Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, October 13, 1994 TAG: 9410130061
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Long
DeShazo had spent much of his unexpectedly turbulent senior year telling himself to cheer up and loosen up and had uncomfortably received the same advice from concerned teammates. He figured he'd finally succeeded in Syracuse. So he went to rescue Edmonds' emotions.
``At the end of the game, I said, `Yo, kid, get your head up. Don't worry 'bout that,''' DeShazo said. ``He's like, `Reece, you don't understand.'
``Huh? Who don't understand? I understand, kid. I understand exactly what you feel.''
DeShazo can pull sob-story credentials from this year or his scattershot sophomore season. He also knows how he felt during 1993, when he was the nation's fifth-rated passer and Tech was 9-3, and the feeling had very little to do with numbers.
Against Syracuse, he was seen gesturing wildly as the officials measured for a first down, and he said he and Orangemen linebacker Dan Conley were exchanging lighthearted trash talk the whole game.
That's me, says DeShazo. And against Syracuse and Temple, he was 31-of-55 passing (56.4 percent) for 405 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. His 20 completions against Syracuse didn't go unnoticed, but few realized they were a career-high.
``You don't get down on your senior year,'' he said. ``You go out there and have a great time, and that's what I'm going to do. I got to that point at Syracuse. I had a ball at Syracuse, even though we lost.''
Tech is 5-1 and ranked 19th despite DeShazo's shrunken productivity. His game is missing two sources of nourishment from last year: a rarely beaten offensive line and, not coincidentally, an enviable running game.
Without All-America center Jim Pyne, standout blocking tight end John Burke and tackle Chris Barry, Tech hasn't sealed the corners for DeShazo's roll-outs as effectively as it did last year, and DeShazo has been pressured more in the pocket. In '93, Tech was second in the Big East (10th nationally) in rushing yards per game with 242.8, and the Hokies averaged 4.6 yards per carry. This season, Tech is averaging almost 60 fewer yards on the ground and gets about a half-yard less per rush.
Tech fans and observers waiting for the reprise of last year's 36-points-per-game Hokies probably should seek satisfaction the way DeShazo claims to find it. Asked what stage of his quarterbacking career he's in, he smiles and says: ``The 5-1 stage.''
``We don't have everybody that we had,'' he said. ``You can't do things you did when you don't have people you had, because people don't have the experience.''
Although DeShazo completed 56 percent of his passes last year, he's always had a wild streak. Last year, he overshadowed any misses with 13 scoring passes of 40 or more yards, eight of 50 or more. This season, one of his seven scoring passes has been for more than 40 yards, two for 35 or more and two more for 29 yards.
DeShazo will admit most of his seven interceptions shouldn't have been thrown. But, he's been intercepted only once in his past 61 passes.
``Early, he was pushing it too much,'' said Gary Tranquill, Tech's offensive coordinator. ``Maybe [with] all the hype and all that stuff, he had a tendency maybe to be going overboard. That's probably a natural thing. The last two weeks, he's settled in to more of what I'd like him to be like.
``Other than his inaccuracy at times, he didn't make any bad decisions of where to throw the ball in the last two weeks.''
DeShazo would love having more time to throw, but can't count on that this week. Two offensive linemen (Damien McMahon and Jared Hamlin) likely will miss the game against East Carolina, thinning the Hokies and forcing them to put center Billy Conaty back at guard and start a freshman (Todd Washington) at center.
``I need my guys back,'' De-Shazo said. ``I need Damien and them back. Need 'em back. Need 'em back.''
Whether he gets them back or not, DeShazo swears he's chucked some of the mental pressure that had him morose after his three-interception performance in Tech's 34-6 victory over West Virginia on Sept.22. He and Tranquill also agree there's nothing in the new offensive coordinator's system that is tripping up its practitioner.
DeShazo, somewhat subdued because of his bout with a virus that has swept Tech's team, brightens when asked about Tranquill.
``If he's got the people to do what he wants to do, you can't stop him,'' DeShazo said. ``When the offense first came in, I was like, `Damn, this is so good.' [There were] things we didn't do last year. But we've got young guys now, so we had to throw out some; some we kept. And we go from week to week on the game plan. Coach Tranquill is like, `I can see you're having fun.' I'm out in practice having a great time. It's my last five games of my career, so we're going to have our fun.''
by CNB