Extra Point: Nov. 20, 2015

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November N ovember 20, 20, 22015 015

THE

EXTRAPOINT

Virginia Tech vs. UNC

COLLEGIATE C OLLEGIAT A ETIMES

ONE

LAST

TIME The Hokies will try to send off Head Coach Frank Beamer and the seniors the right way in a pivotal matchup with No. 12 North Carolina.

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TIMES

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ZACK WAJSGRAS / COLLEGIATE TIMES

The Hokies run into Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium to start the game against the ECU Pirates, Sept. 26, 2015.

PREVIEWING THE END OF AN ERA

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Tech will face one of its toughest challenges of the year against No. 12 North Carolina in what will be Coach Frank Beamer’s final home game.

The Collegiate Times, a division of the Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech, was established in 1903 by and for the students of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The Collegiate Times is published every Tuesday through Friday of the academic year except during exams and vacations. The first copy of the Collegiate Times is free, any copy of the paper after that is 50 cents. To order a reprint of a photograph printed in the Collegiate Times, visit reprints.collegemedia.com. The Collegiate Times is a division of the Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to provide educational experience in business and production of mass media for Virginia Tech students.

FAIZAN HASNANY sports editor

PAGE 2 November 20, 2015

© Collegiate Times, 2015. All rights reserved.

Material published in the Collegiate Times is the property thereof, and may not be reprinted without the express written consent of the Collegiate Times.

FILE 2014 / COLLEGIATE TIMES

North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Marquise Williams (12) is tackled short of the end zone by Virginia Tech Hokies linebacker Chase Williams (36).

It will mark the end of an era on Saturday when the Virginia Tech football team faces off against North Carolina in what will be Head Coach Frank Beamer’s last game in Lane Stadium. The stakes are high for the Hokies who will enter the game with a 5-5 record, hoping to send Beamer off on a victory and extend his 22-season bowl streak.

Despite the increased external pressure on this weekend’s matchup, the Hokies spent this week trying to go about preparation thoroughly and without distractions, as the 12th-ranked Tar Heels, who have a 9-1 record while remaining undefeated in the ACC, will be one of Tech’s biggest challenges of the season.

“After (Beamer’s) retirement speech, everything kind of went back to normal you know, so once we kind of got going everything got back rolling and everyone reacted well,” said sophomore wide receiver Isaiah Ford. “Everyone has practiced very well, so there’s nothing out of the ordinary.”

North Carolina will come to Blacksburg, boasting one of the best offenses in the country, scoring an average of 42 points per

game, 7.59 yards per play, while not turning the ball over in the past three games. The Tar Heels have scored 125 points between their past two games, against Duke and Miami, which set a record for the highest point total in back-to-back games in the ACC’s 63-year history.

“

Everybody knows what the deal is. It’s Coach’s last home game. We’re playing to go to a bowl game. We’re playing to send him out the right way.”

Michael Brewer Quarterback

“I’m very impressed with the quarterback, how he’s playing, very impressed with their running game and very impressed with their skill at the receiver spot,” said Defensive Coordinator Bud Foster. “They’ve got some experienced guys playing extremely well and putting up a lot of points. We’re going to have to play our tails off on Saturday.”

Senior quarterback Marquise Williams

big numbers and is now up to five consecutive games of over 95 rushing yards and 800 yards for the season on 5.5 yards per carry. Look for McMillian to get plenty of carries again as North Carolina has allowed an average of 206 rushing yards per game on 4.73 yards per carry.

“He’s doing a great job for us,” said Offensive Coordinator Scot Loeffler about the elusive running back. “He’s really, really developed into a super back.

We’re excited for his future, for sure.”

Regardless of the outcome, Tech fans can expect a hard-fought game out of the Hokies as they attempt to send off Beamer with a win at Lane Stadium.

