THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, September 29, 1996            TAG: 9609290200
SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C4   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: STEVE CARLSON
                                            LENGTH:   51 lines

[NOTES]

Oxendine back, but ground game absent

Virginia Tech starting tailback Ken Oxendine's return after missing 2 1/2 games with a shoulder separation was expected to bolster the Hokies' rushing game.

And Syracuse welcomed the junior Oxendine back with open arms - which they then wrapped around him in the first half. At the half, Oxendine had six carries for three net yards.

He finished with 50 yards on 15 carries with touchdown runs of 1 and 3 yards in Syracuse's 52-21 rout of the Hokies. Oxendine gained 43 yards with seven carries on Tech's 67-yard scoring drive to start the third quarter that drew Tech to within 24-21, but only ran two more times the rest of the game.

``We were hoping we could get back in the groove and do the same things, but stuff happens,'' Oxendine said. ``We wanted to go out and run the ball and put it down their throat.''

The Hokies, who came in averaging 221.7 yards rushing a game and 4.5 per carry, were held to 111 on 36 attempts, an average of 3.1 per carry.

``I felt well,'' said Oxendine, who also caught two passes for 58 yards. ``I haven't really had any complications (from the injury).''

Freshman Shyrone Stith from Chesapeake, who averaged 91.3 yards per game in Oxendine's absence, got four carries and gained 21 yards.

Bowl banter

Is it ever too early for bowl talk? Nah.

Fiesta Bowl scout Evan Paoletti was at the Carrier Dome Saturday to meet and greet folks from the Big East and both schools.

``We view colleges as our customers, and it's good for business relationship to be out here talking to them,'' Paoletti said.

The Fiesta Bowl has the third and fifth picks this year in the Bowl Alliance, which the Big East champion qualifies for. The Sugar Bowl gets the first two selections, the Orange Bowl selects fourth and sixth.

Quick hits

The Hokies, who came in averaging 5.3 sacks per game, caught Syracuse's Donovan McNabb three times for 18 yards in losses. . . . Tech quarterback Jim Druckenmiller's school-record string of 12 games with a touchdown pass was snapped. He was 11 of 23 for 157 yards with two interceptions against a Syracuse passing defense that came in ranked 104th nationally. He complained that Syracuse's secondary was allowed to get away with too much. ``I've never seen a game where so much holding is going on and not getting called,'' Druckenmiller said. . . . Tech linebacker Myron Newsome was credited with 16 tackles, including one for loss and a forced fumble. . . . The victory was No. 600 for Syracuse's program. by CNB