Matt Gentry | The Roanoke Times

Emerson Pullium (left) and Andy McReynolds paint “Virginia Tech” on the south end zone. Worsham Field’s first season using Patriot Bermuda grass, a new, more aggressive strain of grass, is almost complete.

BLACKSBURG -- Jason Bowers had spent the last few hours watching very large men in cleats take turns stomping on and tearing up the fruits of his labor.

But he knew that was coming.

What Virginia Tech's groundskeeper for athletic fields didn't know -- at least not until the Tech football team built up its lead over Clemson in the second half of the Oct. 26 game -- was that another 15,000 pairs of feet would also stomp on the already ravaged grass of Worsham Field.

Bowers stood helpless in the north end zone next to a collapsed goal post as fans stormed the field in celebration of the victory over what was then the No. 10-ranked team in the country.

"It always puts a hurting on you, especially when they're jumping up and down at the SkyCam," he said. "There's nothing I can really do about it. That's what all colleges do. A big win, they come out on the field."

Despite the extra wear on the field after the Clemson game, Bowers said Tech's home field held up nicely this year. That's in large part because of a new strain of turf -- Patriot Bermuda grass -- covering the field this season. It's a hardier and more aggressive strain than the TifSport Bermuda grass that had been on the field since 2001.

After tests by Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences revealed that the Patriot grass would fare relatively well in Blacksburg, about 2,000 bushels of sprigs of the new strain were planted in May. Patriot grass sod was also brought in during the summer to supplement the newly planted grass.

The new strain of grass was developed at Oklahoma State University and debuted on college fields at Purdue University and the University of Maryland this year, along with Tech.

The toughest test for Worsham Field this season was a stretch from late September to early October. Tech had home games Sept. 16, 23 and 30 followed by junior varsity games Oct. 2 and Oct. 6.

But on Oct. 21, when the Hokies hosted the University of Southern Mississippi, the field looked better than he's ever seen it for an October game, Bowers said. He's even received compliments from referees, a first in his five years of working on Tech's football field.

As the grounds crew prepared the field Monday for the final home game of the season, most of the field was still green. The only major signs of wear could be found between the hash marks along a stretch of field between the 20s.

"It's getting a little lean there in the middle," Tech coach Frank Beamer said.

The green on the field now is actually due to rye grass. No matter how hardy or aggressive the Patriot Bermuda grass is, it's not meant to thrive in Blacksburg Novembers, Bowers said.

"Bermuda is very finicky grass," he said Monday. "It's called Bermuda grass -- and look, now it's snowing."

About 3,500 pounds of rye grass was spread on the field during the season as the weather got colder. Although it may look dead, the Patriot Bermuda grass is actually just dormant.

"I wish I could go dormant sometimes," said Bowers, who said he gets sympathy from some of his ACC brethren who manage fields in warmer climes.

He'll get a bit of a reprieve after Saturday, when Tech hosts the University of Virginia. It will be the 13th game played on the field this season -- almost double the number in a typical year. In addition to the eight games on the Hokies' regular schedule, there were three scrimmages and two junior varsity games.

Bowers, a 2000 graduate of Tech's agricultural technology program, is taking the same approach to the final game as he did watching fans celebrate last month.

"I'm just going to suck it up, hold my breath and just let this last game get over with," he said.

Bowers will cover the field with straw after the season ends to keep the dormant Bermuda grass from freezing and dying. He'll take the straw off the field about a month before the spring game and begin managing it again. The rye grass will be taken off the field with a special machine to let the Bermuda grass come in as the weather warms up and the football season draws near.

Bowers tries to ignore critics, who he admits are out there in online chat rooms that dissect every aspect of Hokie football. There are plenty of people who have green lawns at home who don't understand why Worsham Field's grass can't stay as green and healthy as theirs, he said.

But Bowers' most important critic said Tuesday that the field has held up well despite the wear and tear his players have inflicted on it.

"As long as Coach Beamer's happy -- that's the main person I need to be happy," Bowers said.