Boise State-Virginia Tech: Why Frank Beamer Cost the Hokies

Frank Beamer may very well be one of the best coaches in college football, but Monday night's game against Boise State was not one of his finer moments.

With just under two minutes left Virginia Tech had a four point lead and the ball facing a third down. Boise had just used their last timeout and had experienced trouble stopping QB Tyrod Taylor from running the ball for the majority of the second half.

So what do you do?

Well, Coach Beamer and his staff called a pass, which ultimately ended up incomplete. It left Boise with 1:40 instead of just over one minute. Boise would take it down the field with the aid of a 15-yard late hit penalty and a Kellen Moore TD pass.

So why did Beamer lose the game for VaTech?

It's simple, the Boise offense would have had a different approach with one minute left rather than 1:40. That's all there is to say about it.

Beamer's call to pass the ball on third down when the opposing team has no timeouts left just says that he has no faith in his defense, and based on the final result, maybe I would agree with that.

But the bottom line is that you have to run the ball, specifically to the outside on a sweep or run that will take the most time, then punt, leaving the Broncos with a minute or less to move down the field.

Beamer may end up earning a college hall nomination and even a statue in Blacksburg, but tonight he earns the worst call of the week award. Simply put, Beamer needs to go back to what got the Hokies to where they are, smart and timely possessions, good special teams, and solid defense, all of which were lacking for the most part in D.C. on Labor Day night.