THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 1, 1994 TAG: 9408270397
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: R18 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Football Preview: College Football '94
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
DeWayne Knight, one of the few Virginia Tech defenders from last year's team that is not back this season, called the Hokies' 9-3 record and Independence Bowl berth last year ``just the start of a snowball effect.''
Every indication is a blizzard could develop this year in Blacksburg. Tech fans, get out your snow shovels and dig into this:
Virginia Tech's best offense ever returns all its top skill position players. Chief among them is quarterback Maurice DeShazo, who has a chance to become the school's career total offense leader and second-best career passer behind Don Strock. He is being touted as Tech's best-ever Heisman hope.
DeShazo's favorite receiver, Antonio Freeman, could become Virginia Tech's career pass-receiving leader. Dwayne Thomas rushed for 1,130 yards last year as a sophomore. The players who accounted for 87 percent of the nation's 10th-best rushing offense return.
``This was a very prolific offense last year,'' new offensive coordinator Gary Tranquill said. ``They posted some numbers that were unbelievable. I doubt we can be that prolific, but I hope to develop some consistency.''
The young defense was a sieve at times last year, but improved as the season progressed. Nine defenders who started the bowl game return, and 10 who started at least half the games are back. The forecast here calls for long-range snowfall - the Hokies' preseason defensive depth chart lists just one senior on the first unit in linebacker Ken Brown and one on the second.
The punter and placekicker also return. In fact, Tech's media guide lists 13 individual offensive and defensive statistical categories from 1993. The leader in all 13 is back, and the top two in eight of the stats return.
In Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer's first seven seasons, the Hokies have at times excelled on offense, on defense and with special teams. This year, Tech potentially could master all three disciplines.
``The thing we haven't done a great job of doing is being a consistently good football team and doing all of those things together,'' Beamer said.
The Hokies are ranked 22nd nationally by the Associated Press, the first time Tech has been listed in the wire service's preseason poll. Virtually every preseason magazine ranks Tech somewhere between 17th and 25th, although Sports Illustrated rates the Hokies 15th out of 107 Division I-A schools.
Sports Illustrated has obviously had a change of heart. Last year the magazine picked Tech 83rd out of 106 Division I-A programs, predicted a 3-8 record and said of the Hokies: ``These are dark days in Blacksburg.''
SI misread the snow clouds.
So what could go awry to make Sports Illustrated and all the other experts wrong about the Hokies again? Seemingly very little.
The quickest way for Tech to fall from grace would be if DeShazo were hurt. His backup, Jim Druckenmiller, is strictly a pocket quarterback, while Beamer likes to refer to DeShazo as ``the best option quarterback in the country.''
The Hokies were remarkably injury-free last year. On offense, only two starters missed one game each because of injuries, and cornerback Tyronne Drakeford was the only defensive player to miss several games with an injury.
Other potential snafus are hard to find.
The offensive line could be one. All-American center Jim Pyne and tight end John Burke have moved on to the NFL. Billy Conaty has moved from tackle to center to replace Pyne, but that leaves Tech's retooled front line with two new tackles.
The secondary may be another. Drakeford and Scott Jones are gone, but between them they started just 12 games. Rover Stacy Henley was deemed ineffective late in the year and has been moved to offense and essentially relegated to special teams play.
The top eight players listed in Tech's secondary consists of one junior, four sophomores and three freshmen. Two are true freshmen, including Tony Morrison from Chesapeake's Indian River High.
Beyond that, it's hard to find a chink. Unless you're a history buff.
Tech has never been to back-to-back bowl games. Each time the Hokies have gone bowling, they've all but been a gutter ball the next year.
And you can look at the last time Tech was highly regarded going into a season. That was 1991, and Tech finished 5-6. That team had a horrendously conceived schedule - five consecutive games on the road - lost quarterback Will Furrer for a couple games to injury and lost three games decided by seven points or fewer.
``To tell you the truth, that may have been a better team than we have now,'' linebacker Brown said. ``We had a lot of great players, but a lot of those players were thinking about their future in the NFL. That's one thing we don't have here.''
The Hokies of '94 are thinking big after gaining their Independence from mediocrity last year with Beamer's first bowl bid.
``I want to go to a bigger bowl,'' DeShazo said. ``You get kind of greedy.''
Snowballs rolling downhill greedily keep growing as well. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by CHRISTOPHER REDDICK, Staff
Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said this may be the most
consistently good team he's had in his eight years in Blacksburg.
by CNB