When Boston College wins the coin toss, head coach Jeff Hafley likes to defer and start the game on defense. That hasn't happened each of the last two weeks.

BC has lost the toss and received the opening kickoff, only to struggle right out of the gate. In Week 2 at Virginia Tech, quarterback Phil Jurkovec threw an interception on BC's second play from scrimmage that set up a Hokies touchdown.

"I thought it was a great look," Jurkovec said postgame of the play where he was picked. "I wanted to take it. It was a pre-snap, I'm taking this. And, post-snap, I saw [Jaden Williams] get jammed a little bit. And I thought, give him a chance. Let him go make a play on the ball. And the way he was getting jammed, I thought maybe we'd get a penalty. But I left the ball a little too much inside.”

Last week against Maine, Jurkovec was sacked on the Eagles' first snap. They netted one yard in three plays before Danny Longman trotted out for the first of his two first quarter punts.

"We have one of our offensive linemen—it was a five-man box, and he didn't block the guy in front of him, and that's why Phil [Jurkovec] got hit," Hafley said Tuesday of the game-opening sack.

Hafley pointed out how BC started slow in other phases against Maine, too. Perhaps most notably, BC's special teams put the defense in tough situations throughout the first quarter. A 17-yard Longman punt all but gifted the Black Bears a field goal and, subsequently, an early lead. Then BC allowed a 73-yard Maine kick return that set the stage for the FCS foe's first touchdown of the night.

But the offense's early-game dysfunction has gone back to Week 1. Here are BC's opening drives against Rutgers, Virginia Tech and Maine:

— vs. Rutgers: 7 plays, 37 yards, punt

— at Virginia Tech: 2 plays, 0 yards, interception

— vs. Maine: 3 plays, 1 yard, punt

What's more, BC has averaged 1.63 yards per carry in the first quarter of games this year—granted, the Eagles' defunct run game is actually worse in the third quarter (1.33 yards per carry)—and two of Jurkovec's three interceptions have occurred in the opening frame.

"Starting fast is huge," Hafley said Tuesday. "I talked about that today in practice. I talked about it in the team meeting. And it's not like this, 'Rah rah, start fast emotion.' It's lock in early and execute at a high level early in the game.

"That's going to be key."

As was the case in Week 2, BC is expecting a sold-out ACC road game under the lights Saturday night in Tallahassee. Florida State's Doak Campbell Stadium has Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium beat by more than 13,000 seats.

"Obviously, the music and the band will be doing their deal the whole game," Hafley said. "Just the experience of already doing it once this year. I'm hopeful that will help. But we've cranked it up again."

Falling behind against FSU is a dangerous game this year. The Seminoles rank fourth in the ACC in time of possession, in large part because they have the league's best ground attack right now.

FSU has four running backs averaging at least 5.7 yards per carry, not to mention a pair of quarterbacks who can use their legs.

As a 16.5-point underdog this weekend, BC's best shot is to make the first move and give the Seminoles a punch to the mouth.

Early.