THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 18, 1994 TAG: 9409180212
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESTNUT HILL, MASS. LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
It was a bad day for quarterbacks at Alumni Stadium Saturday both statistically and physically.
Virginia Tech's Maurice DeShazo's first appearance of the season on TV (the game was carried to more than one-third of the nation by the Big East Network) wasn't glamorous. He was 13-for-27 with 145 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions, and was sacked five times. Several of his passes were well off the mark to open receivers.
``I'm getting nervous again. I need to let the game come to me,'' DeShazo said.
The Hokies were plenty nervous in the second quarter when BC's Matt Haff came through unblocked and almost cut DeShazo in half, drilling him in the hip. DeShazo came back on the next series, but he hobbled noticeably throughout the game.
He doesn't have much time to recuperate, with the Hokies hosting West Virginia on Thursday night.
``Tomorrow will tell the tale,'' DeShazo said. ``It was tightening up real bad.''
BC sophomore quarterback Mark Hartsell suffered a worse fate. He was 3-for-11 for 18 yards with two interceptions when he was injured in the second quarter.
After throwing a pass, Hartsell banged his hand against another player on his follow-through. He dislocated his index finger, and a cut on the middle finger of his throwing hand required six stitches.
Hartsell said he was told he won't be able to grip a ball for at least a week. He is hoping to return for BC's Oct. 8 game against Notre Dame.
BC tried two quarterbacks in place of Hartsell - junior Jeff Ryan and true freshman Scott Mutryn - who finished a combined 14-for-36 for 159 yards and two interceptions.
FLUSH JOB: It's fair to say the debut of refurbished Alumni Stadium - in which 12,000 seats were added and several other improvements were made - will go down in BC annals as a stinker.
Not only did the Eagles bore their fans by displaying minimal offensive firepower in a 12-7 loss, but all the toilets on the west side of the stadium failed to work because of a water-pressure problem.
QUICK HITS: Tech cornerback William Yarborough had two of Tech's four interceptions. . . . BC was 1-for-13 on third-down conversions at one point in the game and finished 3-for-16. . . . The Hokies' wins at Southern Miss and BC mark their first back-to-back road victories since 1986. . . . Dating back to last season, Tech has won six in a row and nine of its last 10, with the lone loss coming at BC in November. . . . Last season Tech and BC combined for 82 points and 1,126 yards. Saturday, they managed 19 points and 477 yards. . . . BC middle linebacker Stephen Boyd had 19 tackles after recording 23 against the Hokies last year. . . . Virginia Tech was bidding for its first shutout since 1989 before Boston College scored on the last play. . . . Tech coach Frank Beamer: ``I think it's a very significant win in our program. I don't think it looks as pretty as the effort that went into it.'' by CNB