Frank Beamer sad to see Maryland go, doesn’t think Terps’ departure will affect ACC much
Conference realignment got back in the news Monday when Maryland reportedly voted to move to the Big Ten, taking away one of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s founding members.
Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer, who got his college coaching start at Maryland, doesn’t think it will have a big effect on the league, though.
“Sorry to see them go,” Beamer said. “I don’t know how much it will affect our conference. I don’t think it will have a great impact on our conference. … I’m sure financials were involved.
“I think this conference is strong, very strong. I think the additions that we made have helped us. I think Notre Dame certainly has helped us. So I feel great about the ACC.”
Beamer began his college coaching career at Maryland, spending one year there as a graduate assistant in 1972 on Jerry Claiborne‘s staff.
Being in the Atlantic Division, the Terrapins and Hokies only met sporadically. They’ve played four times since Tech joined the league in 2004, with the Hokies winning all four matchups.
The teams were supposed to meet at Baltimore’s M&T Stadium in 2014, although with Maryland expected to be in the Big Ten by then, that matchup would seem to be off the table, since the Hokies already have four non-conference games schedule for that season.
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Here are a few other notes and quotes from Beamer’s Monday teleconference …
- Kicker Cody Journell was named ACC Specialist of the Week after tying a career-high with 12 points at Boston College. The junior made three field goals, including the longest of his career at 42 yards. He also sent the game to overtime by sneaking in a 41-yarder that glanced off the left upright with a little over a minute to play. Journell is 17-for-20 on field goals this year and is now 4-for-4 on game-tying, lead-changing or game-winning field goals in the last three minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime in his career.
- Beamer ran through his usual list of praise for this week’s opponent, Virginia. “This is a very capable football team,” he said. UVa plays two quarterbacks — Michael Rocco and Alabama transfer Phillip Sims. “They both throw the ball well,” Beamer said. “Rocco’s had a little bit more experience. Sims probably runs a little bit better. I think they’re similar. They’re both very good quarterbacks. I think they’ve got two guys who can play and they’re using them.”
- Asked if receiver Marcus Davis, after his five-catch, 104-yard performance in the second half of the Boston College game, would return to the starting lineup this week, Beamer was non-committal. “We’ll see,” he said. “I sure was proud of the way he answered there in the second half. He made some really good catches for us. Again, the evaluation of the game goes into it, how they practice goes into it. So we’ll see.” Beamer said that all of his receivers “played very well for the most part” against the Eagles.
- There’s not much new to report on safety Michael Cole. Beamer didn’t say whether or not the safety would be available this week after suffering a scary neck injury against Florida State a week and a half ago. “I leave that up to the doctors and his family,” he said. “We haven’t met today to get an update on that. We meet later on today.”
- It was a day of non-answers. Beamer said Virginia Tech was putting in its game plan today, so he wouldn’t say if Alonzo Tweedy or Ronny Vandyke would start at whip linebacker. He also didn’t say if cornerback Donaldven Manning would be available. The true freshman didn’t travel to BC last week after considering leaving the program.
- Tech might have not run through the Eagles’ porous rushing defense, but Beamer thought his running backs did some things well, particularly senior Martin Scales, who had a tough short-yardage run that moved the chains in overtime. “I can’t say enough about him,” Beamer said. “You talk about some tough running and a great pickup of the first down when we needed it there at the end. And J.C. [Coleman], he was jumping up in the hole about three or four times, we were one step away from being the long run. And I thought Tony Gregory really showed some speed too. So yeah, I thought we took a step forward with our running backs and our running game in this particular ballgame.”
- Beamer thinks Michael Holmes will be available. The redshirt freshman has been battling a thigh bruise the last couple weeks and didn’t play against Florida State or Boston College. “We’ll see if we want to rotate him in there this week,” Beamer said.
- The Hokies will continue to chart kickoffs. There wasn’t much different with Michael Branthover resuming those duties last week, although Beamer thought the last kick was what he was looking for. “It had height and the position is good,” he said. “When we really needed one, he came through. So hopefully that’s a sign of what he’s going to do this week.”
November 19, 2012 - 1:21 PM
So Beamer thinks the ACC is very strong. That Maryland’s departure won’t have a great impact. Hmm…
Back in the real world, the ACC football picture is so strong that they may miss on four of their bowl tie-ins. Strong, indeed.
CR,
The ACC record against the BE and SEC can’t be very good either.
Getting Maryland into the B10 may get the B10 into the Washington DC viewing area, but nobody there much follows the Terps.
