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“By the end of the season, of our eight losses, we had led in six of those games at some point in the fourth quarter. That had to be some kind of record. We just couldn’t finish.” –Frank Beamer on the ’92 season

The Hokies ended 1992 with a 2-8-1 record. A failure like a two-win season has many parents. There were problems aplenty on offense, some growing pains with younger players and in a bruising full schedule in the Big East, lingering effects from sanctions and bad financial decisions made under Bill Dooley, and some bad luck, too. Compounding the pressure was the fact that the Hokies had a promising season in ’91, were beating rival UVA for recruits, and (as these things work) were in a new conference with the sanctions a few years in the rear-view.

The defense, though, carried as much blame (or more) as any other issue. The Wide Six had a hard time adjusting to changes in offense. By Beamer’s time at Tech, the defense was more of a multiple, attacking front that it had been. The defensive end position was changed to a speedier outside linebacker spot, and there weren’t so many guys dropping down in four-point stances. The Hokies also shifted their line all over the place, and played more odd three- and five-man lines than were normal in 1980s. By 1992, a basic 6-2 front was often pretty rare, and even more the traditional Wide Six.

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