Hokies Confront Range of Emotions While Remaining Focused on No. 12 North Carolina

There will be plenty at stake when No. 12 North Carolina comes knocking in Blacksburg this weekend. Frank Beamer's final game at Lane Stadium. Senior Day. Extending the nation's longest active bowl streak.

But senior defensive tackle Luther Maddy isn't feeling any extra pressure.

"I can honestly say I have no doubt in my mind that we're gonna keep this bowl streak going," said Maddy. "Not saying that you gotta get complacent or just assume that it's gonna happen, but these guys know what's at stake for the guys before us, the guys coming after us. Coach's legacy. Everybody knows our part. What keeping this bowl streak active means to the Virginia Tech Hokies. We're playing our butts off these last few games. Just showing off. We're gonna do it again against UNC and gonna do it against UVA and keep this bowl streak going. No doubt in my mind that we're gonna keep this bowl streak. I honestly don't feel a lot of pressure because I know what we're capable of doing. I know we're gonna get it done."

Frank Beamer Opening Statement

Shane Beamer Opening Statement

Hokies Remain Focused Despite Distractions

There will be no lack of emotions at play on Saturday when the Hokies run through the Lane Stadium tunnel for the final time under the watchful eye of Frank Beamer. But with a North Carolina offense in town that has scored an Oregon-esque 125 points in their past two games, the Hokies' focus will need to be squarely on football if they hope to get their sixth win.

"There's definitely a lot of things surrounding this game. A lot of easy ways to get distracted off the game," admitted fullback Sam Rogers. "But we can't do that. We can't come out here distracted against North Carolina, because they've won 9 straight. They're a very good football team."

For running backs coach Shane Beamer, the emotions of his father's final game at their alma mater will surely be overwhelming at times, but he recognizes he still has a job to do.

"Before the game, it'll be emotional. After the game, it'll be emotional. But during the game, you have a job to do," said Beamer. "...There's a lot of things at stake for this game, but at the end of the day, we gotta make sure that we are executing and doing our job. That's the most important thing. Worry about what we can control."

The younger Beamer, a tad more in-tune to the social media world than his 69-year old father, understands the players need no reminder as to what will be at play on Saturday.

"Our guys understand that it's my dad's last (home) game. It's senior day. They know we need to win a game to be bowl eligible. They understand all that," said Beamer. "Whether we like it or not, they're on social media. They're reading stuff. They're hearing stuff from fans. They know it. We don't have to make it bigger than what it is."

Frank Beamer, as should be expected after 29 years, deflected talk of his final home game, instead choosing to highlight the 41 seniors involved in the football program that will be going through their final game day in Blacksburg.

"That's for another day," said Beamer of the emotions surrounding his final game at Lane Stadium. "Number one, North Carolina gets your attention right away. To have any shot at beating them, you better have a great, great preparation and have a great week of practice. And then those 41 seniors that are a part of our program, I think about those people, too. They'll be another time (for his own emotions). I'm gonna have a lot of time after this (laughs)."

Improved North Carolina Defense Under DC Gene Chizik

The North Carolina defense allowed nearly 500 yards per game in 2014, and despite an offense that consistently performed at a high level, the Tar Heels limped to a 6-7 record. But now sitting at 9-1 under first-year defensive coordinator Gene Chizik, that defense — with many of the same players — looks entirely different.

"I think a lot of it is scheme," said Shane Beamer. "Not to knock the previous staff, but there were times last year where you looked at them on defense and you could tell they were out of place. Somebody was not where he was supposed to be. Maybe not on the same page, all 11. And you don't see that this year."

Chizik, blessed with a high-powered offense fully capable of jumping out to early leads, has implemented a bend-but-don't-break style defense that is typically perfectly content with allowing rushing yards as long as they prevent the big play.

"I think taking advantage of their offense," said Frank Beamer of the improved Tar Heel defense. "I think when your offense is scoring that much, you get people in situations where they have to do things...When they get ahead, they don't mind you picking up a few yards rushing the ball. They just don't wanna give you a long play throwing the football. It makes it easier."

Given the tendency of the Tar Heels to jump on team's early and never look back, it's only logical that offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler harped on the importance of possessing the football.

