Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 3, 1993 TAG: 9310030207
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Scott Blanchard STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MORGANTOWN, W. VA. LENGTH: Long
No, the Hokies finally said: ours.
Tech gave up two fourth-down conversions on the Mountaineers' go-ahead touchdown drive, and Hokies kicker Ryan Williams missed a 44-yard field-goal attempt with 1 minute, 10 seconds remaining as 25th-ranked West Virginia won a Big East Conference game 14-13 before a crowd of 56,623 at Mountaineer Field.
West Virginia is 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the Big East, tied for second in the league. Tech, which is off next week, is 3-2 and 1-2 (fifth place).
"It hurts," said Tech center Jim Pyne. "But what are you going to do?"
What Tech didn't do was: pass (four second-half attempts); sustain drives (WVU had the ball for more than 21 minutes in the second half); and run (32 second-half yards).
"They put a plug in our offense," Tech receiver Antonio Freeman said. "The things we did in the first half, we didn't do in the second half."
The Hokies' special teams also broke down, giving up a 48-yard kickoff return and a 26-yard free-kick return.
"We're a better football team. Everybody in the stands knows we're a better football team," said Maurice DeShazo, Tech's quarterback. "It just disturbs me. If we play them 10 more times, I guarantee you we'll beat them."
On Saturday, the Hokies didn't accept West Virginia's help. Tech and the Mountaineers each capitalized on one of WVU's five turnovers - the Hokies for their first touchdown and the Mountaineers for a safety after Jim Freeman ran 27 yards and fumbled away the ball on Tech's 1-yard line.
Joe Pabian and Buddy Hager's tackle of Brian Edmonds in the end zone made it 7-5 Tech with 3:53 left in the third quarter. West Virginia took the lead on its next series when Todd Sauerbrun hit a 44-yard field goal.
"They get momentum off a turnover they made," Tech receiver Antonio Freeman said disgustedly.
The Hokies crippled themselves on their final drive when, after DeShazo's 39-yard pass to Steve Sanders put the ball on the WVU 30, Tech was called for illegal procedure.
An incomplete pass and a no-gain fullback draw made it third-and-15. DeShazo's 9-yard scramble gave Williams, 2-for-3 on field-goal attempts this year, his longest try of the season. The line drive sailed wide right.
"The wind just took it," said Williams, who had the wind at his back. "It was kind of a swirl at that end. When I kicked it, I thought it was good. It started out that way."
So did the Hokies.
WVU had lost eight fumbles entering the game and added No. 9 when quarterback Jake Kelchner was stripped by Jeff Holland on a scramble, giving Tech the ball on its 24. DeShazo's completions of 13 and 10 yards helped Tech move to the WVU 33. On third-and-13, DeShazo scrambled and found Cornelius White behind WVU's David Mayfield and Tommy Orr.
The touchdown and Williams' kick put Tech up 7-0 with 9:51 left in the first quarter. Ed Hill's ensuing 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown was erased by an illegal-block penalty.
The Mountaineers keyed on Tech's pitch-sweeps and option and put plenty of pressure on DeShazo. The only other time in the half Tech got past the WVU 33 came on another DeShazo scramble-and-pass, this one a 33-yard scoring toss to Steve Sanders that was called back because of holding. Television replays showed Pyne body-slamming a WVU defender.
Meanwhile, Tech intercepted Kelchner twice - his first two of the season. One came at the Tech 1 by Antonio Banks with 1:12 left in the first quarter. Of WVU's seven first-half possessions, three ended on turnovers and four were three-plays-and-out.
"At times, we acted like we didn't know what we were doing," said Don Nehlen, the Mountaineers' coach.
That changed in the second half.
West Virginia's first drive went 58 yards and ended with Sauerbrun's 38-yard field goal with 11:20 left.
Eight minutes later came Jim Freeman's run-and-fumble, the WVU safety and Sauerbrun's 44-yard field goal to make it 8-7 WVU with 1:24 left in the period. That drive included a 21-yard option run by Kelchner that put his team at the Tech 20.
The Hokies weren't done, getting a 41-yard kickoff return from Tyronne Drakeford to the West Virginia 43. On second-and-13, DeShazo stepped outside WVU's blitz and threw to Sanders, who had slipped behind Aaron Beasley, for a 46-yard touchdown.
Tech's two-point conversion pass was intercepted by Mike Collins.
In the fourth quarter, WVU's 58-yard, 15-play drive used 6:37 on the clock and ended when Rodney Woodard scored from inside the 1 with 4:08 left to make it 14-13. Cornell Brown sacked Kelchner on the two-point conversion attempt.
WVU gained 33 yards during the decisive drive on the ground, including Kelchner's fourth-and-two bootleg during which he eluded Antonio Banks and Stacy Henley on the left corner. Robert Walker later gained 2 yards on fourth-and-one from the Tech 3.
\ see microfilm for box score
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB