The Virginian-Pilot
                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Wednesday, September 21, 1994          TAG: 9409210540
SECTION: SPORTS                   PAGE: C3   EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: VIRGINIA TECH NOTES 
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                         LENGTH: Medium:   74 lines

DESHAZO SAYS HE'LL PLAY AGAINST WVU THE HOKIES' QB'S STATUS HAD BEEN QUESTIONABLE DUE TO ANKLE, HIP INJURIES.

Maurice DeShazo on Tuesday put to rest the possibility he won't be ready when the lights come on Thursday night.

``Nah,'' DeShazo said when asked if there's any way he would miss the West Virginia game at Lane Stadium.

Virginia Tech's quarterback suffered a sprained left ankle and bruised left hip as the result of a hit he took Saturday at Boston College. The ankle sprain is the bigger problem, exacerbated by the short week with the Hokies playing at 8 p.m. Thursday on ESPN.

DeShazo underwent a light workout Monday - coach Frank Beamer had said earlier that he would not practice - and was back on the field again with the Hokies on Tuesday.

``I'm probably about 80 percent - but you can tell (West Virginia) I'm 110 percent,'' DeShazo said.

DeShazo has been undergoing treatment twice a day, icing the ankle for 20 or 30 minutes. He will be heavily taped Thursday.

``That ol' boy is getting tougher,'' Beamer said.

NOT A SELLOUT: As of Tuesday afternoon, about 3,000 tickets remained for Thursday night's game.

``I'm surprised the game's not sold out yet,'' DeShazo said. ``We're 3-0 and ranked No. 14. (The fans) might think it's a little fluke right now.''

Tech's administration, however, has no complaints. A Thursday night game makes it difficult for fans to travel from Hampton Roads, Richmond or Northern Virginia. And for the first time anyone can remember, West Virginia returned a large chunk of tickets. Tech ticket manager Tom McNeer said the Mountaineers will return about 2,000 of their 5,400-ticket allotment.

``We'll have it sold out by game time, or it will be close enough that it looks like a sellout,'' Hokies athletic director Dave Braine said. ``It will look good on TV.''

NEW WEAPON: Beamer said he's heard from fans, ``Why not throw to the tight end more?''

Last week, the Hokies did. Senior Kevin Martin grabbed five passes for 62 yards. It was the most catches in a game for a Hokies tight end since 1991, and the most yards gained by a tight end since 1987.

HIGH EXPOSURE: On Thursday, Virginia Tech will host its largest media contingent ever - 294 passes have been issued - and its first regular-season national television audience since 1990.

``There's a lot of distractions going on, with the media attention and higher ranking,'' Martin said. ``Things like that we're pleased with, but we know what it took to get where we are now, and we want to keep working hard.''

Beamer knows that if Tech makes a good showing on TV, it can have a snowball effect with recruiting.

``You've got an opportunity, now we've got to take advantage of it and fill that stadium and have an enthusiastic crowd and play well,'' Beamer said.

QUICK HITS: West Virginia is 1-3, 0-1 in the conference. . . . Thursday will mark Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese's first football game in Blacksburg. . . . The game will be broadcast nationally on radio as well, with the Mutual Radio Network carrying it to markets outside of Virginia and West Virginia, where the schools' local networks will carry the broadcast. . . . Beamer said he still hasn't decided whether Atle Larsen or Ryan Williams will handle kicking duties. . . . . The game will be West Virginia's fifth in 26 days. . . . Tech has won seven in a row at home and six in a row overall. The last time Tech had a seven-game winning streak was 1967. . . . Linebacker Ken Brown was Big East co-defensive player of the week. He had 15 tackles, one sack, two other tackles for loss, a caused fumble and two passes-broken-up against Boston College. . . . Virginia Tech is third nationally in total defense with 187.7 yards allowed per game and tied for seventh in scoring defense at 9.3 points per game. by CNB