Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, November 29, 1994 TAG: 9411290096
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
That will change Dec.30, when 17th-ranked Tech (8-3) plays unranked Tennessee (7-4) in the Jacksonville, Fla.-based Gator Bowl.
Cable network WTBS will air the 7:30 p.m. game live from the University of Florida's 83,000-capacity Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, 63 miles from Jacksonville, where the Gator Bowl is undergoing renovations.
Tennessee, in its sixth straight bowl and 13th in the past 14 years, knows Florida's house as ``The Swamp'' from Southeastern Conference battles. Tech probably doesn't care where it plays. It's the first time Tech has reached a bowl in consecutive years, and the Hokies will make $1.5 million - their largest paycheck ever - for playing in the most prestigious postseason game in the school's history.
The Gator, ranked eighth in payout among 19 bowls, took Tech over North Carolina and North Carolina State and picked Tennessee over No.16 Mississippi State. Neither school guaranteed the bowl more ticket sales than the 8,000 required by the bowl coalition, Gator president Carl Cannon said during a teleconference Monday.
Both teams' strong fan support helped. Tech took 10,000 to Shreveport, La., and last year's Poulan/Weed Eater Independence Bowl; Cannon said he expects Tech and Tennessee's traveling party could reach 40,000 or more.
The selection committee votes were unanimous for both teams, Cannon said.
``[We] simply felt like Tennessee was the right team to be playing in the bowl this particular year,'' Cannon said. ``Virginia Tech, it was their time, we were very comfortable with them.''
Next year, the Gator begins a six-year agreement to take a second team from the Big East Conference and ACC. This year, Cannon said, that would've been Tech and N.C. State.
As it is, Tech and Tennessee resume a series that covers six games between 1896 and 1937; Tennessee leads 4-2. The schools had signed a three-game contract to begin late this decade, but canceled it when Tech joined the Big East and the SEC expanded in 1991.
``We've talked about that for about a month now,'' Tech athletic director Dave Braine said. ``We're neighbors, and we'll have a chance to play at least this one time.''
This matchup had been rumored for a while, but that doesn't necessarily translate into preparation time.
``I really haven't followed [Virginia Tech] per se,'' said Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee's coach. ``We've been fighting for our lives here to get back on track.''
Tennessee, ranked 13th by The Associated Press in the preseason, opened the season 1-3 and fell out of the rankings but has won six of its past seven games. Its losses are to No.3 Alabama, No.6 Florida, Mississippi State and UCLA, which was ranked 14th when the teams played.
Tech's most recent on-the-field memory is its 42-23 loss to No.19 Virginia at home Nov.19. The Hokies also lost to fourth-ranked Miami and unranked Syracuse.
``We've had different things go well at different times,'' said Tech head coach Frank Beamer, adding that senior linebacker Ken Brown will return from a hamstring injury to play in the bowl.
Tennessee, the home team according to the Gator's contract with the bowl coalition, has won its past two games over Kentucky and Vanderbilt by a combined score of 117-0. The Volunteers' offensive coaching staff includes line coach Steve Marshall, who was Beamer's offensive coordinator at Tech until he left to join longtime friend Fulmer when Fulmer succeeded Johnny Majors in 1992.
Tennessee is ranked 24th in the USA Today coaches poll and is one spot out of the AP Top 25.
``I think it's a super honor for us to play a school that has the tradition Tennessee has had,'' Beamer said. ``[They're the] hottest team in the SEC, and maybe the best team in the SEC. We know the task at hand. We understand the challenge here.''
Only three schools have more than Tennessee's 18 bowl victories - Alabama (26), Southern California (23) and Oklahoma (20).
The Volunteers are 18-16 all time in postseason and have won one of their last three, losing the Citrus Bowl 31-13 to Penn State last year, beating Boston College 38-23 in the 1992 Hall of Fame Bowl and losing the Fiesta Bowl to Penn State in '91 42-17.
Tech is 2-5 in bowls and has won its past two - the 1986 Peach Bowl and last year's Independence Bowl.
During Monday's teleconference, Braine and Tennessee athletic director Doug Dickey began discussing whether Tennessee would move its home basketball game Dec.28 against Tech to Jacksonville. Dickey said Tennessee wouldn't do it unless the date could be changed, and Braine said he'd look into it.
TICKETS, ETC: Gator Bowl officials prefer that fans order tickets through their school. Tech's ticket office can be reached at 703-231-6731 or 1-800-VATECH4. Tickets through the schools cost $30 each. Through the Gator Bowl (1-800-374-2695), tickets cost $30, $35 and $40. All bowl activities will take place in Jacksonville except for a game-day tailgate party that begins at 5 p.m. at the stadium. Tech will begin taking ticket orders at 9 a.m. today.
by CNB