By james art 
1. Time Management/Time Efficiency
As of today, Brent Pry fell to 1-11 in one-run games. After starting the second half on a 21-3 run, the Hokies went on to reel off a 35-10 run that continued a season-long losing streak of close games that should have been in the team’s favor. The time management aspect of things became prominent. With the team about to go up 21-3 before halftime, things looked about the same as the team’s other losses this season.
2. 3rd down efficiency
The Hokies have struggled on third down in some games this season and the last game was no different. The defense allowed Syracuse to complete 46 percent of its third down attempts. This week, the Hokies will face 19th-ranked Clemson, another very potent offensive team that averages 39.4 points per game and a 45.9 percent completion rate on third down. If the Hokies want to win this game, they need to make changes to calling the third down play, which is part of the reason they lost to Syracuse.
3. Protective sequence
Defensive consistency has been an issue this season for the Hokies against higher-level teams. While we all understand that playing against good teams will result in a difficult outing, it is still very worrying that against good teams this season, when the games are close, you struggle to seal the deal, as was the case with this game. The Hokies went into halftime with a 21-3 lead and appeared to be in complete control of the game until the third quarter woes struck again, the Hokies allowed Syracuse a 21-nil lead to start the second half and they never looked back .
Additional links:
Virginia Tech Football: 5 big takeaways from Virginia Tech’s loss to Syracuse
Virginia Tech Football: Hokies unveil uniform combination for game with Syracuse
Virginia Tech vs. Syracuse: Three players to watch in Syracuse’s offense