Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente hasn't abandoned the tradition established by former coach Frank Beamer of having one of the top special teams units in the country.
That decision paid dividends again Monday night when the No. 20 Hokies blocked a punt for a touchdown late in the second quarter of a 24-3 win over No. 19 Florida State.
.“We did want to go after one early that was kind of what we were thinking if the down and distance presented itself,” Fuente said, after the game.
The team spent weeks leading up to the season-opener working through all the various punt formations they thought Florida State might use under new coach Willie Taggart. Fuente couldn't help but laugh pointing out what happened when the Seminoles came out to punt for the first time late in the first quarter.
“They came out in a completely different punt formation than we practiced,” Fuente said.
Florida State put three blockers in front of the punter with an unexpected two-man shield on one side and a lone blocker on the other. Virginia Tech coaches made some adjustments on the sidelines before the unit’s next opportunity arrived in the second quarter with FSU backed up at its goal line.
“I just did what I was coached to do,” Virginia Tech tight end Chris Cunningham said. “Shot the gap. It opened up free for me. I wasn’t touched and blocked it. I didn’t know where it (the ball) went. I figured it went in the air cause I didn’t see the punter turn around.”
The ball ended up in the hands of Eric Kumah, who only needed to go three steps into the end zone to give Virginia Tech a 17-3 lead.
“I told the guys all week we going to block a punt, I’m going to block one,” Cunningham said. “It was on my mind all week. I knew it would a game changer if we could do something on special teams.”
As players celebrated on the field, the ESPN broadcast cut to an image of Beamer in a luxury box smiling. Beamer was at the game as an honorary captain along with former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden. The normally reserved Fuente admits he briefly got caught up in the moment.
"For like eight seconds maybe,” Fuente said, with a laugh. “I mean yeah you enjoy it. You are in the middle of competition though. I don't know if enjoyment is the right word. Exhilaration. Excitement. Happiness.”
And when that “enthusiasm” bubbles to the surface for Fuente, he’s celebrating much more than the play at hand.
“I think this gets lost in coaching sometimes, or lost in the message I should say – we enjoy watching our guys play so much,” Fuente said. “We are all players at heart. When they go out there – we see them work – and they go out there and have success, cheering them on is like being a fan a little bit. That's a really rewarding and fun feeling."
It was the 11th blocked kick for Virginia Tech under Fuente, but the first punt block returned for a touchdown during his tenure. The Hokies now have 149 non-offensive touchdowns since 1987, a number that resonates with players.
“That group in general is taking great pride in making great plays,” Fuente said.
Cunningham, who has played on special teams for three seasons, is at the center of that effort.
“I just really like being on punt block,” Cunningham said. “It’s a really fun unit. You have a lot of things that you can do on that unit and as you can see you can turn the game around.”
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