“Everybody knows,” said starting quarterback Michael Brewer. “Everybody knows what the deal is. It’s Coach’s last home game. We’re playing to go to a bowl game. We’re playing to send him out the right way. It’s not something that needs to be necessarily discussed amongst the players because everybody knows.”

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FILE 2014 / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Scrambling out of the pocket in the end zone, Virginia Tech Hokies quarterback Michael Brewer (12) looks for open receivers.

leads the dynamic Tar Heel offense, having thrown for 2,222 yards and 16 touchdowns, while completing 66.2 percent of his passes this season.

Williams is also a threat on his feet, running for 659 yards on 6.9 yards per carry and 9 touchdowns, which could be particularly dangerous to the Hokies who have struggled with mobile quarterbacks.

“You gotta keep the quarterback contained. Marquise is a really good runner,” said senior defensive tackle Luther Maddy. “We’ve gotta keep him contained in the pocket. Get to him when we have opportunities during pass rush.”

Offensively, Tech will try to counter North Carolina’s high-powered offense in what is shaping up to potentially be a high-scoring shootout.

“These are the types of games as an offense that you want to play in. You want to play in those shootouts, in the games that you have to grind it out and value every possession,” Ford said. “As an offense, we have a chip on our shoulders, and we’re ready to take the challenge.”

Redshirt freshman running back Travon McMillian has continued to put up

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TECHUNC

Nationally ranked UNC (No. 12) dominates Virginia Tech on offense, outscoring the Hokies by an average of 42-29.8. Tech will need to contain its penalties and capitalize on offense in order to win on Saturday.

TECH 36

UNC

1620 1952

2146 2293

Yards Lost Rushing

332

147

103

Rushing Attempts

87

115

Average Per Rush

425 3.8

372 5.8

15

21

Average Per Game

162.0 13

214.6 29

TECH 29.8

TOUCHDOWNS

42.0

Touchdowns Scored

82-688 68.8

57-482

RUSHING YARDAGE

48.2

Yards Gained Rushing

239

Rushing

197 95

Passing Penalty

Points Per Game

PENALTIES-YARDS Average Per Game

FIRST DOWNS

TDs Rushing

53

November 20, 2015 PAGE 3

UNC

SCORING

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THE EDMUNDS: BEAMER’S LAST SET OF BROTHERS Trey, Terrell and Tremaine Edmunds open up about playing for their father in high school and going on to play together at Virginia Tech.

RICKY LABLUE & FAIZAN HASNANY editor in chief & sports editor

IN ONE OF THE BIGGEST GAM ES of the year in college football, Trey, Terrell and Tremaine Edmunds gave Virginia Tech fans one of the cooler moments in Hokie football history. All three lined up on the kickoff team, at the same time, next to each other.

“We’re all lined up, going down full speed, seeing who can make it there first,” Tremaine said. “I got a lot of great photos out of it, that’s for sure. As time expires in the future, we can look back at it and be like, ‘Wow, we really did this together.’ It’s a thing we can tell our children in the future.”

The Edmunds brothers have played together their entire lives, from Pop Warner all the way through high school.

The Edmunds are from Danville, Va. and all three attended Dan River High School, coached by their father and former All-Pro NFL tight end Ferrell Edmunds Jr. As people know, playing for your parents can be an interesting experience, but they said their father was a

said. “He tells us what we need to work on, he tells us the things that we do wrong. He’s trying to make us better, and not just as a football player but make us better as a man in life.”

The Edmunds brothers starred in multiple sports. All three lettered in basketball and track as well as football.

Even though they all decided to play football after high school, it wasn’t always their first love.

“I was always the one that liked track the most,” Terrell said. “I just liked to run.”

“For me, my first love was basketball,” Trey said. “It wasn’t until the middle of high school where I was like, ‘Football is going to be a thing.’ I was always basketball-minded first.”

It was actually at a basketball game

where Head Coach Frank Beamer first came to visit Trey.

“We had been hearing the whole day that he was coming, but we didn’t really know how much truth there was to that,” Trey said. “When we saw him, I mean, it was a moment you would never forget.