"You obviously wanna keep the ball out of their hands," said Loeffler. "They're a very explosive offense. It's gonna all be dictated on the flow of the game. If you get behind, you've gotta find a way to keep it close...I think they're number one in the ACC on offense. Obviously with the ball not in their hands, they have a harder time scoring. I think possessing the ball is absolutely critical."

That mentality may lead to another heavy workload for Travon McMillian, something the head Hokie didn't shy away from.

"Keep them off the board," said Beamer of the North Carolina offense. "And keep (Travon) McMillian, let's hand the ball to him 30-some times. That's what you'd like to do."

But if the Hokies do fall behind early, they'll have no choice but to air the ball out against a Tar Heel secondary that has thrived on teams being forced into doing just that.

"They're stopping the pass well," said quarterback Michael Brewer. "They do a lot of things in the secondary, very NFL-like coverages. They've done a really good job of taking away, whatever team they're playing, kind of their playmaker (at the) wideout position with combo coverages. So we gotta be good on recognizing where to go with the football and also it's important that we've gotta be able to run the football well. We can't just sit back and basically get into a throwing match with them and let them play coverage all day. We gotta be efficient in our run game and like I said, put drives together that keeps the defense off the field."

Hokies Unveil New Uniforms For Final Two Games

The announcement of two new looks for the Hokies was a hot topic Monday morning, and the players seemed genuinely excited at the prospect of donning all-black uniforms for the first time since Tech took on Boise State in 2010.

"I think they're pretty dope," laughed defensive end Ken Ekanem.

So what's with all the hoopla surrounding black uniforms in modern college football?

"It's just something new," said Ekanem. "When I was in high school and watched (the) Boise State (game), I just thought they were awesome. I don't know what it is, honestly. It's just a look."

But these all-black outfits are far more than just another flashy recruiting tool. Adorned on one side of the helmet is the number 25, a fitting nod to Frank Beamer's playing days at Virginia Tech.

"I love the decals on the side, having Coach Beamer's number, that's gonna be really, really cool," said Rogers. "That's my favorite part of the uniform, honestly."

For his part, Beamer just hopes his Hokies come ready to play on Saturday.

"I don't care what they're playing in," joked Beamer. "If they like it, I like it. Let's just go play well."

"Long, Windy Road" Coming to a Close for Michael Brewer

Michael Brewer, a Texas native unafraid of wearing a cowboy hat around Blacksburg, likely never expected his college football career to take him to Southwestern Virginia. But as he prepares for his final home game in Lane Stadium, the senior signal-caller says he wouldn't change a thing.

"It'll be pretty emotional," said Brewer. "I've been doing this for what seems like a very long time. College football has taken me on a long, windy road. Ended up here in Blacksburg, Virginia, which I couldn't be more happy about. If I had to go back and do it all over again, I would do it just like this. Be back here in Blacksburg playing for Coach Beamer and playing with these teammates."

And Brewer will always be thankful that Hokie Nation never blinked once at the thought of embracing an unknown quarterback transfer from Texas Tech.

"This place means a lot to me because of the response that I've gotten coming here," said Brewer. "People have, in Blacksburg and the rest of Hokie Nation, accepted me and basically just taken me in as one of their own. I'm truly grateful for that, appreciative of that."

Additional Quotes

Shane Beamer

ON BEING ABLE TO RUN AGAINST NORTH CAROLINA:

"They've given up some yards running the football. I think Duke ran for a lot of yards and lost by a lot of points, too. So I think they realize what kind of offense they have on the other side as well. They're gonna make you earn it. Earn every yard on the field. They may give up some yards running the football. But I think at the end of the day they feel like they're gonna be able to outscore you. And some guys have hit some plays against them here and there. Obviously when you play Georgia Tech, it's gonna skew those rushing stats a little bit as well. But there's no question, we've gotta be able to not just run the football, but they're improved in the secondary and really playing well. We're gonna have to play well in the pass game and the run game and score points at the end of the day. Because that's what it gets down to."

