THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 3, 1994 TAG: 9411030568
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CHARLIE DENN, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: WILLIAMSBURG LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
Injuries usually have a negative impact on the careers of football players. In some instances, a player is never the same after he's been hurt.
In the case of William and Mary wide receiver Josh Whipple, he's certainly not the same player he was in 1993. Yet it's had a positive influence on the path his career has taken.
Last fall Whipple was the Tribe's third-team tight end. He was used sparingly and, as is the case with most tight ends, rarely saw the football when he was in the lineup. His primary function was as a blocker.
But a neck injury near the end of last year forced Whipple to abandon the tight end position and switch to wide receiver. There he's become an impact player. He is tied for third on the team with 20 receptions as 6-3 William and Mary awaits a Saturday visit from Maine in Williamsburg.
``I've always liked catching the ball,'' Whipple said. ``If you're a receiver, that's what you want to do and this role enables me to see the ball more.''
Whipple has become an increasingly-inviting target for quarterback Shawn Knight. He's caught 10 balls in the last two games and has noticed his number being called more frequently.
He plays in regular rotation with standouts Michael Tomlin and Terry Hammons.
``On a lot of plays now, I'm the first or second read,'' Whipple said. ``I think Shawn has more confidence in me.''
William and Mary coach Jimmye Laycock shares that belief.
``Josh has developed into a fine receiver,'' Laycock noted. ``If you get the ball to him, he's usually going to catch it.''
Whipple has had to make a few adjustments to accommodate the new position. For one thing, he's lost about 15 pounds, down to 210, to allow him to move quicker.
And his blocking assignments have changed as well. As a tight end, he'd normally be responsible for handling a linebacker. Now, however, he's going against smaller defensive backs.
``At 210 pounds, I'm usually a lot bigger than the defensive backs I block,'' he said. ``I like having a size advantage for a change.''
Especially since his size was what led the coaching staff to put him at tight end originally. With the injury, however, the move to wideout was a natural.
``I actually compressed a couple of vertebrae in my neck last year in the Massachusetts game,'' Whipple said. ``The pain was bad, but I tried to play the next week against Richmond. I just couldn't go.
``I was held out of all contact in spring workouts. The coaches let me run some plays at wide receiver and I guess they must have liked what they saw.''
INJURY PLAGUE: Even though James Madison is 7-1 and has climbed to 10th in the I-AA poll, the Dukes are not physically sound going into Saturday's game at Virginia Military Institute.
Linebacker Brian Smith missed last week's game against Richmond with a knee injury and isn't expected to play this week either. And defensive backs Dwight Robinson (hamstring) and David Lee (bruised thigh) also are on the doubtful list.
Linebacker Billy Johnson, who also missed the Richmond game, should be ready to play this week. And David Quattlebaum, a 190-pounder who started at linebacker last week, will move to safety for VMI.
NEXT RECORD: After breaking the Richmond career rushing record held by Barry Redden last week, senior Uly Scott has set his sights on the school's all-purpose yardage mark.
Scott has 3,868 all-purpose yards heading into Saturday's home game with New Hampshire. The school record is 4,000 yards by Erwin Matthews, set from 1985-'88.
IMMOVABLE OBJECT: New Hampshire (7-1) has not allowed a point in the first quarter all season. That streak will be put to the test against Richmond, which has scored on its first possession in each of the last three games.
The Spiders got field goals against Delaware and Boston University and scored on an 80-yard touchdown drive last week against Madison. Before that quick-strike spree, the Spiders had only scored once in the first period all year.
REUNION TIME: VMI (0-8) is winless, so the Keydets will celebrate past success Saturday when they host James Madison.
Many members of VMI's 1974 team, including coach Bob Thalman, will be honored for winning the Southern Conference championship. The Keydets were 7-4 that year.
DEATH VALLEY? The James Madison-VMI series stands at 5-3 in favor of the Dukes. But Madison has only won once in four tries in Lexington.
The Dukes' lone win came in 1987, 20-17, when they went 9-3 and made it to the I-AA playoffs for the first time in school history.
FUTURE THREAT: Sophomore tailback Thomas Haskins needs just 23 yards to become the first VMI runner since Tony Scales in 1991 (1,105 yards) to eclipse the 1,000-yard barrier. But Haskins, if he stays healthy, has a good chance to supplant Floyd Allen as VMI's career rushing leader.
Haskins has 1,566 yards to date with two-plus seasons remaining. Allen holds the VMI school record with 3,569 yards and also owns the one-season record of 1,276 yards in 1980. Haskins needs exactly 300 yards in VMI's final three games to break the record and he's averaging 121.5 now. by CNB