Football Looks To Avenge Last Year’s Loss To Hokies

Sept. 20, 1999

Clemson and its revamped offense will look to upset another nationally-ranked team from Virginia on Thursday night when it takes on No. 8 Virginia Tech and its stingy defense.

In their previous contest last Saturday, the Tigers knocked off then-No. 22 Virginia 33-14. The victory came one week after a disappointing 13-10 loss to Marshall in coach Tommy Bowden’s Clemson debut.

The Tigers will be looking for a bit of revenge following last season’s 37-0 rout by the Hokies, a game that saw them gain only 102 total yards. Last week, Tech’s defense held UAB to a school-record 63 yards in a 37-10 win.

Senior defensive end Corey Moore is the leader of a Hokies unit that is considered one of the best in the nation. Moore recorded three sacks against the Blazers.

“I don’t think everybody realizes what a great player we’re seeing sometimes,” said Tech coach Frank Beamer. “He just beats everybody. … I don’t think there is an offensive lineman in the country that can catch him.”

Shyrone Stith, who rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown last weekend, leads a potent Hokies ground attack. Stith has amassed 246 yards on 47 carries (5.2 ypc) in two games this season.

Quarterback Michael Vick, who injured his ankle against James Madison in the opener, is also a big part of the running game. The redshirt freshman ran for three scores in his debut, but sat out the UAB game because of the injury.

He is expected to return to action Thursday.

Clemson, which leads the ACC in passing, has gotten excellent play from senior quarterback Brandon Streeter, who received much of the blame for last season’s disappointing 3-8 record.

Streeter threw for a school-record 343 yards and two touchdowns in the Tigers’ win Saturday.

Wide receivers Rod Gardner and Brian Wofford have been the beneficiaries of Streeter’s solid play. Gardner has 17 receptions for 177 yards while Wofford has 13 catches for 192 yards.

Clemson’s running game, however, has not been nearly as effective. The team’s backs are averaging just 2.7 yards on 77 carries.