THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 20, 1994 TAG: 9411200195
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON AND FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
The Virginia defense was well-rested, but also a little stale, when it finally got its chance in Saturday's 42-23 victory over rival Virginia Tech.
The Cavaliers' offense controlled the ball for 13:31 of the first period with the help of two Virginia Tech turnovers.
The Hokies came back to score two quick touchdowns after that.
``We just got tight, waiting to get into the game,'' explained Virginia cornerback Joe Crocker.
``We were loose and ready, and then we had to stand around for almost the entire first period. After we got loosened up again, we were all right.''
HOKIES' VIEW: It was hard for Virginia Tech to dredge up positives after Virginia embarrassed the Hokies Saturday. The Hokies found two.
They get to play again. Despite the drubbing, a bowl will welcome 8-3 Tech to a warm climate sometime around the first of the year.
They will have plenty of time to recover emotionally from Saturday's 42-23 loss before the bowl.
``We've got another game to play, and I'm glad at this point because it gives you a reason to come back from a very disappointing day,'' Tech coach Frank Beamer said. ``I think we have a great chance to finish up No. 2 in the conference, and after that the bowls have to decide what to do.''
If the bowl were next week, the Hokie players might have trouble getting interested enough to play. Quarterback Maurice DeShazo said this loss shouldn't linger until the bowl season.
``If you can't get over it by then, you should stay home,'' he said.
PAYBACK: Virginia center Bryan Heath said he had never seen his teammates so fired up as they were during their meeting Friday night.
``I knew we were ready to play well,'' Heath said.
``We had been waiting a year to reply to some things they said after beating us last year in Charlottesville.''
Heath said some Hokies had described the Cavaliers as ``good athletes but not much heart.''
``I think we got our reply across today,'' Heath said.
NO DECOY: Virginia coach George Welsh denied that the team's leading receiver, Tyrone Davis, was used as a decoy to set up Patrick Jeffers for catches.
Davis, still nursing a sprained toe, failed to catch a pass while Jeffers had his best game of the season, catching six balls for 116 yards.
``Tyrone was about 75 percent healthy, so it was my turn to step up,'' Jeffers said.
RECORD BREAKER: DeShazo put his name in the record book in two places Saturday, but he didn't want his name associated with one of them. He became Tech's all-time total offense leader with 6,105 yards, surpassing the 5,871 yards Don Strock amassed from 1970-72. He also tied the school record for interceptions in a game with five.
DeShazo finished the day 22 of 34 for 235 yards, but 126 of them came in the fourth quarter, after the game had long been decided.
BROOKS PRODUCTIVE: Virginia tailback Kevin Brooks had his second 100-yard rushing game of the season and felt he should have had a pair of touchdowns for the third time.
Brooks seemed to get in the end zone on a 7-yard run in the second period, but the ball was placed on the 1-foot line and fullback Charles Way scored on the next play.
``I thought I was in,'' said Brooks, who scored on a 2-yard run in the fourth period.
Brooks said the Tech defense seemed to wear down midway through the third period.
``They had been on the field a long time, and Tiki (Barber) and I were rotating and staying fresh,'' Brooks said.
BETTER THAN SACKS: Despite keeping pressure on Tech's DeShazo, the Cavaliers did not have one sack.
But that did not bother linebacker Randy Neal.
``It is better to pressure him into throwing interceptions than to sack him,'' Neal said.
``He's lived on the long ball this season, but he didn't have time to go deep but once or twice.''
QUICK START: Virginia fans felt it was a good sign when the Cavaliers took the opening kickoff and scored on Rafael Garcia's 28-yard field goal.
Since 1987, have a 24-16-1 record in road games. They are 21-6-1 in those away when they scored first.
HOKIE HITS: The loss snapped Tech's 11-game home winning streak, and a string of 12 consecutive home games in which the Hokies scored 30 points or more. . . . The crowd of 53,157 was the third-largest in Lane Stadium history. first Tech punter since 1984 with an average above 40 yards and just shy of Dave Smigelsky's school-record 42.3. by CNB