ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, November 10, 1996 TAG: 9611120014
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-6 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
JIM DRUCKENMILLER passes for three touchdowns and puts the spotlight back on the playing field in Blacksburg.
After a week in which more publicity went to guys who weren't going to be appearing on the football field, Virginia Tech's Jim Druckenmiller put the spotlight back between the lines.
The senior quarterback completed 15 of 23 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns in the Hokies' 35-14 victory over East Carolina.
On a shivering Saturday night when the wind-chill factor dipped to 13 degrees, the air was filled with snowflakes and Druckenmiller passes. A guy Tech coach Frank Beamer compared to Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly early this season, Druckenmiller, like Kelly a Pennsylvania native, excelled in Buffalo-like conditions.
The chilly weather ``was fine with me,'' said Druckenmiller. ``This reminds me of playing back home. I'll take 'em all like this.''
Behind Druckenmiller, the Hokies rolled up 591 yards of offense, 323 of those on the ground. Salem High School alumnus Marcus Parker rushed for a career-high 117 yards and Ken Oxendine ran for 99 for 25th-ranked Tech.
Druckenmiller's leadership helped hold together a team that was socked this past week when nine players were indicted by a Montgomery County grand jury, eight of them for their roles in a brawl Aug. 31 on the Tech campus.
Druckenmiller said the team kept its focus on the field.
``I think it brought us closer together,'' said Druckenmiller. ``We didn't discuss it too much. I guess you know it's there in the back of your mind. Things have been going on all season. This team has overcome adversity.''
And mistakes. Turnovers and penalties have bogged down the Tech offense this year, even though the Hokies have rolled up 30 or more points five times. However, those big-score games have come against the likes of Boston College, Rutgers, Temple, Pittsburgh and Southwestern Louisiana.
Even when they had a two-touchdown lead in the second half, the outcome wasn't settled because the Hokies inflicted misery upon themselves. An Oxendine fumble in the third quarter allowed East Carolina to take over on Tech's 39-yard line, just the second time the Pirates ran a play from scrimmage in Tech territory.
ECU needed eight plays to take it in for a score to make it 21-14 with 14:43 left in the game. The touchdown meant Tech opponents had turned 12 turnovers into 48 points.
In a season-long effort to keep games more interesting than they should be (or perhaps in hopes of keeping an ESPN2 audience from channel-surfing too early) the Hokies coughed it up on their next two possessions. The defense held up and kept the Pirates from scoring, then Druckenmiller led a scoring drive that culminated in a 15-yard shovel-pass play to Brian Edmonds to make it 28-14 with 8:33 left.
Despite the mistakes, the Druckenmiller-led Hokies dominated play. East Carolina was surrendering just 310 yards of total offense per game. Tech had 320 by halftime.
``We did some good things,'' said Druckenmiller. ``We didn't take care of the ball, but it's not just one person's fault. It was slightly frustrating, but we kept moving the ball. We definitely wish we could have put them away. This was still a tremendous win.''
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: GENE DALTON\Staff. Virginia Tech quarterback Jimby CNBDruckenmiller looks for an open receiver while East Carolina's
Roderick Coleman defends during Saturday night's 35-14 Hokies
victory.