ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, November 13, 1996 TAG: 9611130054
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
Virginia Tech's hopes of winning for the first time at Miami may well rest in the hands of a Midget.
And, believe it or not, that's just fine with Anthony Midget.
``It can't get any better than this,'' the Hokies' freshman cornerback said Tuesday. ``This is what I dreamed for. I never pictured this. I was a big Miami fan growing up, and now I'm going be starting against Miami. How can you beat that?''
The 18th-ranked Hurricanes (6-2 overall, 4-0 Big East) will try to show him Saturday when they take on No.21 Tech (7-1, 4-1) at 3:30 p.m. at the Orange Bowl.
If the Hokies are going to win for the first time in eight trips to Miami, Midgetwill have to play huge. The 5-foot-11, 174-pounder from Clewiston, Fla., will make his first college start in place of senior starter Antonio Banks. Barring a miraculous recovery from a pulled groin, Banks won't play.
Banks pulled up lame late in the first half of Tech's 35-14 home victory over East Carolina on Saturday. Midget replaced Banks, quickly got burned for a 74-yard touchdown pass, then settled down to play a solid second half. His fourth-quarter interception sealed the Hokies' victory.
But now it's Miami. At the Orange Bowl. In Tech's biggest game of the year.
``I could think of better places,'' said Tech coach Frank Beamer, when asked if he was concerned about heading into such a trap with a true freshman manning one of his corners.
``I think the other thought is you're not playing against average folks, you're playing against maybe the best receiving crowd in the country.
``But I think that's why [Midget] came to a good program like Virginia Tech, to go back and play in a game like this. I don't know how it's going to turn out, but I think Anthony Midget welcomes the opportunity.''
Tech's other starting corner, sophomore Loren Johnson, knows what Midget is facing. Johnson's first start as a collegian came last year against Miami, and it also came because Banks was injured. After being picked on most of the day, Johnson batted down a fourth-down pass intended for Yatil Green with 17 seconds left to preserve Tech's 13-7 upset victory.
So what is Johnson's tip for Midget?
``The first you tell him is try to be calm, try to get rid of the butterflies as much as possible,'' Johnson said.
``Then you go on to athletic plays. The first thing we'll probably tell him is, `Don't get beat deep.' Next thing we'll probably tell him is, `Midget, we're behind you emotionally.'''
Midget is all ears this week.
``I think the best thing for me is to stay calm and not be too intense,'' he said. ``I need to go out there relaxed and do the things I can do.''
Midget said he's not concerned about pressure, or, for that matter, sleeping this week.
``I just can't wait till kickoff,'' he said.
BANKS CLOSED FOR MIAMI: Incredibly, Banks will miss his third Miami game in as many years because of injury.
``It just wasn't meant for Tony Banks to play against Miami, I guess,'' Beamer said.
Banks' absence against the 'Canes hasn't gone unnoticed.
``I told him I think he's scared to play Miami,'' said Torrian Gray, a senior free safety for the Hokies. ``Naw, you know, Banks is a competitor and this is definitely a game he'd want to play in. For some reason it just hasn't worked out that way for him. He keeps letting us Florida guys get our starts, so we'll take it.''
Gray, a Floridian like Johnson and Midget, started in Banks' place against Miami in 1994.
EXTRA EDGE: Like Tech's final two opponents, West Virginia and Virginia, Miami has the benefit of an open week before facing Tech.
The open week was welcomed by the 'Canes, whose starting quarterback, Ryan Clement, still is recovering from a separation to his non-throwing shoulder sustained in Miami's 31-6 home loss to East Carolina on Oct.19.
``It's a real advantage for those teams, not so much because it gives them extra time to prepare, but it helps them get healthy,'' Beamer said. ``If we had a bye week this week, Banks could play next week. That's the edge.''
GLOSSY NUMBERS: Counting both sides of the ball, Tech's numbers in the national statistics never have been stronger.
Offensively, the Hokies rank 10th in rushing (256.1 yards per game), 13th in scoring (33.9 points per game) and 21st in total yards (435.1 ypg).
Defensively, Tech ranks 12th against the rush (95.3 ypg), 16th in total yards (285.3 ypg) and 21st in scoring yield (17.3 ppg).
Individually, junior tailback Ken Oxendine ranks 21st in the country in rushing yards per game (104.7). Oxendine, who has 10 touchdowns in six games, ranks 10th nationally in scoring average (10 ppg).
TECH TIDBITS: Junior Shawn Scales has helped revive Tech's kickoff- and punt-return units. Scales has three kickoff returns of 45 yards or longer in the Hokies' past three games. Scales had 146 return yards against ECU, returning six punts 55 yards and four kickoffs 91 yards. Who would have imagined that through eight games former walk-on and redshirt freshman John Engelberger would have five sacks? That's one more than Tech's Lombardi Award finalist, Cornell Brown. Miami, which has lost consecutive home games for the first time since 1984, has been made an early seven-point favorite. The game will be seen by 73 percent of the nation via CBS (WDBJ Channel 7 locally). NOTE: Please see microfilm for statistics.
LENGTH: Medium: 100 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Midgetby CNB