ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, September 28, 1996 TAG: 9609300117
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: SYRACUSE, N. Y.
SOURCE: RANDY KIN< STAFF WRITER
VIRGINIA TECH again complains of a lack of respect as it prepares to face winless Syracuse.
If Virginia Tech's football team required additional motivation for today's Big East Conference showdown at Syracuse, the Hokies maintain it's been delivered complements of Las Vegas.
The Hokies, ranked No.18 in the country and current proud owners of the NCAA Division I-A's longest winning streak (13 games), are somewhat riled that Vegas oddsmakers have installed them as 1-point underdogs to unranked and winless Syracuse.
``Syracuse hasn't won a game, we're 3-0, and yet they're favored,'' said Billy Conaty, Tech senior center.
``That shows you right there that we still don't get the respect around the country. Sometimes, I just don't understand it.''
Today at 3:30 in front of some 50,000 at the loud Carrier Dome and a CBS split-national feed (WDBJ, Channel 7) going to 70 percent of the country, Tech has a chance to make a whole lot of people understand.
``This is going to be showtime for Virginia Tech,'' said Cornell Brown, Tech's prime-time defensive ace.
``Hey, let's face it, we've got to continue to win to earn national respect. I think we're ranked way too low right now. There are teams that have lost who are ahead of us. Get outta here, man.''
The Orangemen can hit the road with a loss today. Syracuse, the Big East preseason favorite and No.9 in the country just three weeks ago, has stumbled out of the gate with non-conference losses to North Carolina (27-10) and Minnesota (35-33).
Could everybody have been wrong about Syracuse? Well, the boys in Vegas aren't completely sold yet. Syracuse's dire straits position, combined with its powerful home-dome advantage, obviously was enough to make last year's Sugar Bowl champion a 'dog.
Unlike with some of his players, that's just fine with Tech coach Frank Beamer.
``Hey, I sort of like it when we're the underdog. We seem to play better,'' Beamer said.
A check of the facts proves as much. Tech's 13-game run that began Sept.23, 1995 includes upsets of Miami, Virginia and Texas (Sugar Bowl).
Beamer, however, is quick to note that he understands the weight Syracuse carries at Carrier.
``It's a tough place to play, no doubt,'' said Beamer, whose Tech teams are 0-3 in the dome since 1987.
``Certainly, it's different. We only play in a dome once every two years, so we don't get a lot of practice at it. It's certainly not the ordinary. I think it means some points there.''
The first problem is the noise. The Syracuse faithful can take it right off the decibel map. And with its team's back to the wall, the crowd figures to really be rocking as a hopeful 12th-man.
``Those fans, as soon as you hit the field, start screaming from pregame to kickoff,'' Brown said. ``They're right on your back the whole game.
``I feel for us to be successful we definitely have to take [the fans] out of the game by jumping [on the Orangemen] early.''
Beamer and quarterback Jim Druckenmiller both contend that the noise factor shouldn't be a huge problem offensively. If anything, Tech's no-huddle may be the most effective offense a team can cart into the reverberating dome.
``It's to our advantage that we use hand signals on everything,'' Druckenmiller said. ``I do have to communicate, but it's really only to the center and guards. The two guards then tell the tight end and tackles. We're used to communicating through rapid signals.''
Tech did some quick work on the Orange last November, rolling 31-7 in Blacksburg. The Hokies amassed 448 yards total offense (224 passing and rushing), while limiting Syracuse to season lows in nine statistical categories, including points (seven), total offense (167 yards), rushing yards (54) and passing yards (113).
``I'm sure they want some of us bad,'' Druckenmiller said. ``We sort of stuck it to 'em and I'm not sure they've forgotten that.
``I figure, though, that we owe something to Syracuse. They're the guys picked to win the league and we're the defending champs.
``Every week we go out, we're defending champs, that's the way I look at it. We're holding something that no one else has and people are out there to take it from us. Well, we're not ready to give it up.''
A victory would make Tech 3-0 in the Big East and set it up for a serious run at a second straight league title. The Hokies get their next four games at home (Temple, Pitt, Southwestern Louisiana and East Carolina) and don't hit the road again until Nov. 16 at Miami.
Two years ago, however, Tech was in a similar position (4-0), only to lose 28-20 to the 'Cuse. The setback ended a seven-game Tech winning streak spanning two seasons.
``They controlled us that day,'' recalled Brown. ``They were the much better team.
``That's just another reason we want to go up there and prove to them we can win in their house. For this team to accomplish what it wants - and that's to go 12 and 0 - we've got to go up there and win in the Carrier Dome.''
LENGTH: Medium: 98 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ALAN KIM STAFF Virginia Tech's Cornell Brown (right),by CNBshown sacking Rutgers' Mike Stephans last week, says the Hokies are
ranked too low.