ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, December 9, 1996 TAG: 9612090126
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
THE ORANGE BOWL BID came as no surprise. But the name of Tech's opponent - the super-tough Cornhuskers - did.
Virginia Tech has been suggesting for some time that it eventually wanted to run with college football's big dogs.
Thanks to the Orange Bowl, the Hokies will be turned loose with what's arguably the game's biggest and baddest dog on New Year's Eve.
For 31/2 hours on Dec. 31 at Miami's Pro Player Stadium, Tech will be thrown into a cage with "Big Red,'' otherwise known as the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
``Nebraska! Man!'' said Waverly Jackson, Tech defensive tackle.
``Man, it don't get any bigger than that. I remember watching Nebraska in the Orange Bowl as a kid. They're big, they're strong, they just try to run over you.''
The Cornhuskers, whose shot at a college football first - three straight national titles - was defused by Texas in Saturday's Big 12 Conference title game, received an at-large bid in the six-team Bowl Alliance announced Sunday.
The Orange Bowl chose sixth-ranked Nebraska (10-2) over other at-large candidates - No.5 Brigham Young (13-1), No.8 Colorado (9-2) and No.9 Tennessee (9-2).
No.10 Tech (10-1), as the Big East champion, had a spot regardless.
The Hokies figured all along they were heading to the Orange. They just didn't know who they were going to play, especially after Nebraska lost to Texas and opened the Sugar Bowl door for a rematch between No.3 Florida (11-1) and No.1 Florida State (11-0).
``I was shocked to hear Nebraska,'' said Dave Braine, Tech athletic director, who got up out of his seat and let loose an audible groan when he heard.
Tech coach Frank Beamer also said he was surprised to hear Nebraska as the Orange's first pick.
``I had heard something about Tennessee, and I was starting to think we were going to play Texas,'' Beamer said. ``I never really thought about playing Nebraska.''
No doubt. Last week, Beamer said Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster had called a contact on the 'Huskers' staff to talk about Florida, Tech's likely Orange opponent until Nebraska lost, 37-27, to Texas.
``Bud called a guy there he knows and the guy asked him, `Who are you going to get?''' Beamer said. ``Bud said Florida and the guy went `uh-oh.'
``Well, now it's uh-oh the other way.''
Nebraska, which is one of only four teams to win more games than Tech the past two seasons, figures to be close to a two-touchdown favorite. That didn't faze the Orange Bowl folk.
``We wanted to pick the two best teams possible,'' said Keith Tribble, Orange Bowl executive director. ``Both teams we chose had 10 wins, and you can't do much better than that.''
The Hokies, who have won seven straight games and 20 of their past 21, said they're glad to get a crack at one of the nation's most revered programs.
``Really, they've been the best team in America the past four or five years, winning two national titles,'' noted Billy Conaty, Tech senior center.
``Virginia Tech wants to be a big-time team. Well, here's your chance to see how good we are. We're getting a shot at the big time. It might only come once, so we've got to make the best of it.
``It won't be easy. They're a tough team who are going to want to kill us and send us back to a lower level of college football.''
Tech, which has beaten the seven nationally ranked opponents it has faced in the past two seasons, knows the eighth would be by far the biggest.
``I call this game the big dogs versus the little dogs,'' said Tech senior tackle T.J. Washington. ``We're the little dogs trying to get respect. And I think if we win this game, we've got to be considered one of the big dogs.''
By qualifying as the Big East's Bowl Alliance representative for the second straight year, Tech struck gold again. The school will receive about $4million for the Orange Bowl appearance.
Tech reaped a similar financial reward last year when it went to its first major bowl, the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, where it romped over Texas, 28-10, to cap a 10-2 season.
The Hokies will be playing in a school-record fourth consecutive bowl game. Tech lost to Tennessee, 45-23, in the 1994 Gator Bowl and beat Indiana, 45-20, in the 1993 Independence Bowl.
It will be Tech's 10th bowl appearance. The Hokies are 3-6 in bowls, having lost their first five before beating North Carolina State, 25-24, in the 1986 Peach Bowl.
LENGTH: Medium: 92 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ERIC BRADY Staff. Tech football players and coach Frankby CNBBeamer react to the news Sunday that they'll play Nebraska in the
Orange Bowl. The team gathered at the Jamerson Athletic Center to
watch the Bowl Alliance selections on television. color. Graphic:
Chart by staff: Dedex Orange Bowl. color. KEYWORDS: MGR