ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, September 29, 1996 TAG: 9609300141
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-6 EDITION: METRO
The Hokies probably still were seeing Syracuse quarterback Donovan McNabb in their sleep Saturday night. That is, if they got any shut-eye after taking a 52-21 drilling from the Orange at the Carrier Dome.
"He's a tough dude to catch,'' said Tech linebacker Myron Newsome of McNabb, who was McFabulous on Saturday.
McNabb's running on the option killed the Hokies, who more than often came up with air when they tried to tackle the shifty sophomore QB.
"McNabb is a great player,'' said Tech star defensive end Cornell Brown. "We weren't able to get any pressure on him. We weren't able to take control at any time.
"We didn't come and play, that's the bottom line. Nobody expected this.''
McNabb had 127 yards rushing including a 72-yarder, and finished with 250 yards total offense.
"We wanted to spread out their defenders and Cornell Brown,'' McNabb said. "We knew they were crashing down, so we wanted to get outside. They were playing the pitch, they weren't playing me at all.''
FUNNY SCRIPT
The game was wild in the first half as each team blocked punts and returned the ball for touchdowns.
Tech's Cornelius White struck first, literally swiping the ball off the foot of Syracuse punter Sean Reali and racing 60 yards untouched for a score.
In the second quarter, it was SU's turn. After Kevin Abrams raced in unchecked and blocked a John Thomas punt, the ball bounded to the Hokies 4, where Kevin Nash picked it up and scored to give Syracuse the lead for good at 17-14.
BY THE NUMBERS
White's block was Tech's third blocked kick in four games. The Hokies have blocked 51 kicks - 23 punts, 15 field goals and 13 extra points in Frank Beamer's 106 games as head coach. Thomas has had two punts blocked this season. The loss prevented Tech from opening the season 4-0 for just the fourth time since 1967. Beside its 13-game winning streak, Tech had streaks of eight straight Big East wins and nine straight road wins stopped.
ODDS AND ENDS
Tech's four opponents this season have a combined record of 4-12 (not counting the Western Michigan-Akron game Saturday night). Tech's first game on CBS since 1983 was worth $233,750 to the school. No grass for the Orangemen this season. All of Syracuse's 11 games will be played on artificial turf. Eight of SU's 11 games will be played indoors.
INJURY REPORT
There was some good news for Tech. Team physician Dr. Duane Lagan said the Hokies sustained no serious injuries.
NEXT OPPONENT
The Hokies are off next Saturday. This week will be the first of two open dates on the Tech schedule in October. Tech begins a four-game homestand on Saturday, Oct.12 against Temple. After another open date on Oct.19, the Hokies face Pittsburgh, Southwestern Louisiana and East Carolina in succession.
LENGTH: Medium: 63 linesby CNB