Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 7, 1993 TAG: 9311070127
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESTNUT HILL, MASS. LENGTH: Long
\ Virginia Tech and Boston College never had met on the football field before Saturday, but by that time BC already knew the Hokies intimately.
Unlike an old friend, however, BC used its knowledge to smear 25th-ranked Tech 48-34 in a Big East Conference game Saturday before a crowd of 32,698 at Alumni Stadium.
BC broke Tech's defense by picking up its blitzes and stunts and burning its man-to-man coverage as Eagles quarterback Glenn Foley completed 21 of 29 passes for 448 yards and three touchdowns.
Foley threw poorly when pressured, but he wasn't sacked and he was hit hard only once, losing a fumble in the fourth quarter.
"They scouted us very well," said defensive end Hank Coleman. "They picked up our stunts very well. We didn't get to him when we needed to get to him."
The result ended the Hokies' three-game winning streak and left them 6-3 overall and 3-3 in the Big East, alone in fourth place. BC (6-2, 4-1) has won six in a row and is in third place in the league, putting the Eagles at the front of the line for the Big East's guaranteed spot in the Carquest Bowl on Jan. 1 at Miami's Joe Robbie Stadium.
After the game, Tech coach Frank Beamer chatted briefly with a scout from the Independence Bowl, which is known to like the Hokies.
Tech fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter and 21-7 with 11 minutes, 8 seconds left in the first half, but the Hokies weren't out of it until a dizzying momentum swing early in the fourth quarter.
Tech's Maurice DeShazo threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to fullback Brian Edmonds with 24 seconds left in the third period, making the score 34-27 BC after Ryan Williams missed the extra-point kick.
On BC's second play from scrimmage after the kickoff, the Hokies' Waverly Jackson and Coleman sandwiched Foley, who fumbled. Tech's George DelRicco recovered at the Eagles' 28 with 14:52 left in the game.
Dwayne Thomas gained 4 yards before missing a DeShazo quick-hit pass at the line of scrimmage. Edmonds gained 3 yards to set up fourth-and-three at the BC 21.
Beamer summoned the field-goal team, and DeShazo walked off the field clasping his hands on his head. Williams, who earlier had missed a 47-yard attempt, was off the mark from 38 yards as Tech's sideline popped with the sounds of slammed helmets.
On the fourth play of BC's next possession, Foley threw a wide receiver screen to Ivan Boyd. When center Tom Nalen blasted DelRicco out of the way, Boyd was gone for a 68-yard touchdown as the Eagles took a 41-27 lead with 12 minutes left in the game.
Boyd caught five passes for 162 yards and two scores.
"Glenn's throwing the ball incredibly well," Boyd said. "He's picking and choosing his receivers well."
On that play, Foley and Boyd made Tech shudder over what could have been.
"If we'd have made it, it would have kept the thing tight," Beamer said of the field-goal attempt. "When we missed it, I think it opened it up a little bit."
After the game, Tech's players didn't criticize the field-goal try despite the frustration they showed on the field. Williams, however, said he didn't expect the call.
"I thought they'd probably go for it, being we were so close," he said. "It was just a bad hit."
Tech moved the ball well even though deep-threat Antonio Freeman (sprained ankle) missed much of the game. But Williams' first missed field-goal attempt could have cut BC's lead to 7-3 in the first quarter; and the Hokies, trailing 21-7 in the second quarter, recovered a fumble at the BC 41 before running three plays and punting.
The Eagles' offense didn't misfire. BC's first play was a Foley-to-Pete Mitchell bomb over linebacker Ken Brown for a 37-yard gain - one of at least four deep balls that went over Brown's head.
One of those was a 35-yard touchdown pass to Brent Gibbons that gave BC a 34-21 lead with 3:32 left in the third quarter. That offset Edmonds' 37-yard touchdown run less than a minute earlier that had cut Tech's deficit to 28-21.
"The long balls down the middle . . . is not very good coverage, not playing the ball very well," Beamer said. "It's not that tough.
"[You're] trying to double people. It gets into who's left single [-covered]. They do a good job of figuring out who's single."
Added Phil Elmassian, Tech's defensive coordinator: "That's what they do. They didn't pick on anybody. Our linebackers are isolated. It's tough on [Brown]."
The whole BC experience seemed too rigorous for Tech, which could have taken a large step toward its first bowl appearance since 1986. Elmassian said BC's offense is "extremely difficult" to prepare for, in part because of sets that include two and three tight ends or a tight end in the backfield.
Even after Boyd's touchdown catch made it 41-27, Tech had a chance. But Joe Kamara made a leaping interception of a DeShazo pass intended for Bryan Still, who nearly had the ball in his hands before Kamara plucked it.
Beginning at their 17 with 10:25 left, the Eagles ran 12 times during a 14-play drive that subtracted almost seven minutes from the clock and ended with Darnell Campbell, the NCAA Division I-A scoring leader, going over from the 1 as BC took a 48-27 lead.
"This is a setback today, no question about it," said Beamer, still seeking his first seven-victory season as Tech's coach. "But we were beaten by a good football team." \
see microfilm for box score
by CNB