He definitely treated us like we were already here. Very respectful to us and to our family.”

The Edmunds brothers have built a tremendous relationship with Beamer through the years. Meeting him during Trey’s recruitment impacted Terrell and Tremaine’s view of him before they decided to play at Virginia Tech. Now that Beamer is retiring at the end of the season, all three of the brothers said it will be an emotional game for everyone.

“Everybody wants him to stay,” Terrell

said. “Coach Beamer is a great person.

You know that you can always count on him and you always know he’s going to be on your back to push you to be the best player you can be.”

“It was definitely very emotional,” Trey said. “To see him walk away from something that he loves… He’s such an iconic guy. He’s been through it all, he’s seen it all. The wins, the losses, the Orange Bowls and the nothings. Even National Championships, he’s seen it all.

He’s been there, done that. Just to see him walk away from the game, it’s kind of bittersweet. I tell myself all the time, I try not to be selfish because, of course I want him to stay here,but he’s gotta do what’s best for him. We all love Coach and we want him to stay here forever, but see EDMUNDS / page 6

“

When we saw him, I mean, it was a moment you would never forget. He definitely treated us like we were already here.”

PAGE 4 November 20, 2015

Trey Edmunds Running back

players’ coach.

“Players were able to relate to him but he didn’t take any slack,” Trey said.

“He wasn’t the guy that you could just get away with anything, but he was a guy that everyone respected. When he talked, people listened. He was a guy that was going to joke with you as well. We really got a bit of everything, but on Friday nights, we knew there was no joking. We played at 7 p.m. Come 5:30 p.m., there were no jokes.”

“He tells us every little detail we need to do to get to the next level,” Tremaine

ARMAHN RASSULI / COLLEGIATE TIMES

(Left to right) Trey, Terrell and Tremaine Edmunds will be the last group of brothers to play for Head Coach Frank Beamer.

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November 20, 2015 PAGE 5

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EDMUNDS: Brothers are last group under Beamer from page 4

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you can’t in this game. Even we can’t stay here forever.

Having two stellar athletes as parents certainly has its benefits. Not only was their father a professional football player, their mother, Felicia Edmunds, was a successful track athlete in college.

“We were blessed to meet a lot of people,” Edmunds said. “My Dad participated in the Kids and Pros Camp back in the day and we met a lot of the guys that came out of there. I know the people who ran it. Buddy Curry, Kenny Lewis, people like that.”

The family dynamic and relationship between the trio remains as strong as ever, who have continued to keep a close bond while attending Virginia Tech.

“We talk to each other every day, we see each other every day, so it’s just like middle school or high school all over again,” Trey said. “We do a lot of things together. We go out to eat, do other activities, we go out on the weekends together.

When our parents come up for the game, we all meet at one spot and sit there and talk. It’s really no love lost since high school. It’s like we picked up right where we left off.”

The brothers’ chemistry was on full display earlier this season during a Hokie Vision name your tune skit when all three brothers started dancing in unison to I Want You Back by The Jackson 5.

“I kid you not right now bro,that was not choreographed, it was not planned, it was not thought of, it was not even talked about. It just happened, and it just happened smoothly you know,” Trey said.

The oldest of the three brothers didn’t hesitate to expose some things most people don’t know about his younger siblings.

“All his life, (Terrell) liked playing with bugs. Not in a sense of like just out there, but he likes animals and bugs to be specific, you know, insects. He would go get them, catch them and take care of them though. And as he got older he progressed to the snakes and lizards and stuff like that, he likes it all,” Trey said.

Terrell owned up, saying he currently has a lizard named Flash.

While all three brothers are food fanatics, they agreed that Tremaine had the biggest appetite of the bunch.

“One thing about Tremaine, tall and slim, very very slim you know, but this guy can eat. He by far eats the most out

of our family including my father,” Trey said. “We go to the buffet, and he’s got four plates minimum, four plates minimum. A lot of people don’t know that he can really really eat, like offensive line eat.”

