Hokies Put Together a Complete Military Bowl Win, Beat Cincinnati 33-17

After a season full of near misses and inconsistent play, it must be a bit maddening for Frank Beamer to watch his squad play one of its best games in the final contest of the year.

Yet for the many, many members of the Hokies fanbase that came out to the Military Bowl, watching the team assemble a dominating win must've been thoroughly satisfying.

"If we get this thing right, we've got a chance to be what Virginia Tech has always been, not 7-6, but winning a championship," said offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler. "We've got a lot of work ahead of us, but the pieces are starting to fall into place."

But in many ways, the 33-17 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats provided a promising preview of what this team could be in 2015, even as it offered some bittersweet glimpses of what the team could've been this season.

"This team was able to pull together the last two games of the season, and we showed glimpses of what we can do and we're excited to get full deck of cards back," said quarterback Michael Brewer.

Even still, Frank Beamer had to like what he saw as he watched from the press box. Shane handled things on the sidelines, and seemed to have filled in admirably for his dad.

"It was different, as far as making calls and doing all the things he normally does," Shane said. "I'm normally talking to the running backs and making adjustments with the other offensive coaches."

But Beamer's recovery from throat surgery didn't prevent him from fulfilling one postgame tradition.

"After the game, he said he can't talk, but he can still dance," Brewer said.

He was likely especially pleased with the play of running back J.C. Coleman, who earned MVP honors for the game en route to rushing for 157 yards and a score.

Even with a limited role, Beamer still knew to bother Loeffler about giving Coleman more work.

"He'd lean over and say 'Scot, run the ball here,'" Loeffler joked.

The defense was solid as well, allowing 489 yards on the day, but stiffening when it mattered, particularly in the red zone.

"We felt like today may be a day where we could bend a little bit and we didn't want to break and just with this style of offense, that's going to happen," said defensive coordinator Bud Foster.

The defense certainly had a rocky start, allowing a 40-yard pass by Bearcats quarterback Gunner Kiel to receiver Shaq Washington on the very first play of the game. Yet the team held, and forced a Cincinnati punt.

The teams traded interceptions, and two drives later Kiel sliced and diced the defense for pass plays of 25 and 21 yards before hitting receiver Chris Moore for a 31-yard score to make it 7-0.

But Loeffler showed an early willingness to get creative, pulling out a trick play to get Isaiah Ford the ball for a 30-yard pass to Michael Brewer to get the team inside the five.

"'Just dont get Brewer killed,' that's the only thing that was going through my head," Ford said.

Just a few plays later, the Hokies evened the score with a J.C. Coleman run.

Kiel had a fantastic first quarter, finishing 9 of 17 for 179 yards and a score, but it was his play as the quarter wound down that hamstrung Cincinnati.

He threw an ill-timed ball over the middle, and Hokies cornerback Chuck Clark made an athletic, one-handed interception to give Tech the ball at Cincy's 37.

The Hokies couldn't do much with the ball, but let Joey Slye set a new career high with a 45-yard kick.

Cincinnati replied with a field goal of its own after an 86-yard drive, but Tech found some life thanks to its special teams play.

Safety Der'Woun Greene, seeing his first extended time on the kickoff team this season, reeled off a 46-yard return to put the Hokies at midfield. After Brewer found Ford for a 17-yard completion, Slye bumped his career high even higher with a 49-yard kick to give the Hokies a 13-10 lead at the half.

It was in the opening moments of the third quarter that Tech established the tone of the rest of the game.

Four straight runs by Coleman produced a total of 43 yards as the team powered down the field, and after a 17-yard dash by new offensive wonder Greg Stroman, Ryan Malleck was able to snag a one-yard touchdown to open a 20-10 lead.

"It's always fun to touch the ball. It's always fun to contribute and have the ball in your hands," said Stroman, the former high school quarterback and current cornerback.

Then things got weird.

Cincinnati started the ensuing drive with a quick first down, but linebacker Deon Clarke stripped Kiel on the fifth play of the drive. DT Nigel Williams managed to pick up the loose ball and rumble 26 yards, but he too lost the rock.

But Stroman stayed with the play and scooped up the ball immediately afterward, running the ball the final 11 yards into the end zone for a commanding 27-10 lead.

"I was going to go block, I was running after to go block and it came loose and I was in the right place at the right time," Stroman said.

Making matters worse for the Bearcats, Clarke crushed Kiel while forcing the fumble, and he headed to the locker room, never to return to the game.

"It was a good clean lick, hit him square in the chest and his head hit the ground," said Cincinnati head coach Tommy Tuberville. "He's a little dizzy and not very clear, and we didn't want to take a chance with that."

With backup Munchie Legaux, he of the game-winning throw that beat Tech two years ago, nursing a knee injury, that meant Cincinnati had to turn to Michael Colosimo at quarterback.

"The only guy more obscure than him coming in was me," Tuberville joked.

Colosimo had a whopping five pass attempts in his career coming into the game, so Tuberville understandably tried to use Washington's athleticism in wildcat formations to beat Bud Foster's group.

But Foster was eminently prepared for the trickery, forcing a quick three and out.

The Hokies chewed some clock with an eight-play drive, and after another Bearcats punt, Tech used a 29-yard run by Coleman to set up yet another Slye field goal and triple Cincy's score, 30-10.

Colosimo settled down to make the game a little more interesting on the next drive, completing a 23-yard bomb and a 43-yard touchdown to pull within 30-17.

The Bearcats tried an onside kick, but managed only to boot the ball out of bounds, giving Tech good field position. After one more Slye field goal, Beamer's bunch took a comfortable 33-17 lead to finish things off.

Now the team gets to head into the offseason on the back of two of its strongest offensive performances of the year, but Loeffler promises they won't spend much time resting on their laurels.

"I told the younger guys we're going to have the toughest, most get after it offseason in the country," Loeffler said.

That's music to Beamer's ears, and you just might catch him dancing to it.