Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 7, 1995 TAG: 9509070052
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Pittsburgh and Boston College each has at least seven commitments, as does ACC member Duke. Virginia, which had 20 commitments before Christmas last year, is one school without a pledge so far this year.
The latest player to make a commitment to the Hokies is running back Shyrone Stith from Western Branch High School in Chesapeake. One of Stith's teammates, defensive back Lorenzo Ferguson, committed to Tech on Tuesday.
The Hokies were watching tape of Ferguson and another Western Branch prospect, Malik Cook, when they discovered the previously unheralded Stith and decided they had to have him.
The early recruiting is nothing that Boston College and Syracuse didn't do last year, although the Eagles haven't raided Virginia to the degree they did last fall and winter. BC's top early commitment is from home-grown Mike Cook, an All-America defensive lineman from Walpole, Mass.
All seven of Pitt's recruits are from Pennsylvania, headed by offensive lineman Ben Kopp, a preseason All-American and one of five Pitt-bound players ranked among the top 25 prospects in Pennsylvania by SuperPrep magazine.
Duke, which also has seven commitments, is the frontrunner among ACC schools. The Blue Devils' most noteworthy recruit is Birmingham, Ala., wide receiver Richmond Flowers III, whose father and namesake starred at Tennessee.
``They're not a gamble at all,'' Duke coach Fred Goldsmith, who saw most of the players at the Blue Devils' camp, told The Herald-Sun in Durham, N.C. ``The gamble is when you all of a sudden try to find a diamond in the rough [at the end]. It usually turns out to be something else in the rough.''
FURIOUS FRED: Although he was most disturbed by his team's performance Saturday in a 70-26 loss to Florida State, Goldsmith couldn't help but notice that starting Seminoles' quarterback Danny Kanell still was throwing touchdown passes in the fourth quarter.
``I'm not looking back, [but] I didn't really appreciate it,'' Goldsmith said. ``I still think the game is played for the kids, not the pollsters.''
Bobby Bowden, coach of top-ranked Florida State, said he did not have an eye on the rankings. This issue has come up with the Seminoles before, and Bowden seemed to take a shot at Goldsmith while addressing it.
``If I was in his position, I would feel the same way,'' Bowden said. ``I've had some pretty good lickings in my life. Your only recourse [is to say] somebody ran up the score.
``I can't be happy with failure, and I can't be happy with 1-2-3 punt. It's not like the first unit had been playing the whole game. We played the second unit in the first quarter. Everybody else's first unit gets to play.''
It was the most points and most yards (796) that Duke has allowed - ever. Florida State had 540 yards by the half in taking a 54-12 lead.
``It was an embarrassment,'' Goldsmith said. ``I don't like the circumstances. We're mean and mad and ugly right now. Nothing could get us more ready for Rutgers than being humiliated.''
IN THE ACC: Wake Forest coach Jim Caldwell has announced that sophomore quarterback Brian Kuklick, a one-time professional baseball draft pick, will start ahead of senior Rusty LaRue when the Deacons visit Tulane.
Maryland coach Mark Duffner said quarterback Brian Cummings remains hobbled by a sprained ankle and probably will be replaced by converted defensive back Orlando Strozier on Saturday against North Carolina.
``He's [Strozier] been an exciting player at every position we've had him,'' said Duffner, who had no reason to play Strozier on offense until regular quarterback Scott Milanovich was suspended for four games for gambling.
Although Florida State never has lost an ACC game, the Seminoles were beaten by an ACC team in 1989, when Clemson defeated then-independent FSU 34-23 in Tallahassee. The Tigers, who entertain the Seminoles on Saturday, were one of two ACC teams that led Florida State through three quarters in 1992.
IN THE BIG EAST: West Virginia quarterback Chad Johnston has guaranteed a victory over Temple, which goes to Mountaineer Field with an 0-25 conference record since joining the Big East.
``We know we're a good team,'' said Johnston after WVU's 26-24 loss to Purdue. ``To quote [ex-Dallas Cowboys coach] Jimmy Johnson, `You can put it in big black letters: We're going to beat Temple this week.'''
BACK IN COACHING: Bob Hartman, former director of the Commonwealth Games of Virginia, has replaced Kellie Kennedy as the new soccer coach at Hollins College.
Kennedy, also the basketball coach at Hollins, left to become an assistant basketball coach at Richmond. Hartman began the women's soccer program at Roanoke College, where he served as sports information director.
by CNB