As far as a go to food spot in Blacksburg, Tremaine and Trey are mostly indifferent, but Terrell has a special connection with a particular restaurant.

“

I remember that day he told our grandmother that he wanted all three of us to come here. And, hey, he’s a man of his word.”

Trey Edmunds Running back

“My go to spot I’d have to say is Texas Roadhouse,” said Terrell. “I go there a lot, maybe once every three days I eat three baskets of rolls by myself.”

When asked which one of them would make the best quarterback the three competitors unsurprisingly all picked themselves.

“I think it’d be me,” Trey said. “Playing Madden I can envision myself back there in the shotgun running the read option or something like that, taking it 40-50 yards, celebrating in the endzone, flexin’ and dabbin’.”

As for their futures in football, while all three are currently laser-focused on giving Beamer a proper exit in the short term, they all have big long term dreams.

“I think if you ask anybody on the team they’d say the NFL or at least giving themselves a shot for the NFL,” Trey said.

“My personal goal is to become the best player that I can possibly be,” Terrell said about his aspirations. “No matter where it puts me, I just want to be the best football player I can possibly be.”

Football has always been a family affair at Virginia Tech, but the Edmunds brothers are the last group to play together for Beamer.

“I remember that day he told our grandmother that he wanted all three of us to come here,” Trey said. “And, hey, he’s a man of his word.”

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BEAMER’S IMPACT OUTSIDE OF LANE

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FILE 2011/ COLLEGIATE TIMES

Head Coach Frank Beamer speaks to the football team before the team’s final scrimmage prior to the 2011 season.

Whether it’s through the transformation of the football program or through Herma’s Readers, Coach Beamer’s impacts are seen across Virginia.

SIERRA HUCKFELDT sports editor

100,000 books around Virginia.

Over the years, Frank has been recognized for his accomplishments and dedication to the community. Beamer was presented with a Humanitarian Award by the National Conference for Community and Justice in 2004 for all of his work with the Roanoke Valley.

Beamer is described as a class act by players, coaches and fans alike, carrying himself in the most humble and respectable manner.

In 1990, Frank renewed his contract and was given a large raise in his pay. Unlike the majority of other coaches, Beamer would not accept the pay until the rest of the faculty at Virginia Tech was given the same chance for a raise, as state salaries were frozen at the time.

Since his announcement on Nov. 1, Virginia Tech has been thanking Beamer for his time served at Virginia Tech and letting him know the impact he has had on them.

Most recently, the Corps of Cadets thanked Beamer before his practice on Nov. 18,

awarding him with the Beverly S. Paris Junior Award, an award that is given to the company that sets the standard for excellence. Beamer humbly accepted and proceeded to thank the cadets for their dedication to the university.

In September 2015, Spring Road was renamed Beamer Way to honor Beamer for his contributions to the university. The official address will be 25 Beamer Way, named after Frank’s jersey number when he played at Virginia Tech in the 1960s.

Frank Beamer will always be remembered at Virginia Tech. He has gone above and beyond to transform the image of the school along with the community of Blacksburg.

The football program will continue when Frank retires this season, but no one will be able to replace the impact he has had on the university and the legacy he has created.

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November 20, 2015 PAGE 7

Frank Beamer is much more than just a legendary football coach. There is more to him than his 22-season bowl streak or his talent to develop players into professional athletes. He has shaped the image of Virginia Tech and become a role model for Hokies and the community of Blacksburg.

The university has grown exponentially with Beamer during his tenure as head coach. Blacksburg has become a nationally recognized town and Hokies have become a household name around the country.

To put things into perspective, when Beamer graduated in 1969, there were 10,289 students enrolled at Virginia Tech. When he became head coach in 1986, there was a student population of 22,044. The current enrollment at Tech is 31,224.

