THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 31, 1995 TAG: 9512310199
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NEW ORLEANS LENGTH: Long : 104 lines
Though Virginia Tech consensus All-American defensive end Cornell Brown is the more decorated of the two, Texas has a standout defensive end as well in junior Tony Brackens. Brackens missed the better part of four games this season with a fractured tibia, but still was a first-team pick on two major All-American squads - the American Football Coaches Association and the Football Writers' Association.
The Longhorns gave up an average of 26 points in the four games Brackens missed all or part of, and just 15 points in the eight games in which he was healthy.
``The day Tony Brackens came back off an injury we did get real good defensively real quick,'' Texas defensive coordinator Gary Darnell said.
Brackens said he doesn't see the Sugar Bowl as a quest to be recognized as a better end than Brown.
Besides, Brackens made one All-American team Brown did not: the Successful Farming magazine All-American team. Yes, that's legitimate. Brackens helps run the 800-acre family ranch in Texas that features more than 300 head of cattle. In the offseason, he competes in rodeos.
``My daddy always preached hard work,'' Brackens said. ``And we always got up early.''
Although the NFL is likely to be in his future, Brackens said going back to work on the farm would suit him fine.
BROWN SPEAKS, SORT OF: Brown, who has avoided the media all week, issued a statement through the school's sports information office Saturday. Brown explained why he has taped over the ``VT'' logo on his helmet and written on the tape the numbers 8 and 13 - the jersey numbers of suspended players Tony Morrison and James Crawford.
``I'm remembering my teammates who didn't make the trip,'' Brown said. ``Tony Morrison and James Crawford are my roommates. This is letting the team know they're still with us in spirit.''
Brown has a slight hamstring pull, but, like the rest of the Hokies who have been nursing injuries, is expected to play.
TYING ONE ON: Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said he likes the new tiebreaker system in place for bowl games. The procedure, the same one used by lower-division teams in NCAA playoffs, begins with a coin flip in the event of a tie.
One team begins possession at the opponent's 25-yard-line and has four downs to score a touchdown or field goal, or retain possession by getting a first down. The team that's ahead after both teams have an equal number of possessions wins. A defensive player can win the game by returning a blocked field goal, interception or fumble for a touchdown, but if he is tackled his team gets possession on the 25.
Beamer said his preference would be to go on defense first. ``You see what you've got to beat,'' he said.
LUCKY COIN: Beamer said he will carry a coin with him tonight he received from a 7-year-old from Virginia named Robin. Beamer visited with the boy - whose last name he declined to give - before departing for New Orleans. Robin had a staph infection that worsened and almost killed him.
``Hopefully he'll walk again one of these days, but it won't be for a long, long time,'' said Beamer, who added that Robin is a distant relative - he's the son of Beamer's aunt's sister's daughter.
BMW OFFENSE: Texas refers to its offense as BMW, the ultimate driving machine. BMW is an acronym for Brown, Mitchell and Williams - the Longhorns' talented backfield trio.
Sophomore quarterback James Brown, the Southwest Conference offensive player of the year, threw for 19 touchdowns, ran for one and accounted for 2,583 yards of total offense. Junior running back Shon Mitchell rushed for 1,099 yards, 10 touchdowns and averaged 6.2 yards per carry. Freshman running back Ricky Williams gained 990 yards, had eight touchdowns and averaged six yards per carry.
The trio combined to account for 90.1 percent of Texas' offensive production.
``It's incredible how balanced they are,'' Tech defensive tackle J.C. Price said. ``That's what makes them so scary. Hopefully we can stop them by making them do one or the other between the run and the pass, but nobody's done it yet.''
DEFENSIVE GOAL: Virginia Tech's defensive goal is to hold the Longhorns to three yards or less per rush. The Hokies' top-ranked rushing defense did that against every opponent this season except Pittsburgh, which averaged 3.6 yards per carry. Tech's season average was 1.98 yards allowed per carry.
The Longhorns averaged 5 yards per rush.
``If they're getting four or five yards a pop, you're getting your tail whipped,'' Tech defensive tackle J.C. Price said.
EDGE OF OBLIVION: Speculation was rampant about what was wrong with Tech when it fell to 0-2, and players and coaches made speeches galore to keep each other motivated. But Price remembers one in particular.
Defensive tackle Jim Baron stood up one day after Beamer spoke to the team and elicited what would prove to be a prophetic challenge. ``He said `Hey, why can't we still win the Big East championship? Why can't we roll off nine wins in a row?' '' Price said.
DIFFERENT 'TUDE: Tech offensive guard Chris Malone said the Hokies take a different approach to the Sugar Bowl than they did for last year's Gator Bowl, where they were routed by Tennessee.
``We went into the Tennessee game hoping (to win), we go into this game expecting,'' Malone said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Virginia Tech fans John Blauvelt, left, and Cliff Shelton, of
Richmond, get into the Sugar Bowl hype in the French Quarter of New
Orleans.
by CNB