Virginia Tech Must Make More Exciting Offense a Part of Beamer Ball in 2015

Maybe it was the bowl atmosphere, or the defensively challenged opponent, or the rare change in sideline coaching makeup, or some combination of all three. Whatever it was, Virginia Tech played Saturday's Military Bowl with a flair that we haven't seen all season, maybe in a couple of years.

And we liked it. And we need to see more of it, especially if Beamer Ball is going to evolve into a modern college football team that can continue to compete.

As Beamer spent the final game of his 28th season at the helm of the Hokies in the press box at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium—the result of the 68-year-old still recuperating from throat surgery earlier this month—the on-field coaching duties were handled by his son, Shane.

And Virginia Tech responded to this change from the outset, showing a fire in its belly that was almost non-existent throughout a season in which the Hokies are set to finish in the bottom half of offense in FBS for the third consecutive year.

Tech only managed 334 yards in the 33-17 win over Cincinnati, below its paltry season average of 367.9 yards per game coming in, but there was a sense before each play of anxious excitement about what would get called by Shane Beamer in conjunction with offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler.

Year	Yards Per Game	FBS Rank	Points Per Game	FBS Rank
2014	365.3	94th*	24.1	98th*
2013	356.0	102nd	22.5	100th
2012	376.8	83rd	25.1	83rd
2011	413.0	35th	27.9	57th
2010	402.3	41st	33.9	21st

Loeffler gave the go-ahead for a halfback pass from Isaiah Ford to quarterback Michael Brewer late in the first quarter. It resulted in a 30-yard gain, getting Virginia Tech down to the 2-yard line, and set up J.C. Coleman's one-yard touchdown run three plays later.

Rob Carr/Getty Images

Yes, it took the Hokies three plays to get two yards against a Cincinnati defense that came in ranked 103rd in the country in total defense, basically running the same belly play three times in a row after a momentum-boosting trick play.

It was the kind of play-calling pattern Tech fans have come to expect from Loeffler in his two seasons as offensive coordinator. Just when you think things are moving in the right direction, the Hokies take a few steps back.

Injuries and quarterback accuracy issues haven't helped this season, but Virginia Tech's players also haven't been consistently put in a good position to make big plays on offense. That's not just on Loeffler, but also both Beamers, Frank in particular.

Tech has never been a flashy team on offense—and with Bud Foster running a perennially stout defense and Beamer always having one of the nation's best special teams game plans, it doesn't need to be—but being a unit that random people in the bleachers can predict the plays of won't cut it in 2015.

The Hokies just completed a 22nd-straight winning season in spite of their offense, not because of it, but that's not a formula for future success.

It's how they shocked Ohio State in Columbus and knocked Duke out of the ACC Coastal Division title, yet it's also why they lost four times at home and also in double overtime at listless Wake Forest, in arguably the ugliest college football game of the season.

With a defense that's set to finish in the top 20 in yards allowed for the fourth year in a row, only minimal offensive input was needed in 2014, and that's about all it could muster.

The Military Bowl win was textbook old-school Beamer Ball, with Tech scoring a defensive touchdown and forcing three turnovers while Joey Slye made all four field-goal attempts, and the return game produced a 37-yard punt return and a 46-yard kickoff return.

Those are areas that need to remain strong, but they cannot be the only parts that work, not when Tech isn't automatically getting the top local recruits like in the past. Tech has commitments from only five of the top 20 players in Virginia, according to 247Sports, but its top in-state defensive pledge is 3-star defensive end Trevon Hill.

The state's best defensive prospects are headed to Florida State, Oklahoma, Clemson, Penn State and rival Virginia, led by No. 1 overall recruit Josh Sweat.

Instead, Tech needs to have more players like freshman Greg Stroman, a cornerback who ran the final 12 yards of a fumble return touchdown but also had a reception, two rushes and a big punt return.

The Hokies have plenty of offensive pieces to work with, even more if injured running backs are able to return healthy. Freshmen Shai McKenzie and Marshawn Williams both tore knee ligaments, while sophomore Trey Edmunds and Jerome Wright also missed time.

Sophomore Sam Rogers, the fullback, fractured his elbow in Saturday's game, but junior Coleman continued his late-season push by going for 157 yards on 25 carries.

Brewer—who only threw for 94 yards with a touchdown and an interception on 14-of-24 passing—will be a senior in 2015, and his top three receivers (Ford, Cam Phillips and tight end Bucky Hodges) are all freshmen.

That means next year, the Hokies would have a veteran quarterback working with a youthful but experienced group of skill players, all wanting to make a major improvement from this season.

It's a perfect recipe for excitement and potentially explosive offense. It's just up to the Hokies offensive staff to make that possible.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.