The Roanoke Times from Roanoke, Virginia • 6

The Roanoke times Preseason game work in end BLACKSBURG And everyone thinks Michael Vick is electric? The pregame thunder from a record crowd at Lane Stadium roiled toward kickoff Sunday night but the BCA Bowl never got off the tee It might never get off the tee and it Virginia Tech thought last football season with a na tional champion ship game fairly crackled The 2000 season really bolted out of the gate rom a blue gray August sky lightning thunder sheets of rain and whipping wind cleared the place The our Horsemen? They would have drowned After 56 minutes of waiting through a lightning delay really what took so long? the Georgia Tech Virginia Tech game was called off Because the cap tains had met and the coin toss had tak en place the game was in the hands of the officials So what was it that pulled the plug? itain? Lightning? ield conditions? of said referee Dan Blum ofhe crew assigned from Conference (iSA plus another weather sys tem told may be just like this one is on the way You go out there in these Blum had been huddling in a Lane press box roof booth meeting with Jim Weaver and Dave Braine the athletic directors of the two schools officials of the Gazelle Group the BCA Bowl orga nizers and ESPN college football coor dinating producer Moe Davenport wanted us to play the game said Braine the Georgia Tech AD whose return to a town he called home for almost a decade was truly an electrifying experience way Both teams have games Saturday Besides no way this field would have been playable in 24 fy Except for the overhead protection from lightning bolts the area under the grandstands had become an unplayable situation too ans waiting for kickoff were jammed against one another wait ing to exhale i The throng was like a giant cranber ry bog dripping wet maroon bub bling thick The only water in the stadi lifn was what was pouring from the sky During the delay Gazelle Group spokesman Tim was asked when the game might be rescheduled going to play tonight no matter how long we have to wait" he said 1 It was apparent that going to happen Even if the lightning subsided which it parts of Worsham ield or was it Wash ield had col lected standing water fy Moments after the game was called at 9:02 Tech athletic director Weaver said that because the teams have a common open date only time we could probably play is the first weekend of 'f A decision likely to come for several days The NCAA also must give the teams permission to play a game later Whose call is a rescheduled game? three the two schools and Ga zelle all four including ESPN Weaver said and I have to talk to our coaches our presidents our legal people about the contract for the game a lot to discuss before a deci sion is i What seems apparent is that with no game the Teclts get any receipts from Gazelle Each school would be out at least $750000 However Braine said last week that in his opinion play a preseason game for financial rea How about playing the Saturday af ter the traditional and emo tional season cnders against state ri vals Virginia and Georgia? I think a good Braine said think it will be Really it might make some dollars but it make much sense to play If the edge of a season opener wasn't knocked out by lightning it was washed away Jack Bogaczyk can be reached at 981 3124 or jackbroanokecom JACK BOGACZYK to r' BASEBALL REPORT B2 3 SpMts ad a racings iirJ IK La golfB5 vJOLIjJLk NLB7 Stafeg feiiopieot Il foe Si! Tech players fans all wet after washout we were real had been looking for it all said back Lee Suggs a Yellow Jackets talk of sibility of that lYiday night believe we would have to petition the NCAA for per mission because a rule about playing on riday nights because of high school ball Beamer owler never the only feasible date would hope it would be Hokies athletic direc tor Jim Weaver said MiikM (Mr 30 MATT GENTRY THE HUA MIKE TIMES Virginia Tech quarterback looks to the sky during warmups Sunday night prior to the scheduled start of the BCA Bowl After months of preparation Virginia Tech players and fans are disappointed By MARK BERMAN THE HUAMJKE TIMES BLACKSBURG or Vir ginia Tech players and fans the BCA Bowl was a washout in more ways than one or months the Hokies had been eagerly awaiting season opener against Georgia Tech When lightning caused the game to be delayed and then called off the Hokies saw their season get off to a disappoint ing start ward to running pm possibility would he the first Whether it will ever be weekend in December the pos Aftcr more huge lightning played is guess If it bolts and thunder followed by is riday Dec 1 appears to be heavy rain that quickly turned the field unplayable plus fore cast of another incoming storm the game was postponed at 9:02 By RANDY KING wTHEJIOANOKE TIMES BLACKSBURG The record sized Lane Stadium' crowd of 56276 fans had been whipped into a chaotic frenzy inally the 2000 football season that the legion of Vir ginia Tech followers had been waiting on for eight months was about to begin at 8:05 Sunday night Georgia Tech had won the coin toss and had elected to receive the ball Virginia Tech kicker Carter Warley had placed the ball on the tee and was holding up his right hand a signal to his cover team cohorts that kickoff was imminent The fourth BCA Bowl was ready to rock and roll looked said Rick Giles president of the New Jersey based Gazelle Group that was producing Sun day ESPN2 contest Then seemingly out of nowhere a lightning bolt the size of Montgomery County lit up the sky above Lane Seconds later roaring thunder followed in tow A minute later both teams were sent scurrying for the William I 'leming graduate believe it because 1 had never heard of anything like this happen in college football It feels like a lost cause because we spent about three months on Georgia was a big cor nerback Ronyell Whitaker said were sec onds from kick off The defense was up first so Tech did get one aspect of its game perfected we got our warmups Tech coach rank joked told Chrisof ESPN a dull moment in When lightning struck jiM before kickoff the Tech playcA and coaches took shelter hot cramped Lane Stadiq dressing room was the worst said was scared to deathJ seen other guys too that wCrtf scared Guys were hunched down hiding when we went int3 that As he waited cornerback Larry Austin wondered how team could regain its focus afifl emotion if the game had started so hype you pre! pare for weeks months for thisT game and the adrenaline goej down to zero" he said PLEASE will all have to be looked into to Each school willt have to converse with its coaching staff if it will be feasi ble to do it or Weaver said there was 'no thought given to playing the game tonight Weaver said teams play this SaP urday and that field is not going to be Weaver said he and Georgia Tech AD Dave Braine following discussions with the NCAA and the Gazelle Group hope to reach a decision this week on whether the game will be played have to be made Braine said a pre season game and we need per mission from the NCAA to play it any other lime We know if we can get The decision to call tlve game was made by the two game officials ESPN2 official and the Gazelle Group WeaVar said da ADs talked to thg coaches" Weaver said Dave and I both have tv PLEASE SEE UGHTNINQbS WS kN' Lightning delayed the start of the BCA Bowl in Blacksburg for about an hour before it was cancelled cover and safety of south end dressing rooms ERIC BRADY THE HOANOKE TIMES Soaked fans leave Lane Stadium during a downpour Sunday night Lightning forced the BCA Bowl between Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech to be cancelled Lightning cancels Hokies opener against Georgia Tech IMBillilM Trat Ju 3 4 13 Jr tft A Vx uAV tif XO Mik MBHra 7 Vie 7 77 LU I 7 MWlarl WU rKkEWjLJBrxBHrr EMMVQtJ M3 7 pl AJA "Hl MONDAYAUGUST 282000.