THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 29, 1995 TAG: 9510290200
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MORGANTOWN, W.VA. LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines
West Virginia's mascot, ``The Mountaineer,'' comes to every football game armed with a rifle.
West Virginia's offensive line could have used one Saturday, because they couldn't open any holes in Virginia Tech's defensive line by themselves.
The Hokies, winners of six in a row, manhandled the Mountaineers 27-0. The Hokies guaranteed themselves one of the Big East's four bowl spots and will play for the league lead at home next week against Syracuse. The Orangemen are 6-1 overall and 3-0.
The Hokies (6-2, 4-1) left no doubt Saturday as to whether they or the Mountaineers had the Big East's best defense. Tech held West Virginia to 15 net yards rushing on 37 attempts - an average of 0.4 yards per carry - and recorded the first shutout by a Mountaineer Field visitor since Penn State in 1986.
``We're the best defensive line not only in the Big East, but in the country,'' said Hokies defensive end Cornell Brown, who had eight tackles and 2 1/2 sacks.
Certainly in the Big East, anyway. West Virginia had been ranked higher in total defense, but Tech took over that distinction after outgaining the Mountaineers, 362 yards to 138.
``Defensively, we played off of that quite a bit,'' Tech co-defensive coordinator Bud Foster said. ``It was kind of a challenge to our football team which group was going to be the better defense out there today.''
Tech's coaches have found ample motivational tools to hype up the defense. This week, they had the Hokies convinced that someone from West Virginia had called Tech's defensive front and secondary ``soft.''
``Our coaches made sure we knew,'' cornerback Larry Green said.
Foster smiled when asked the origin of the alleged quote.
``Oh, I don't know,'' he said. ``We heard that through the grapevine. I could not produce that article.''
But his defense produces. It has all season with a work ethic exemplified by the lunch pail the Hokies defenders tote to every meeting, practice and game. In it are cards on which each Tech defensive player has written his team and individual goals.
``It's an old, beat-up metal lunch box, the kind a good blue-collar guy is going to take to work,'' Foster said. ``That's our attitude: We're going to work. If we ever lose sight of that, we'll be an average football team.''
Tech tied its season high with eight sacks totaling 53 yards in losses. The Hokies lead the Big East in sacks, total defense, rushing defense and scoring defense. They are in the top five nationally in rushing and scoring defense, and probably moved into the top 10 in total defense Saturday.
The Hokies had 16 tackles for loss and allowed West Virginia into Tech territory only four times - once after the Mountaineers (3-5, 2-2) covered a punt that bounced off a man on Tech's receiving team.
West Virginia's deepest penetration was the Hokies' 25. Virginia Tech put 17 points on the board before the Mountaineers ventured into Hokies territory for the first time.
West Virginia's first-quarter totals consisted of minus-13 net yards, all on running plays. Quarterback Chad Johnston was 0 for 5 passing.
Things were only marginally better for the Mountaineers in the second quarter. By halftime they had 66 net yards, including 19 rushing on 18 carries. Johnston was 4 of 16 for 47 yards with an interception at the break.
``They are the best team we've played this year from what I can tell,'' West Virginia coach Don Nehlen said.
The interception by Green - of a ball tipped by Myron Newsome - was returned 37 yards for a Tech touchdown and 17-0 lead with 13:54 left in the first half. It was the third touchdown by Tech's defense in two games.
That score came just over a minute after Dwayne Thomas' 8-yard run on the first play of the second quarter that, with the extra point, had given Tech a 10-0 lead.
Thomas (86 yards) and fellow tailback Ken Oxendine (74) gained the bulk of Tech's 239 rushing yards. Quarterback Jim Druckenmiller had an off day (12 of 27 for 123 yards, one interception and one touchdown), but it didn't matter. Atle Larsen's first-quarter field goal would have been plenty.
Tech's second shutout - it also blanked Navy - marks the first time since 1989 it has recorded two in a season. It's the first time since 1966 the Hokies have shut out two opponents on the road.
Largely because of the play of the defensive front, Tech is holding opponents to an average of 1.9 yards per carry. They Hokies have 55 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and 24 sacks in the last four games.
``They're unbelievable at times,'' rover Torrian Gray said of the defensive front. ``Those guys are special. As long as they keep playing like that, we'll be an exceptional defense.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
CHRISTOPHER REDDICK/The Virginian-Pilot
by CNB