His impact has affected more than just the university, as Montgomery County has exploded in size, expanding from 63,516 in 1980 to 94,392 in 2010.

While education is one of the main reasons Virginia Tech has become so distinguished, it would be unfair to say that the football program is not a key piece of it.

Many students are attracted to schools based on their athletics, and Virginia Tech football has transformed the image of this university.

Both on and off the field, respect is something that Beamer lives on and makes a sincere effort to teach his players. He has made a genuine effort to immerse himself with the students, often seen walking around campus or taking the time to take a selfie with a student.

Philanthropically, Beamer has made a remarkable impact in giving back to Blacksburg and the surrounding communities.

Beamer’s charity, Herma’s Readers, was designed to honor his mother, Herma Beamer, who was an educator for over 30 years. Started in 2008, the charity’s main goal is to further literacy in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The extremely successful charity has raised over $125,000 and distributed over

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A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE KEVIN DICKEL, DANIEL LIN, ALEXA JOHNSON, CATIE CARRERAS, ZACK WAJSGRAS / COLLEGIATE TIMES

As Frank Beamer heads into his last home game with the Hokies, fans reminisce on some of his biggest moments at the head of the program. The wins, the losses and the intense atmospheres that fans have experienced have sparked an outpour of emotion from the Hokie faithful, past and present. Even in his ďŹ nal years as coach, Beamer led the Hokies to a historic win over the Ohio State Buckeyes, saw multiple players get drafted into the NFL and continued the epic bowl game streak. Of the ďŹ nal games left to play, Beamer and his Hokies will have tough contests against a nationally ranked UNC and a climactic, season-ending battle against rival U.Va.

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November 20, 2015 PAGE 9

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FILE 2013

(Left) Coach Beamer poses with the team after media day in 2013. (Right) Beamer leaves the field after losing to the Alabama Crimson Tide 35-10.

JUST HOW SUCCESSFUL HAS BEAMER BEEN? After building the football program from the ground up, Head Coach Frank Beamer has sustained success on the field for decades.

CHASE PARKER

PAGE 10 November 20, 2015

sports staff writer

Frank Beamer: arguably the most influential sports figure in Virginia history. He is the personification of the hometown success story. He grew up in southwest Virginia and created a legendary career in that same region.

In an area of the country where so many try to escape due to lack of opportunity, Frank Beamer stayed loyal to his roots. He went to Virginia Tech in the late 1960s where he starred at cornerback for the football team. He graduated in 1969.

Seventeen years later, Beamer returned to Tech, but this time it was to be the head football coach. He was taking over for Bill Dooley, whose nine-year tenure for the team was the most successful in school history. Beamer had big shoes to fill, but soon Hokie fans would find out that the hiring of the local boy from southwest Virginia was the best thing to ever happen to Virginia Tech sports.

In 1989, the Hokies recorded their first winning season under Frank Beamer

(6-4-1). Their successful season sent them into a new decade with momentum.

The 1990s saw Tech grow into something it never was before: a nationally recognized team. The Hokies had been an independent team since 1965, but in 1991, Virginia Tech joined the Big East Conference.

“

Frank Beamer’s legacy will be immortalized on the college football landscape, but more so in the state of Virginia.

He stayed home and made a name for himself.”

In 1993, the Hokies went to their first bowl game under Beamer. This was the start of an unprecedented streak that is still on-going — Virginia Tech’s

22-season bowl streak. It is the longest active bowl streak in all of college football, and the second longest in FBS history.

In 1999, Beamer’s Hokies reached the pinnacle of college sports. They were ranked the No. 1 team going into the national championship game (Sugar Bowl) and boasted an undefeated record.

However, Florida State defeated the Hokies 46-29 and ended their hopes of becoming national champions for the first time in school history.

Despite the Hokies’ heartbreaking loss in 1999, Beamer rallied them and kept them afloat in the sea of the top college football teams.

