Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 29, 1994 TAG: 9410310031
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MIAMI LENGTH: Medium
The former Virginia Tech fullback, who trod the Orange Bowl turf for years as a Miami Dolphin, milled about the 13th-ranked Hokies' walk-through practice for today's 3:30 p.m. Big East Football Conference game at No. 6 Miami (WSET Channel 13).
If Tech didn't get enough of Paige's oratory on the charter flight from Roanoke, it got more in the knee-weakening heat on the floor of the Hurricanes' 74,476-capacity stadium. Known mostly for his blocking as a Hokie (1980-83) and Dolphin, Paige now sells medical supplies in Silver Spring, Md., but his football credibility remains.
``I believe they believe they can win,'' said Paige, whose Tech trip was arranged by former Hokie teammate and current Tech administrator Derek Carter. ``I was just talking to the linemen because they're young, about coming out focused, winning every play, winning the individual battles. Give [Tech's running backs] room to run. Give [quarterback Maurice DeShazo] time to pass.
``And forget about Warren Sapp and that mystique about Miami's defensive line and all that crap. My emphasis is on how good they [the Hokies] are. That was my purpose in talking to them.''
Do they believe? Could Tech, two-touchdown underdogs, produce the most far-reaching victory in school history? Could the Hokies, ranked higher than they've ever been by The Associated Press, put themselves in line for a New Year's Day bowl for the first time since the 1946 Sun Bowl?
If senior linebacker Ken Brown is representative, Tech's chest is stuck way out.
``From my viewpoint, I have no doubt whatsoever about this game,'' said Brown, who's played in two of Tech's 11 losses to Miami. ``We come out here and play 60 minutes, we're going to take the game.''
They won't take the ball, though. Tech coach Frank Beamer said if the Hokies win the coin toss they'll defer to the second half, just as they always do and just as they did last year here - after which Miami embarked on a 20-play, 85-yard touchdown drive that took 11 minutes, 6 seconds off the clock.
Tech's offense went scoreless and Miami won 21-2.
``I still think, for the most part, I'd rather start out playing defense and being able to take [the ball] starting the second half,'' Beamer said.
Beamer can count on a defense ranked third nationally against the pass and 11th overall. Miami's defense, however, is first and third in those categories.
That's thanks in part to Sapp, a defensive tackle who's drawn raves for his ability to dictate terms of engagement at the line of scrimmage. Sapp and Miami's other nimble, fast linemen could be an overwhelming test for a young Tech offensive line that only recently has improved.
Last year, with a veteran line, Beamer and then-offensive coordinator Rickey Bustle took flak for the Hokies' unimaginative game plan. Tech ran 45 times for 125 yards and threw just 14 passes.
It shouldn't be quite as nuts-and-bolts today, and that should please the more than 2,000 Hokies fans who made the trip.
``We were as loose as we could be at that time,'' Beamer said of the Hokies' offense that day. ``We'd just come off the Pittsburgh game [in which Tech ran for a school-record 500 yards]. Our hope was being able to control the football. I still think that's our hope down here. At that time, we didn't have the four wide-receiver set, either.''
That went in three games later, against Temple, after another conservatively-played loss at West Virginia. Maurice DeShazo and his receivers flourished, and Tech won six of its last seven games.
``I said, `Look, we've got a quarterback here that's very similar [to Florida State's Charlie Ward], and now he's throwing the ball effectively,''' Beamer said. ``We'd been waiting for that moment, and felt like we were there.
``[Now] we're a different offense.''
Miami's offense, particularly quarterback Frank Costa, evolved in the Hurricanes' 34-20 victory over Florida State Oct.8. But fullback James Stewart, the Big East's third-leading rusher and top per-game scorer, is hobbling.
The Hokies, who lead the league with 30 sacks, no doubt hope they can concentrate on Costa instead of worrying about the run.
Beamer said the Hokies, whose defensive philosophy resembles the University of Washington's, watched the Huskies' 38-20 victory over Miami that broke the 'Canes' 58-game home winning streak. The Hokies didn't learn all that much, Beamer said.
``We're just coming out to beat this team,'' said Brown, practically vibrating with anticipation. ``You have little smart wrinkles for each team, but when it comes down to it, it's all about execution.
``I've never been 7-1 before. This is, like, everything right now.''
by CNB