ON THE NORTH CAROLINA DEFENSE:

"They don't do a lot. They're very sound in what they do. They mix it up just enough and make you beat them. They're not gonna give you anything cheap. I think they're really, really good from a fundamental standpoint. Getting off blocks. Tackling. Covering. All of the Day 1 stuff you talk about as a football coach. They're much improved there. Then I think the guys they have are just better as well. (Jeff) Schoettmer, the linebacker, number 10, he looks like a different player compared to last year. You see them getting better each and every week. They played well against South Carolina in the first game and lost that game because of some turnovers, but they were good in that game. South Carolina didn't score a lot of points. Then you watch them throughout the year, they just continue to get better each week."

ON MONITORING TRAVON MCMILLIAN'S WORKLOAD:

"You know when you play running back, it's a physical position. We watch him. And there's times, he had some long runs and took some shots in the game on Thursday night and I'll get his attention and basically mouth to him, 'Are you OK? Do you need a blow?' And he usually shakes me, gives me a no. There were a couple times on Thursday night where he asked for a blow and I took him out for a couple plays. I trust Travon and tell him when you need a blow, I'll get you a blow. And we gotta keep those guys fresh. I think he carried it (24) times on Thursday, which is a good number. He played physical. You watch him, a lot of that was between the tackles, lowering his shoulder and trying to run through people...I'm not worried about him. This time of year, everybody's beat up."

ON FOLLOWING THE SOUTH CAROLINA RECIPE OF BEATING NORTH CAROLINA:

"You can sit here and say, 'OK, ball control and keep it away from them,' but you also gotta make sure you're scoring points along those lines as well. The story of that game was North Carolina turned the ball over in the red zone and South Carolina was able to run the ball in the fourth quarter. That was really the story of that game. You watch them, there wasn't a lot happening for South Carolina offensively the first three quarters, and then all of a sudden the fourth quarter they had a lot of success running the football. So we've certainly gotta control the football. We can't be going three and out, three and out like we had on back to back sudden change situations on Thursday night. We've gotta make sure that we score when opportunities present themselves. Whether that means running the ball which we've gotta be able to do or throwing the ball, at the end of the day we've gotta be able to score points."

ON HIS FATHER EXTENDING THE BOWL STREAK AT HOME IN LANE STADIUM:

"Real special. It'd be awesome to win the game on Saturday for a lot of reasons, and that being one of them. All we're worried about right now is North Carolina and not thinking beyond that. But there's no question. Home finale, whether it's trying to get bowl eligible or not get bowl eligible, you wanna win that last game in Lane Stadium. You wanna send our seniors out the right way."

Scot Loeffler

ON THE NORTH CAROLINA DEFENSE:

"Well I think they're doing a great job of stopping the big play. They're right now in scoring, they're only allowing 18 points a game. They're doing a great job of avoiding the big play. They're playing really, really good pass defense right now. They're 11th in the country in pass defense. Essentially what they're doing is they're not allowing the playmakers on the perimeter to get in the endzone. They're playing great red zone defense. Overall, collectively, playing really good team football right now."

ON WORKING WITH GENE CHIZIK AT AUBURN:

"It was great. He's terrific. He's super organized. Unfortunately got to catch the end with him, I would have loved to spend more time with him. I think he was a great head coach and will be a head coach again. Overall, enjoyed my time with him. He's a great person. He's got a great family. He's got good balance. He's doing a great job down there. I'm really happy for him. Extremely happy for him that they're playing the way that they are. They're playing really good defense. Just like I said, I think they're playing really good team football right now. I think the defense compliments the offense. The offense compliments the defense. Just like I said, they're playing exceptional pass defense right now. They're not letting the big play occur and they're playing really good red area football."

ON THE WEAR AND TEAR ON TRAVON MCMILLIAN'S BODY:

"Well if he's carrying the ball 30 times, he's gonna get some wear and tear. He's doing a great job for us. He's really, really developed into a super back. We're excited for his future, for sure."

Ken Ekanem

ON PRESSURE OF EXTENDING THE BOWL STREAK:

"Obviously no one wants to be a part of the group that ends the streak. The pressure's there, but we can't let the pressure affect us. Like the guys before us said, you gotta take it one game at a time and not think about that right now. Just gotta think about UNC. The pressure's there, though."

