Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 1, 1993 TAG: 9309010153
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
The other changes: Fifth-year senior Scott Jones will start the opener Saturday against Bowling Green in place of freshman Larry Green, whose sprained ankle has knocked him out; sophomore William Yarborough will back up Jones instead of Tyronne Drakeford, whose caddy will be redshirt freshman Okesa Smith.
Torrian Gray, instead of being No. 2 at two positions - free safety and rover - will be Antonio Banks' backup at free safety.
Semones, a freshman from Glenvar High School who made more noise as a running back than as a defensive back in high school, will back up rover (or strong safety) Stacy Henley after playing well at free safety in Thursday's final full-scale scrimmage.
"Good feet, intelligence, toughness," Tech coach Frank Beamer said, ticking off Semones' qualities. "He's a very natural guy."
Beamer said Wilkins, a 6-foot-4, 200-pounder with speed, wasn't a natural at free safety. Wilkins, recruited as a quarterback, said he would have preferred to stay in the secondary.
"I was struggling," he said. "As soon as I started to get used to it, they switched me."
Receiver isn't a shallow position for Tech, but Beamer noted Wilkins' size and speed and said, "There's a need for that type of person." Wilkins will be featured on special teams, too, Beamer said.
Beamer said after the season, Wilkins can choose to Semones stay at receiver or move back to quarterback.
"I won't close it off," Wilkins said of becoming a passer, "but I may end up staying at receiver."
Semones, meanwhile, figured he wouldn't be playing anywhere but in practice before Thursday's scrimmage.
"As long as I get some playing time this year, I won't feel like I've lost anything by not redshirting," he said. "I get the experience this year, especially the reps in practice.
"Mentally, I wasn't ready for it. Now, I have to change gears."
\ ROOKIES: Semones, Wilkins, Green, Banks, Cornell Brown and Bryan Jennings are the freshmen expected to play this year for Tech. Others, including highly recruited defensive back Korey Irby, are expected to be redshirted, although Beamer said nothing will be final until Thursday. Beamer said Irby was injured during preseason practice and fell behind. Jennings has proven he can do more than just catch passes as a tight end, and Beamer said the Lynchburg native will be seen "early and often."
\ THE OPENER: Bowling Green lost eight starters on defense and breaks in a new quarterback, redshirt sophomore Ryan Henry, against the Hokies on Saturday. But the Falcons' 21-3 record over the past two years and their reputation as the best team in the Mid-American Conference have the Hokies convinced this is a better opener than Division I-AA James Madison. Tech beat the Dukes in its last two openers by a combined score of 90-32.
"It creates a false confidence," tackle Chris Barry said of opening with an inferior team. "You come back the next week and have to play a team on your level . . . Sometimes people might be a little lax in preparation."
\ DEPTH CHART: Ranall White, a 5-10, 198-pounder from Brooklyn, has moved ahead of Radford's Tommy Edwards at No. 2 tailback, but Edwards is expected to get some carries. . . . Roanoke native Bernard Basham, a starter at defensive end last year, is listed as a second-string tackle behind redshirt freshman Waverly Jackson. J.C. Price and Jeff Holland are the other tackles. Beamer said it is a week-to-week decision who starts. . . . Sal Colangelo, the center fielder on Tech's baseball team, is listed as the Hokies' No. 2 kicker and punter.
\ WORKOUTS: Although Beamer said he was unhappy with Monday's practice, he praised the offense for its preseason work. The unit averaged 24.5 points per game last year, eighth-best in Tech history, and 380 total yards. "Sometimes when you've got a little experience, they want to coast through practice," Beamer said. "That hasn't happened at all."
\ ETC: Chris Barry on J.B. Grimes, the Hokies' new offensive line coach: "We've concentrated more on technical things, working up to the big picture, instead of worrying about the big picture and trying to correct the technical things. We've practiced harder than we have in the last three years." . . . Bowling Green's nine-game winning streak is the second longest in Division I-A behind Alabama's 23 in a row.
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB