THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 20, 1994 TAG: 9410200517
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
It's been a long time since the Livingstone College Bears were involved in a game like the one they'll play Saturday, when they meet Hampton for first place in the CIAA.
But according to coach Rudy Abrams, it hasn't been long enough.
``We like the idea of being in a big game, of playing one of the finest teams in the South,'' Abrams said. ``But if it were up to me, I would wait several years.''
Don't get Abrams wrong. He's happy to be playing for first place. He's just not thrilled about facing Hampton.
``We're approaching it just like David would approach fighting Goliath,'' Abrams said. ``Against our other opponents, things were somewhat even. That's not the case at all this week.''
Livingstone has 775 students, about 5,000 fewer than Hampton. Hampton is one of the best-funded and best-known black colleges in the nation. Livingstone operates on a shoestring budget and is often confused with Livingston University, in Alabama.
But under Abrams, a first-year coach, Livingstone has gone from doormat to contender. The Bears were 1-10 last season but are 5-1 this year and have the top-rated defense in the CIAA.
``They're playing with such a high energy level and such spirit,'' Hampton coach Joe Taylor said. ``They've got seven, eight, nine guys getting to the football.''
Hampton has the CIAA's top-rated offense. The Pirates are averaging 492 yards per game and have outscored CIAA foes, 230-56.
``Here is a program (Hampton) that is head and shoulders above everybody else in the CIAA and here we are with none of the resources they have and are having to compete with them,'' Abrams said. ``We feel like this is a task we're assigned, and we're just going to go in and do the best we can.''
HAMPTON SPEEDSTER: Asked what move he used to get 5 yards behind Norfolk State defensive back Robert Stokes on his way to a 75-yard touchdown catch last Saturday, Hampton wide receiver Vincent Davis seemed surprised.
``I didn't use any move,'' he said. ``I just ran past him.''
But of course. Davis, a sophomore from Birmingham, Ala., may be the fastest player in the CIAA.
Last spring, Davis, a transfer from Arkansas, ran the opening leg on Hampton's national-qualifying 4x100 relay team. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Davis runs the 100 meters in 10.2, according to Hampton track coach Michael Costa.
``When he led off, we were generally in first place by the time he handed off the baton,'' said Costa, who is also Hampton's defensive coordinator.
Davis didn't play football at Arkansas, and last year was his first balancing two sports, Costa said. By doing so, he's following in the footsteps of former Hampton track stars/wide receivers Johnnie Barnes and Terrance Warren, both of whom are playing in the NFL.
``He can fit in that mold,'' Costa said.
Hampton coach Joe Taylor said Davis is improving each week. In addition to his touchdown pass, he ran 61 yards on an end around for a touchdown Saturday.
``That speed is starting to show,'' Taylor said.
ONE MORE NFL PLAYER: Last week's CIAA notes provided a list of former conference players currently in the NFL. Overlooked was former Virginia Union star Mike Brim, a cornerback with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Brim, a seven-year veteran, has started all seven games for the Bengals and has 19 tackles and two interceptions. The Danville native also has played with the New York Jets, Minnesota, Detroit and Phoenix (now Arizona).
STAT STUFF: Norfolk State's Aaron Sparrow is fourth in the nation in passing yardage (2,015), seventh in total yardage (312.5 per game) and 10th in passing efficiency. Spartans receiver James Roe is second in the nation in yardage per game (141.3) and 10th in catches per game (seven). by CNB