Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 12, 1994 TAG: 9410120078
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Not so now for the senior who's revamped his style and discovered significant success.
Since dropping two snaps against Southern Mississippi on Sept.10 and punting once for 28 yards, a more relaxed Colley has kicked 26 times for a 41.3-yard average. Against Boston College (nine punts, 40.2 yards), he got the first game ball of his career.
Then came some inspiration from the nation's leading punter - West Virginia's Todd Sauerbrun. Three games ago, Colley got an idea after watching Sauerbrun, and in nine punts since, Colley has averaged 45.6 yards.
That's from a guy whose career average was about 38 yards entering the season. He's averaging 40.8 now and has had punts of 52 and 54 yards in the past two games.
``I started hitting the front-middle of the ball [instead of the back-middle],'' said Colley, from Tazewell.
That's what Sauerbrun does, Colley said. He said former NFL punter Bill Renner, who coached Colley at Tazewell and now runs Mark Moseley's Kicking Camp, told him many times he'd get more distance if he tried it, but Colley never had.
``I was outside before the Syracuse game. It was real windy,'' Colley said. ``I was saying, `What can I do to make this ball sail into this wind?' It just clicked in my head: Hit the front-middle.''
Colley gets less worked up about things, too, since the Southern Miss game. Tech coach Frank Beamer brought Colley into his office with a relax-and-have-fun message.
``I was trying too hard, trying to do too many things,'' Colley said.
``Coach Beamer can read players. He knows how each player is. I've always wanted to do the best I can, and it's hard for me to deal with doing things bad. He could see that, and he took me in his office and told me ... stop worrying about what's going to happen when you hit the ball, and just hit the ball.''
SICK HOKIES: At least a couple dozen Tech players have or have had a flu-like virus within the past couple weeks. One, linebacker Vernon Dozier, missed the Temple game because of it. Several more, including key offensive players Antonio Freeman, Chris Malone, T.J. Washington, Tommy Edwards and Billy Conaty, have missed practice time or struggled through practice this week. Linebacker George DelRicco and tackle J.C. Price are among the defenders battling illness this week. Trainer Eddie Ferrell described the illness, which apparently runs its course in a couple of days, as being ``like a bad cold'' with congestion and occasional fever.
ALMOST: George Mason University chose St.Bonaventure athletic director Tom O'Conner as its new AD, but if the Patriots' coaches had been hiring, they would have named Tech associate AD Danny Monk. Monk said that after his second interview for the job in September, the coaches were polled and he was their choice over O'Conner and Sacramento State AD Lee McElroy. After a third round of interviews, Mason went with O'Conner.
INNOCENT: Offensive guard Jared Hamlin pulled a leg muscle Friday - while punting - and missed most of the Temple game. Tech coach Frank Beamer said Hamlin is questionable for the East Carolina game and wondered if Robbie Colley might know how the 6 foot 3, 280-pound junior came to be kicking. Nope, said Colley.
``He came up to me in warmups and asked me if I'd ever punted a football and pulled a [leg muscle],'' Colley said. ``I said, nah.''
Said Beamer, smirking: ``You ever see those linemen? They're all great tight ends and great kickers. I've never seen one yet that wasn't.''
INJURIES AND MOVES: Tailback Dwayne Thomas, who has missed two games with a sprained ankle, is questionable for the East Carolina game and guard Damien McMahon (sprained foot) is doubtful to return after missing two games. With Hamlin's injured leg muscle making him questionable, Tech is thin at guard. Beamer said center Billy Conaty will work at right guard this week, Chris Malone (who had moved from left to right when Hamlin went out) will move back to left guard, and freshman Todd Washington will work at center.
Beamer said freshman linebacker Tony Morrison will be moved from outside (behind Brandon Semones) to inside, where he can be groomed to replace Ken Brown, the only senior on Tech's starting defense. Vernon Dozier will back up George DelRicco, and Korey Irby moves in behind Semones. However, Beamer said, if something happens to Semones, Morrison probably would move back to that spot.
NEW QB: Virginia Gov.George Allen, in the New River Valley for a fund-raiser for a Republican congressional candidate, accepted an invitation to check out Tech's football practice Tuesday afternoon. Allen, a former quarterback at Virginia, reported that he was 2-for-2 passing at the workout, completing tosses of 7 and between 20 and 30 yards.
by CNB