Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 29, 1995 TAG: 9510310026
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
DATELINE: MORGANTOWN, W.VA. LENGTH: Medium
With Halloween followed by a big Orange date on its football schedule, Virginia Tech turned vampire in the home of its next-door Big East neighbor.
The Hokies just sucked the life out of West Virginia. The Mountaineers just, well ... never mind.
In a rivalry that often has produced veritable blood baths, the line Saturday at Mountaineer Field was that this was to be another of those low-scoring struggles. Both teams ranked among the top 15 nationally in defense.
Only Tech held up its end of the deal in a 27-0 rout. WVU was held scoreless for the second consecutive game. That hasn't happened since October 1964, when the Mountaineers were regularly winning the Southern Conference.
It was the most lopsided blanking for the Mountaineers since 1976, when Penn State won 33-0 on a homecoming at the old Mountaineer Field wedged among streets and buildings on WVU's old campus.
The Hokies stuffed WVU quickly, assuring a bowlful of possibilities in more ways than one. With a sixth straight triumph, Tech (6-2) clinched one of the Big East's bowl berths, seemingly a dwindling number by the week.
With the WVU loss and Boston College's setback at Notre Dame, the Big East's bowl eligibles are down to 21st-ranked Syracuse, which visits the Hokies Saturday in this season's Lane Stadium finale, Miami and next week's Rutgers-West Virginia winner.
That survivor is no lock to play past Thanksgiving weekend, either. WVU (3-5) still must visit Miami, and Rutgers (2-5) plays BC. That would leave the Liberty Bowl without a fourth Big East team.
It also would mean the Hokies are assured of playing in the Sugar or Orange (as the potential Big East champ), Gator or Carquest bowls. It means an unprecedented three consecutive bowl trips for coach Frank Beamer's program.
Only four teams in Tech history have won more games in a row than Beamer's ninth squad at his alma mater. He played on the last two, seven-win streaks in 1966 and '67. The others are seven straight in 1918 and a school record 8-0 start in 1905.
Speaking historically, West Virginia never had lost at home so badly in this 41-game series. Not only did 138 yards of WVU total offense - a season best for the Hokies' defense - tell the story.
Tech had 16 tackles for losses, including eight sacks against the Mountaineers for the second consecutive year. Five other times West Virginia runners were stuffed for no gain.
A longtime Mountaineers watcher said this might be WVU's worst offensive line since World War II.
When the Hokies' defense wasn't playing in the WVU backfield, Tech's offense had the ball for a season-high 35:50.
By halftime, the only suspense was about whom would be crowned the West Virginia homecoming queen. Actually, after 16 minutes, it was over.
Tech had 17 points by then. The Mountaineers' effort to that point was downright ghoulish in weather that eerily went from windy and rainy to sunny.
It included an ankle sprain, 1-for-7 passing by Chad Johnston, with another completion to Tech cornerback Larry Green for a score, punts of 14 and 20 yards, an illegal-procedure penalty, four running plays for losses and minus-5 yards total offense in four possessions.
``We really shot ourselves in the foot,'' said WVU offensive tackle Joe DeLong. ``We've got all but about one or two guys pointing fingers.
``We should be good. We're terrible. We're awful. If we're looking for the problem, we need to look in the mirror.''
Had the Mountaineers done that Saturday, they probably would have seen Tech's defense chasing them. It's getting to be a familiar sight in the Big East.
``They just came after us and kept coming,'' Johnston said. ``They bull-rushed the whole game. They beat us up front, and they beat us up up front.''
And everywhere else, too.
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB