No wonder the Jayhawks are the second-highest scoring team in the nation.

Yet KU has a heck of a time getting all that firepower lit to start a game.

On the first offensive possession of their 12 games, the Jayhawks had seven three-and-outs. They scored once — a field goal against Florida International — and had one turnovers. Of the other three, they ran no more than seven plays before punting.

Not good.

"I can't explain it," center Ryan Cantrell said, "but I know we're tired of it."

Now, it may seem picky to point out such bad starts for a team that is 11-1 and is averaging 44.3 points.

But it caught up with the Jayhawks when they closed the regular season against Missouri with their only loss. They started with a three-and-out on a night when they waited until it was too late to try to catch the Tigers.

And a slow start could be a factor Thursday night in the Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech. If all goes to script, this should be a relatively low-scoring game, given the strength of Tech's defense and a so-so Hokie offense.

But even if the game doesn't follow projections, the Jayhawks won't be able to waste scoring chances if they hopes to defeat the best team they've played this season.

Don't think KU offensive coordinator Ed Warinner hasn't thought of that. But first the man whose innovative schemes have helped put life in the Jayhawks this season has to figure out the slow starts.

"I can't put my finger on it," he said. "I think some of it is getting settled in a bit for (quarterback Todd) Reesing. Sometimes it's field position, sometimes a lot of factors."

In a late November game with Iowa State, Warinner said he really emphasized getting something out of the first possession in hopes of ending the trend. But a penalty killed those plans and KU took another three-and-out.

The Jayhawks went on to win that game 45-7, so it was no big deal. A week later against Mizzou, it was significant.

As the offensive coordinator at Army, Warinner once had the Black Knights run a reverse on the first play. It worked well enough to set up a one-yard touchdown run on the second play.

But he acknowledged that he generally takes a conservative approach on the first possession, sort of a feeling out process of what the defense is going to do.

"Defenses haven't played us like we thought," Warinner said. "Everyone has a new wrinkle. They show their hand early, so we look at that and go from there.

"One thing we don't want to do is be out of control and do things that will put us in jeopardy. So we're not going out there and be real high risk and therefore opening ourselves up to problems."

He noted that Reesing has been cautious beyond the plays that are called on first possessions.

"There have been opportunities to throw on an opening drive where he's been a little safe with it and not willing to take a risk," Warinner said. "That's been particularly true since the opening drive of the K-State game."

Reesing has taken that conservative approach to another level since he was intercepted on the first snap in the Jayhawks' victory at Kansas State on Oct. 6.

"I've never addressed it with him and said, `Oh, whatever you do, don't turn it over on the first drive,'f" Warinner said. "But since the K-State game he's realized how a turnover puts us in a hole. He's been really smart and cautious on the opening drive to make sure we don't turn it over."

Reesing has been intercepted only six times all season, although his streak of 213 attempts without being picked off was broken by the two interceptions he threw against Missouri.

"I'm not afraid to take a chance early," Reesing said. "We want to get something out of that first possession, but I'm not going to force anything either. That's how we play offense the whole game, not just the first possession.

"We don't try to outdo ourselves. We play to our strengths and expose a defense's weaknesses. We aren't stubborn and throw the ball downfield when it's not open or run the ball up the middle when it's not open. That's how we've played all season, that's how we'll play Thursday."

Except Thursday, KU will be going against a Tech defense that the Jayhawks agree is by far better than anything they saw this season. So do you jump on the Hokies from the start with both barrels firing? Or sit back for a series and get a read on the defense?