THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 19, 1994 TAG: 9410190565
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
Virginia Tech has a new, unfamiliar line under credits on its athletic department budget: national TV revenue.
ABC decided Monday to televise the Hokies' Oct. 29 game at Miami.
On Tuesday, the game time was changed to 3:30 p.m. after the College Football Association had said Monday it would be at noon. ABC will broadcast Colorado-Nebraska nationally at noon, and Tech-Miami will be one of four regional games at 3:30.
Regardless, the network appearance puts $360,000 into Tech's pocket. With early-season TV games against West Virginia on ESPN and Syracuse on ABC, the Hokies have accumulated close to $1.1 million this season for network television appearances.
``It makes everyone here very happy, especially when we struggled for seven years and did not get hardly any TV money,'' athletic director Dave Braine said.
The Syracuse game was the Hokies' first appearance on one of the three major networks since 1983. From that time until this season, Tech's only national television appearances were on ESPN, against Virginia in 1990 and against Indiana in last season's Independence Bowl.
The last time Tech appeared on an over-the-air network twice in one season was 1982.
Braine said the TV revenue isn't earmarked for any particular project or need, but ``there are plenty of places it can go.'' One is to help reduce the athletic department debt, which Braine said was $3.9 million when he arrived in 1988 and has been chipped away at ever since.
Braine said the TV money will reduce some pressure to rely on fund-raising to balance this year's athletic department budget, and some of it may also go into the bank as backup funds.
``We've kind of lived from day to day around here,'' Braine said.
The Hokies keep all their television money this year because the Big East doesn't begin revenue sharing until next season.
Virginia Tech (6-1, 3-1 Big East) is ranked 17th by The Associated Press, 13th by USA Today-CNN. Miami (4-1, 1-0) is No. 7 and No. 4 in the two polls. The game could figure prominently in the Big East title chase.
Both teams are heavy favorites this week, with the Hokies hosting Pittsburgh and Miami playing at West Virginia.
THOMAS TO RETURN: Virginia Tech tailback Dwayne Thomas, who missed the last three games with a severe ankle sprain, will return to action for Tech's 1 p.m. game at Lane Stadium.
``He ran very well (Monday) in practice and he was able to cut,'' running backs coach Billy Hite said. ``He's going to start. I'm also going to play both Tommy Edwards and Ken Oxendine, and whoever is the hottest will get to go.''
In the absence of Thomas, a 1,000-yard rusher last season as a sophomore, Oxendine started twice and Edwards once. The duo combined for 363 yards in the three games, with Oxendine gaining 165 on 23 carries and Edwards totaling 198 on 58 carries.
Thomas still leads the Hokies with 351 yards rushing on 79 carries and an average of 87.8 yards per game. Edwards has 321 total yards and Oxendine has 234.
WILLIAMS CLOSING IN: Hokies placekicker Ryan Williams from Suffolk could break the school's career scoring record this weekend. He needs nine points to pass Hokies career scoring leader Chris Kinzer's 234 points.
Williams, the only straight-on kicker in major-college football, has scored 50 points this season with 12-of-14 accuracy on field goal tries and is 14 of 15 on point-after kicks. He leads the Big East in kick scoring with an average of 8.3 points per game.
Williams' two missed field goals have come from 50 and 43 yards. He missed the Syracuse game with a separated shoulder.
QUICK HITS: Antonio Freeman's four receptions against East Carolina moved him into second among Tech's career reception leaders, eight behind leader Ricky Scales' 113. ... Quarterback Maurice DeShazo needs three touchdown passes to overtake Tech career leader Will Furrer's record 43. ... ECU scored a third-quarter touchdown Saturday, marking the first time in nine games the Hokies surrendered a score in that period. ... Virginia Tech has won nine in a row at Lane Stadium and averaged 41.9 points per game during the streak. ... Coach Frank Beamer celebrated his 48th birthday Tuesday. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Dwayne Thomas, Tech's top rusher, will return Saturday against
Pittsburgh.
by CNB