THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 8, 1995 TAG: 9509080640
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium: 99 lines
Four Big East teams were projected as bowl candidates at the start of the season. Virginia Tech joined the other three as opening-game losers Thursday night at Lane Stadium.
Boston College evened its record at 1-1 by dealing No. 20 Virginia Tech a 20-14 defeat. Tech coach Frank Beamer had called it the Hokies' most significant opener during his tenure early in the week because of conference standing and bowl implications. Now Tech must recover from its first conference loss at home since 1992, a streak that had reached seven games.
The Hokies were driving in the game's final seconds and got to the BC 19. Despite the down-and-distance getting out of whack on the field - Tech received a first down after covering just 8 of 10 yards, thereby receiving an extra shot at the end zone - the Hokies could not move any further as four consecutive Jim Druckenmiller passes fell incomplete. One was dropped at the BC 8 by Cornelius White.
Boston College quarterback Mark Hartsell, injured against Tech last year, riddled the Hokies for 273 yards passing and three touchdowns on 24-of-38 accuracy. Time after time he guided the Eagles to critical third-down conversions. BC made 9 of 18, compared to just 3 of 16 for Virginia Tech.
Druckenmiller finished his debut as a starter with 296 yards passing, completing 21 of 42 passes. Tech receivers dropped at least five Druckenmiller passes.
The Eagles jumped to a 20-7 lead in the third quarter when Hartsell picked apart the Hokies on BC's opening drive of the second half. He completed 6 of 8 passes for 62 yards of a 70-yard drive.
The Eagles had four third-down conversions on the drive, including a third-and-10 pass play that covered 28 yards when Tech blitzed and Hartsell lofted a pass to a diving Steve Everson at Tech's 3-yard line. On the next play Hartsell passed to tight end Michael Hemmert for the touchdown. Although the Hokies' Jim Baron blocked the point-after, they trailed 20-7 with 7:55 remaining in the third quarter.
Tech wouldn't wilt, however. The Hokies popped off a 58-yard drive that finished on the second play of the fourth quarter when Edmonds bowled in from the 1 on fourth down. The big plays were a 20-yard run by Edmonds and an 18-yard Druckenmiller-to-White screen pass. With 14:25 remaining, BC led, 20-14.
The Hokies got four more possessions after that, but the first three netted just one first down. Tech got the ball a final time at its own 31 with 2:27 and no timeouts remaining. Druckenmiller guided the Hokies to four first downs - including the erroneous one.
BC had a 7-0 lead before many in the crowd of 44,426 were in their seats. Hartsell completed 4 of 4 passes for 79 of the 80 yards the Eagles covered on the opening drive.
The drive's two biggest plays - a 38-yard strike to tight end Brent Gibbons and the 11-yard touchdown pass to Todd Pollack 3:01 into the game - appeared to victimize linebacker Myron Newsome.
Newsome, who played junior college last year, was the lone starter on the Hokies defense who was not a starter last season. Chesapeake's Tony Morrison relieved him eventually and received the bulk of the time at the inside linebacker spot.
The Eagles' next score came in demoralizing fashion for Tech. The Hokies had driven efficiently from their own 16 to Boston College's 21 when fullback Brian Edmonds ran left and got wrapped up by a pair of Eagles. One stripped the ball away, and BC's Terence Wiggins grabbed it and ran 53 yards before the Hokies chased him down.
Five plays later, Hartsell passed 4 yards to Dennis Harding for a touchdown. The point-after gave Boston College a 14-0 lead with 9:26 left in the second quarter, and Lane Stadium was like a morgue.
Bryan Still livened up the joint on the Hokies' first play from scrimmage after the kickoff. He caught a short pass in the flat from Druckenmiller, faked out cornerback Daryl Porter at Tech's 32 and sailed untouched down the right sideline for an 80-yard touchdown play with 9:07 left in the second quarter. The extra point made it 14-7.
The Hokies were fortunate to not be down again by two touchdowns by the end of the first half. The Eagles got another shot at the end zone late in the period when Tech punter John Thomas dropped a perfect snap from center, scrambled and threw an incomplete pass. The Eagles started on Tech's 43 and promptly marched toward Tech's goal line.
But the drive imploded when William Yarborough stripped the ball from BC's Justice Smith and Tech's Antonio Banks recovered at Tech's 4-yard line.
The first half wasn't pretty. Viewers at home were treated to a combined 15 penalties for 138 yards. Tech had a 240-170 advantage in total yards at halftime.
The best number on the first-half stat sheet for the Hokies was Boston College's net rushing - 7 yards in 11 attempts. Hartsell more than compensated, completing 15 of 22 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns.
Thanks to the big play by Still, Druckenmiller (157 yards) almost matched Hartsell's first-half output but at 8 of 17 was not as accurate.
Tech plays Cincinnati at home a week from Saturday. ILLUSTRATION: BOSTON COLLEGE 20
VIRGINIA TECH 14
Associated Press
[Color Photo]
by CNB