Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Beardall brothers receive dream matchup in Gasparilla Bowl
12/3/2018 11:31:00 PM | Football, Word on the Herd
Marshall faces USF in the Tampa-based bowl game on Dec. 20
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Minutes after Conference USA announced Marshall's bowl destination and opponent, long snapper Matthew Beardall took to Twitter and declared a new name for the game.
"Welcome to the Beardall Bowl," the junior from Merritt Island, Florida, tweeted.
Raymond James Stadium, the site of the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl on Dec. 20, will have a large contingent of Beardall supporters when Marshall faces USF in a couple of weeks. Matthew's younger brother, Andrew, is a long snapper for the Bulls who is redshirting this season.
It is the perfect bowl game story … with a twist. Not only will Matthew return to his home state – he grew up a little more than two hours east – but several members of each coaching staff have their fingerprints on how the Beardall boys came to be collegiate long snappers.
"Everything has come full circle," Matthew said.
The journey to the Gasparilla Bowl began even before the game existed in Tampa or its previous home, nearby St. Petersburg. It was 2004 and a cousin of Matthew and Andrew, James Smith, became a walk-on football player at the University of Florida. It was the final year of Ron Zook's three-year stint at Florida, and although Smith had made his first road trip to Tennessee and dressed for games against Kentucky, Middle Tennessee and Mississippi State, he redshirted.
The next season, Urban Meyer took over at Florida, and he added assistant Doc Holliday – now in his ninth season as the head coach at Marshall – and retained from Zook's staff Charlie Strong, now the second-year head coach at USF. Smith, whose snaps were caught by holder Cade Holliday, Doc's son, developed into a four-year starter who made 53 career starts and became a team captain. He also won a pair of national championships with the Gators.
A couple of impressionable young boys were watching a family member find success.
"He has two pretty big rings and a couple SEC rings, so I thought, I'm going to try long snapping," Matthew said. "And then my freshman year in high school the varsity guy gets hurt and I thought I could do it pretty good and by my sophomore year I was pretty serious about it."
Matthew parlayed that hard work into a college football job at Marshall, where Holliday and former Florida graduate defensive assistant Sean Cronin were on the same staff. Cronin worked at Florida from 2006-08, and has had three different stints at Marshall. For the last two seasons, Cronin has worked for Strong at USF, which created a path for the younger Beardall.
Now, everyone will be together for a bowl game, which will be televised nationally by ESPN.
"I'm really excited about it," said Jay Beardall, father of Matthew and Andrew. "The boys started talking about it about four weeks ago … I didn't think it was going to happen."
The brothers grew up together on Merritt Island, which is located along the eastern coast. It is an area rich in athletes, and Matthew and Andrew are two of 19 Beardalls who have graduated from Merritt Island High School.
"It's a small town," Matthew said. "It's kind of like Huntington. A big football town and a great community to grow up in."
Matthew envisions a future in his hometown, where he can fish and raise a family.
"It's a great place to grow up," Jay said. "Water on both sides in the Banana and Indian rivers, and you get a great sunset every night."
And lots of football.
Matthew is 2 1/2 years older than Andrew, so they were rarely on the same team, but Saturday mornings belonged to Pop Warner and the afternoons and evenings were devoted to watching college football on television. During break in the action, the brothers would put on pads and head to the yard and go against each other.
"They're close," Jay said. "They're good boys and both work hard, and they're happy for each other."
Now they're both college football players trying to make it as long snappers. They talk every day, according to Matthew, and send each other messages before and after games on Saturdays. For one gameday, they'll be able to meet up at midfield and chat.
"I'm excited," Matthew said. "I haven't stopped smiling since yesterday afternoon. I get to play against my brother. Not many brothers get to play college football, much less get to play against each other in a bowl game in their home state."
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and a six-time winner of the National Sports Media Association West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award. In addition to HerdZone.com's Word on the Herd, McGill is the editor of Thundering Herd Illustrated, Marshall's official athletics publication. Follow him on Twitter (@chuckmcgill) and Instagram (wordontheherd).