Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, January 1, 1995                   TAG: 9501090004
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: STEPHEN FOSTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: GAINESVILLE, FLA.                                LENGTH: Medium

IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE...SOMEHOW

OK, so that's a joke and a bitter one. No one quoted Joseph Conrad's ``Heart of Darkness'' in the stands at ``The Swamp,'' the University of Florida's fabled gridiron home and site of this year's Gator Bowl.

The point is, they could have - and few would have argued with the assessment.

Tech brought nearly 18,000 fans to the game against the University of Tennessee, and if there was any question as to whether Tech or the Volunteers sold more tickets, it was answered in the fourth quarter.

The proof was in the parting. With Tech down 45-16 with 10 minutes to go and only a touchdown left to come in a sorry end to an otherwise achieving season, the south side of The Swamp revealed all too many empty seats and bleachers, as many of the Tech faithful left the stadium with hanging heads.

All day, they had been pouring into Gainesville, many battling a hideous traffic jam along construction-ridden U.S. 301, the pipeline for game-goers between Gainesville and Jacksonville, Fla., where the bowl is normally played and where many fans from both sides stayed.

Complete confidence was heard before the game in the attitude of people such as Penny Goode. "We're going to win. Without a doubt," she said.

By the third quarter, however, after Tech receiver Bryan Still dropped a certain touchdown pass that could have cut Tennessee's lead to 12 points, and Tech's momentum was bashed by a 49-yard Tennessee punt return that should have been stuffed, the confidence had turned to blustery frustration.

"Hey, we're losing!" yelled one man, dressed in Hokie colors, standing in the upper deck. His what-else-can-you-do smile did little to hide his true sentiments. And why not?

Tech's vision: an opportunity to step up to the proverbial ``next level.'' The revelation: utter demolition at the hands of the Volunteers.

It was a struggle for these fans to hang on as long as they did. Nearing the end of the first half, Hokie supporters continued to hold their heads up although the optimism of even the most hard-core was beginning to falter - with good reason; Tech entered the locker room trailing 35-10.

Still, ``The game's not over yet,'' said Christiansburg resident Sharon Jones.

``They'll be back in the second half ...'' her friend Vickie Alls chimed in, pausing before finishing her sentence, ``... I hope.''

Even when it was 42-16, Jones continued to hang onto her hopes. ``Never give up on them,'' she said. But her flagging faith was better measured in a mumble:

``The fat lady ain't singing yet. She might be cranking up, but...''

On a day that opened damp and gray as clouds and mist covered much of northern Florida, Alls decided to accentuate what little positive there was by focusing on the weather. ``At least there is one good thing. We didn't get rained on,'' she said.

Nope. That was reserved for the long, tedious, season's-end ride back to Jacksonville.