Tech Squeaks By Virginia 23-20, Earns One Last Dance in Charlottesville for Frank Beamer

As the Hokies' contest against the Hoos wore on, there was plenty of noise about who might succeed Frank Beamer in the coming days, but it's safe a bet the head Hokie didn't hear it — After all, he was listening to the music.

It's a song that he's heard many times, though it's likely few others have ever caught the tune.

What else would compel the normally reserved 69-year-old to break out a few dance moves, but the sweet sound of another win over his in-state rival to send him out with a bowl berth?

"Oh, he danced," said QB Michael Brewer. "It was one of his best performances. He was extremely happy, as he should be."

Tech's 23-20 win over UVA wasn't pretty, but it was good enough. Good enough to keep the 12-year winning streak over the Hoos alive, good enough to keep the Hokies bowling for a 23rd straight year, and certainly good enough to encourage Beamer to show off a few moves.

"He did the little dab dance move," said LB Deon Clarke. "He always dances after every big win, so he just brought out a move he's seen everybody else doing."

DAB pic.twitter.com/rXTq8DHoWI— Kenjamin Ekanem (@Ekannibal) November 28, 2015

For most of the game, it didn't seem like there would be much to dance about. Not only were the two teams tied at 6-6 at halftime, but twice the Cavs seized touchdown leads late in the game. Yet the Hokies kept coming back, fueled by an offensive resurgence in the second half — Tech managed just 69 yards of total offense in the first half, but finished with 304.

"I think that game showed everything we try to do at Virginia Tech," Beamer said. "Relentless. I love that word."

The team was very nearly undone by constant pressure on Brewer, with the Hoos breaking through for three first half sacks that nearly knocked him out of the game.

"I think this game took about five years off my life, but I'm alright," Brewer said.

But Beamer credited OL coach Stacy Searels with some key protection changes, helping Brewer find WR Isaiah Ford frequently down the field for some big plays to key the resurgence.

"It's a shame that Michael didn't get to play the whole season, but I'm excited to watch from afar these guys, because there's a lot of work that's taken place these last few years," said offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler, in a telling sign of his view of his place with the program going forward.

The defense was rocky at times, allowing 433 yards to UVA, but Bud Foster's group stiffened in the second half and came up with key turnovers late in the contest.

"We were on the field a bunch today, a little bit longer than we wanted to be, but I think we beat a good Virginia offense," Foster said.

Following a 41-yard return of the opening kickoff, the Hokies kicked off their first drive with some early completions to TE Bucky Hodges. Michael Brewer found Hodges on two completions, including one crucial third down conversion, for a quick 22 yards.

But the drive stalled at the UVA 31-yard line, and Beamer called on Joey Slye for a 48-yard field goal, which he managed to nail with ease to give Tech an early 3-0 lead.

The Hoos found some early rhythm on their first possession as well. QB Matt Johns converted an early 3rd and 8 with a 14-yard scramble, and he managed to withstand a massive hit from LB Deon Clarke to find RB Taquan Mizzell for a completion of the same length on an identical down and distance.

Yet a pair of penalties stalled the drive at Tech's 24-yard line, leading to a 42-yard kick by Ian Frye to tie the game up.

Both teams' defenses then settled in a little bit, and the squads traded three and outs to end the first quarter.

The Hokies went three and out on their next possession as well, but not before Brewer took a massive hit as he attempted to flip a pass to Sam Rogers. After staying down for several minutes, Brewer was able to jog off under his own power, but it was immediately clear that the hit left him seriously shaken up.

"I didn't know he was going to come back when I went out there," Beamer said. "He stayed in there and made some great throws when we needed them."

UVA's next drive was similarly unproductive, but a big hit by CB Greg Stroman as Johns ran out of bounds on third down inspired plenty of sideline histrionics by coaches and players alike. Yet the referees wisely withheld their whistles, as replays showed Johns clearly in bounds when he took the hit, and UVA yielded the ball once more.

Brewer returned to the game without missing a snap on the next drive, but he couldn't find a rhythm. He was sacked once again, and nearly fumbled the ball, leading to yet another punt.

A long punt by A.J. Hughes pinned the Hoos on their eight-yard line, but the Cavs steadily marched down the field. A pair of long Johns scrambles for 25 and 15 yards helped get the offense moving, and only a last-minute breakup by Adonis Alexander saved a long UVA touchdown. But Tech's defense held, forcing another 42-yard Frye field goal to give the Hoos the narrow 6-3 lead.

The Hokies went three and out on the next drive, and UVA's offense looked ready to punt after picking up just one first down on their next possession. But Mike London chose to dial up a fake punt on 4th and 16, and while UVA punter Nicholas Conte nearly managed to convert, a Tremaine Edmunds tackle stopped him just short to give Tech great field position.

"We were concerned because we were trying to double their headhunters so we didn't have many people in the box," Beamer said. "They had a good strategy, I'm just thankful that it was a long yardage deal so we got them one yard short."