In 2004, the Hokies finally landed a spot in a Power Five conference: the ACC. This meant that Beamer, the small-town local from southwest Virginia, had transformed a relatively unknown program into a respected national contender.

Tech won the ACC that year and has won three titles since, now boasting four ACC championships since 2004 — the most out of any other team.

From 2005 to 2014, Beamer’s Hokies had a combined record of 96-38.

On Nov. 1, 2015, Frank Beamer announced that he will retire at the season’s end. He did so in a fitting way, on the campus of Virginia Tech, tucked away in southwest Virginia.

Frank Beamer’s legacy will be immortalized on the college football landscape but more so in the state of Virginia.

He stayed home and made a name for himself. He turned his alma mater into the most consistently successful college football program in the nation.

When the Hokies take the field at noon on Saturday to face off against ACC rival UNC, Frank Beamer will be jogging into Lane Stadium as the head football coach for the final time. Hearts will be heavy, emotions will be high, and the Hokies will be inspired.

@ChaseParkerCT

Frank Beamer’s 29-year career has been one of great success and longevity, building the Hokies football program from scratch.

1991

Beamer is hired at Virginia Tech as head coach.

Beamer has his first winning season.

Virginia Tech jo joins the Big East Conference.

1991

1993

2015

National Championship run begins.

Beamer’s consecutive bowl streak begins.

Beamer announces his retirement.

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BEAMER’S TIMELINE

1989

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1986

November 20, 2015 PAGE 11

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collegiatetimes.com PAGE 12 November 20, 2015

#GAMEDAY4FRANK MOVEMENT GOES VIRAL Hokies fans across the nation rallied together in an attempt to get ESPN’s College GameDay to Blacksburg for Frank Beamer’s last home game.

MIGUEL PINEDA sports staff writer

By now you have probably heard the news that College GameDay will not be making a trip down to Blacksburg to honor the historic career of Frank Beamer. Sad as this news is, there is no denying the awesome accomplishments Beamer has made during his tenure at Virginia Tech.

Beamer’s name has almost become synonymous with success, and anything he does makes a big splash in the college football community.

Students, faculty, alumni and anyone who knew of Beamer’s legacy desperately wanted Kirk Herbstreet and Lee Corso to attend what will be his final home game against No. 17 UNC this Saturday. After Beamer’s announcement on Nov. 1 to retire at the end of the season, the movement began in full swing with #GameDay4Frank, blowing up on Twitter and Facebook. At first the movement was small, only garnering a couple hundred people, but it soon grew into the thousands.

On average it was being tweeted about 18 times per minute, with a maximum of about

TREVOR WHITE / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Coach Beamer greets senior Bruce Taylor (51) on the field prior to a game.

25 tweets per minute.

All of Virginia Tech and Blacksburg soon supported the cause, and multiple big names from around the area spoke for the cause so that Beamer would receive a proper exit from college football. Even the head coach for Tech’s basketball program,

OVER IT? GO90.

Buzz Williams, backed Beamer.

After taking over Blacksburg, the movement began to spread to other colleges, including signs and posters advocating it at other College GameDaycovered games.

The movement also made strides on Facebook, mustering several hundred likes

for Frank Beamer’s last home game and for Beamer’s page in general. Despite the fact that College GameDay is not coming, it doesn’t dismiss the amount of excitement for Beamer’s last home game. Lane Stadium has already sold out for the event.

But aside from all the retweets, hashtags and likes, one thing can be said for certain: the world thanks Frank Beamer for all that he has done. Beamer took a mediocre football program and revamped it to be a national contender. As a coach, he will finish with an impressive record of 234-115-2 (which is No. 6 all-time), and Beamer at 29 years of coach has all but one of Virginia Tech’s 10-win seasons and all of its 11-win seasons. However, Frank Beamer represents more to Virginia Tech than just football. He is a symbol of how this school has grown and changed; for that he will always have a special place in every Hokie’s heart.

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