ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, January 1, 1996 TAG: 9601020003
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: HOLIDAY
DATELINE: NEW ORLEANS
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
They may have inhaled Bourbon Street, but the Virginia Tech Hokies didn't need a drop to drink when the clock struck midnight this morning.
The Hokies already had their New Year's Eve buzz of all time, thanks to their own home-made Still.
Senior Bryan Still, who had scored only three touchdowns all season, sent Texas spinning with a 60-yard punt return for a score and a 54-yard touchdown reception as the Hokies stormed back for a 28-10 victory over the Longhorns in the 62nd Sugar Bowl.
"I had dreams of making big plays in this game and they came true,'' said Still, the game's most valuable player.
"It's one of the greatest feelings in my life. I couldn't have asked for anything more.''
In front of 70,283 fans - the smallest Sugar Bowl crowd in 21 years - Tech capped its greatest football season ever by knocking off tradition-rich Texas at the Louisiana Superdome.
After starting its season 0-2, 13th-ranked Tech closed with a school-record 10 consecutive victories. Meanwhile, No.9 Texas (10-2-1) lost for only the second time in 16 games dating to last season.
"A lot of people said we didn't belong here, but I think this victory proves we belong,'' Still said.
Texas bolted to a 10-0 lead, but it was all Hokies after that. Behind Still's heroics and another superb effort by its suffocating defense, which forced four Texas turnovers, Tech scored the final 28 points.
Still, a 6-foot, 170-pound big-play guy from Richmond, was the main stick of dynamite in the Hokies' demolition job. Besides his first-ever punt return for a touchdown, Still caught six passes for 119 yards.
With Tech trailing 10-0 late in the first half, Still got the sluggish Hokies jump-started with Tech's first punt return for a touchdown this season.
Down 10-7 late in the third quarter, Still set up Tech's go-ahead touchdown when he beat Texas' Tre Thomas for a 27-yard pass from Jim Druckenmiller to the Longhorns' 2. One play later, ex-Salem High star Marcus Parker rammed through a hugh hole for the go-ahead score with 2:32 left in the quarter.
The Hokies weren't done tapping their Still. After William Yarborough's interception stopped a Texas drive, Still torched Taje Allen for his 54-yard bomb to make it 21-10 with 12:28 to play.
The Longhorns attempted to rally, driving into Tech territory on their next two possessions. But each Texas drive ended the same way, stopped by Torrian Gray interceptions.
The Hokies' final score came with 5:04 left, when senior defensive tackle Jim Baron picked up Texas quarterback James Brown's fumble caused by a sack and rambled 20 yards into the end zone.
"I think our team showed what kind of people we have,'' said Frank Beamer, Tech's coach. "Like we did all season long, we got better as things went along. That first half wasn't very pretty, but we got things going and got better.''
Brown, the Southwest Conference offensive player of the year, was pressured into numerous mistakes by Tech's furious pass rush. The Hokies sacked Brown five times, three by All-America defensive end Cornell Brown.
"Their defense pressured James a lot and it hurt us,'' said Texas coach John Mackovic. "We couldn't get anything going against that defense. I hope we don't have to play Virginia Tech again anytime soon.''
Texas' highly touted running backs - Ricky Williams and Shon Mitchell - were held to 62 and 59 yards, respectively. The Longhorns finished with 78 rushing yards, exactly Tech's nation-leading average yield.
Druckenmiller wasn't pretty, but he got the job done. He completed 18 of 34 passes for 266 yards with one interception.
The Hokies, who had three turnovers, outgained the Longhorns 371-226.
Tech outgained Texas 172-126 in the first half, but trailed 10-7 due to some costly mistakes.
Tech penalties helped the Longhorns get on the scoreboard first.
After a 15-yard fair-catch interference flag on Tech freshman Pierson Prioleau set up Texas at its 28 instead of 13-yard line, the Longhorns drove 72 yards in eight plays to score.
The Longhorns, given a first down at the Tech 6 when Cornell Brown was offsides, made it 7-0 with 4:32 left in the first quarter when James Brown's pass split two Hokies defenders and found tight end Pat Fitzgerald for a 4-yard score.
Ken Oxendine fumbled at the Hokies' 31 on Tech's next possession, but Texas' shot at scoring was defused by a 20-yard holding penalty.
After making its way into Texas territory for the first time on its ensuing drive, the Hokies shot themselves in the foot again.
Druckenmiller, who was 10-of-22 for 115 yards in the half, had a pass tipped by Texas' Stonie Clark. The ball deflected into the hand of Longhorns linebacker Jason Reeves, who returned it 35 yards to the Tech 33.
Once again, the Tech defense held, only to see Phil Dawson nail a 52-yard field to make it 10-0 with 13:19 left in the half. Dawson, who beat Virginia 17-16 on Oct.21 with a 50-yarder on the game's final play, fell 1 yard short of the Sugar Bowl record of 53 yards, set by Oklahoma's John Carroll against Auburn in 1972.
Just when it appeared Tech, which had averaged 42 points a game in its past six games, was heading to the locker room with a zero on the scoreboard, Still started his fireworks show.
Fielding Mark Schultis' punt at his own 41, Still juked a couple of defenders, broke right and raced 59 yards untouched to make it 10-7 with 2:34 left before halftime.
It was Tech's first punt return for a touchdown since Antonio Freeman took one back for a score last season against Pitt. It was the third TD punt return yielded by the Longhorns this season.
see microfilm for box score
LENGTH: Long : 112 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. DON PETERSEN/Staff. Tech's Jim Baron pressures Texasby CNBquarterback James Brown during action in the Sugar Bowl. Baron
scored a fourth-quarter touchdown to seal the Hokies' win. color
2. AP Texas' Chris Carter gets tackled by Virginia Tech's Pierson
Prioleau during Sunday's Sugar Bowl. KEYWORDS: FOOTBALL