Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 16, 1994 TAG: 9410180046
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: FERRUM LENGTH: Medium
Davis moved junior quarterback Millard Vining to tailback and assigned punt return duties to senior Donald Grimes. Each scored two touchdowns as the Panthers downed the Braves 30-6 and earned Davis his first home victory as Ferrum's head coach.
``I can't say they were great personnel moves quite yet. They have to stand the test of time,'' Davis said.
Vining, 5 feet 7 and 168 pounds, carried the ball 30 times for 154 yards and broke the school record for carries in a game set by David Anthony earlier this season. Anthony, a Staunton River High School graduate, rushed 29 times against West Virginia Tech.
Vining was the Panthers' offense in the first half, accounting for 100 of their 121 yards. He carried the ball on nine of 10 plays in Ferrum's opening series, which ended with a 20-yard field goal by David Waddell.
On Ferrum's next possession, Vining was in on five of six plays, including a 3-yard touchdown run that made it 10-0. Vining scored his other touchdown on a 1-yard run with 23 seconds left in the third quarter that gave Ferrum (2-5) a 23-6 lead.
Vining played two seasons at tailback at Mount de Sales High School in Lizella, Ga., rushing for 1,100 yards as a junior. He switched to quarterback his senior year and had played quarterback for the Panthers in 22 of their past 24 games.
``It worked out pretty well today. I think next time I'm going to try to hit the hole a little faster,'' said Vining, who was hobbling a bit after the game. ``... It's different because at tailback you expect to get hit.''
Grimes, who had not returned punts all season, took over for Roshan Myers. The Braves (1-6) punted eight times on the afternoon, including one at the start of the second quarter that Grimes returned 61 yards down the left sideline for his first touchdown of the season.
Grimes provided more highlights in the fourth quarter from his free safety position.
With Chowan threatening on the Ferrum 13-yard line, Grimes moved across the middle, stepped in front of a Kris Howell pass intended for tight end Jim Utz, and returned it 95 yards for a touchdown. Grimes tied the Ferrum record for a longest touchdown play set in 1990 against Emory & Henry by Kevin Sherman, now an assistant coach at VMI.
Josh Whitley, a sophomore transfer who had seen playing time at quarterback in all but one of Ferrum's games this season, made his first start for the Panthers. On the run from Chowan's blitzing defense most of the afternoon, Whitley completed 4 of 12 passes for 48 yards.
Anthony, still recovering from a knee injury, played sparingly in the second half and rushed for 21 yards on five carries.
Davis described the defensive play as more solid and focused, but said he was disappointed with the Panthers' penalty numbers: nine for 89 yards.
Ferrum held the Braves to 124 yards of total offense - 107 rushing and 17 passing. Defensive tackle Billy Ray Ellis, a preseason All-America candidate, made 15 tackles and recorded two of Ferrum's three sacks. Ellis is two sacks shy of breaking the school record for a season, set in 1988 by Jack Turner at 11.
see microfilm for box score
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB