Two days after Virginia Tech's 24-3 victory over Florida State in Tallahassee, coaches from both schools are still butting heads over incidents that took place during the game. On the ACC Coaches Teleconference Wednesday morning, FSU coach Willie Taggart spoke on the possibility of Virginia Tech players intentionally slowing down his tempo offense by faking injuries.
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According the The Athletic's Andy Bitter, Taggart said, "It is what it is. I guess it's part of football now." When asked if he thought the Hokies injuries were intentional, he said that the frequency of players going down made it hard to not see it as intentional.
There were a few instances throughout the game when Virginia Tech defenders were slow to get up after a play, leading some to believe they were faking their injuries. The incidents elicited boos from the crowd at Doak Campbell Stadium as fans seemed to think the Hokies were trying to slow down their offense.
On one such play, defenders Reggie Floyd and Ricky Walker dove head-on into each other while trying to make a tackle. The players understandably took a while to recover from a helmet to helmet collision, but the play still drew ire from FSU fans.
When Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente was given a chance to respond to Taggart's claims, he attributed the injuries to the heat and humidity. Fuente said the team was concerned about the temperature going into the game and had multiple issues with cramping, according to the Richmond Time-Dispatch's Mike Barber.
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Injuries or not, the Virginia Tech defense held FSU to just three points and 94 yards rushing, 85 of which came on one play. The Hokies' defense looked solid in a game that no one expected them to perform well and ultimately led the team to a statement win in Week 1.
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