Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 22, 1994 TAG: 9409230096
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ALLISON BLAKE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
\ Wednesday lunchtime, a local woman huffed up the street toward Cassell Coliseum. Sorry, she said, when asked for an interview. No time for that.
"I've got to get tickets," she said, and hurried off.
And so it's gone, as the Virginia Tech football team goes into the big game against rival West Virginia University tonight with a 3-0 start on the season.
It's not just that ESPN has been in town since Tuesday rigging super-dooper lights at the stadium to beam the game to all the nation. It's not just that WVU is a rival team second only to UVa.
It's that ... the Hokies are good this year. Really good. So good that they might - make that might - crack the Top 10 in a couple of sports writers' polls if they win this game.
"Oh yes, this is a big change," said graduate student Danny Sterling, who only last spring completed his undergraduate career at Tech.
Sterling harkened back to the 2-8-1 season of two years ago.
"It's really like a shock. We're finally starting to get a little respect in sports, and it provides a little school spirit. This being an engineering school, an academic school, that's something we could use," he said.
Out at the football field, Tech facilities supervisor Shawn Teske helped the ESPN crew set up.
"If you stop and think about it, Tech's on a roll right now," he said. "More wins means more money. I don't normally get excited about football, but I'm glad to see them playing good."
In addition to the special preparations by the TV crews, the university itself is going to great lengths to try to avoid traffic nightmares for those going to the game.
The university's administrative offices close at 4 p.m. to help accommodate the influx of cars for the 8 p.m. game, although classes go on as usual. Parking is banned all day today at the Coliseum and Stadium lots, along Stadium Drive and along Spring Road, according to the university parking office.
Students may move their cars to the "I" lot, also known as the "Cage;" "C" Lot behind Litton-Reaves/Wallace Hall; or at the gravel overflow lot by the Duck Pond.
Also, employees must clear their cars from the Southgate maintenance/personnel/purchasing lots by 4 p.m., according to a university news release.
At 5 p.m., Southgate Drive will be closed to traffic exiting onto U.S. 460 in order to accommodate a traffic flow plan for the game. Police officers will be directing cars, the university said. Drivers in search of game parking will be directed to the Virginia Tech Airport exits from U.S. 460 to Main Street to Ramble Road, then channeled down Kraft Drive. No through traffic will be allowed on Tech Center Drive from 5 p.m. until the end of the game.
And left-hand turns onto Southgate Drive will be banned for fans headed into U.S. 460. Anyone needing extra information should turn to 1610 AM for traffic updates.
Don Perry, the assistant athletic director who handles facilities and game operations said he first met with the Virginia Department of Transportation three months ago to start planning logistics. A Thursday night game is unusual, especially dropped amid the team's best start since 1981.
It should be close to a sell-out - more than 50,000 tickets.
And the rally Wednesday night at Alumni Hall was expected to draw quite a crowd.
That's just this week. Next week, when the Hokies play Syracuse, the game will be broadcast through the east on ABC.
Is this big, or what?
"It's huge for us," sports spokeman Ed Moore said.
by CNB