THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 29, 1994 TAG: 9410290328
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CHARLIE DENN, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
The name of the game at William and Mary under coach Jimmye Laycock has always been offense. Win or lose, the Tribe is practically guaranteed to score a lot of points.
Which makes the current offensive skid at William and Mary so mysterious. Heading into this morning's 11:30 a.m. game with Villanova at Villanova Stadium, the Tribe has scored only 41 points in its last four games.
You have to go back a long way to find a less-productive streak. In 1981, in its first four games, William and Mary scored just 31 points in going 0-4. There have been 148 games in between the two low-scoring streaks.
What is the remedy? Open up the offense and turn quarterback Shawn Knight loose? Or try to ram the ball down the throats of the Wildcats?
Actually, neither.
``There's no one thing you can point to as a reason,'' said Laycock. ``I think we just have to keep doing the things we've been doing.''
Laycock believes that strategy will result in some big plays. Coupled with better, more sustained blocking, the offense will become productive again.
``We need to turn the 10-yard plays into 50-yard plays,'' Laycock said. ``The way you do that is with extra effort. If we put extra effort into our blocks, if our pass blocking gives the quarterback time, and with the backs making the right cuts, the big plays will come.''
Sounds simple enough. But putting that theory into practice is something else again.
The Tribe's confidence might be a little shaken. William and Mary is 5-3 overall but has lost two straight and three of its last four. Instead of being 7-1, the Tribe is fighting to keep alive its playoff hopes.
In other games involving state I-AA teams today, James Madison (6-1) is at Richmond (3-5), VMI (0-7) hosts Western Carolina (5-3) and Liberty (3-4) is at home against Central Florida (5-3).
JMU is trying hard not to look ahead. The Dukes' remaining opponents have a combined 6-24 record. It would be easy to start projecting a 10-1 record and who the Dukes might face in the playoffs.
Richmond running back Uly Scott, meanwhile, has 3,318 career yards and needs seven more to break Barry Redden's UR career record of 3,324.
VMI got a rejuvenated running attack from Thomas Haskins, who ran for 188 yards last week. But the going figures to be tougher this week against Western Carolina, which thrives on defense.
And Liberty has won two straight games, but runs into a Central Florida team that lost a 39-38 heartbreaker to Troy State last week. by CNB