As the game went along on Sunday afternoon inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, you got the feeling that whoever made a game-changing play was going to win the rock fight between Virginia Tech and South Carolina.
Unfortunately for the Hokies, it was the 13th-ranked Gamecocks that made that play.
Leading 10-8 early in the fourth quarter, Virginia Tech punted to South Carolina, and the ball went out of bounds at the Gamecocks' 26-yard line. However, there was a flag on the Hokies', and instead of tacking on the five yards to bring the ball out to the 31-yard line, Shane Beamer made Brent Pry's team re-kick. What a decision it was.
Shane Beamer makes game-changing decision against Virginia Tech
Shane's father, Frank, was a legendary coach for Virginia Tech, and he hung his hat on special teams and which is famously known as "Beamer Ball.'' On Sunday, "Beamer Ball" ended up being the game-winning touchdown after Shane made the Hokies re-kick the punt for an illegal formation penalty. It was a no-brainer for the Gamecocks' coach.
"I just told our team in the locker room, there are a lot of coaches that will just say, 'Hey, we will take the extra five yards. Not us,'' said Beamer. "An old special teams coach told me, like 20 years ago, not my dad. That would be way too fitting if it were him. Another special teams coach told me nothing good for the kicking team ever happens after a re-kick. ... We really felt like we had an advantage when they punt the football with our people out there.''
How fitting that "Beamer Ball" ended up being the difference, and it was South Carolina pulling it on Virginia Tech when Vicari Swain returned the re-kick 80 yards to the house. That's one difference between Shane Beamer and Brent Pry: one coach is aggressive, and the other is not so much. Who usually comes out on top in those situations? We found out on Sunday.