ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, September 29, 1996 TAG: 9609300137
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: SYRACUSE, N.Y.
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
Virginia Tech came to the Carrier Dome on Saturday looking to play itself into college football's national picture.
The Hokies spent most of the late afternoon looking for Syracuse quarterback Donovan McNabb - and a place to hide under the artificial turf.
Syracuse players were quoted last week as saying the No.18 Hokies were over-ranked, then went out and proved it.
Bullied by the larger Orangemen up front on offense and befuddled by McNabb, the sophomore quarterback who has more crazy bounces than a football, Tech was truly Orange-crushed, 52-21.
Because of punt blocks and miscues and McNabb, it probably was as entertaining a 60 minutes as CBS viewers have seen for some time. However, there's no question Tech coach Frank Beamer didn't find much in his team's performance as funny as Andy Rooney or as tough as Mike Wallace.
The Hokies have allowed more points only eight times in 103 seasons, and while the rout started up front, it ended in McNabb's hands, or with his feet.
The sophomore, controlled so well by Tech last November at Lane Stadium, became the first quarterback to both run and pass for more than 100 yards against Tech since Clemson's Steve Fuller in 1978.
Perhaps a more telling statistic was Syracuse's 338 rushing yards. It was the first time a Hokie foe has eclipsed 300 on the ground since a 1988 West Virginia team quarterbacked by Major Harris - a QB in whose elusive footsteps McNabb is following.
``I think he's the most athletic quarterback in the country,'' said Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster.
The Hokies did nothing to disprove that against a desperate Syracuse club that was 0-2 and even heard boos from the Carrier crowd before the rout was on.
A telling consecutive downs occurred with just under seven minutes left in the third quarter, when Tech's latest addition to its Carrier curse was still a three-point game.
On a first-and-10 from the Orange 34, McNabb faked a left-alone Brandon Semones for a 17-yard gain. On the next play, the Tech linebacker from Glenvar High School sacked McNabb for a 7-yard loss.
Go figure. If Semones couldn't do it, the Hokies knew they were in trouble, because he might not be their biggest player, but he's arguably their smartest.
``Figuring out what he's going to do is impossible,'' Semones said. ``He kind of put us in a bind all day. When he has the ball, he's dangerous.''
So, what was the biggest problem for Tech's defense, trying to handle the Syracuse front or trying to follow McNabb's personal Macarena?
``It was a little of both,'' Semones said. ``Their offensive line would seal, and then McNabb would come off the block, and he could go either way.''
And only McNabb knows which way he's going to go. Or does he?
``No, sometimes I don't,'' McNabb said after passing for 123 yards and running for four more. ``I just try to look for an open spot.''
He can get there quicker than most defenders, too. It's best to be fresh when you're chasing the 6-foot-2 quarterback all afternoon.
Tech's defense didn't have that luxury, because the Hokies' offense couldn't stay on the field. Syracuse had the ball for 10 more minutes than Tech through the first three quarters.
The Hokies didn't use freshman running back Shyrone Stith, who played so well in three wins, until the last series of the third quarter. Fullback Brian Edmonds didn't touch the ball until he caught a Jim Druckenmiller pass to begin Tech's first series of the second half.
Druckenmiller was given time to throw, but his receiver couldn't get open against a speedier Syracuse secondary. Tech's attempts at throwing deep were a joke.
Foster didn't see Syracuse's manhandling of Tech's defensive front and McNabb's wizardry as the Hokies' downfall. He pointed to a more mundane fault.
``It was poor tackling,'' Foster said. ``You have to make plays. You have to make plays on both sides of the ball.''
The Hokies' punting was adventuresome as always, as the slow-booting John Thomas continues to kick in conditions that would have made Gen. George Custer feel surrounded.
No question, Syracuse was ready to play. It was a huge game for the Orangemen. It was a big one for Tech, which has allowed an average of 36 points in four Carrier visits in Beamer's 10 seasons.
An informed estimate on Tech's team cost to visit broadcaster Bill Roth's alma mater was $50,000. Maybe the Hokies should just save the bucks, call the Big East office and forfeit rather than come back to this New York carpet world again.
In two years, when they're scheduled to return again, McNabb will be a senior. Or, maybe Beamer can help him find an agent for an early NFL entry. There's a league that could use some good young quarterbacks.
LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Syracuse quarterback Donovan McNabb races pastby CNBVirginia Tech defender Torrian Gray (14) during a 72-yard run in the
fourth quarter of Saturday's game at the Carrier Dome.