Va. Tech rallies for 23-21 win
ATLANTA — Frank Beamer picked up his first retirement gift.
Pretty sweet one, too.
Virginia Tech rallied from an early 14-point deficit to give its retiring coach a 23-21 victory over Georgia Tech on Thursday night, moving the Hokies a step closer to becoming eligible for their 23rd straight bowl appearance.
“I can’t tell you how much this win means,” said Beamer, the winningest active coach in the NCAA’s top division.
The 68-year-old coach announced his retirement last week with the once-mighty Hokies (5-5, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) mired in another mediocre season.
But, if Virginia Tech wins one of its last two games, Beamer can at least go out with the nation’s longest active bowl streak still intact.
“All our effort was toward Georgia Tech,” Beamer said. “I told our coaches and players after we made the announcement that we were going to turn our attention toward Georgia Tech. That’s the only thing we can control. You put your effort toward things that you can control. I thought we did.”
After the Yellow Jackets fumbled it away on two straight possessions in the fourth quarter, Virginia Tech grabbed its first lead on Travon McMillian’s second touchdown, a 4-yard run with 6:58 remaining.
