THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 2, 1997 TAG: 9701020151
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MIAMI LENGTH: 101 lines
Virginia Tech's football team overcame long odds and big obstacles all season.
But Tuesday in the Orange Bowl, the 17-point underdog Hokies could not overcome Nebraska and the obstacles created by its offensive line and running game.
Tech played with the two-time defending national champion Cornhuskers for three quarters before succumbing in the fourth. The final score wasn't pretty - a 41-21 loss - and the Hokies left Pro Player Stadium knowing they were overmatched.
But they also left with a sense of having proved that they belonged.
``I don't think anybody that watched that football game felt like we shouldn't be on the field with them,'' Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said.
No one would have predicted Tech would be there back in August at Big East media day, when it was chosen to finish third by people who cover the league. In early November there was no reason to think the Hokies would be ringing in the New Year at another Alliance Bowl.
They were 7-1, but had been hammered at Syracuse. They had not beaten a good team and, in fact, struggled to beat poor to mediocre teams like Akron, Rutgers and Pittsburgh.
But the final four weeks of November defined the Hokies - both on and off the field. Indictments of nine current and former players were handed down on a Wednesday, adding to Tech's ever-expanding rap sheet. Several players were suspended, and then the shorthanded Hokies drubbed East Carolina on Saturday.
The Hokies' reputation was sullied, but as a football team they had developed an identity: they were unruffled on game day, regardless of what was swirling around them.
Tech picked up steam the rest of November, defeating nationally ranked Miami, West Virginia and Virginia to close the regular season ranked in the top 10.
``I think it should be remembered as a team that overcame the odds a little bit, a team that really played well when people might not expect it to,'' Beamer said. ``There's probably never been a Tech team in history that's played as well against the odds as this football team.''
Tuesday those odds were too high.
The Hokies hung tough for a long time, riding the arm of quarterback Jim Druckenmiller and the legs of tailback Ken Oxendine to a surprising offensive show against a Nebraska team ranked in the top 10 nationally of all four major defensive statistical categories. But Tech (10-2) could not keep pace with the Husker's offense, and fell short in its bid to set a school record for victories.
The Hokies did not come up with enough big plays on offense, and had at least four passes dropped. Cornelius White had his hands on one of those in the end zone. Defensively, Tech missed a bundle of tackles, especially as the game wore on and the Huskers wore the Hokies out.
``I think Nebraska probably has more good depth than anybody in the country,'' Beamer said. ``We've been a good fourth-quarter football team, but they had more left in the fourth quarter than we did.''
Nebraska (11-2) punted on its first two possessions, but was not stopped again by Tech's defense. On the other nine possessions, the Cornhuskers scored five touchdowns and two field goals and twice were stopped by the end of the half.
``I don't know how they lost two football games,'' Tech offensive guard Gennaro DiNapoli said. ``I'm very proud of our football team. We hung with the best in the land for three quarters. It just kind of slipped away at the end.''
The charge now for the Hokies is to avoid slipping away from the consciousness of fans nationwide.
The current senior class has accomplished a first by going to four consecutive bowls - including the Sugar and Orange - and won more games than at any period in Tech's 103-year football history. Beamer continually talks about reaching the next level, but just maintaining where they are will be a chore for the Hokies.
``This opportunity might never come back to Tech and it was never here before, ever,'' Tech senior center Billy Conaty said. ``I hope people don't take this for granted. It's been a great effort by our coaching staff and our players.''
Said senior tight end Bryan Jennings: ``We've pretty much laid the foundation for the future.''
Everyone said this a year ago and was proven wrong, but it's hard to imagine the immediate future being so bright.
The Hokies lose a horde of seniors, including seven starters on offense and six on defense. Included in that group is defensive end Cornell Brown, the Big East defensive Player of the Year last season, and Druckenmiller, the Big East co-offensive Player of the Year this season who is projected to be one of the first quarterbacks selected in the NFL draft.
``As long as everyone maintains good work ethic and doesn't get caught up in individualism, I think the team will be all right,'' Druckenmiller said.
Next year will probably be a rebuilding job, although Tech's schedule is also loaded with seemingly sure wins. The Hokies open at home Aug. 30 with a league game against Rutgers, who along with Big East members Temple, Pittsburgh and perhaps even Boston College probably will have no prayer against Tech. In addition to Virginia, the Hokies have non-conference cake walks with Arkansas State, Miami of Ohio and the University of Alabama-Birmingham - all three at home.
So pencil the Hokies into their fifth consecutive bowl about a year from now.
But another Alliance Bowl bid? The odds would be against it. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by Huy Hguyen/The Virginian-Pilot
Late in Tuesday's game, Virginia Tech's Bryan Jennings reaches for -
and misses - a Jim Druckenmiller pass.
KEYWORDS: ORANGE BOWL VIRGINIA TECH