Sunday, December 02, 2007
Little piece of ball results in Tech's biggest play
Aaron McFarling
Recent columns
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- He was standing in the back row, because guys like Duane Brown always stand in the back row. All he wanted was to be a part of this. All he wanted was a little piece.
Linebacker Xavier Adibi stood in front of him. So did receiver Josh Hyman. They were the two faces in the direct aim of the camera lenses, the faces you will see in newspapers and on "SportsCenter" and in the game day programs for years to come. They were the players clutching the ACC championship trophy, the prize Virginia Tech earned at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium on Saturday by beating Boston College 30-16.
You probably won't see Brown's face. But if you look closely enough at those pictures, you might see his hand. You might see the tape wrapped around the big lineman's wrists, yellow with dirt and sweat. Because just before he left the stage, Brown reached over the shoulders of the others, extended his finger and touched the trophy.
That was all he wanted. Just a little piece.
n n n
There they went again: The Hokies, collectively, stitching together another memory.
By now, it's all become so familiar. There was Sean Glennon throwing tight spirals to his outstanding receivers, winning the game MVP award, adding another chapter to his rags-to-riches tale. There was Tyrod Taylor, the other quarterback, scrambling for a 31-yard gain on Tech's go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter.
There was Josh Morgan making a career-high eight catches, erasing the awful memories of an October onside kick that went wrong. There was coach Frank Beamer ridding himself of another nagging nemesis; this time it was a BC team that had beaten Tech twice in a row.
There were other familiar images, too: Vince Hall making a huge pick, Brandon Flowers punishing a receiver, Adibi stuffing a running back on third-and-inches.
And then there was Brown, the 6-foot-5, 308-pound offensive tackle.
Don't dare forget him. He made one of the biggest plays of them all.
n n n
All he wanted was a little piece of it. As Brown leaned into his stance with 5:35 remaining in the second quarter, he knew the Hokies needed something big to happen. BC had just gotten a 14-yard touchdown run by quarterback Matt Ryan. The extra point would make the score 17-7 Eagles.
But they had to make the extra point first, and Brown was determined to prevent it. He'd already blocked one kick Saturday, a field-goal attempt on BC's first drive. On that play, Brown and Kory Robertson had double-teamed the guard and pushed the line back.
This time, Robertson engaged the guard one-on-one. Brown slid his huge frame through a crease between the guard and tackle, then held up his right arm. The ball came off Steve Aponavicius' foot and struck Brown's right biceps.
That was all he'd wanted. Just a little piece.
n n n
For the first two months of the season, Brown had the worst job on Tech's team: Spokesman for the offensive linemen.
As a unit, the big guys were struggling. Tackle Ed Wang was out with an injury. To compensate, other linemen were shuffled around, and none of it was working. The quarterbacks weren't getting protection. The running backs weren't finding holes.
But quietly, Brown was putting together an All-ACC season. Week after week, the converted tight end would grade out well on film. And week after week, he would come into the interview room and assure everyone that things would eventually improve on the offensive line.
He felt that was part of his duties as a fifth-year senior, which also included addressing his teammates after that Oct. 25 loss to BC.
"We've got to keep our heads up," he remembers telling them. "You can't look back. You can only look at the road you have ahead and make the best of it."
But deep inside, he wasn't so sure.
"That was before I knew that we could still make it to the ACC championship," Brown said. "So saying that I really didn't feel that in my heart. I just wanted to try to motivate everybody."
The next day at practice, he made an uplifting discovery: If the Hokies won the rest of their games, they would still be ACC champions.
Hmm, Brown thought. Then that's what we'll do.
n n n
About an hour after the game Saturday, Brown sat outside the Tech locker room, the championship trophy resting on his lap. He talked about how happy he was for Glennon. He talked about the line's strides throughout the five-game winning streak. He talked about the mix of euphoria and relief that this win provided for everyone.
"It's like 1,000 pounds lifted off your back, man," he said. "We faced a lot of criticism through the season, but we knew we were in control of our own destiny. ... All we had to do was finish."
Brown's second block had changed everything. Flowers had scooped up the ball and run it all the way back the other way, giving Tech two points. So instead of a 10-point deficit, the Hokies were down just 16-9. Afterward, the players said that psychological edge was enormous. A touchdown late in the second quarter allowed the Hokies to go to the locker room tied despite being outplayed most of the half.
Right before Brown finished talking, football operations assistant Bruce Garnes approached and took the trophy. It was time to pass it to someone else. Garnes gave Brown a playful kiss on his forehead and walked away.
"Good thing there aren't any cameras over here," Brown said, laughing.
There rarely are. He's a lineman, after all. But he got what he wanted, the same thing all the Hokies can now say they have.
Just a little piece of something great.
