ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, September 8, 1996 TAG: 9609090130
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: AKRON, OHIO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
Rest assured, Virginia Tech will never tread back into the Rubber Bowl.
One trip was enough. Almost too much, in fact.
In a game in which they figured to be able to name the score, the 15th-ranked Hokies got the scare of their lives Saturday night before finally repelling 39-point underdog Akron 21-18.
Tech coach Frank Beamer said all week he was concerned about Akron (0-2), a team that lost 77-27 in Blacksburg last year and was considered by some as the nation's worst Division I-A club.
Obviously, nobody listened. His players or the media.
``You guys who were writing about this being the mismatch of the century ought to be embarrassed,'' Beamer said.
Tech should be embarrassed. The bumbling and stumbling Hokies never once looked like the team that finished 1995 with 10 straight victories and a Sugar Bowl title.
``We had some terrible foul-ups,'' Beamer said. ``Too many dropped balls punts, snaps, passes.''
And not enough players. The suspensions of Marcus Parker and Brian Edmonds left Tech very short in the offensive backfield. When junior tailback Ken Oxendine was sidelined by a a separated right shoulder in the final minute of the first quarter, Beamer was left with nothing but freshmen backs.
Shyrone Stith, a true freshman, did come to the rescue, running for 119 yards on 21 carries and scoring two touchdowns. No first-year freshman has ever done that at Tech since freshmen became eligible to play in 1972.
``I never figured I'd be doing this this fast. Maybe as a sophomore or a junior, but not now,'' said Stith, a Chesapeake native.
For the first 25 minutes, Tech played as if its whole team was suspended.
Akron, which had dropped 22 of its last 25 games entering Saturday, broke on top 8-0 in the first seven minutes courtesy of two major first-quarter gaffes by punt returner Walter Ford.
Ford, a junior college transfer playing in his first game at Tech, inexplicably attempted to field Akron's first punt of the night at his own 5-yard line. The ball bounced off Ford's hands into the awaiting paws of Zips coverage man Nate Boyd at the Tech 6. Two plays later, Tyrone Ryan wedged over from 1 yard to make it 6-0 Akron. Tech blocked Jamie Stidham's extra-point attempt.
After both teams failed to move the ball on their next series, Ford gave the Zips two more points just three minutes later.
Ford, filling in for academic casualty Larry Green on punt returns, unbelievably attempted to field another Mike Hayes boot inside the Tech 10. Ford failed to catch the ball, tipped it up in the air, and retrieved it while retreating toward his own end zone. Once there, the Hampton native froze in his tracks and was smothered by Akron's Jason Taylor for a safety.
Tech, which hadn't registered a first down to that point, then decided to line up and go smash-mouth against the smaller and weaker Zips.
Behind Oxendine, who carried nine times for 58 yards on the series, Tech drove from its own 20 to the Akron 2.
But the Hokies came away empty when redshirt freshman fullback Shelly Ellison, on the first carry of his college career, fumbled the ball to Akron's ever-present Taylor.
After making mistake after mistake, the listless Hokies' offense finally woke up in the waning minutes of the first half.
Given a much-needed jolt from Stith, Tech drove 53 yards on 11 plays to finally sniff the Akron end zone. Stith, who carried six times for 26 yards on the drive, got the touchdown, barreling over from 1 yard. Jim Druckenmiller's low rifle pass to Angelo Harrison tied the game at 8 with 22 seconds left in the half.
Following intermission, the Hokies finally took control. After Akron went up 11-8 on Stidham's 31-yard field goal with 10:53 left in the third quarter, the Hokies cranked out back-to-back long scoring drives to assume command.
The first drive traveled 74 yards in nine plays. Junior end Michael Stuewe took care of the honors, taking a 9-yard square out from Druckenmiller and diving into the end zone. Freshman Shayne Graham's extra point - his first point as a Hokie - made it 15-11.
Six minutes later, Tech went 62 yards in 10 plays to make it 21-11. Stith got the score on a 2-yard burst.
Akron scored with 14 seconds left to make it a three-point game. The Zips' attempted an onside kick, but Stuewe recovered and Tech ran out the clock.
And then got the heck out of the Rubber Bowl. see microfilm for box score
LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. GENE DALTON STAFF Virginia Tech quarterback Jimby CNBDruckenmiller gets pressured by Akron's Corey Christian (41) and
George Cameron (7) during the second quarter of Saturday night's
game. color
2. GENE DALTON STAFF Jim Druckenmiller gets pulled down by Akron
defender Jason Taylor on Saturday. The Hokies struggled in their
season opener. KEYWORDS: FOOTBALL