Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, December 16, 1994 TAG: 9412160031
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
As expected, a conference call featuring the bowl game's head coaches sounded like a mutual admiration society.
Just listen.
``I think Virginia Tech is a very good football team,'' said Fulmer, Tennessee's coach. ``They have an outstanding quarterback in [Maurice] DeShazo, who over his career has thrown for 6,000-plus yards and 47 touchdowns.
``They're extremely well-coached offensively. They've got a real fine wide receiver in [Antonio] Freeman, who also doubles as a kick-returner who is very, very dangerous. They've got a fine place-kicker [Ryan Williams] and a fine offensive line.
``Defensively, they are very active and give you a lot of looks and movement. We played a couple of teams comparable to them, Washington State and Memphis State, who were ranked high nationally in total defense. They [the Hokies] held Boston College to less than 250 yards total offense one week after BC had over 500 on Notre Dame.
``What concerns me about them? Just about everything ... their offense, their defense and their kicking game. They're just an excellent football team.''
All right, Frank, how about Tennessee?
``They won their last two games by a score of 117-0 [52-0 over Kentucky and 65-0 over Vanderbilt] and won six of their last seven,'' Beamer said.
``They're a hot team, one of the hottest around. And their quarterback, the [Peyton] Manning kid, I played against his dad [Archie] in the Liberty Bowl back in '68 and we chased him all day. This kid right here is a little bit bigger and a little bit better, I believe. He's really a special player
``And all five of their offensive lineman will probably play in the NFL. I don't think many people could match that. And defensively, they've got great recovery speed ... absolutely great team speed.''
So if either team was looking for some early bulletin-board fodder for the Dec.30 game in Gainesville, Fla., they got stuffed in the backfield Thursday.
CONTRACT TALK: Dave Braine, Tech's athletic director, said Thursday he expects to finalize terms on Beamer's five-year contract extension as soon as next week.
Beamer agreed to the extension before the season began, with the understanding the terms would be ironed out later.
Two of the provisions Beamer sought - a football building with a better locker room for the Hokies, a bigger weight room and additional meeting rooms and office space - and increased salaries for assistant coaches are in the works or done, Braine said.
An architect's drawing of the proposed new football building will be on display at Tech's Gator Bowl hotel, the Omni, Beamer said.
As far as assistants' salaries go, Braine confirmed the wages of top aides Billy Hite, Phil Elmassian and Ricky Bustle, who will rejoin Tech in January, have been bumped to the $80,000-a-year range.
``Our offensive and defensive coordinators are going to be paid enough where people aren't going to buy them,'' Braine said. ``The important thing to me is that the university has made a commitment that it wants to keep these guys.''
MAROONED: Noting that Tech had sold some 16,000 Gator Bowl tickets - approximately 7,000 more than Tennessee - Beamer called for all Hokies fans to wear maroon - not orange - to the game.
``I don't want people to get Tech confused with Tennessee,'' Beamer said. ``Orange is Tennessee's primary color, and I would hope that maroon would be our primary color ... This is a competitive business. And right now we have Tennessee beat in the number of people we're taking down there. It has an effect on future bowls and lot of things, so I want our people in maroon so people will know they're from Tech, not Tennessee.''
by CNB