Beamer wins Independence Bowl in finale

Virginia Tech (7-6) played in 23 consecutive bowl games under Beamer but had to defeat Virginia 23-20 in the 2015 regular-season finale to extend the streak and qualify for the postseason.

Offensively, the Virginia Tech Hokies average 216 yards in passing and 151.3 yards in rushing. Hokies quarterback Michael Brewer played high school football (Lake Travis, Texas) with Tulsa wide receiver Conner Floyd.

Beamer didn’t expect the game to be the shootout it became. Virginia Tech had 598 and Tulsa had 563.

“It gets down to people”, Beamer said. “We were glad to be here, but they certainly made it feel like they were glad we were here”.

Virginia Tech senior linebacker Deon Clarke, the Hokies’ second-leading tackler, is among three players coach Frank Beamer suspended ahead of his final game as the team’s coach for the Independence Bowl on Saturday against Tulsa.

Virginia Tech finished 7-6. Tulsa was playing in its third I-Bowl and has yet to get a win. The last time I came to Shreveport, I leave here a happy guy.

“I may come back to Shreveport just for the hell of it”.

This trip was filled with plenty of offense just like in 1993, but had much more drama.

Tulsa took a brief 7-0 lead on a 48-yard run by D’Angelo Brewer, who added the final score in the first half on a 10-yard run with 20 seconds remaining. 107 points, 1161 yards of offense, 57 first downs, and a lot of happy Hokie fans.

Evans completed 27 of 44 passes for 374 yards and three touchdowns for Tulsa. The 6-foot, 200-pound Brewer’s lone touchdown pass went to Isaiah Ford.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane rank at 25 for scoring 35.9 points where as Virginia Tech Hokies rank at 47 for allowing 24.2 scores. The bookmakers in Las Vegas pegged the over/under around 62 points total for the game.

The teams combined for 733 yards in the first half with the total almost evenly divided. The previous record for most points in a half was 45 by LSU and Michigan State in 1995. – Tulsa WR Joshua Atkinson caught 11 passes for 139 yards and a score, Keyarris Garrett caught eight passes for 137 yards and a touchdown. The 223-pound defensive end broke through the line and enveloped Evans before slamming him to the turf.

“We’ve been underdogs all year – that’s been our mantra”, Montgomery said. We felt like if we could get some time – Isaiah and Bucky [Hodges], in particular – then we could get them open down the field. “All I know is we won the football game”. But, I’m so grateful for the opportunity coach Beamer gave me.

Foster will stay on the staff with new coach Justin Fuente. “Again, I realize how fortunate I’ve been to have lasted this long at Virginia Tech”. I looked up, and all I saw was my teammates running to me on the field.

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