Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 18, 1995 TAG: 9511200091
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
``I think there's a very good chance it will be decided on the line of scrimmage,'' said Virginia's George Welsh, who has coached in more Tech-UVa football games, 13, than any other man.
If its nationally ranked defense can contain UVa tailback Tiki Barber and pressure Cavaliers quarterback Mike Groh, 20th-ranked Tech could be primed for an upset.
Virginia would settle for a repeat of last year's game, when the Cavaliers ran the ball on 60 of 76 plays, rushing for 249 yards in a 42-23 victory in Blacksburg.
The visiting team has won the past three games in this series and seven of the past 11. The underdog has won three times in the 1990s - a good sign for the Hokies because 13th-ranked Virginia is a four-point favorite.
A Tech victory would give the Hokies (8-2) a nine-game winning streak for the first time in school history. Tech has clinched at least a share of the Big East Conference championship, with Miami and Syracuse each needing two wins to tie the Hokies.
Virginia (8-3) can do no worse than tie for the ACC championship with Florida State, which entertains Maryland today in Tallahassee.
``To me, this is where football in the state of Virginia should be,'' said Frank Beamer, in his ninth year as the Hokies' head coach. ``I thought that last year, but we didn't hold up our end of the bargain. Virginia certainly did, but we didn't.''
Today's game will mark the third straight year in which the teams have played when both were ranked. Last year, Tech was 14th and the Cavaliers 16th. In 1993, the Hokies were ranked 25th when they defeated No.23 UVa 20-17 in Charlottesville.
``I think this is the best Virginia team we've faced,'' said Beamer, who has not previously faced a Cavaliers team ranked higher than 16th. ``They're probably deserving of their ranking, if not higher.
``I'm not sure what we're playing for. [Certainly], we're playing for pride. When you start messing with these guys' pride, that's when it gets serious.''
There has been speculation that the teams could be playing for a bid to the Gator Bowl, which has the second choice of ACC and Big East teams, but there are a lot of variables involved. Tech could go to the Gator Bowl, win or lose.
Representatives from the Sugar, Orange, Peach, Gator and Carquest bowls have requested credentials.
``Our incentive?'' asked Barber, whose father played running back for Tech in the early 1970s. ``It's Virginia Tech. That's the incentive. It's all the incentive we need.''
Barber has rushed for 1,339 yards, a school record, and needs only 69 yards to move into second place on the single-season ACC rushing list. Barber has rushed for more than 100 yards in eight games, the high in the ACC.
``I think we can stop Tiki Barber, if that's the only thing we have to do,'' said Beamer, whose defense is allowing 74.8 yards per game on the ground, second behind Michigan in Division I-A. ``But, they're so balanced, it causes you problems. Tiki's got all those other threats around him.''
Through 11 games, the Cavaliers have the same number of first downs rushing, 104, as they do passing. Groh needs only 26 yards to break the UVa record for passing yardage in a season, but he could be without leading receiver Patrick Jeffers for the third game in a row.
Jeffers, who ranks among UVa's top five all-time receivers in several categories, is expected to be in uniform but has a pulled hamstring that kept him out of practice this week.
The battle between Tech's defense and Virginia's offense has attracted most of the attention, but the Hokies have averaged more than 40 points over the past five games, including lopsided victories over West Virginia (27-0) and Syracuse (31-7) in which they ran out the clock.
A bruised tailbone might hinder Tech tailback Dwayne Thomas, who has rushed for more than 2,500 yards in his career, but understudy Ken Oxendine is averaging 5.8 yards per carry. Jim Druckenmiller needs 127 yards to join Don Strock, Will Furrer and Maurice DeShazo as the only Tech quarterbacks to throw for 2,000 yards in a season.
``They're a team that likes to run the ball first, which presents us with a different challenge from what we've seen the last two weeks against Florida State and Maryland,'' Welsh said. ``It's the best running team we've faced since Texas.''
The history of the Tech-UVa series over the past 25 years is that the Hokies win the blowouts and the Cavaliers win the close ones - twice after failed Tech two-point plays. However, UVa already has lost on the final play of two games this season.
``I hope it doesn't go down to the last couple of seconds,'' Welsh said, ``but it might be one of those games that does.''
by CNB