Frank Beamer Reflects on 29 Years, Hokies Preview Georgia Tech and the Triple Option

From the #GameDay4Frank campaign launched by The Key Play, to countless emails, phone calls and letters, the support the entire Beamer family has received since the announcement of the elder Beamer's retirement has been nothing short of overwhelming.

"I didn't even know that many people knew me," joked Frank Beamer. "I was just over talking to our Board of Visitors for a couple minutes and I said, 'You know, for somebody to do something for 29 years, at a place he loves, for the people he loves, with guys he loves, it doesn't get any better.'"

Frank Beamer Opening Statement

Shane Beamer Opening Statement

Beamers Reflect on Thursday Nights

On Thursday night in Atlanta, Frank Beamer will lead his Hokies onto the field for one final Thursday night matchup, a spectacle that has been more than kind to the head Hokie over the years. And even though the Hokies' focus remains solely on football, Beamer's son Shane said the thought of getting his father one last Thursday night victory has crossed his mind.

"That'd be great. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about that," said the younger Beamer. "Winning his last Thursday night game certainly would be an extra special way for him to finish up a Thursday night run here."

The elder Beamer spent part of his Monday press conference reminiscing on how the special aura of Thursday nights in Blacksburg came to be.

"We've gone from not many people wanting to come to a game to a lot of people wanting to come to a game," said Beamer. "I think when we did it (Thursday night games), there was (as) much talk about the fans and the atmosphere as there was (football). We happened to play pretty good on a couple of them. It kind of gave us our identity here. It was a total program. It was a football team that played hard and hopefully played well most of the time. But it was a fanbase that cared, that was loud, was there pregame, there after the game. I think it's kinda the whole deal. Great band, couple of them matter of fact. Just the atmosphere and our fans and bands and students, they're the ones that really created that."

Hokies Reflect on Emotionally Draining Bye Week

The Hokies bye week, normally a time for mental decompression and physical recuperation, turned into an emotionally trying week with the announcement of their head coach's retirement. But after being given Tuesday and Wednesday off, Shane Beamer says he thinks the Hokies are ready to get back to work.

"We had already planned to give our guys a couple of days off. It had been a long nine weeks, mentally and physically even before everything happened last week," said Beamer. "It was a good chance last week for those guys to get away from football. When we got back in there with them on (Thursday) for practice, it was just that. 'Let's worry about what we can control. Let's finish up the right way.' Everything I've seen tells us that we're gonna do that...We've had spirited, high-energy practices."

Starting quarterback Michael Brewer seemed appreciative of the time off, even if much of it was spent coming to grips with the news of Beamer's retirement.

"It was nice to have a couple of days off after the announcement," said Brewer. "Obviously it's a sad time. When you think of Virginia Tech, you think Frank Beamer. I know me personally, growing up in Texas, not knowing a whole lot about the program, but anytime you hear about Virginia Tech, you would immediately think Coach Beamer."

As Ken Ekanem said last week, star wide receiver Isaiah Ford made it clear that the Hokies are determined to send out their beloved coach on top.

"It was tough. It was really tough," said Ford. "It was emotional from everyone, from a coaching standpoint to a player's standpoint. I think when we got back to practice, everything went back to normal. But we're all on the same page — we want to send him out in style."

Frank Beamer Turns Nostalgic

Thursday night will mark the 13th matchup between Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech, a series that the Hokies currently lead 8-4. The first "Battle of the Tech's" came back in 1990, with Beamer's Hokies squaring off against the Bobby Ross-led Yellow Jackets. Ross, a long-time friend of Beamer's since their days coaching together at The Citadel, came out on top that night with a 6-3 victory.

Beamer, now a coaching icon and a surefire Hall of Famer, credits much of his success to Ross.

"Coach Ross, especially close to him," said Beamer. "I think he's one of the coaches who knew more about football than anybody I've ever been around. He can talk offense, defense, special teams. He knew it all. But the best thing about him was how much he cared about the players and coaches."

Ross and Beamer were together at The Citadel directly after the Vietnam War, which, unsurprisingly, didn't help much on the recruiting trail.

"People didn't exactly wanna come to the Citadel at that particular time. But I think that was a great experience for me," said Beamer. "Number One, being under Coach Ross. But Number Two, having to figure out details about how to run a play as opposed to just putting great athletes out there and turn them loose. You had to get all the angles right for the play to be successful. It was a great starting point for me."

And as they say, the rest is history.

But Beamer, perhaps in a more reflective mood given last week's announcement, wasn't done just yet. Asked about the type of recruits that he went after in his first few years at Virginia Tech, Beamer discussed the unique challenges that he and his staff faced in the 1990's.

"Well I think the guy that really turned it myself, well a couple guys, they both work here now," said Beamer. "Cornell Brown. Cornell, Lynchburg, E.C. Glass (High School), in-state, could go anywhere in the country. Came to Virginia Tech. I think that started the trend. And then Kevin Jones (from) Philadelphia. We came here, Penn State was coming here and getting guys out of Virginia, particularly down the eastern side. Had a hard time beating them. Kevin was probably the first guy that came to Virginia Tech that I think Penn State thought they were gonna get. So those two guys kinda turned it. After that, I think certainly Michael Vick and Tyrod Taylor and all those guys brought a lot of attention. It became an OK thing if you came to Virginia Tech when you're in the state of Virginia. That's what we were always striving for."

