ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, October 30, 1996 TAG: 9610300044
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: TECH NOTES
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
Unless it's unexpectedly served a Cajun dish that's too hot to handle Saturday, Virginia Tech's football team can start salivating over a fourth consecutive postseason bowl feast.
If the favored Hokies (5-1) can down Southwestern Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns (4-4) at Lane Stadium, they will have met the NCAA's requirement of six victories over Division I-A opponents. In the process, Tech will become a virtual lock to claim one of the Big East Football Conference's four bowl slots.
Frank Beamer, the Hokies' coach, likes his chances.
``If we can win Saturday, the percentages will be in our favor that we can lock ourselves in a bowl,'' Beamer said. ``I'd like to think we wouldn't stop there. But let's take the first step, and get ourselves eligible for bowl consideration and go from there.''
Where the Hokies will go bowling can't be settled so early. The Big East champion will fill one of six slots in the alliance, which is made up of the Fiesta, Orange and Sugar bowls. After that, the Gator, Carquest and Liberty bowls, in that order, get to hand pick their Big East representatives.
Tech, which also has tough nonconference games with East Carolina and Virginia left, has little chance of winning the Big East regular-season title outright.
``Having a loss already, I don't think we can,'' Beamer said. ``I do believe if we can win our last two conference games we can tie for it.''
In such a scenario, Tech still could earn the league's alliance spot. The Big East's new tie-breaking procedure employs head-to-head competition combined with rankings in the Associated Press and coaches' polls.
``That's why a nonconference game like we have Saturday is so important,'' Beamer said. ``Unless you can win the Big East outright, these out-of-conference games become as critical as conference games.
``If you win the conference outright, you're assured of going to one of the top bowl games. But after that, for second, third and fourth teams it really gets down to these out-of-conference games and the rankings.''
HUSTLE BUSTLE: While Tech's offense has gone stale at times this season, it's hard to find fault with the Hokies' numbers.
Tech leads the Big East in total offense (409 yards per game) and ranks second in rushing (231.7 yards per game) and scoring (31.5 points per game).
Of course, big offensive numbers have been the rule in Blacksburg under offensive coordinator Rickey Bustle. In the 30 games, including two bowls, in which Bustle has called the plays, Tech has averaged nearly 33 points and 408 yards per outing.
So now you know why Beamer never listens to the offensive suggestions of the armchair quarterbacks calling on his weekly Monday night radio show.
OVERDUE PICKS: The Hokies had two interceptions Saturday in their 34-17 victory over Pitt, matching their total through five games.
``It's about time we finally got some interceptions,'' said sophomore cornerback Loren Johnson, whose fourth-quarter pickoff sealed Pitt's demise. ``It felt good getting two picks in a game, for once.''
Johnson, who was selected Big East co-defensive player of the week for his performance, has come up big as the replacement for two-year starter Larry Green, a preseason academic casualty.
``That position was a real concern for us when Larry went out,'' Beamer said. ``But Loren has come in there and held up great so far.''
CRACKING THE WHIP: Despite an ailing back that requires periodic treatment, whip linebacker Brandon Semones quietly is putting together a huge senior season.
Although he won't scare anybody at 6 feet, 202 pounds, Semones has produced big results in Tech's six games, registering a club-high eight tackles for losses, including four sacks. The former Glenvar High School star is the Hokies' second-leading tackler (36 solo, 13 assists) behind fellow linebacker Myron Newsome.
TECH TIDBITS: Junior linebacker Tony Morrison, suspended for the Pitt game after missing curfew, has been reinstated and will start Saturday. The Hokies' defense will be bolstered by the return of end Cornell Brown and Newsome. Brown missed two games after undergoing knee surgery, while Newsome sat out against Pitt with a sprained right shoulder. Freshman kicker Shayne Graham is the Hokies' backup punter, in the wake of Beamer's indefinite suspension of sophomore John Thomas. The Hokies have won six consecutive games at home, where they play four of their final five regular-season opponents. Tech officials are projecting a crowd of about 40,000 for Saturday's contest, which kicks off at 1 p.m.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for statistics.
LENGTH: Medium: 85 linesby CNB