Virginia Tech has led at halftime in all five of its ACC games. It has won three of them.

The gap between those two facts is 15 minutes long. The Hokies have been outscored 44–10 in the third quarters of conference play. In every other quarter of those games, they’ve outscored ACC opponents 118–70.

Coach James Franklin knows it. Two days after the Georgia Tech win, he said the Hokies have to “be better in the third quarter on offense, defense, and special teams.”

Virginia Tech (6–2, 3–2 ACC) enters its bye week bowl-eligible in Franklin’s first season after a 20–16 win at Clemson, its first over the Tigers since 2007. Still ahead: a Friday night trip to SMU on Nov. 6, Stanford at home, a visit to unbeaten Miami and Virginia to close the regular season.

The to-do list has three items: the secondary, the offensive line and playing a full 60 minutes. 

The secondary has to stop giving up chunk plays

Defensive coordinator Brent Pry’s unit has two personalities. Virginia Tech ranks 13th nationally in run defense and is tied for 83rd in pass defense.

Maryland, Cal and Georgia Tech all threw for more than 300 yards. Cal is the one that should bother people. Jackson Brousseau got the start only after Cal’s starter was ruled out with a concussion following warmups, then threw for 321 yards as Virginia Tech lost 25–20. A week later, Georgia Tech’s Alberto Mendoza threw for a career-high 335.

“We obviously weren’t winning enough one-on-ones,” Pry said before the Clemson game. Franklin pointed to communication against motion and shifts, “making sure that we’re getting all 11 on the same page.”

Holding Clemson’s Tait Reynolds to 153 passing yards doesn’t prove much, since the Tigers are dead last in FBS in passing touchdowns. Dallas and Miami Gardens are the real exam.

Two things can change in two weeks. Cornerback Thomas Williams, who missed Clemson with an injury, was back in individual drills this week. The pass rush can help, too. The Hokies had four sacks and 13 tackles for loss against Clemson. Pry can’t rebuild a secondary during a bye week. He can shorten how long it has to cover.

The offensive line has to get healthy

Clemson sacked quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer six times, a season high, and held Virginia Tech to 70 rushing yards on 37 carries and a season-low 234 total yards. It was the third straight game with at least three sacks allowed: three at Cal, five against Georgia Tech, and six at Clemson.

Injuries explain most of it. Virginia Tech started nine different offensive linemen in its first six games. Left tackle Justin Terry and Johnny Garrett were both out at Clemson; right guard Montavious Cunningham has missed two straight games, and Brody Meadows only returned at left guard in Death Valley after sitting out three in a row. A true freshman, Benjamin Eziuka, was in the starting five.

That’s why the bye matters most here. Franklin called the open week a chance to “get some guys back on the offensive line,” and Cunningham was back in individual drills this week.

Four quarters, not three

Franklin already tried one fix, moving some periods where the first-team offense and defense face each other to later in practice, so players get their hardest reps when they’re already tired.

It didn’t show up at Clemson. The Tigers outscored Virginia Tech 13–0 in the third quarter and outgained it 146–13. The Hokies’ first two possessions of the half lost 14 yards on six plays, and Clemson scored on all three of its third-quarter possessions.

It’s been the ACC pattern. Against Pitt, a six-drive stretch around halftime produced seven yards and four turnovers, and a 24–21 halftime lead became a 35–33 loss. At Cal, the Hokies were shut out in the third and lost after leading 14–10 at the half. Against Georgia Tech, a 24–3 halftime lead shrank to 24–17, and the offense managed 102 yards after the break.

The other two problems keep showing up in those stretches. Clemson’s third-quarter surge included two sacks on one drive. Georgia Tech’s comeback started with a 33-yard touchdown pass. Cal won with two fourth-quarter touchdown drives against a defense that gave up 321 passing yards. The third quarter isn’t a separate problem. It’s where the other two catch up with Virginia Tech.

Franklin’s first team is already bowl-eligible. Whether this season turns into something bigger comes down to four games and the 15 minutes after halftime in each of them.