THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 8, 1994 TAG: 9410080435
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CHARLIE DENN, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: WILLIAMSBURG LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
Back in Yankee Conference play after three weeks, William and Mary hosts Northeastern today at Zable Stadium in a game which, on paper, shouldn't be too much of a test.
But the Tribe (2-0 conference, 4-1 overall) will be playing without regular quarterback Shawn Knight, who suffered a sprained ankle last week in a loss at Virginia. Backup Matt Byrne will get the starting nod.
Byrne was 12-of-20 for 135 yards with one interception last week against the Cavaliers in three quarters.
``He was a little indecisive at first,'' Tribe coach Jimmye Laycock said. ``But he played in the second half like I would have anticipated.''
Byrne, 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, is a redshirt junior from Damascus, Md. For the season, he has completed 14-of-25 passes for 178 yards and no touchdowns.
Against winless Northeastern (0-2 conference, 0-4 overall), a team William and Mary bombed 53-6 last year, Byrne figures to be able to handle the chore. The Tribe has a couple noteworthy streaks going, including 13 straight wins at home and an eight-game Yankee Conference win streak.
Northeastern lost to Richmond two weeks ago and was idle last Saturday. The Huskies changed quarterbacks against the Spiders, replacing erratic senior Clarzell Pearl with Jim Murphy, a redshirt freshman. Murphy threw for 210 yards against Richmond but was intercepted three times.
``They use three wideouts and throw the ball a lot,'' Laycock said. Northeastern has thrown 124 passes in four games, 19 more than the Tribe has attempted in five games.
The Huskies, a run-and-shoot team last year, have changed their look somewhat in an effort to establish a ground game.
Sophomore tailback Brian Vaughn (5-7, 160) has amassed 211 yards rushing in the last two games. He's Northeastern's top runner with 326 yards.
``Their tailback looks very quick on film,'' Laycock said. ``He's a threat.''
In addition to Byrne at quarterback, William and Mary will make one other change offensively. Starting left guard Josh Beyer is out with a knee injury, so left tackle John Stem will move over to guard and Reed Prosser will start at tackle.
In other games involving I-AA teams, Richmond is hosting Maine, VMI is home against Marshall, James Madison is visiting Delaware and Liberty is home against Delaware State.
The Spiders (2-2 conference, 3-2 overall) have lost two of their last three games, all on the road. But Maine will not be a soft touch; the Black Bears upset Delaware, 19-13, last week for their first win.
James Madison's last three games have been decided by a total of eight points and the trend may continue at Delaware. Each team is struggling to stay alive for postseason play with the Dukes at 1-1 in the league, 3-1 overall. Delaware checks in at 1-2 league and 2-2 overall. The Dukes also lead the conference in total offense with 402 yards a game.
Winless VMI (0-4) has the week's toughest test, facing 5-0 Marshall, the I-AA's top-ranked team. The Keydets have lost 11 straight games to the Thundering Herd. ILLUSTRATION: I-AA AT A GLANCE
[For a copy of the graphic, see microfilm for this date.]
by CNB