ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, September 3, 1996 TAG: 9609040062
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: TECH NOTES
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
WHEN TECH'S BACKUPS come up short, Anthony Midget and Shyrone Stith get the call.
The unexpected losses of Larry Green and Marcus Parker in preseason have left Virginia Tech's 15th-ranked football team with virtually no backup experience at cornerback and tailback.
Coach Frank Beamer, whose Hokies kick off the their 1996 season Saturday night at Akron, said Monday that a pair of true freshmen - cornerback Anthony Midget and tailback Shyrone Stith - will serve as the top reinforcements at those positions.
``The way things are looking,'' said Beamer, ``we have a lot of freshmen who are going to be playing a lot.''
The Hokies learned Saturday they had lost the services of Green, a three-year starter at left corner. Green failed to meet his academic requirements in summer school and did not enroll for the current fall semester. Beamer said Green, who also was being counted on to handle punt-return chores, will use this as a redshirt year and return to school and the football program in 1997.
``It's a significant loss,'' Beamer said. ``When you talk about Larry Green, you're talking about a guy who was playing with a lot of confidence. He returned some punts and made a lot of plays downfield ... the kind of plays that if they're completed are long plays.''
Sophomore Loren Johnson, originally slated to serve as the backup to right cornerback Antonio Banks, has inherited Green's starting job. Johnson started nine games at corner last season after Banks went down with a knee injury in September.
``We have a lot of faith in Loren,'' Beamer said. ``He's been under the fire. He came up real big in the Miami game,'' knocking down a pass near the goal line to preserve Tech's 13-7 victory.
Midget, a 5-foot-10, 170-pound native of Clewiston, Fla., received most of his high school accolades for his work on offense. But Beamer said he can play defense, too.
``He's a good player; he just needs to play,'' Beamer said. ``He'll back up on both sides at cornerback.''
Tony Joe, a 25-year-old junior-college transfer, also likely will see some time as a backup cornerback, Beamer noted.
Stith, a 5-9, 180-pound native of Chesapeake, will be the main substitute for No.1 tailback Ken Oxendine. Stith fills in for Parker, who was suspended from the squad indefinitely on Aug.13 for a shoplifting conviction.
``Nothing has changed,'' said Beamer, when asked about Parker's status.
Beamer said Stith was impressive in Tech's final preseason scrimmage last Thursday.
``He's very good with the ball in his hands,'' Beamer said. ``He has to concentrate when it's not in his hands, picking up blocks and running routes and stuff.''
MAJOR PROBLEMS: Pitt coach Johnny Majors on his club's embarrassing 34-0 home loss to West Virginia on Saturday: ``Frankly, we were completely whipped in every phase of the game. It was no contest. I don't know how good West Virginia is. One game, you can't tell because we were so sorry.''
Majors was so upset with his team's effort in the loss that he made his players don the pads on Sunday. ``This is the first time I've put pads on the Sunday after a game. It's a wakeup call trying to get us back to playing a contact game ... to get people's attention.''
Unless the Panthers wake up in a hurry, Majors likely is gone. His Pitt teams have won only eight games since he returned to the post in 1993.
MAC ATTACK: Including Tech-Akron, there are three Big East/Mid-American Conference matchups Saturday. Western Michigan travels to West Virginia, and Kent visits Pitt.
WVU coach Don Nehlen claimed none are sure wins for the supposedly superior Big East clubs.
``They [MAC programs] have as many scholarships as anybody else,'' Nehlen said. ``Last year, Miami [Ohio] was the only team to beat Northwestern besides in the Rose Bowl. They're Division I. They can beat anybody. And most of the Mid-American Conference schools have better facilities than schools in the Big East.''
LENGTH: Medium: 79 linesby CNB