THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, September 11, 1995 TAG: 9509110148
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Short : 43 lines
Like tourists by the busload and guys in powdered wigs, a high-powered William and Mary passing game is one of those things folks in this Colonial capital have come to take for granted.
Under coach Jimmye Laycock, the Tribe has annually had one of the nation's finest air attacks. All but two of the quarterbacks on the Tribe's top 10 career yardage list played for Laycock, who has gained a national reputation for his sophisticated passing offense.
But this year, there is uncertainty at Quarterback College. When the stat sheet was tallied after the Tribe's 24-17 loss to James Madison Saturday, the passing numbers were not pretty. William and Mary completed just 9 of 31, with three interceptions, for 75 yards.
Starter Matt Byrne struggled all afternoon, and was finally benched late in the fourth quarter in favor of redshirt freshman Mike Cook.
Byrne, a fifth-year senior who is a former walk-on, was the biggest preseason question mark on a team that had 19 starters returning, nine on offense. If Byrne could be competent, William and Mary seemed poised to take off.
Byrne played decently in the season opener against Virginia, but took a step back against JMU. There were mitigating factors - the Tribe's running game also stalled, forcing Byrne into some difficult third-down situations - but to his credit, Byrne accepted much of the blame.
Whether Byrne will get a chance to redeem himself is unclear. Laycock said he'd have to look at the game film before deciding whether to stay with Byrne or start Cook, a stronger-armed 19-year-old with almost no game experience.
It's a difficult decision, but one that will go a long way toward determining what kind of season William and Mary will have. Already 0-2 and faced with a difficult Yankee Conference schedule, the Tribe can't afford too many more losses if it is to achieve its goal of reaching the Division I-AA playoffs.
ED MILLER
by CNB