Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, August 26, 1995 TAG: 9508300009
SECTION: COLLEGE FOOTBALL PAGE: CF-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
By December, VMI's football team will have one thing in common with Casey Kasem. They'll both be authorities on the top 40.
The Keydets are coming off a 1-10 season, so what do they do? They schedule eight of the top 40 teams in NCAA Division I-AA preseason poll. After the opener Sept.2 at Richmond, VMI's countdown begins. Unlike Kasem, however, the Keydets start with No.21, Liberty.
The rest of the hits include No.2 Marshall, No.6 Appalachian State, No.12 William and Mary, No.24 Georgia Southern, No.34 East Tennessee State, No.35 Western Carolina and No.38 The Citadel.
The road to the top of the charts is steep, but at least they come one at a time.
``We wouldn't want it any other way,'' said Bill Stewart, VMI's second-year coach. ``We're tired of people telling us we can't compete.''
The Keydets will be better in 1995. A talented offense beginning its second year in Stewart's multiple scheme virtually assures improvement. But the facts say they will be facing their toughest competition ever in a single season.
Fortunately, VMI has a plan to overcome the odds. It starts with Thomas Haskins, the Keydets' All-Southern Conference tailback. The junior had the top three rushing performances in the league last season, when he set a school record with 1,509 yards on the ground.
When VMI wants to make a long-distance dedication to the opponent's end zone, it can either go with Haskins or with one of its outstanding wide receivers, Tim Williams, Jeff Hubbard and Marlon Anderson. Tight end Greg Harris also is reliable. The offense will be run by a quarterback platoon of returning starter Al Lester and Greg Ellen.
``I'm fond of the wishbone, but our best players weren't getting the ball in option football,'' said Stewart, who has modeled his offense after those of William and Mary and Virginia. ``Our receivers are as good as we've ever had here.''
Stewart has similar praise for linebackers Mike Rogers, Mike Edwards and Kelly Cook.
But it won't matter how talented the Keydets are if they don't change certain habits. One of those is their tendency to fade in the fourth quarter of games. That happened last year against Richmond, Western Carolina, Furman and James Madison. For the year, VMI was outscored 121-46 in the fourth period.
Against the Spiders, the Keydets let a 12-point lead turn into a 34-31 loss in the final 10 minutes.
``Maybe we didn't know how to act or perform,'' said Williams, a former Bath County High School standout. ``It seemed like we just didn't want it bad enough. That just can't happen.''
Part of the reason for the collapses was the undersized lineup the Keydets had to employ. That problem has been addressed in the form of a recruiting class that, man-for-man, is the largest in the program's history.
VMI's 26-23 victory at Appalachian State, an NCAA playoff team, in last season's final game should help, too.
``That was a tone-setter; it pushed us into the off-season,'' Stewart said. ``It told us that if you play hard, anything can happen.''
The Keydets actually are 4-2-1 in their final game since the 1988 season, but 15-37 in the first 10 games. A sense of urgency is not the ideal way to bring about a victory, however.
``Everyone realized it was their last chance,'' said Eric Plogger, a '93 VMI graduate who is serving as a restricted-earnings coach this season. ``Now, we want to win. The fans are tired of it, the faculty is tired of it, the administration is tired of it. We're not just looking to come out and put up a good fight. It's time to turn it around.''
Those words say the Keydets are fed up with the status quo.
``Compared with last year, we're so far ahead of the game,'' Stewart said. ``We don't have all the answers yet, but we'll never know how good we're going to be unless we play the best.''
by CNB