This one puzzles me. I really don’t see what the B10 has to offer Maryalnd and I sure don’t see want the Terps bring to the plate of the B10.
Guessing the obvious replacement is UConn although I don’t think as much of the Huskies as I once did. West Virginia would probably jump at the chance but who wants to play at Morganhole?
Look for ECU to lobby hard.
The value comes in its TV market. If the Big Ten Network can get on the cable roster in that market at a certain rate per household, it increases the value of the network significantly. That doesn’t mean people have to be fans of Maryland football. Just that their cable service charges them for having the Big Ten Network on its listing.
Beamer never has anything negative to say about anyone – school or individual opponenet wise. When he says nothing that is when he is mad at them. Sometimes I really wish he would unload on someone!
The B1G has huge amounts to offer UMd. First, about an extra $10-15 million in revenue once UMd’s free of their ACC obligations. What Maryland offers the B1G is the DC market, as Andy mentioned. It’s not about whether they fill a stadium or have die hard fans or not. It’s about their fan base, and milking them of the cable money. Add $1 a month to the cable bill in DC in exchange for the Big Ten network. Nobody will complain. It will be part of the basic package, like CSN or whatever. That maneuver means each B1G team gets an additional few million a year, including Maryland. It makes great business sense for the conference. As poorly run as Maryland is, it makes great sense for them, although it is not the solution to their horrible management.
It also hit the ACC really hard. Suddenly, we’re going to have a conference like the Big 12, scattered by states. Shame on us for letting it happen. We’re so busy throwing petals in front of Notre Dame that we lose a charter member.
I’ll bet Franks sad to see them go… The Terps are considerably worse than the Hokies, I’d want to keep them around too.
So what else is new? Terripans headed to Big Ten? Always about money! Well that is fine so If I’m the football coach then be ready to be fired in no more than two or maybe 3 yrs. But the way contracts are structured ,take the money and go spend time with your family. U of MD is hardly competitive in ACC .
Maryland? Why didn’t the Big Ten pick VT? After the SEC spurned VT last year now the Big Ten has done it. Can you believe they wanted Maryland over VT? VT isn’t wanted by NOBODY! (Including the ACC)
What Maryland going to the Big 10 says is, if Maryland can afford the $50 mill buyout so can Clemson and FSU. Will that hurt the ACC? Not the way Frank “head in the sand” Beamer sees things.
tech did not want to go to the SEC, they know better! Got it made in the weak ACC.
Really Robert….. That sounds like the same garbage my UVA friends puke up when the hairballs are settling out in their soft kitty cat bellies. What really matters, happens this weekend, when we all finally find out who stinks less this year. Given the fact that the puking has already started…. Tech by 3.
Maryland…. don’t let the door hit you on the way out!!!! By the by, please tell the Fridge that we need him to straighten stuff out here in Blacksburg. Stinespring, Sherman & Newsome would be a great fit in Maryland. Pleas take them with you, they are AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This last comment has the correct train of thought. Two schools voted against that 50 million. One is now gone! FSU is the other. If FSU takes one or more other ACC teams to the B12. The SEC will then look at Virginia, North Carolina, Duke, Virginia Tech and N.C. State. No one but Slive probably knows which 2. I’ve been on N.C. State and V.T. blogs for a year. I have never heard a N.C. state administrator quoted or stating how great and solid the ACC is. It is the constant theme of your dumb administrators. You may wind up in B1G.
“VT isn’t wanted by Nobody!” – Robert. That’s a double negative. You must have been wanted by “no colleges”!
nice insight on the Mary-land move by Crooked Road….
Gosh golly darn, Robert….!!!!
What’d you drink for breakfast??
Simply, …amazing.
Hey Aristotle, Robert was offer a scholarship at HOOville and he accepted!
Show me the money! Does that sound familiar? Maryland and Rutgers are not big players in the college world and never have been big players, and never will be.
Good bye Maryland and good luck, you are going to need it. LOL
Seems to me that our hopes of staying in a viable league rest upon one of two scenarios.
The first being that we are seeing an overreaction to the loss of Maryland and that the ACC will survive as long as members such as FSU and Clemson stay on board. I know the Big12 has shown interest but as a Hokie fan I would not be interested in the Big12 and cannot imagine that FSU or Clemson is thrilled at calling the Big12 home. To keep FSU and Clemson in the ACC Swofford needs a football school and not another basketball school. I believe he has missed the boat on both WVU and Rutgers. Neither are overly attractive picks but both are so much better than either UConn or Louisville.
The second being that Delaney will make a play for UVA which would then simplify Slive making a play for VT.