Very Special Teams
October 21, 2003 11:49 AM | General
October 21, 2003
Virginia Tech linebacker Darryl Tap tries to block a West Virginia punt in last year's game in Blacksburg (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks)
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Folks in Blacksburg call it “Beamer Ball.” If you’ve ever watched a Virginia Tech football game on television or listened to a Hokie broadcast, inevitably the announcer will get around to talking about Tech’s special teams play.
“There’s offense, there’s defense and there’s special teams and each of them have a third of the importance,” said Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer. “If all of them are good that gives you a better chance to put the whole thing together.”
Since Beamer took over the Virginia Tech program in 1987, he has made special teams a major priority. He takes a personal interest in it because he coaches it. While others pull their key players off of special teams in order to give them a quick rest, at Tech the star players ask to be placed on special teams, particularly the punt and punt return teams.
“What we really try to do is we try to get our best players on special teams: people who give us the best opportunity on that particular team,” he said. “Our punt block and punt return team you’ve got a lot of really good athletes on there for the things you’re asking them to do. It’s in open field. It’s blocking people in open field, it’s blocking kicks and it’s returning the thing. It takes a really good athlete to do that and here we’ve been fortunate that our kids like being on that team.”
What probably began as a way to get an edge until he could get better players into his system has turned into a significant weapon for Beamer that can change the complexion of a football game.
Beamer says it all starts with their approach in practice, “We make it important. Everyone says it is a third of the ball game and it’s a third of the preparation but some don’t generally treat it that way.
“For example, it’s hard working on special teams because you’re using people from offense and defense and you usually want to do it either before practice or after practice so you’re not taking time during practice,” he continued. “For me, that sends the message that it is not as important as offense or defense so we stop practice and do it right in the middle of practice. That’s the only thing we stop practice for. We kind of take the opposite approach in that we’ll take time to get this thing done right instead of keeping people out here after practice or before practice so that gets into being punishment.”
Since Beamer took over at Tech the numbers are staggering: 100 punts, field goals and PATs blocked in 194 games, 24 different players have scored special teams touchdowns, and Tech has scored 84 non-offensive TDs since Beamer’s arrival in 1987, including 67 in Tech’s last 118 games. This year alone Virginia Tech has scored seven touchdowns as a result of fabulous special teams and defensive play.
And remarkably, six of those seven TDs were scored by different players. That figure catches West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez’s attention.
“That’s been one of the keys for their season and that’s going to be one of the keys for us in our ball game,” said Rodriguez. “We’ve got to make them earn their touchdowns through their offense – which they can do. But at least we’ve got to do that. I’m also interested to see if we can get a touchdown on defense or special teams since we haven’t been able to do that and obviously that would be a big plus and an opportunity to keep us in the ball game.”
Unfortunately, through the years West Virginia hasn’t been immune to “Beamer Ball.” In 1988, Jock Jones recovered a punt in the end zone for a touchdown for Tech’s only TD in a 22-10 Mountaineer victory.
In 1998, Ricky Hall returned a blocked punt 17 yards for a touchdown in the Hokies’ 27-13 win in Blacksburg. Two years later in 2000 Andre’ Davis returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown on the way to a 48-20 triumph. The Hokies also blocked a punt and a PAT during that game.
Seven times in 16 games Virginia Tech has either blocked a punt, field goal or extra point against West Virginia. Five of those have been blocked punts.
This year Virginia Tech has kept up where they left off, blocking two field goals and a punt so far through six games. The blocked punt resulted in a 16-yard touchdown against Connecticut.
And when you focus mainly on protection, that’s when Virginia Tech breaks a long punt return for a touchdown. In Tech’s last game DeAngelo Hall returned two Syracuse punts for TDs in the second quarter to help the Hokies blow out a good Syracuse team, 51-7.
Hall is averaging 16.6 yards per return this season.
Rodriguez has watched the Syracuse tape and he’s spent the last 10 days working on a scheme to defend Hall.
“Obviously you have to be aware of him,” said Rodriguez. “The problem is if you emphasize just coverage they’re so good blocking kicks you could have problems there. If you emphasize just protection then they’re so good with their wall returns. They’ve done a great job with their wall return with DeAngelo Hall so you have to be aware of where he’s at and try not to kick to him.”
Teams have begun doing just that. It can be an effective tactic, but Beamer cautions that it can open up other things as well.
“When you do that you’ve always got to take into account what your protection is. Now you’re not kicking it straight ahead, you’re kicking it to an angle and if someone is rushing from that side you’ve lessened the distance somebody has to go. So there’s a little give and take in everything,” he said.
West Virginia is hoping it is all take and no give Wednesday night against Virginia Tech.
Game time is 7:30 pm and the contest will be televised nationally on ESPN. Ticket still remain and can be purchased by calling the Mountaineer Ticket Office toll-free at 1-800-WVU GAME. The ticket office will remain open Wednesday taking orders until 6:30 pm.
Fans can also purchase their tickets on-line by logging onto www.WVUGAME.com. On-line ticket orders can be picked up at the Will Call window at the stadium on game day.
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WVU’s PRT service will also be open to the general public and will run until an hour after the game. There is no charge for the PRT service during game days.
