Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 1, 1994 TAG: 9401010110
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SHREVEPORT, LA. LENGTH: Medium
Tech's defensive speed spun the Hoosiers into offensive vertigo as the Hokies ripped IU 45-20 in the 18th annual Independence Bowl at Independence Stadium.
Were there white knuckles among Tech's coaches before the game? Sure.
"I was hoping," Tech coach Frank Beamer said when asked if the plan was for the Hokies' movement to make up for their lack of size. "They're much bigger. I've always believed in quickness . . . It made a difference today."
Tech pressured Indiana's quarterbacks, getting seven sacks, and made four other behind-the-line tackles, controlling the Big Ten's worst passing offense and fulfilling defensive coordinator Phil Elmassian's wishes.
He didn't even fret when IU took a 7-0 lead on a 75-yard touchdown pass.
"We had to stop the running game, no matter," Elmassian said.
So, typical of Tech, eight players crowded the line of scrimmage. Indiana knew what it was getting: Defense stacked against the run, pressure on passes, and mostly man-to-man coverage.
"Our game plan was hopefully to get [our receivers] one-on-one and beat 'em deep," IU backup quarterback Chris Dittoe said.
Tech nixed it. IU got one deep ball; Tech got the sacks, a quarterback's fumble and two interceptions, one in the end zone.
Indiana's 20 rushing yards were the fewest Tech allowed this season. And the Hokies' defense scored a touchdown by returning a quarterback's fumble for the third straight game; DeWayne Knight victimized Syracuse's Marvin Graves, Jeff Holland did the same to Virginia's Symmion Willis and Lawrence Lewis did it to John Paci on Friday.
Indiana's offense isn't suited for comebacks - especially with a redshirt freshman (Dittoe) behind center - but Elmassian still worried about Lewis and tailback Jermaine Chaney.
"You've got to take that team and make it a one-dimensional game," he said of stopping the run. "The question then becomes, contain Lewis."
The pass rush helped that. Seven different players got pieces of Paci and Dittoe.
Lewis and his receiving mates were eager for Tech's man-to-man but not very productive against it.
Lewis could tell why as he watched his pre-game films come alive.
"(Watching video), I said, `They get to the quarterback. If you take out the brain of the body, you can't get the ball to the hands.' We were trying to max-protect, but they were bringing everybody," Lewis said.
Dittoe, who met some of Tech's "everybodys," remarked about Tech's defensive quickness. So did the Hokies.
"We didn't know if we could beat them that much," defensive end Cornell Brown said. "Our speed just beat 'em."
Toughness wasn't absent, though. With IU trailing 28-13 and facing fourth-and-one at the Tech 31, the Hoosiers' Jermaine Chaney ran behind an offensive line that included no one shorter than 6-foot-3 and no one lighter than 285 pounds.
Tech rover Torrian Gray met Chaney, wrapped him up and put him down a yard short of the first down.
"Kicked the crap out of 'em. Just went out there and kicked their fannies," Elmassian said.
That, Elmassian said, was a most satisfying kick back by a defense that had been all but ignored during the week - when it wasn't the focus of questions about its various faults.
"Towards the end of the week, it got a little tiring," Elmassian said. "Absolutely. But that wasn't the priority. . . . Yeah, I think it was very emotional - it was for me, because we've got good football players."
At the end, Elmassian may have been worrying about missed execution on Indiana's meaningless, last touchdown. Not his players, who had been hearing all week about Indiana's defense.
"We knew our defense had to be better than Indiana's," cornerback Tyronne Drakeford said. "For this day, we were better."
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB