ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, October 26, 1996 TAG: 9610280129
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
VIRGINIA TECH will use today's game as a test run for looming Big East dates.
Virginia Tech's football team makes a Pitt stop today at Lane Stadium. Service figures to be routine for the Hokies.
Tech will have a chance to make sure all of its parts are well-oiled and in working order for the season's stretch drive when it takes on lowly Pittsburgh at noon in a Big East Conference game.
An expected 45,000 or so fans are expected to watch Tech (4-1 overall, 3-1 Big East), rated as a 30-point favorite, take on Pitt (2-5, 1-3).
From the looks of things, the hardest-working guy this afternoon in Blacksburg may be the scoreboard operator.
In their past five games, the clawless Panther defense has allowed 55, 52, 45, 72 and 42 points, an astonishing average of 53.2 per game.
Pitt's national defensive rankings numbers read like the call letters from a list of FM radio stations. Pitt is No.110 in scoring defense (44.9 points per game) - only winless Nevada-Las Vegas (52.5) is worse - No.108 in passing defense, No.104 in rushing defense and No.106 in total defense.
Ask Pitt coach Johnny Majors about his group of matadors, and the veteran coach has a stockpile of negative adjectives. ``Atrocious'' seems to be his favorite.
``Worst defense I've ever been involved with,'' confirmed Majors, speaking a couple of weeks ago on the Big East coaches teleconference.
The salivating Tech offense, already averaging 31 points a game, only has to pick its poison. Will it be a run? Or will it be a pass? The Panthers, who have been outscored 172-7 on the road, are equally inept at preventing both.
Tech coach Frank Beamer, in his ever-cautious mode, said this week that Pitt is ``doing a lot of things defensively'' and ``right now we don't know what to expect.''
In reference to those two quotes, Beamer never mentioned Pitt is doing a lot of things wrong and to expect a rout.
Beamer chooses to look at this game in general, rather than specific terms. The coach said the Hokies' six-game run to the season's finish begins today. Barring an upset, Tech will be 5-1 overall and 4-1 in the league with five games to play, only one of which is on the road (Nov.16 at Miami).
Despite its loss at Syracuse, Tech remains a factor in the four-team Big East race with West Virginia (3-0), Syracuse (3-0) and Miami (2-0).
``It's going to be a great finish,'' Beamer said. ``Out of the top four only Syracuse and us have played. Miami goes to West Virginia [tonight], then Syracuse goes to West Virginia and then West Virginia has to come to our place [Nov.23]. A lot of things can happen.''
Tech, of course, needs to keep winning. Two Big East losses would ensure the Hokies of not repeating as league champions.
``We know we're not out of anything,'' said Gennaro DiNapoli, Hokies offensive guard. ``If we win out, we should be in great shape.''
Tech, which with a rousing victory today should leapfrog back into the Associated Press' Top 25 poll next week, gets Southwestern Louisiana at home next week, then closes with East Carolina (Nov. 9), at Miami, West Virginia and Virginia (Nov. 29)
``It's certainly an opportunity to establish ourselves,'' Beamer said. ``If we won those games I don't think we'll have any trouble moving up in the polls. Now it's just a matter of getting it done.''
Washington and Lee, which plays host to Sewanee (3-2) in a Parents' Day game at 1:30 p.m., knows the value of parental guidance. The Generals (2-4) have won four straight Parents' Day games.
Just as impressive is this statistic: The home team has won 31 of the past 41 games in this series, which dates to 1892. W&L hasn't lost to the Tigers at home since 1986.
Ferrum (1-5) will try to win two games in a row for the first time in a year when it visits Methodist at 1 p.m. Emmanuel Baker, who set a school record with 42 rushing attempts last week against Chowan, won't have to carry the whole load. Freshman standout Maurice Clark is back after a week away tending to family obligations.
LENGTH: Medium: 76 linesby CNB