West Virginia cornerback Beanie Bishop figured that his last college game was as good of a time as any to attempt his first punt return.
It’s one that now won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
Approaching the end of the first half, Bishop fielded the punt off the left side and made two people miss before cutting back across the middle of the field and racing into the end zone for a 78-yard touchdown.
It was the first punt return for the Mountaineers since 2012 and the longest since 1999.
Bishop, who had returned kicks during his time at Western Kentucky, was filling in for Preston Fox who was forced to miss the contest due to an injury.
Even if Fox had been able to suit up, the Mountaineers made the decision early in the process that it would be Bishop who would get the call there with how returning punts often leaves athletes exposed to big hits.
“We made the decision the week after Baylor that Preston wasn’t going to return punts,” head coach Neal Brown said.
Fox remained involved with the process however and spent time coaching Bishop up on what to do and how to do it as he continued to rep his new role.
Bishop was prepared for the situation and the rest fell into place. North Carolina punter Tom Maginness seemingly outkicked his coverage on the play giving Bishop the opportunity to get a running start with little resistance from the Tar Heels coverage team.
The outside jammer held up his blocks and by the time Bishop encountered white jerseys, he was able to avoid the tackle attempts and follow a wall of blockers into the end zone.
“I made one or two guys miss and off to the races,” Bishop said.
The sixth-year senior cornerback made his mark on defense this past season earning consensus all-American honors for only the 13th time in school history. But in his final game, Bishop displayed that you can still certainly teach this old dog some new tricks.
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