Travon McMillian Gets a Little Downtime

After tallying 33 carries against a physical Boston College defense, Travon McMillian was probably one of the Hokies most in need of a bye week. And while running backs coach Shane Beamer admitted that McMillian benefited from a few days off, Beamer and Mike Goforth have both been impressed with the toughness of the redshirt freshman tailback.

"I was talking to Mike Goforth, our head trainer, this morning just about how, not that he wasn't tough before, but how much tougher he is mentally and how much tougher he is physically that he's gotten over the last year or so," said Beamer.

But Goforth did request that Beamer, if possible, find a way to get McMillian a little extra rest this week.

"He's a little banged up, and yesterday in our staff meeting Mike said, 'Keep an eye on Travon in practice, be smart with him, maybe rest him in a couple periods,'" said Beamer.

But McMillian was having none of that.

"I said that to Travon, and he said 'No way. You're not keeping me out of anything," said Beamer. "And you like that."

Hokies Preview Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech is mired in a disappointing 3-6 season, but the Hokies know the Yellow Jacket's famed triple option offense isn't to be scoffed at. According to Hokies cornerback Brandon Facyson, playing assignment football is key to defending the Bees' dynamic rushing attack.

"Everything changes from week to week, especially with this offense, the triple option," said Facyson. "We know our assignments and we know what we have to do. We just gotta go out there and be sound with our technique."

Facyson, a Newnan, Georgia native, says he gets a little extra motivation whenever he returns to play in his home state.

"Of course. I'm, what, 30 minutes from Georgia Tech," said Facyson. "I have a lot of friends and family there... I'm looking forward to it."

The Hokies will also benefit from a few extra days to prepare for the triple option, time that Bud Foster undoubtedly used to prepare for his annual chess match with Paul Johnson.

"It helps us with their offense," said Facyson of the bye week. "It helps us with the entire game plan...The extra week was definitely a good week for rest, but also with this offense, it was nice to have a couple more days to really get into this offense and really try to perfect this craft."

On the other side of the ball, the Yellow Jackets are led by defensive coordinator Ted Roof, a coaching veteran who Shane Beamer worked with at Georgia Tech in 2000.

"He does a great job," Beamer said of Roof. "He was the defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech when I was a graduate assistant there. He knows what he's doing. Won a national championship at Auburn down there with Coach Chizik. Does a really, really good job. They're very sound in what they do. They're gonna make you beat them...They're a veteran secondary, all seniors I believe are starters in the secondary. They're missing a couple guys up front that are key players for them on the defensive line, but they're a group that plays really hard...He's a really good football coach. We all know about their offense, but they do a great job defensively as well."

And with the Yellow Jackets offense possessing the ball and grinding out time-consuming drives, every Hokies' possession takes on greater importance.

"Against these guys, you can't give them extra possessions," said Beamer. "They're gonna grind the clock and they're gonna control the ball offensively. You've gotta make sure you maximize your possessions offensively and not help them by turning the ball over. That's been a point of emphasis all year for us and will continue to be. But it's extra, extra critical this week because they do a great job creating turnovers."

With such a high importance placed on each and every drive, it's human nature for players to begin to press. Brewer says avoiding that common downfall will be essential for the Hokies on Thursday night.

"I think teams press a little bit when they play them because their offense obviously controls the clock," said Brewer. "...Teams get a little bit too aggressive and they press too much. We just gotta stay comfortable and make the routine plays and move the ball up and down the field and come away with points when we get the opportunity to."

Additional Quotes

Michael Brewer

ON HIS HEALTH:

"It's definitely nice to have a week off after the two weeks of play. It's just kinda one of those deals where you gotta manage it. It's obviously not gonna be feeling 100% like it normally was until I get some significant time off, but we're doing a good job with the training staff of managing it. I feel fine. Hasn't hindered me at all."

ON NOT PRESSING AGAINST GEORGIA TECH'S DEFENSE:

"Ultimately it comes down to the players. You can't force balls in there, fight for an extra yard here when you should get out of bounds. The little things like that where in the grand scheme of things, just get your first down and let's keep moving the chains. We just gotta be good at what we do. Keep the ball on our side and play fundamental ball."

Isaiah Ford

ON IF IT TOOK A WHILE FOR MICHAEL BREWER TO RETURN TO FORM:

"Honestly, the minute he stepped back in, he was right back to where he was at the beginning of the season. You can see it in the throws that he's making, even in practice in 7-on-7 and things like that...I think he's right back to where he was."

ON HIS IMPROVEMENT AS A PLAYER:

"I think from an experience standpoint just understanding plays from the big picture. Knowing that every little thing I do does matter. Whether it's running full speed backside to try to cut off the safety to bust a big run or making sure I'm getting depth in my routes, things like that. Just really understanding the game."

Frank Beamer

ON IF HE FELT RELIEVED OR SADDENED AFTER HIS RETIREMENT ANNOUNCEMENT:

"I think it goes both ways. You're appreciative. It's time to move on. There's a couple things I'd like to try to do and we'll see how those things work out. I got grandkids. I just got so many good things. I'm a blessed person. I look at it that way. Like I've told you guys, I try to deal in what's real. And what's real (is) I've been tremendously blessed and let's move on and look forward to days ahead."