Virginia Tech vs. Marshall: 5 Halftime Adjustments the Hokies Must Make

Virginia Tech is racking up the yards—and the points—against Marshall right now in the last game of their soft non-conference schedule. They seem to be in complete control and well on their way to a 4-0 start, albeit an easy one. 

Still, there are things the Hokies can work on. Adjustments can be made to turn this game into what it should be—a slaughter of the Thundering Herd.

Here are five adjustments Tech can make at halftime to ensure a big win:

Open Up More Holes for David Wilson  

 Wilson has had a great game so far, but he seems to be working extremely hard in gaining yards on a lot of runs. Against this defense, the offensive line should be opening up bigger holes for him to explode through.

The running game in total has been stellar, but you would expect even more production out of them against Marshall. The Hokies are playing the running game, and Marshall is defending it, so if they are going to focus on that aspect, they might as well amp it up and go big.

Capitalize on Mistakes  

 In the first half, Marshall players dropped passes, miffed a punt and have had some horrible punts. In all instances, Virginia Tech had a great chance to capitalize and missed out. That's not necessarily a bad thing since they are still winning, but the gap could be a lot more imposing for Marshall right now.

Improve Open-Field Tackling

The defense has been solid so far, but a very athletic Marshall offense has burned them a few times in the open field. Quarterback Rakeem Cato is only a freshman, but he's been breaking ankles on scrambles, and when his receivers have found open field, they are making quick moves to earn extra yards too.

In the grand scheme of things, this isn't a big deal because a few extra yards here and there won't really affect the outcome of this game. But when Tech starts its conference schedule and plays better opponents, they better be able to take people down in the open field.

Throw Down the Field More

The running game has definitely been established at this point. Now, they need to take advantage of what that gives them and allow Logan Thomas to throw down the field. A few play-action passes here and there wouldn't hurt, especially on a defense that is thinking a run is coming. Thomas is quick, athletic and has a good arm, so give him a chance to show those skills off!

Clean Up the Special Teams  

After Virginia Tech's second touchdown, the PAT was blocked and nearly returned for a two-point score. Again, it doesn't make a huge difference for the actual score in this game, but a three-point swing becomes huge if Marshall rallies in the second half and makes a game of it.

Even more so, you don't want to give away momentum on the road to an upset-minded team. Being lazy on PATs and allowing big kick returns to put the Herd in good field position is just unnecessary.