THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 1, 1997 TAG: 9701010460
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
DATELINE: MIAMI LENGTH: 64 lines
Moments before the second-half kickoff at the FedEx Orange Bowl at Pro Player Stadium, the disembodied voice of the P.A. announcer offered a pointed suggestion.
``Ladies and gentlemen,'' boomed the baritone. ``We invite you to make some noise!''
The announcement was a confession that something was amiss.
If you have to ask for more noise and greater fan enthusiasm . . . well, then, maybe you're at the wrong place, certainly not the Orange Bowl. You shouldn't have to ask for noise at the Orange Bowl on New Year's Eve.
But then, this was an Orange Bowl game ripped from its historical context, moved out, seeds and all, from the Orange Bowl in seedy inner-city Miami to the home of the Dolphins, way out in Dade County.
There wasn't enough noise at Pro Player Stadium because there weren't enough fans inside. Or enough interest in general in a game between eager Virginia Tech and a slumming Nebraska.
They called this the Orange Bowl, the 63rd edition. But to say the occasion resembled recent Orange Bowls would be pulp fiction.
Attendance was announced at 51,212 in a stadium that holds about 76,000. Stadium officials must have counted some people twice.
In any case, Nebraska plays before more people at its spring game. Don't think the Huskers didn't notice the difference.
``At times, this almost felt like a non-game in terms of intensity and interest,'' said Huskers coach Tom Osborne, ``I'm sorry for that.''
Nobody knows what an Orange Bowl is supposed to feel like more than Osborne. You had to be embarrassed for the bowl. For its tradition.
The 1996 Orange Bowl, won by Nebraska 41-21, will be remembered, if at all, for empty seats.
Thank goodness for those plucky Virginia Tech fans. They turned out in large number, filling their complement of seats, making their share of noise as Tech stuck with Nebraska for three quarters.
Still, the game deserved better. The game deserved a better sound track and a better backdrop.
In the first half, tailback Ken Oxendine's elusiveness and power kept Tech close. For two quarters, he was the best player on the field.
Jim Druckenmiller's fumbled pitch was converted into a touchdown by Nebraska's Jason Peter, but otherwise, Tech's quarterback could not be rattled by the Huskers' relentless pressure.
With Nebraska blitzers in his face, Druckenmiller laid out a perfect strike to Cornelius White for a 33-yard touchdown that kept things interesting.
That, in a play, was Tech's second-half highlight.
The rest was all Nebraska.
By the fourth quarter, it was hard to remember that Tech had once led 7-0. Or that, at halftime, Tech looked as good as Nebraska.
But in the second half, the Huskers made it clear that they weren't interested in just FedExing this one in.
Grinding is the best way to describe Nebraska's offense. Methodically, with little flair, the Huskers squeezed until all the juice was gone from the Hokies.
Ultimately, Virginia Tech was just another small bump in Nebraska's long, winding road. This may have been a game for awhile, but for Osborne's Big Red, it was a non-event.
Send your sympathy cards to the Orange Bowl, the one that used to be.
But don't feel sorry for Frank Beamer's team.
Over the course of the '96 season, the Hokies made plenty of noise.