Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 14, 1995 TAG: 9509140042
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Once the Keydets get over the elation of a 29-point fourth-quarter outburst, director of athletics Davis Babb will have to take a hard look at the bottom line.
The Keydets, who could expect $150,000 from a road game against a Division I-A opponent, will be lucky to net $25,000 off Saturday's home game with the Flames.
Speculation of a possible sellout at 10,000-seat Alumni Memorial Field proved unrealistic in light of the announced attendance of 7,211.
Liberty, which once said it would buy every ticket available, sold only 600.
``When somebody promises 3,000 and only buys 600, something's wrong,'' said Keydets coach Bill Stewart, whose team rallied for a 50-31 victory.
Liberty director of athletics Chuck Burch said some Flames fans might have purchased tickets at the gate or through VMI, but expressed disappointment at the slack sales in Lynchburg.
``If we had taken 600 fans anywhere else, I wouldn't be complaining,'' Burch said, ``but I would have thought we would take a bigger overall contingent to Lexington.
``Our students didn't turn out in as big a number as I thought they would. The problem is, our students get into our games for free. I don't think they were atypical if the $7 ticket price was a consideration.''
VMI was to have played Vanderbilt this year and Maryland next year, but both Division I-A teams asked out of the games. Babb would prefer a high-paying Division I-A opponent for the opening on VMI's 1996 schedule, but won't rule out future games with Liberty.
``We're going to look at all our options,'' Babb said, ``but, if we had had 10,000 people Saturday to go along with all the excitement and emotion, that would have been very attractive to us. I'm not pointing any fingers, but we expected far more folks to make the trip.
``That's not saying you couldn't get more people next time, but with this being the inaugural game and with all the promotion that was done, we had expected 2,000 or 3,000 more people.''
TECH GETS TRANSFER: Mike Kocicka, a quarterback who began his career at Nevada-Las Vegas, has transferred to Virginia Tech. The Hokies took a look at a tape distributed by Kocicka and thought enough to invite him east.
Kocicka, born in Czechoslovakia, passed for more than 3,000 yards and 35 touchdowns and was named All-Southern California after his senior year at Valencia (Calif.) High School. A source in the UNLV sports information office said Kocicka had the best arm on the team, but was held out of spring practice for academic reasons.
Kocicka, a 6-foot-4, 211-pounder with three seasons of eligibility, is paying his way at Tech until the Hokies determine if he is scholarship material. Tech already has awarded scholarships this fall to former walk-ons Michael Stuewe and Steve Tate, a pair of third-year sophomores.
Tate, a 6-foot-1, 217-pound linebacker from North Canton, Ohio, is the brother of former Navy kicker Matt Tate. Stuewe is a 6-1, 178-pound wide receiver from Somerset, N.J., who caught two passes on Tech's last drive in a 20-14 loss to Boston College.
Jeremy Kishbaugh, who has committed to Tech, had 17 tackles Friday night for Berwick (Pa.) High School in a 21-14 victory over Glens Mills Prep. A crowd of 10,000 turned out to watch Berwick, ranked No. 2 in the country by USA Today, in its stiffest early-season test.
BOWDEN CONTRITE: Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden said Wednesday he has written a letter of apology to Duke coach Fred Goldsmith, who has implied that Bowden ran up the score Sept. 2 in a 70-26 victory over the Seminoles.
``I just felt bad about it,'' Bowden said. ``I don't want to be known as a guy who does that. But, I've always been an offensive coach. Something else: I ain't got but three quarterbacks, and the third one [Dan Kendra] ain't going to play. I'm redshirting him.
``If you're ahead of somebody, that means you've got your second-team quarterback out there at the worst. Fred says, `Let's not worry about the polls. Let's worry about the kids.' Well, I've got to worry about my kids, too. I sure hate to suppress them.''
BACK TO LaRUE: Wake Forest will continue its pattern of not starting the same quarterback in consecutive games when Rusty LaRue gets the call Saturday against Clemson. Sophomore Brian Kuklick has a hardship year at his disposal after suffering a broken arm Saturday in a 35-9 loss to Tulane.
RECRUITING: Oak Hill Academy basketball coach Steve Smith reports that 6-8 Ricardo Crumble will visit Virginia Tech. Crumble, originally from Cleveland, also is considering DePaul, Arizona, West Virginia, Miami of Ohio and Cleveland State.
Another Warriors player, 6-7 Steve Jackson from Port Arthur, Texas, is interested in Virginia but may not take any paid recruiting visits until he meets NCAA qualifying standards. Arizona is considered the front-runner for Jackson, who also is considering Arkansas.
Smith has worn a neck brace for most of the summer after suffering a fractured vertebra in an auto accident. Smith considers himself fortunate after falling asleep at 4:30 p.m. while driving on U.S. 21 from Elkin, N.C., to Sparta, N.C.
PLAYING AGAIN: One-time Alleghany High School basketball player Jason Buzzard has been added to the men's basketball roster at Radford as a walk-on. Buzzard, a senior, spent his freshman year at Bridgewater College after averaging 11 points, seven rebounds and four blocks as a senior at Alleghany.
LOCAL UPDATE: There will be a homecoming Saturday when Sewanee visits Roanoke College in men's soccer. Former North Cross standouts Ryland Moore and Forrest Porterfield play for Sewanee, as does ex-Patrick Henry goalkeeper McCoy Darby.
Northside graduate Richie Oliver, the 1994 Timesland Wrestler of the Year, is the starting center for North Greenville College in Tigerville, S.C. North Greenville, formerly a junior college, is off to a 2-0 start as an NAIA Division II member.
by CNB