THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 7, 1995 TAG: 9509070567
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER CIAA NOTES
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
If there was one thing Norfolk State figured it wouldn't have to work hard on the second week of the season, it was the passing game.
But the Spartans have been working overtime to iron out rough spots that appeared in their 41-22 loss to Virginia State last Saturday.
Preseason All-American candidate Aaron Sparrow completed just 12 of 34 attempts and was intercepted four times. Backup quarterback Robert Morris also struggled, completing 1 of 5 while giving up an interception.
``We didn't throw the ball well and that was a big surprise,'' head coach Darnell Moore said. ``Aaron had a bad game by his standards and my standards. And if there are two guys who can't have bad games, it's the coach and the quarterback.
``On many passes he was a tad short or a tad long, a little high or a little low.
``We hadn't seen that in practice. I doubt we'll see it again.''
Sparrow finished the game on the sidelines with an ice pack on the back of his neck after being knocked down by Virginia State defensive end Kelvin Kinney with 2:46 remaining.
Asked after the game about a drive early in the third quarter, Sparrow could only shake his head.
``To be honest, I don't remember anything about the third quarter,'' he said.
Although many of Sparrow's passes were hurried and he was knocked down a number of times, Moore felt his offensive line did an effective job against Virginia State.
``We had some breakdowns a couple of times where a tackle or a tight end would miss a blocking assignment, but for the most part the pass blocking wasn't a big concern,'' Moore said.
20/20 HINDSIGHT: If there was a possession Moore would have liked to have had over, it came with 2:04 left in the first half and the Spartans leading, 22-14.
Norfolk State had first-and-10 from their own 38. Sparrow was errant with three consecutive passes to James Roe, and the Spartans had to punt. Virginia State took over at its 44 and scored five plays later when Rodney Granger hit Jovelle Tillman on an 18-yard slant, cutting the margin to 22-20 just 34 seconds before halftime.
``When we got the ball in reasonably good field position, we were thinking about scoring and increasing the lead,'' Moore said. ``After the game I was thinking that we should have done this or done that. But if you're not correct in your hindsight, then you've really got problems.''
BRIGHT SPOT: Norfolk State tailback John Quinerly ran 17 times for 80 yards Saturday despite bruising his left shoulder in the first quarter. Quinerly favored the shoulder between plays but continued anyway.
``I saw him hanging the shoulder several times,'' Moore said. ``But he kept saying it was OK, so I let him go.''
If Quinerly is slowed this week, junior-college transfer Jerry Davis should be ready to pick up the slack. Davis missed the opener with a leg injury but is expected to play this week.
``John's injury is about the only real injury other than a few bumps and bruises,'' Moore said. ``In that respect, we can count our blessings.''
SPARTAN EXTRAS: Norfolk State's game Saturday afternoon against Bowie State will be played at 1:30 at Indian River High. The Spartans are contracted to play only five games a year at Foreman Field but have six home games this fall. Bowie State is coming off a 35-0 loss to West Liberty State. . . . Sunnil Motley will move from strong safety to weakside linebacker this week, and Moore said no decision has been made as to who will replace Motley.
AROUND THE CIAA: The Spartans' James Roe leads the league in reception yards after catching five passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns. Roe was named CIAA receiver of the week. Other CIAA players of the week include Winston-Salem State's Richard Huntley (offensive backs) and Malik Brice (offensive linemen), Fayetteville State's Elvis Dudley (defensive linemen), Bowie State's Troy Drummond (defensive backs) and defensive end Shamar Foster (newcomer), and Virginia State's Lou Anderson (coach). . . . North Carolina Central blew a 17-point lead Sunday as Division I-AA North Carolina A&T rallied for an 18-17 victory in front of 44,807 at Carter-Finley Stadium in the Aggie-Eagles Labor Day Classic. Surprisingly, preseason All-CIAA placekicker Kevin Houston missed-field goal attempts of 27 and 45 yards that could have been the difference. ILLUSTRATION: LAWRENCE JACKSON/File photo
Aaron Sparrow completed just 12 of 34 passes and was intercepted
four times in NSU's 41-22 loss to Virginia State.
by CNB