
DATE: Sunday, November 9, 1997              TAG: 9711090160

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                        LENGTH:   85 lines

HOKIES HOLD OFF STUBBORN 'CANES

Virginia Tech survived a couple of late-minute scares before pulling out a victory over Miami that kept the Hokies' hopes alive for a third-consecutive trip to an Alliance Bowl.

Miami mounted a fourth-quarter comeback but the Hokies' Pierson Prioleau preserved the 27-25 victory with an interception of Ryan Clement's two-point conversion pass with 1:48 to play, averting a possible overtime.

``It's every little boy's dream to be the hero for his team, and I was just in the right position at the right time to come through for my team,'' Prioleau said.

It was reminiscent of last year's game in Miami, when the Hurricanes were driving for a potential tying touchdown when Keion Carpenter picked off a Scott Covington pass and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown with 1:54 remaining.

``The big-play man has to make the plays, and he made it,'' Tech cornerback Loren Johnson said of Prioleau.

Clement, who had an excellent game (14 of 23 for 212 yards) attempted to force the ball to Reggie Wayne, who was surrounded by three Hokies.

``I saw a little opening and the guy stepped up front,'' Clement said.

On the ensuing kickoff Miami's Reggie Wayne recovered an on-side kick, but the Hurricanes' Duane Starks touched the ball before it went the required 10 yards and Tech held on to send the crowd of 53,177 - the third-largest in Lane Stadium history - home happy.

``It was one of those things where it was a judgment call,'' Miami coach Butch Davis said of the on-side kick ruling. ``I clearly felt like the ball touched one of the Tech players and we made the play. Our kids executed the play exactly like we practiced.''

Starks, however, said he did touch the ball prematurely.

``God gave us one there,'' Tech tailback Ken Oxendine said.

No. 20 Virginia Tech (7-2, 5-1 Big East) remains atop the conference standings and has the inside track to an Alliance bowl, which almost certainly will be the Fiesta Bowl for the Big East representative. If the Hokies beat Pittsburgh in two weeks and then Virginia in the season finale, they would probably lock up the trip to Tempe, Ariz.

``We needed to this game, we were treating this as a championship game as far as the Big East was concerned,'' said Tech quarterback Al Clark.

Clark was in championship form. He was out with a knee injury last week, but hit 10 of 12 passes for 153 yards and rushed for 37 - which didn't include 39 he ran for an on option play before pitching to Oxendine, who was credited with the 46-yard run. Oxendine finished with 147 yards on a career-high 36 carries.

The Hokies grinded out 259 yards rushing, but Miami actually out-gained them 422-412 yards.

The Hurricanes jumped out to a 13-3 lead in the first quarter - the key play for the Hokies proving to be a blocked extra point attempt Carl Bradley, which would figure into decisions made in the latter stages of the game. Tech cut it to 13-10 at the half, and then seemed to take control of the game in the third quarter.

On the opening drive the Hokies took almost seven minutes to cover 68 yards in 14 plays, 11 of them running plays. Tech converted four times on third down, including a touchdown run on third-and-six at the 14 by backup fullback Cullen Hawkins for a 17-13 lead.

The defense held Miami (4-5, 2-3 Big East) and the Hokies came right back with a 75-yard scoring drive as Lamont Pegues covered the final 27 yards for a touchdown and 24-13 lead with five seconds left in the third.

Miami didn't let Tech get too comfortable, however. James Jackson ran a sweep left, got to the corner and outran about six Hokies for a 78-yard touchdown run with 10:59 left in the game. Miami's two-point conversion pass failed and Tech led 24-19.

The Hokies added a field goal with 3:58 remaining on another long, deliberate drive, but the 'Canes came right back, scoring with 1:48 to play on James Jackson's 12-yard run to make it 27-25 and set up the late-game heroics.

``I'm really impressed with how our football team hung in there and made some plays when we had to,'' Tech coach Frank Beamer said. ``There's a couple of plays down there at the end we were not real proud of defensively, but there were a couple we were proud of.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Virginia Tech's Carl Bradley gets a handful of facemask as he hauls

down Miami running back Edgerrin James. Saturday's victory

strengthened the Hokies' grip on a third straight Alliance Bowl bid.

Photo

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Miami quarterback Trent Jones scored the game's first touchdown,

diving over the Hokies' Ike Charlton for the score.