Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, September 13, 1993 TAG: 9309120210
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: PITTSBURGH LENGTH: Medium
OK, so it did take the Hokies' team buses a few minutes Saturday evening to make the winding, hilly climb to Pitt Stadium.
In a big easy - er, Big East - opener in which the Hokies were 1 1/2-point favorites, Tech shredded the betting line and both Pitt lines. The last time the Hokies scored so often in a foe's stadium was 71 years earlier at Catholic University.
The final score was 63-21, but this one was over long before the stadium public address announcer figured out how to pronounce the name of Tech's quarterback.
For all of the huge numbers, the Hokies' victory could be summed up in two words: speed kills. On a record-melting night, the businesslike approach adopted by Frank Beamer's seventh Tech team included showboating only on the scoreboard.
Majors may be back on the sideline where he coached the Panthers to the 1976 national championship, but Pitt's gridiron legends are all alumni. These Panthers have that 2-9 look.
Pitt followers are enthused about Majors' comeback, and after an opening victory at Southern Mississippi, the giddiness grew. Last week, discussing the home opener and Pitt's first meeting with the Hokies, Majors said, "I know I'm going to have goose bumps when I run on the field."
Then, the Hokies provided all the chills and thrills. Led by matured quarterback Maurice DeShazo, ridiculous depth at running back and an offensive line that lives up to its adjective, Tech is 2-0 for the first time since 1981 and for only the fourth season since 1968.
Beamer was a senior defensive back for the Hokies then. His coaching return to his alma mater has been mostly a struggle, and there certainly haven't been many victories like this Pitt stop.
That said, the Hokies remain tempered about their triumphs, and for good reason. On Saturday, they visit Miami, which is in the Big East and likely also also a different league.
Tech should come home 2-1 - the same record the Hokies owned after three games last year, and the same number of victories the Hokies still had at the end of the 1992 season.
That said, the ripping of the Panthers came in precisely the situation that has troubled Tech in recent history. Look no further than the second game last season, a loss at East Carolina - the first of the Hokies' late-game crashes.
The Big East opener was on the road. It was supposed to be close, between teams picked to finish sixth (Tech) and seventh in the league race. More than a few coaches will tell you the second game of a season sets a tone - particularly in Division I-A, where most teams try to open with a gimme.
It was Tech's offense that turned this Big East debut into a joke, but of no small significance was the Hokies' goal-line stand early in the second quarter that showed the difference in these rebuilding programs.
From first-and-goal at the Tech 3, Pitt managed only a field goal to cut the Hokies' lead to 21-6. Meanwhile, the only thing that stopped the Hokies was halftime.
The last time Tech came up this big in a second game of the season was a 20-14 triumph at Clemson in 1986, Bill Dooley's last season as the Hokies' coach. After an opening home loss to Cincinnati, an 0-2 start then really would have put Tech in Death Valley.
As it turned out, that led to the Hokies' last bowl trip. That's what crucial plays in second games of the season can mean.
So, how big a challenge will the Big East be for the Hokies this season? Pitt and Temple will play for last place. Tech has better talent than Rutgers. Boston College may be one of the nation's most overhyped teams.
Miami and Syracuse are the beasts. That leaves the Hokies and West Virginia. Their Oct. 2 game an hour down I-79 from here likely is for a first-division finish, maybe a bowl bid.
Conference affiliation only helps a program if it wins. Tech, which has more to play for now, surely left some footprints with those 675 yards on some new turf.
by CNB