THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 29, 1995 TAG: 9510290197
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MORGANTOWN, W.VA. LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
Virginia Tech climbed step one Saturday, with two more to go.
The Hokies' coaches presented the players with T-shirts Friday that read ``3 steps to the Big East title.'' The shirt depicts a staircase with a door at the top signifying the league title. Written on the steps were the names of Tech's remaining league foes - West Virginia, Syracuse and Temple.
The Hokies bounded over West Virginia on Saturday with a 27-0 win at Mountaineer Field. Syracuse is next, followed by Temple.
``We knocked one down, got two to go,'' said tailback Dwayne Thomas, who wore a Syracuse hat to the postgame interview session.
Tech hosts Syracuse on Saturday. But even if Virginia Tech beats the Orangemen and Temple, three teams potentially could still tie the Hokies for the Big East title. The league does not have a tiebreaker to determine a champion, so a 6-1 Big East record does not assure Tech that it will be the league's representative in the bowl alliance (Fiesta, Orange and Sugar bowls).
FAIR-WEATHER FANS: The Mountaineers' first back-to-back shutout losses since 1964 - Syracuse blanked them last week - and first shutout loss at home since 1986 didn't sit well with the West Virginia faithful, who booed sporadically throughout the afternoon.
As coach Don Nehlen ran toward the tunnel after the game, a leather-lunged fan hung over the railing screaming, ``Hey Nehlen, hang it up, you stink.''
The Mountaineers are 3-5 and one loss away from postseason elimination.
``Going into the season I thought we would have a very good football team if we could keep everything together,'' Nehlen said. ``Unfortunately, we haven't done that.''
BARON BACK: Tech defensive tackle Jim Baron, who missed two games and most of another with an ankle sprain, appeared to be almost at full strength Saturday for the first time since early in the season. He had a sack and another tackle behind the line of scrimmage.
``It still hurts a little bit, but I can play with the pain,'' Baron said. ``I was real excited about the possibility of coming out and making some plays.''
QUICK HITS: West Virginia's Shawn Foreman, a redshirt freshman from Chesapeake's Indian River High School, blocked a Virginia Tech punt and then recovered it in the first quarter. West Virginia's offense, however, went three-and-out after the block. . . . Tech has outscored the Mountaineers 61-6 in their last two meetings and has won five of the last seven in the series. . consecutive game in which he has scored a touchdown. . . . The shutout was Tech's first in a Big East game. . . . The win was Tech's third straight homecoming victory - its own over Akron and then on the road against Rutgers and West Virginia. by CNB