THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 8, 1994 TAG: 9409080657
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: ACC NOTES
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines
Georgia Tech, already credited with inventing the forward pass, may soon become famous for making computerized video games a major part of game-day preparations.
Tech quarterbacks prepare for their next opponent by working out with a video game devised by new offensive coordinator Gary Crowton.
It is believed to be the only one of its kind, so don't go looking for it at Blockbuster.
``It is along the lines of the kind of video computer training that pilots have had for years,'' Tech coach Bill Lewis said. ``Coach Crowton had the idea when he came here, and the university had the computer technology to develop it.''
Here's how it works:
The quarterback sits in front of a television screen with his fingers atop a row of several buttons. He calls a play by striking one of the buttons and then makes split-second decisions based on his reads of the defense.
``It is pretty high-tech and makes you make real quick decisions,'' quarterback Tommy Luginbill said.
Crowton said he can see daily improvement in his quarterbacks without wearing them out on the field.
``You have a kid getting mental practice without being fatigued,'' Crowton said. ``He is playing football without getting his arm being sore. It is all decision making, which is what they criticize quarterbacks about anyway.''
DID I SAY THAT? Turns out Virginia coach George Welsh was just upset after the Cavaliers' 41-17 loss to Florida State when he questioned his team's ability to have a winning record this season.
Welsh confirmed this week that he most certainly expects the Cavaliers to put their eighth straight winning season in the books.
``But we have to catch the ball, and we can't have those breakdowns on defense,'' Welsh warned.
He noted, too, that the Cavaliers ``psychologically survived'' the FSU loss. It wasn't that bad physically, either.
Linebacker Randy Neal (knee strain) is the only player listed as doubtful for Saturday night's game at Navy.
POSITIVE SPIN: The 17 points Virginia scored against Florida State were more than the Seminoles gave up to their first five opponents combined last season.
And the 24-point margin of defeat was the closest an ACC team has come to the Seminoles since Virginia's 13-3 defeat in Charlottesville two years ago.
NOT YET ``AIR WEST'': Clemson coach Tommy West talked a lot in the preseason about the necessity of having a balanced offense because of a lack of experience in the line and at tailback. But it looked like the same ol' Tigers that ran over Furman in the opener.
Four freshmen running backs combined for 185 yards on 37 carries, while quarterback Patrick Sapp put the ball in the air only 13 times.
``I never said we were going to air it out,'' West said. ``I said from the start that toughness is No. 1, and that means running the ball.''
North Carolina State coach Mike O'Cain hopes to force Clemson to throw the ball more Saturday.
``I hope we we will be able to stop their running game and force them to throw more against us,'' he said.
KEEPING IT SIMPLE: So what was the grand offensive scheme that allowed Duke to run over Maryland, 49-16?
Nothing grand about it, tailback Robert Baldwin said.
``We really ran only two running plays all day,'' Baldwin explained after rushing for a school-record 238 yards against the Terrapins.
Oh, what were the plays?
Must have been something like ``Baldwin this way'' and ``Baldwin that way.''
LOW PRESSURE: Maryland can expect another simple attack Saturday.
This one is called ``FSU all the way.''
Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden candidly admitted he won't waste any of his best locker-room speeches on this one.
``Some games you want to be sky-high for, and some you just want to go out and play and have a good time,'' Bowden said. ``This is not one that you want your players ready to slash their wrists over.''
NO QUICK FIX: Wake Forest second-year coach Jim Caldwell is keeping his cool, despite his team's 35-14 collapse against Vanderbilt.
``You'll never see me panic,'' the former Penn State assistant vowed.
Indeed, if Caldwell were the panicking kind, we might have seen him do something drastic in the second half, when the Deacons were outscored, 34-0. It seemed a continuation of last season, when Wake Forest blew first-half leads four times.
But Caldwell is a patient man, something that is required when you play nine true freshmen and seven redshirt freshmen in your opener.
``The only things that are instant are coffee and tea,'' Caldwell said.
This week the Deacons are home against Division I-AA Appalachian State.
Quick prediction: The Mountaineers will bring more fans than the Deacons.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Florida State quarterback Danny Kanell on the victory over Virginia: ``We were just glad to be on national television for something other than a scandal.'' by CNB