Virginia Tech football coach Brent Pry knows his team needs to avoid same mistake against Marshall

Going into a Week 2 home opener against Marshall, there is a lot that has to change for the Virginia Tech football team to bounce back from a disappointing season-opening loss in overtime to Vanderbilt. Head coach Brent Pry has been in the business long enough to know that some things need to change.

There were several takeaways from the loss to the Commodores and several mistakes that a veteran team and coaching staff should not and can not make after a full offseason hype and being the media darlings with a new expanded 12-team College Football Playoff field. Expect some things to change when they line up against the Thundering Hurd at Lane Stadium and one thing that Pry would like to see is his team start better.

Brent Pry wants his team to start fast against Marshall

From the opening kickoff, Vanderbilt had Virginia Tech playing on their heels. The Commodores took the opening kickoff and went down the field with a time-consuming drive that ended with a field goal. On the Hokies' first possession, a third down screen call turned into a tipped pass by an unblocked linebacker and an interception by a defensive lineman. Vandy turned that into a nice touchdown pass early in the second quarter before another touchdown gave them a 17-0 lead before you knew it.

“We certainly dug ourselves in a hole,’’ said Pry at his weekly media session this week.  “Nobody wants to do that. I think the mythodical drive that Vanderbilt had to start was deflating for the defense, and then to turn around in your 1st possession on offense, it's an interception. You get into 3rd and 8, you got a chance for a big sudden change stop and they make a nice throw and catch and they score, and you're down to 10 nothing. I think the momentum went their way pretty quick. We got on our heels a little bit, and it took too long to recover.”

To Virginia Tech’s credit, on the road, they battled back from the first-half deficit to take a 27-20 lead late in the fourth quarter, only to have Vanderbilt drive down the field to tie the game and win it in overtime on a Diego Pavia run. No matter how good any team is, digging yourself a three-possession hole in the first half will not lead to many wins. 

Could the Hokies have made a play or two on defense? Yes, but they didn’t. Pry would like to see his team start fast against Marshall and set the tone early. Expect this to be driven home this week in meetings and practice. It also falls on the coaches with the play-calling, especially on offense as throwing the ball down the field to open up the running is a must early on. Expect that to happen. Also, getting off the field on defense early will be a key, something they couldn’t do against Vanderbilt.

There are a lot of things to watch for against Marshall and starting fast should be at the top of the list.