ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, October 24, 1996 TAG: 9610240014
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: COLLEGE NOTEBOOK
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY
This Saturday's Big East football showdown between Miami and unbeaten West Virginia could hinge on which team can get its impact players ready by game time.
The Hurricanes may have to start a true freshman, Steve Kelly, if veteran quarterbacks Ryan Clement and Scott Covington are unable to play.
West Virginia coach Don Nehlen said freshman tailback Amos Zereoue and big-play receiver Rahsaan Vanterpool would have been unavailable if they had to play Tuesday.
Zereoue, who leads the Big East in rushing with 117 .4 yards per game, has a swollen toe. Vanterpool has separated cartilage in his rib cage.
More uncertain is the status of Clement, who suffered a separated left (non-throwing) shoulder Saturday in a 31-6 loss to East Carolina. Covington, who replaced Clement against the Pirates, has a partially collapsed lung.
Covington was feeling ill before the East Carolina game and went to an emergency room in Coral Gables, Fla.. He was in uniform later that night and completed 21 of 36 passes for 168 yards after replacing Clement.
Covington returned to the hospital Monday, when doctors discovered a spot on one of his lungs. A biopsy for cancer proved negative, but, during the procedure, his lung collapsed.
When Clement attempted to practice Tuesday, he fumbled the first snap and was in apparent pain.
``It's pretty tender and that snap was pretty nasty,'' Clement told reporters. ``But, I would say right now, with the way my mind is, Saturday is a definite go for me, especially with the wonders of modern medicine.''
Clearly, Miami would rather use one of the veterans. Kelly, a high-school All-American last year, has not taken a snap for the Hurricanes and is a candidate for a redshirt year.
* Nehlen said former place-kicker Bryan Baumann would get an extra look in practice after Jay Taylor missed four field goals Saturday in a 30-10 victory over Temple. Baumann was 23-of-35 on field goals his first two years, but his longest was only 43 yards.
SHIRT OFF HIS BACK: Florida State was awaiting word Wednesday on the status of linebacker Henri Crockett and defensive tackle Connell Spain, who have returned a jersey they were given by Miami defensive lineman Kenny Holmes following the Seminoles' 34-16 victory over the Hurricanes.
Holmes, Crockett and Spain were teammates for the 1992 Florida-Georgia All-Star Game, when they agreed that the winner of the 1996 Miami-Florida State game would receive a loser's jersey. After learning of the wager, Miami suspended Holmes, who subsequently was reinstated by the NCAA last week.
IN THE ACC: The father of Maryland quarterback Brian Cummings said his son sustained a bad concussion Saturday against Wake Forest. Cummings spent two nights in a hospital while under observation, but has been cleared to play this week.
``He was somewhere between here and Mars,'' said coach Mark Duffner, whose Terps are 7-4 with Cummings starting the past two years and 2-5 without him. ``Brian's a tough guy. He can fight off injuries, but he's taken a lot of cheap shots this year.''
* Wake Forest coach Jim Caldwell, whose team has lost five games in a row, has dismissed place-kicker Billy Hollows for disciplinary reasons. Caldwell also has increased hitting in practice because ``we are going to make this losing a distasteful experience - I guarantee it.''
TECH, UVA ENTERTAIN: Virginia Tech, which can bring three men's basketball prospects to campus for visits, this weekend will be host to 6-foot-9 Clint McPherson from Monsignor Pace in Miami. South Florida and College of Charleston are pushing hard for McPherson, who also is hearing from Florida State.
Virginia lost one of its early targets when 6-7 Andre Hutson from Trotwood, Ohio, made an oral commitment to Michigan State. This weekend the Cavaliers will entertain 6-8 Rafael Vidaurreta, a Spaniard who has played the past two years at New Hampton Prep in New Hampshire.
MORE RECRUITING: Shane Battier, rated one of the top five basketball prospects in the country by most services, committed to Duke earlier this season. Battier, who picked the Blue Devils over Michigan and Michigan State, is a 6-8 forward from Detroit Country Day - Chris Webber's alma mater.
* Maryland has received an oral commitment from Juan Dixon, a 6-2 ``combination'' guard from Calvert Hall High School in Baltimore. Joakim Blom, a 6-9 Swede who signed with Wake Forest last year but did not meet entrance requirements, plans to enroll at Wake next year if he makes the required score.
* West Virginia's first commitment is from 6-6 Jarrett Kearse from Simon Gratz High School in Philadelphia. The Mountaineers were among the finalists for Kearse's teammate, 6-4 Marvin O'Conner, who committed to Temple. The Owls also landed 6-1 Lynn Greer from Philadelphia.
IN THE PROS: One-time Virginia Tech quarterback and former Temple head coach Bruce Arians will call plays for the New Orleans Saints following the resignation of head coach Jim Mora and firing of offensive coordinator Carl Smith. Arians, until now the Saints' tight ends coach, will take over the quarterbacks.
LOCAL UPDATE: P.J. McCarthy, a senior midfielder from Roanoke Catholic High School, was the leading scorer for Roanoke College's men's soccer team after 12 games with 12 points (four goals, four assists). Andy Newton, a freshman forward from Cave Spring, had a team-high five goals.
LENGTH: Medium: 96 linesby CNB