ON HOW NORTH CAROLINA HAS IMPROVED:

"I think their offense, not much has changed with their offense. It's always been a high-scoring offense. But I think their defense has come together pretty well this season. I've watched the past few games against Duke and Miami, so I can see what they're capable of and stuff. They've got a lot of players that can do a lot of good things for them. Really talented team."

ON GETTING OFF TO A GOOD START:

"Hopefully we can come out as fast as we did last time we played them. We started off with a strip sack and then we ended up scoring. Hopefully we can get that same start. It's an up-tempo team. They're gonna score against us. Hit a couple big plays. But we just gotta bounce back and just execute really well and just control them."

ON DEFENDING ANOTHER MOBILE QUARTERBACK:

"We always have trouble with mobile quarterbacks. Just need to do a good job staying in our pass rushing lanes and keep contain on the quarterback. Last year he was more of a running kind of quarterback, but this year I think he's developed into a really good passer. That Duke game he had 400 yards passing in the first half."

Luther Maddy

ON EMOTIONS OF HIS FINAL HOME GAME:

"It's huge. It's kind of surreal. It feels like it was just yesterday when I was here in my freshman year in 2011. We all know it's a huge game, not only for Frank, but for us. Last time I can walk through the tunnel of Lane Stadium. I'm gonna have a whole bunch of emotions running through my body and I'm sure a lot of seniors will also. I think we're gonna play our butts off this game, not only for us, but for Coach Beamer. For this team to keep this bowl streak going. It'll be a huge game."

ON THE KEY TO DEFENDING THE UNC OFFENSE:

"You gotta keep the quarterback contained. 'Quise is a really good runner. He's developed into a really great passer like Ken was saying earlier. He's hot right now. He's having a great season thus far. We've gotta keep him contained in the pocket. Get to him when we have opportunities during pass rush."

Michael Brewer

ON IF THE PLAYERS DISCUSS WINNING FOR FRANK BEAMER:

"A little bit. Everybody knows. Everybody knows what the deal is. It's Coach's last home game. We're playing to go to a bowl game. We're playing to send him out the right way. It's not something that needs to be necessarily discussed amongst the players because everybody knows. I think you saw that Thursday. We had a lot of things that didn't go our way. We made a lot of the same kind of mistakes that we made last year at times which was frustrating to see. But at the same time getting in a 14 point hole against a good team on the road, a tough place to play, we were able to bounce back and find a way to win. That's just kinda the mindset right now. Just win at all costs for Coach Beamer. Regardless of what the situation is, just keep fighting."

Frank Beamer

ON PRESSURE OF THE BOWL STREAK:

"I think sometimes when you get worried about bowl streaks or any other streaks, you're worrying about the wrong thing. I think what you need to think about is exactly what I need to do to help us win against North Carolina and keep it at that. The bigger it gets, the smaller you think, that kind of deal."

ON IF GAMEDAY ACTUALLY DID THE HOKIES A FAVOR BY NOT CREATING ANOTHER DISTRACTION:

"I've never thought about it that way. I was kinda proud of the 100,000 that tried to get them here. We were gonna treat them good if they (would have) come. But I had a feeling, those things are made so far in advance and planning and da-da-da, how that TV works. They told me it was over 100,000 that got through to them. That's what I appreciate right there."

ON EARLY MEMORIES AT VIRGINIA TECH:

"Things have just worked out. When I was at Murray State, and I wanted to get to this level, but I always thought I was gonna have to take a job at another level right below this and be successful there and then get this job. Then Dutch Baughman came along, didn't know (him) at all until the day we met, and he interviewed me for the job and we just kinda hit if off. I got this job...Of course, when I came here we were going on some sanctions that I didn't really realize until I got the job. I would have taken the job, anyhow. But I didn't realize how tough it was gonna be for a while. I was just so excited having the job. Knew how fortunate I was. The number of times I've run out of the tunnel as a player, now running out as the coach at the very place I wanted to be, dreamed to be. Lucky. I've been a fortunate guy. I say that a lot these days but I really mean it. I've been a fortunate guy."