Jackets blew a 15-point second-half lead in last week’s 40-36 loss at Virginia, rallying to take the lead with 3:10 remaining before giving up a 64-yard touchdown drive in just five plays.

“Would I like to score more in the first quarter? You bet,” Fuente said. “I just go back to this, whether it’s the first quarter or the fourth quarter or whenever, I mean, we know what we are and how it’s going to have to be for us to have success. It’s just going to be hard. …

“In the first quarter teams play you slightly different than they have other teams throughout the week and try to get a handle on it. When you’re better or established or older, then those things don’t matter as much, because you can overcome them with experience and talent. And right now, we’re just not there yet.”

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