Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, December 31, 1994 TAG: 9501030056
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER GAINESVILLE, Fla.
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Despite a season that was punctuated by a trip to its biggest bowl game ever, the Virginia Tech football team had expected more out of 1994.
Before Tech fell to Tennessee 45-23 in Friday night's 50th Gator Bowl, the prevailing sentiment among the Hokies was they could have - and should have - been better.
No matter what happened in the Hokies' second bowl in two seasons, this Tech team was a underachiever, some players contended.
``We didn't reach our potential, no doubt about it,'' said Chris Malone, Tech junior offensive guard.
``It feels like we wasted the season almost. We were glad to be here and it's great and everything like that, but we felt we should have been better.''
Coming off a 9-3 season that was capped by a rousing Independence Bowl rout of Indiana, the Hokies had higher goals for '94.
With 14 starters back, including virtually all their best skill people on offense and eight players on defense, Tech figured to improve this year.
``I anticipated our worst record being 9-2,'' said Ken Brown, senior linebacker. ``I was pushing for 10-1 as far as a goal.''
But after starting 4-0, the Hokies stubbed their toes as a favorite at Syracuse, losing 28-20, then closed with losses in two of their final three regular-season games.
Granted, the 24-3 loss at Miami could have been predicted. It was the 42-23 home collapse to Virginia in the finale that really burned the Hokies.
``We let a few games get away we should have won,'' Malone said. ``We were better than Syracuse. And Virginia, I don't know who that team was that showed up.''
The Tech defense, superb the first four games, faltered the final seven games of the regular season, allowing 170 more yards a game than it did in the opening four-game winning streak.
The Hokies' offense sputtered in new offensive coordinator Gary Tranquill's new scheme.
After ranking 10th nationally in Division I-A in rushing (242.8 yards per game) and 14th in the country in total offense (444.1), Tech fell to 58th in rushing (156.8) and 64th in total offense (355.5) this season.
Senior quarterback Maurice DeShazo never came close to matching the preseason hype surrounding him, ranking seventh in the Big East Football Conference in passing.
``Early in the season the defense was there and the offense was trying to get there,'' Malone said.
``Later, toward the end of the year, the defense stepped down a peg or so and we [the offense] never really brought it to where we had it last year.''
What went wrong?
More than one player hinted that the '94 Hokies lacked the leadership that guided the '93 overachievers. In the take-charge department, the '94 Hokies sorely missed guys like unanimous All-America center Jim Pyne and tight end John Burke.
The Virginia wipeout was the bitter pill that soured Tech's season, Hokies coach Frank Beamer said.
``We had one of those ball games at the end that comes once in a while. Sometimes that just happens,'' Beamer said.
``I will say this, if we had won that one this team would have accomplished about as much as we could have hoped for.''
by CNB