ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, November 30, 1996 TAG: 9612020100
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITER
THE HOKIES' DEFENSE may have allowed the Cavs 407 yards, but it kept UVa out of the end zone.
It started out as a long afternoon for Virginia Tech's defense.
Tiki Barber ran 80 yards on Virginia's first play from scrimmage Friday. That's 80 percent of what the Hokies had been allowing per game.
Then, Torrian Gray caught Barber from behind at the Hokies' 10. It was Tech's first defensive tackle. It may have been a game-turning play.
``When Tiki did that, I thought `Holy cow!''' said Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster. ``We were in our base defense, and he cut it just right and fired into the darkness.
``The way we came back after that told me we were OK. We gave up three points instead of seven. That was big.''
It was that kind of day for Tech's defense in a 26-9 victory over the Cavaliers in the 78th meeting between the state rivals. For the first time in a game this season, UVa failed to score a touchdown.
It was the same defense that limited Miami to one touchdown in the Hokies' first victory in the Orange Bowl two weekends earlier. It's the same defense that pretty much was regarded in a rebuilding mode after last year's 10-2 Sugar Bowl champion club suffered major personnel losses.
``There's been a lot of talk this year about last year's defense and other people's defenses,'' Foster said. ``This group has played well. They've shown they can make plays, too.
``A 10-1 record I knew we had good players, but we had some new people on defense, and when you consider the adversity we've had, the distractions [with suspensions and arrests], and injuries. We've started 19 different players on defense, and here we are.''
Tech's defensive plan against the Cavaliers wasn't anything special, except for the blue-collar verve with which it was played.
The Hokies wanted to stop Barber, who with 162 yards became the Cavaliers' career rushing leader and No. 8 in ACC history.
``We didn't think Tiki could beat us by himself,'' said Tech linebacker Brandon Semones, a former Glenvar High School star. ``He was the only guy who could do that, and when he made that first run, I thought maybe it was going to be a long day.''
No, it was just a long run by the Roanoke star.
``We wanted to get Virginia's quarterback [Tim Sherman] in a situation where he had to throw,'' Foster said. ``We tried to mix up coverages quite a bit, and I think our pressure was good and we forced him to throw early some.''
Semones said Tech blitzed Sherman and his replacement, Aaron Brooks, more than any quarterbacks the Hokies had faced this season.
``It wasn't time to set up a chess game,'' Foster said. ``We felt like we had to stop the run. The first play proved that. We just wanted to kind of hit in there and get after [Sherman].''
Sherman was most successful in scrambling for first downs, before he left late in the first half with a concussion and a bruised throwing elbow. Tech's defense also tried to make life miserable for UVa when the Cavaliers were in the Hokies' red zone ``by doubling and bracketing [receiver Germane] Crowell a little bit,'' Foster said.
Tech's punishing offense has gotten most of the credit for the team's success, particularly in this year's half of 20 victories in 21 games. Coach Frank Beamer's team has scored at least 21 points in every game this season and is averaging 417 yards per game.
However, a defense with a rebuilt front and led by end Cornell Brown and linebacker Myron Newsome has permitted less than 310 yards per contest. Subtracting a 52-point debacle at Syracuse - the Hokies' lone loss - Beamer's defense is allowing only 11.5 points per game.
The Cavaliers got 407 yards and a solid 5.6 per play. However, they couldn't cross the goal line.
``We're like that,'' Semones said. ``We always bend, but we don't break. It was crucial to keep them out of the end zone.
``We knew coming into the season that we couldn't be as dominant as we were on defense last year. Then, we had injuries and distractions. It hasn't been easy, but we didn't focus on them. And we've had quite a few young guys come through, too.''
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ALAN KIM Staff. Torrian Gray (14) and Anthony Midgetby CNBbreak up a pass to Germane Crowell, forcing Virginia to punt during
the second quarter of Friday's game. KEYWORDS: FOOTBALL