Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 29, 1995 TAG: 9510310034
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MORGANTOWN, W.VA. LENGTH: Long
Let Tech junior cornerback Larry Green explain.
``During the week,'' said Green, ``one of our coaches told us that one of the West Virginia guys had said in the paper that our defensive front seven was soft and that our perimeter was soft.
``Well, that really ticked us off. So we went out there today and we tried to get a goose egg.''
Mission accomplished. In one of Tech's finest hours of defense, the fired-up Hokies dealt WVU its first home shutout since 1986 in a 27-0 rout at Mountaineer Field.
The defense supplied the fuel for Tech's sixth straight victory - the school's longest run since 1967 - and virtually assured the 6-2 Hokies of their third consecutive bowl bid.
Tech improved to 4-1 in the Big East Conference and will play for first place next Saturday at home against current leader Syracuse (6-0 overall, 3-0 league).
If the Tech defense plays like it did Saturday, the Syracuse offense could be in for an Orange crush. The Hokies completely throttled the WVU offense, holding the Mountaineers to season lows in rushing yards (15) and total yards (138).
Tech's furious pass rush, led by charged-up junior end Cornell Brown, sacked WVU quarterback Chad Johnston five times for 53 yards in losses and registered 16 other tackles behind the line of scrimmage for another 75 yards.
``We kind of came in here with something to prove,'' said Brown, who was credited for 2.5 sacks and four more tackles for loss.
``Our defense and West Virginia's defense was ranked Nos.1 and 2 in the conference in most categories. We wanted to show West Virginia who the best defense really was.''
In suffering the second of their first back-to-back shutouts in 31 years, the Mountaineers (3-5 overall, 2-2) could do nothing on offense. WVU didn't get within a whiff of the Tech end zone. WVU's deepest penetration into Tech territory was the Hokies' 25-yard line.
``We took charge immediately and stopped their running game,'' Brown said. ``Once we did that all they could try was the pass. We just pinned our ears back and came right at 'em then.''
Johnston, the former Craig County High School quarterback, might as well have been wearing a target on his back. With no time to work deep due to Tech's pass rush, Johnston was basically limited to throwing short square-outs and screens.
``They beat us up front and they beat us up up front,'' said Johnston, who completed 7 of 19 passes for 85 yards before gladly relinquishing the controls to backup Eric Boykin early in the fourth quarter.
``Tech just came after us, just like they did last year [a 34-6 Tech win in Blacksburg that also featured eight sacks].''
WVU coach Don Nehlen, whose club was cascaded with a chorus of boos when it went to the locker room down 17-0 at halftime, said he tried every trick he knows offensively. There were no treats, however.
``We tried running off tackle, we tried traps, we tried reverses,'' Nehlen said. "Tech just controlled the line of scrimmage the whole game.
``Virginia Tech is a good football team. They are the best team we've played by far all year. They are really solid up front.''
Tech took advantage of the first of three terrible first-quarter punts by Brian West - a 14-yard effort that nearly flew into the grandstands - for the only score it needed: a 43-yard field goal by Atle Larsen 6:03 into the game.
The Hokies, who gained 241 of their 362 total yards on the ground on a windy day that made passing difficult, drove 57 yards to make it 10-0. Tailback Dwayne Thomas, whose 86 yards rushing on 18 carries paced the Tech ground attack, took care of the honors, bouncing outside for an 8-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter.
Sixty-one seconds later it was 17-zip. Green picked off a Johnston pass that deflected off the helmet of Tech linebacker Myron Newsome and raced 37 yards for his first college touchdown.
Tech sent most of the 59,819 fans still on hand home late in the third quarter with a 12-play, 91-yard drive. The clock-eating drive was culminated by Jim Druckenmiller's 37-yard touchdown pass to tight end Bryan Jennings.
Larsen put the final punctuation mark on Tech's Morgantown Massacre with a 39-yard field goal with 7:22 left to play.
Frank Beamer, the first Tech coach to ever win three games at WVU, was smiling big when the final horn sounded.
``We're going to enjoy this one,'' Beamer said. ``Our defense played a tremendous game. I feel really good about those guys. I'd go to battle anywhere with that crowd.''
Tech defensive tackle Jim Baron, who saw his most action since spraining his left ankle in mid-September, said the Hokies' defense proved its point Saturday.
``When we're focused and do things right, we're scary, man,'' Baron said. ``And know what? We can only get better.''
Baron closed with one additional thought.
``Wonder how soft those guys over there think we are now?''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB