ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, September 13, 1996 TAG: 9609130145
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITER
PHIL ELMASSIAN gets a look at Virginia Tech's defense as Boston College's coordinator.
Phil Elmassian has some of what Virginia Tech's football team apparently needs. The Hokies have what Elmassian could use.
Tech and Elmassian will be together again at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Boston College's Alumni Stadium, site of one of their watershed Big East Conference moments two years ago, almost to the day.
This time, they'll be on opposing sides.
Elmassian, 45, is now BC's defensive coordinator, and Tech still is running the attacking, eight-man front he brought to coach Frank Beamer's program three years ago.
``They're going to know everything I'm doing,'' the well-traveled assistant coach said by phone this week from his BC office. ``They run the same stuff. I don't know their offense. That's changed quite a bit.
``I think they have a little more of an advantage. They know what I'm going to do.''
Yes, but the Hokies don't know when Elmassian is going to do it, although they do know the Eagles will be blitzing a lot and trying to play man-to-man coverage in the secondary.
Two years ago, Elmassian's defense blanked BC until the final six seconds in a 12-7 victory, and the Hokies' coordinator acknowledged Tech had been working against the Eagles' offensive sets for much of preseason practice.
``It's a very significant win in our program,'' Beamer said after that victory.
``It's a lot like that this time,'' Elmassian said. ``Tech has been able to practice against what we do all spring. I'm sure they didn't practice for Akron.''
While Tech barely survived a trip to the Rubber Bowl on Saturday, BC has been dealing with the Hokies for two weeks following a last-second 24-21 victory at Hawaii to open the season.
Elmassian, who spent a year as the secondary coach at Washington after leaving Tech following the 1994 Gator Bowl, knows the Hokies' thoughts have been occupied by off-the-field controversy following an Aug.31 brawl in downtown Blacksburg.
His unwavering discipline helped turn around Tech's program. His toughness also may have been his undoing at Tech. However, some Hokies privately say their program could use some of Elmassian's style now, too.
``It's one of those things you don't wish on anyone,'' said Elmassian, who also served a stint at Tech in 1985-86. ``You know it can happen anywhere.
``When you're dealing with 80 to 100 kids who are 17 to 22 years old, no matter what the situation, you're sitting on a keg of dynamite. It can go anytime. One youngster gets stupid and it blows.
``And the shame is that 95 percent or more, everywhere, are good kids. It's like they say - 80 percent of the rules in life are for 20 percent of the people. I'm sorry it's happened.''
Elmassian's wife, Diane, is a Christiansburg native. His in-laws live in Tech's back yard. Although he's back where he grew up - in Wellesley, Mass., - Elmassian said he really doesn't feel like he's home.
``It's not a big deal yet,'' Elmassian said of his latest zip-code change. ``In fact, I'm shocked I'm here. I really haven't been back much since I left to go to Ferrum.''
After playing junior college ball for his mentor, the legendary Hank Norton, Elmassian graduated from William and Mary. He's coached at those two schools, as well as Richmond, Virginia and Tech among his 11 stops at 10 schools.
``Home is Virginia, as far as I'm concerned,'' he said. ``It's nice being back here and being able to go see the Red Sox, but I call Virginia my home.
``I knew when I went west I'd be coming back east someday. I didn't know it would be right away. Then [BC coach] Dan Henning called and had the coordinator's job.
``I wasn't going to fool with it, but I figured we'd be coming back this way at some point, so why not now? Diane and I decided together. In the past, it was my call. This was ours.
``I liked Washington. I loved the area and [head coach] Jim Lambright was a great man to work for. Professionally, staying at Washington probably would have been the thing to do. Then, it was a matter of do you move now, or move later, and it was a coordinator's job.''
Elmassian loves the challenge. He's never moved to a Nebraska or Florida State. He's always surfaced places where teams were coming off probation or trying to build or rebuild.
That's why he's at BC, where former W&M quarterback and Tech assistant Henning ``stays out of my office,'' Elmassian said. ``He doesn't want to know about the defense. He wants to coach the offense.''
In the chess match from the coaches' booths within the Tech-BC game, Elmassian is concerned about the Hokies' pieces.
``I'm being honest when I say we have only about three defensive players who could play for Tech right now,'' Elmassian said. ``We're still learning.''
Yes, and with Elmassian running the projector, you can bet the Eagles' defenders have watched so much Tech film the past two weeks, their outside linebackers could be Siskel and Ebert.
LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: File/1994. Phil Elmassian (left) brought an attacking,by CNBeight-man front to Tech three years ago.