With the ball near midfield, Brewer very nearly hit Isaiah Ford on a pass down to the two-yard line, but the receiver was barely out of bounds. The quarterback's next pass looked disastrous, as it was overthrown and easily picked off, but a PI call on UVA bailed him out.

The Hokies could only manage a handful of yards after that, calling on Slye to kick a 44-yarder to tie the game once more.

The Hoos proceeded to run out the clock, sending the teams to their respective locker rooms tied at a paltry six points apiece.

Coming out of halftime, neither team managed to fix their offensive woes. UVA gained a grand total of 16 yards on their first drive after the break, while Tech only picked up a quarter of that and the parade of punts continued unabated.

Johns then gave the Hokies a big helping hand, lobbing a ball up just as he got crushed by Tech's pass rush. Alexander managed to pick it off, setting up the Hokies on their own 41-yard line. Brewer found Ford for a 16-yard completion, but the offense sputtered after that. The QB nearly missed UVA defenders on two separate plays that could've turned disastrous, and Hughes punted once more.

Three back-to-back punts followed as offensive ineptitude reigned.

Brewer tossed a lame duck of a ball himself to give UVA great field position at Tech's 31. But the Hoos could only gain three yards, and Frye couldn't connect on a 45-yard field goal to keep the game tied.

True to form, Tech went three and out once more, but then UVA finally broke through. RB Albert Reid wiggled past one would-be tackler, then ran untouched into the end zone for a 57-yard score. Suddenly, the pressure on Tech's offense ratcheted up immensely, with the Hoos now up 13-6.

Brewer then managed to find TE Ryan Malleck over the middle for what looked like a modest gain. But Malleck barrelled through a tackle and, after a beautiful block by Hodges, found the open field before going out of bounds at UVA's four-yard line for a 71-yard gain.

The Hoos stuffed Travon McMillian's first crack at reaching the end zone, and the third quarter ended to set up a frenetic fourth.

The Hokies opened the final regular season quarter of Beamer's career with some play action, and Brewer found Rogers wide open to tie the game back up and give Tech some life.

But UVA methodically marched down the field on their next possession for a 90-yard drive. A 21-yard catch by TE Evan Butts converted a key third down, and the Hoos were able to march to Tech's 31-yard line.

A sideline grab by Mizzell seemed to give UVA excellent field position, but the refs ultimately ruled him out of bounds, a judgement that the replay made seem dubious. Johns then flicked the ball to WR Canaan Severin for a 27-yard completion also initially ruled incomplete, but Tech could only get lucky once. With 10 minutes to go, UVA grabbed the 20-13 lead.

Yet it would seem that nothing did more to help Tech's deep passing game than a UVA score. Following a 10-yard run by McMillian, Brewer found Ford for a 38-yard pass to the Hoos' 27. He nearly missed Hodges in the end zone, then Ford snuck past UVA's defense, and Brewer nailed him in the end zone to tie the game once more. His 32-yard score also had plenty of historical significance, as the grab helped him set the single-season record for TD receptions.

A game defined by offensive incompetence suddenly looked like a shootout.

The impeccably named UVA RB Olamide Zaccheus reeled off a 25-yard run to start the Hoos' next drive, but they punted the ball away quickly after that.

Brewer used a pair of completions to Ford to get things going for Tech, for gains of six and 21 yards respectively. McMillian then started powering the offense, running for gains of four, five, nine and eight to keep the Hokies moving down to UVA's 25.

McMillian lost two yards and then picked up four more, before getting the wind knocked out of him. London called timeout before a momentous 3rd and 8 for Tech with 1:49 to go.

But for all the buildup ahead of the play, the Hokies elected to run Rogers for a loss of one, forcing another UVA timeout.

Slye nailed the 41-yard field goal attempt, and the Hokies retook the lead for the first time since early in the first quarter, going up 23-20.

The conservative call likely galled many fans, but the defense came through on UVA's final drive.

Not only did Ken Ekanem nearly force a fumble, with Johns losing the ball before a lineman scooped it up in midair, but the secondary ultimately came through with the pick. Johns lobbed a ball high in the air, allowing Clark to come through with the interception and let the offense run out the clock on one last win over UVA for Beamer.

"For a guy like Chuck Clark, who is such a good player, person and leader to the make the play, it made it even more special," Beamer said.

Once more, the players lifted Beamer aloft, this time with a victory (and the Commonwealth Cup) in hand.

"I liked it a lot better, this time I had the big guys under me instead of J.C. Coleman," Beamer said, flashing a smile.

Brewer also did his best to help his coach soak in the moment, knowing he'd walk away from his last game against his biggest rivals a winner.

"After we took a knee, I kept the ball and as soon as he was done talking to Coach London, I went up to him, gave him a hug and gave him the game ball," Brewer said. "Hopefully he'll hang onto that and have it a long time."

Now the Hokies will have one last chance to get Beamer dancing with a bowl berth assured, but it surely means just a little bit more to the Hokies to have given their head coach a fitting swan song in Charlottesville.

"I've gotten more than I deserve the past couple weeks," Beamer said.