THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 23, 1994 TAG: 9410230227
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
Ryan Weiss came to Norfolk State to throw the football.
Instead, he's ended up kicking it.
Saturday, the junior from Newport Richey, Fla. kicked it better than he has all season, nailing four of five extra points and a 27-yard field goal in a 45-27 win over Virginia Union.
Nothing spectacular, to be sure. But for Norfolk State, which has had no kicking game to speak of this season, Weiss' performance is a breakthrough.
The Spartans were just 4-of-10 on extra point attempts coming into the game, and had not made a field goal.
Weiss was 4-of-6 on point-after attempts, but had been kicking poorly in practice and had not tried one in three weeks.
But Saturday, during pre-game warmups, coach Darnell Moore noticed a flaw in Weiss' kicking style.
``I was putting my plant foot behind the ball, and (the ball) was pulling off to the left,'' Weiss said.
Weiss made an adjustment, and split the uprights with his first two attempts. His third was blocked, but he came back to kick two more PATs and the field goal.
``I was just glad to make a contribution to the team,'' he said.
Weiss, a 6-foot-3, 220-pounder with a strong arm, expected his contribution to be at quarterback. He was recruited by former Norfolk State coach Archie Cooley out of Holmes (Miss.) Junior College when it appeared that current quarterback Aaron Sparrow might transfer.
But with Cooley gone, Sparrow stayed, and has had an All-American-type season. Weiss, who kicked in high school, volunteered when kickoff man Johnnie Harrell struggled with extra points early in the season.
``If this (kicking) is where I can make my contribution, then, hey, whatever it takes,'' he said.
GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION: Until Saturday, Lydell Finley, a true freshman from Indian River High, had played only on special teams, and sparingly at that.
But given a start at cornerback, Finley made the most of it.
Early in the second quarter, Finley scooped up a William Taylor fumble and ran 90 yards for a touchdown. He punctuated the play by stopping at the goal line, turning and ``splashing'' into the end zone.
``My friend and teammate Kevin Paige made the hit. I just picked it up and ran,'' Finley said. ``I wanted to get off on the right foot. I didn't know I was going to get off like that.''
Finley also made five tackles and broke up a pass.
``For a freshman, he did about as well as you could ask,'' Moore said. by CNB