ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, December 27, 1996 TAG: 9612270060
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: MIAMI
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
Virginia Tech's football team and Cornell Brown arrived Thursday in the sunny climes of south Florida for the 63rd Orange Bowl.
To no one's surprise, the Hokies' arrival for Tuesday's clash with powerful Nebraska was spiced by yet another shenanigan produced by their All-American defensive end.
Continuing to prove he marches to the beat of a different drum, Brown showed up at Tech's afternoon practice with the number ``32'' taped over the ``VT'' logo on one side of his helmet.
It was Brown's not-so-subtle way of remembering the Hokies' No.32, Brian Edmonds, the senior fullback who was suspended from the team on Dec.17 for his arrest on felony rape and attempted sodomy charges of a Tech student.
Brown's helmet did not include ``13,'' the number of sophomore receiver James Crawford, who was arrested on identical charges as Edmonds and also was booted from the squad.
Brown's display Thursday came as little shock to Tech followers. In workouts preceding last year's Sugar Bowl, the Lynchburg native turned heads by pasting the numbers of suspended teammates Tony Morrison and Crawford on the side of his helmet.
Thursday's move was just the latest in a growing line of peculiar circumstances that have engulfed Tech's star defensive player the past year.
Brown, who hasn't spoken to the media since his Nov.6 indictment for assault and battery charges, showed up at Tech's Alliance Bowl selection-day media conference wearing a ski mask.
Brown then stirred up some more controversy Dec.20, when he, along with Edmonds and senior cornerback Antonio Banks, elected not to join 11 seniors accepting the 1996 Big East Conference championship trophy at halftime of a basketball game at Cassell Coliseum.
That incident spurred public criticism from Hokies All-America center Billy Conaty, who said, ``it hacks me off when people think they're bigger than the program or whatever.''
There was no immediate response from the Hokies' camp on Thursday on Brown's latest stunt.
LONG DAY: The Hokies already had a hectic enough day before Brown's assist.
Tech bussed out of Blacksburg at 6:30 a.m. Thursday for Roanoke, where it took a charter flight to Miami. After an airport news conference, the team headed straight to Barry University for a 1:45 p.m. practice.
``I don't think it is bad to start out fast and keep things moving,'' said Frank Beamer, Hokies coach.
Tech, which hadn't practiced since Sunday in Blacksburg, worked out for 21/2 hours on a converted soccer field that was augmented with yardage lines and goalposts, courtesy of the Orange Bowl folks.
Nebraska, meanwhile, conducted its fourth practice in Miami on Thursday. The Cornhuskers arrived Sunday and practiced Sunday, Monday and Tuesday before taking Wednesday off for Christmas.
``I thought about that [coming south earlier],'' said Beamer, ``but we decided to keep doing what we've done the last few years. That way you get four good practices at home, then take a break for Christmas.''
MIAMI HEATER: Both clubs found the Miami heat and humidity taxing. The thermometer hit 87 degrees Thursday afternoon.
``It takes a while to get used to this heat,'' Beamer noted. ``[We're] down here early enough we should be OK. Both teams are coming from colder climates, so to me, it's the same for both.''
SCOUTING TECH: Senior linebacker Myron Newsome suffered a slight sprain to his right ankle in practice. He is expected to work out today. Tech president Dr. Paul Torgersen, an old kicker, was spotted making a 26-yard field goal at Tech's workout. The Hokies brought 92 players, 65 of whom will dress. It marked the second straight year that Tech has rewarded its walk-on players by taking them for the entire bowl trip. Two years ago, Tech brought its non-dressing players a day before the Gator Bowl. Tech remains a solid 17-point underdog to which Beamer quipped Thursday ``they told me [we] lost a couple points riding down on the airplane.''
SCOUTING NEBRASKA: Huskers star I-back Ahman Green, who suffered a stress fracture in his left foot prior to the Colorado game Nov.29, practiced for the first time in four weeks Thursday. Green, who has run for 2,003 yards in two years at Nebraska, practiced for two-thirds of the Huskers' workout and got repetitions with the starting offense. DeAngelo Evans, Green's I-back caddy, lasted only half the practice before stopping because of a pulled groin he suffered five weeks ago. Senior Brenden Holbein, Nebraska's leading receiver, did not practice due to a sore ankle. He is expected to work out today. Nebraska ended up selling close to 8,000 tickets for the game, about half of Tech's 15,500 total.
LENGTH: Medium: 89 linesby CNB