Frank Beamer always says that in any sport there will be tough losses. But
the true measure of a team is its ability to rebound from adversity. The
adversity has never been more evident than last Thursday night as the Hokies hit
the road to face a tough Georgia Tech team just seven days after a gut-wrenching
last second home loss to Boston College. No team could have rebounded more
decisively. The resilient Hokies shook off the BC loss and dominated the Yellow
Jackets in all three phases of the game, sending the home crowd to the exits
early and the ESPN TV broadcast into a CSI episode on stolen jerseys and a side
lesson on the Teletubbies.

For the first time the Hokies demonstrated the identity that had evaded them
all season. The defense stuffed the run and forced turnovers, the offense
controlled the ball and closed drives with touchdowns, and the special teams hit
for big plays. It was the performance everyone had been waiting to see and it
came on the heels of one of the most devastating losses in the program’s
history.

Over the years, “Beamer Ball” has been defined by strong defense
and special teams. After so many examples over the years (including Thursday
night), I would add “resilient” to the description.

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