THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 17, 1996 TAG: 9609170435
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 84 lines
For the second week in a row, Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer will see a familiar face on the opposite sideline Saturday when the Hokies are on offense.
Rod Sharpless, co-defensive coordinator for the Hokies last season, is defensive coordinator for Rutgers, which travels to Lane Stadium Saturday at noon in the home opener for Virginia Tech.
Last week the Hokies faced off against Boston College defensive coordinator Phil Elmassian, who also worked at Tech last season. The Hokies rolled all over Elmassian's defense, scoring 45 points in Chestnut Hill.
There is no love lost between many of the Hokies and Elmassian, whose in-your-face style tends to wear off quickly. Not so for Sharpless, who is revered by most of the Tech defenders he coached.
``We wanted to keep Rod here,'' Beamer said. ``Rod made a decision he thought was right for him professionally. We hated to see him go. He was an awful good coach for Virginia Tech and an even better person.''
Rutgers is 1-2 and surrendered 33 points last week to Miami. But the defense played well, limiting Miami to one first-half touchdown. Rutgers' offense was shut out and left the defense in poor field position much of the game.
MAJOR REBUILDING: Why, Pittsburgh coach Johnny Majors was asked during Monday's Big East telephone press conference, has it taken him so long to rebuild the Panthers?
Good question, Majors replied.
Majors led Pitt to a national title in 1976-77. He then left to coach Tennessee for 16 years, but was lured back in 1993 to rebuild the ailing Pitt program.
Majors hasn't delivered as Pitt fans had hoped. Majors is 9-27 since returning to Pitt, including a 1-2 start this season.
Majors said Pitt hasn't rebuilt quickly in part because it hasn't kept pace in building facilities. NCAA limits on contacts coaches can make with recruits - limits that didn't exist in the '70s. Also, it is more difficult to out-recruit established programs, he said.
``The only thing we did at Pitt (in the '70s) was to build a new locker room,'' he said. ``Most of our rivals had older stadiums then.
``Look at what Syracuse has done, building a dome. Rutgers and West Virginia have new stadiums. Boston College practically has a new stadium.
``Right now it takes five or six years to rebuild a program and we're not really on schedule.''
UNSELFISH ALL-AMERICAN: Defensive end Cornell Brown wasn't credited with a tackle in Tech's victory over Boston College, largely because the Eagles double-teamed the All-American senior.
Beamer said Tech's films revealed that Brown had two tackles and three assists. But it wasn't the addition of the tackles to Brown's stats that pleased Beamer as much as it was quotes from Brown he read in newspapers Sunday morning.
Brown told reporters it didn't matter that he had no tackles because the double-team blocking left others open to make tackles.
``That said a lot about Cornell Brown,'' Beamer said. ``For a guy of his caliber to be that unselfish is really good for our team.''
BIG TEN WEEK: Five Big East teams meet Big Ten teams Saturday, and if history is any indication, it will a tough week for the Big East.
Big East teams lost seven of eight games with the Big Ten last season, and three of the matchups this week - Temple-Penn State, Pitt-Ohio State and Boston College-Michigan - figure to be Big Ten blowouts.
Other Big Ten-Big East matchups: West Virginia at Purdue and Syracuse at Minnesota.
QUICK HITS: Tech fullback Brian Edmonds was named Big East Offensive Player of the Week. The senior from Blackstone, Va., had two touchdowns and threw a key block that allowed freshman Shyrone Stith to score the game's second touchdown. ... If the Hokies were expecting a breather Nov. 2 against Southwestern Louisiana, they know better now. The Ragin Cajuns upset No. 25 Texas A&M last weekend. ... Temple (1-2) probably blew whatever hopes existed for a winning season last week by losing at Bowling Green 20-16. Says coach Ron Dickerson: ``I'm really ticked off with this football team right now. I shared that with them. We were overconfident (after nearly beating Washington State a week earlier) and stunk up the place.'' ... Tech quarterback Jim Druckenmiller has at least one touchdown pass in 11 consecutive games. ILLUSTRATION: Former Virginia Tech assistant coach Rod Sharpless is
defensive coordinator for Rutgers. by CNB