Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 10, 1995 TAG: 9509120026
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN A. MONTGOMERY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
DATELINE: FERRUM LENGTH: Medium
In that context, both teams met their objective at W.B. Adams Stadium.
Ferrum won 17-13, a 35-point improvement from the Panthers' 31-0 loss to Division III powerhouse Rowan College. Tech lost its first game to Division I-AA Liberty University 76-6, so the Golden Bears' turnaround was even more significant.
Ferrum stopped West Virginia Tech quarterback Ed Ull on a potential go-ahead two-point conversion attempt midway through the fourth quarter, then sealed its victory with a 38-yard field goal by David Waddell in the game's final minutes.
Ferrum coach Dave Davis pointed out the difference in the programs and said it was a significant victory for the Panthers.
``We were playing a school that has scholarships, so this is a big plus for our program,'' Davis said. ``No Division III teams in the south - except us - are playing up this year.''
WVT coach Bob Gobel was generally positive as well. ``I felt like we had as much opportunity [today] as Ferrum,'' he said. ``We just didn't take advantage of our breaks.''
The Panthers performed well from the game's outset. Ferrum marched 59 yards in 2:44, with sophomore back Ron Perkinson picking up 22 yards in three carries, including a 1-yard plunge for the touchdown.
Ferrum opened up a 14-0 lead late in the first period on a 6-yard scoring pass from quarterback Millard Vining to tight end Brad Jones. The second Panther touchdown was set up when WVT's Joe Martin mishandled a punt and Ferrum recovered at the Golden Bears' 30.
After Tech cut its deficit in half at the 9:10 mark of the second quarter, neither team managed to sustain a drive over the next two periods.
Three downs and out seemed to become the norm, as the teams combined to punt 10 more times before the third quarter closed. Ferrum managed two first downs in the third period, one more than the Golden Bears.
The Panthers missed a chance to go ahead 17-7 when Waddell hooked a 34-yard field-goal attempt.
But Ull, Tech's freshman quarterback from Yorktown, engineered the Golden Bears' most impressive drive starting from WVT's own 15.
Ull moved his team 85 yards on nine consecutive running plays. Ull gained 52 yards on three keepers, including a 37-yarder and the touchdown scamper of 11 yards.
``We had a missed defensive check,'' Davis explained of the 37-yard gain. ``We had no one on the quarterback on the option, and that's how he got the seam - and the big yardage. And then, we lost our poise at that point.''
But Ferrum defended Ull well when he went for the two-point conversion. Panthers' free safety Mike Gregory stuck Ull solidly at the 3-yard line, before Ull was able to release the pitch.
Ull finished with a game-high 93 yards on the ground, but completed only one of 17 passing attempts.
Ferrum cornerback Nate Daniels and linebacker Kevin Slough preserved the win with successive interceptions near the game's conclusion.
``Give Ull some time,'' Gobel said. ``I've coached two record-setting quarterbacks, and he's going to be better than either one of them.''
Perkinson and quarterback Vining led Ferrum with 54 and 53 rushing yards, respectively.
``We're still ragged in execution,'' Davis said. ``We're still shooting ourselves in the foot with mistakes, penalties, and turnovers.
``But we had a complicated defensive plan. They're bigger than we are, and you have to rely on X's and O's in that situation.''
see microfilm for box score
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB