Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 3, 1993 TAG: 9310030172
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MORGANTOWN, W.VA. LENGTH: Medium
What Tech saw was a chance to earn its first in-season Associated Press ranking since 1954 and the nearly ultimate turnaround from last year's 2-8-1 season.
Saturday, West Virginia slammed a plank over Tech's view and sent the Hokies, three spots out of the Top 25, into emotional distress.
"This was the turning point in our season," said receiver Antonio Freeman. "This was the game in our season. I couldn't even explain it.
"We all [wanted to] rise to another level after this game. I think we looked a little too far ahead. We tasted this game. Right after the Maryland game, we tasted this game."
Tech might as well have eaten a mouthful of Omniturf on Saturday. And right after West Virginia's 14-13 victory, the Hokies flipped out.
Players came sniffling out of the locker room, eyes watery and tongues sharp.
Defenders criticized the offense. Offensive players criticized the coaches' play-calling. Players criticized everything from the slippery turf to their own failure to win one of the biggest games in recent Tech history.
This season's theme - "We're a team" - vanished in the Hokies' postgame fog.
"We play against less powerful teams [and] we can score 55 points. We play these good teams, we've got to score points," said cornerback Tyronne Drakeford, whose interception was one of Tech's five takeaways. "They've [the offensive players] got to help us out some.
"We can't just wait to play against Bowling Green and Maryland."
How irked was Drakeford? Tech's All-America candidate offered his opinion on the Hokies using tailbacks Dwayne Thomas and Tommy Edwards to return kickoffs until Thomas sprained an ankle. Drakeford entered the game second in the Big East Conference in kick returns (25.3 per attempt).
"They don't put me in the game until someone gets hurt, and then expect me to have a big gain?" said Drakeford, who did have a 41-yard return. "They're sitting me on the bench."
Freeman and fellow receiver Steve Sanders wanted more balls in the air. Tech threw four passes in the second half after Maurice DeShazo completed seven of 17 for 85 yards and a touchdown in the first 20 minutes.
"We should have kept playing the game we've been playing the last four games, and we probably would've won the game," Sanders said.
DeShazo didn't get in on the play-calling bashing.
"I have faith in [offensive coordinator Rickey] Bustle," he said. "Certain things went wrong."
Including, perhaps, the Hokies' postgame reaction? Last year, Tech's unity gradually dissolved as a non-winning streak grew to eight games. Many players attributed this season's quick start - three dominating victories and a loss to third-ranked Miami - to togetherness.
After Saturday's game, coach Frank Beamer was asked how it might affect the team to lose considering what could have been gained with a victory - probably a national ranking and definitely a leg up in the race for a Big East upper-division finish.
"You just have to depend on the character of your kids," Beamer said.
After their critical comments, some players were asked whether the Hokies were frustrated enough to lapse into last year's discordance.
Freeman talked of technical things: making corrections, working on fundamentals. Drakeford spoke of emotion.
"Guys start pointing fingers," Drakeford said. "You try not to do that, but you can't help it.
"We've got to stick together. We can't pull apart. We had been playing so well up to this point, and we had them in perfect position."
DeShazo, who in his junior year has emerged as a team leader, said he would encourage each player to "get better," but stopped short of saying he'd try to right everyone's emotions and execution.
DeShazo stuck to another Tech theme this year: Take care of your own assignments, not everyone else's.
"I can't control what they do," he said of his teammates. "You only can control what each part is told to do."
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB