THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 22, 1994 TAG: 9409220551
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
Win or lose, it's safe to say the Hampton Pirates will hold the Grambling State Tigers below their scoring average Saturday in the Whitney Young Classic at Giants Stadium.
In two games, Grambling has scored an astounding 149 points - 74 1/2 per game.
``It sounds like a basketball team,'' Hampton coach Joe Taylor said. ``I've never in my life coached against a team with those kind of numbers. And I'm not looking forward to it.''
Grambling beat Alcorn State, 62-56, in its opener and knocked off Morgan State, 87-12, last Saturday.
``We have both game films,'' Taylor said. ``Looking at the quality of play on both sides, it's hard to determine just how good they (Grambling) are.''
The Pirates, 3-0 and ranked No. 2 in the Sheridan Black College Poll, will find out how good Grambling is Saturday night. Hampton upset Grambling, 27-26, last season. The Pirates may be better this year, but Grambling looks improved as well.
``They're really throwing the ball a lot more,'' Taylor said. ``They're getting the ball to their key people.''
The Tigers, No. 3 in the Sheridan poll and 17th in Division I-AA, have been led by quarterback Kendrick Nord, who has thrown for 740 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The game could, in effect, be for the national black college championship. Hampton already has beaten Howard and, after Grambling, has only CIAA teams remaining. The Pirates haven't lost a CIAA game in two years.
A crowd of 60,000 is expected. Taylor said his team is more prepared for a crowd that size than it was a year ago. Not only did it play in front of 58,000 in last year's Classic, it also played at RFK Stadium in Washington two weeks ago.
``It's not getting to be old hat, but it's a little more familiar,'' Taylor said.
GRAMBLING'S LEGEND: Eddie Robinson, Grambling's 75-year-old coach, has won just about every award possible in a 53-year coaching career. Now, he will have an award named after him.
The Eddie Robinson Award will be given to the nation's top player from a historically black college. The first will be awarded Dec. 8.
Robinson has won 390 games, the most in college football history.
LIVINGSTONE'S BIG D: The surprising Livingstone Bears have yet to allow a point. They pitched their third consecutive shutout last week, dropping Bowie State, 36-0.
The man behind the Livingstone defense? Greg Richardson, a former defensive coordinator at Norfolk State.
Richardson, 43, coached under former NSU coach Willard Bailey from 1988 to 1990. His 1989 defense put together four successive shutouts.
He left Norfolk State for North Carolina Central. He spent a year there, and then spent two years as defensive coordinator at the University of Buffalo. The Charlotte native said he came to Livingstone to be closer to home.
``We are a pressure defense, and I've always coached that way,'' he said. ``We demand that kids be disciplined in their techniques.''
The Bears have mixed up their defenses, using four- and five-man fronts. The players are a mix of holdovers and newcomers.
``The bottom may fall out, but it's been very nice thus far,'' Richardson said.
UNION UPDATE: For the record, former Virginia Union coach Hank Lattimore says he did not resign last week, as a school spokesman said. He was fired.
``I didn't quit, nor did I resign,'' Lattimore said Tuesday. ``I let the school handle it, and that's all I'm going to say.''
Lattimore was replaced Sept. 12, two days after Union's 31-0 loss to Livingstone.
``We were not satisfied and thought it best to make a change,'' university president Dallas Simmons told the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Lattimore was the second Union coach in three years to be fired in September. Two years ago, Mel Rose was fired three games into the season.
Lattimore is teaching physical education at Union and says he hopes to get back into coaching.
``I'm just not in a panic to get back to it right now,'' he said. by CNB