THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 24, 1995 TAG: 9509240198
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
No lead is safe when the Norfolk State Spartans are involved.
Not even their own.
The Spartans blew a 22-point first-half advantage Saturday night at Foreman Field, then recovered and turned the tables on Elizabeth City State to post a 62-50 victory, breaking the CIAA conference record for total points in a game.
Trailing 44-41 with 6:50 to play, the Spartans (3-1 overall and in CIAA) put their fastbreak offense to work and scored three touchdowns in a five-minute span to knock the Vikings from the unbeaten ranks.
A collective sigh could be heard on the Spartans' sideline as time expired, but nobody was more relieved than tailback John Quinerly.
Quinerly rushed for a career-high 133 yards, but almost spoiled the night with a fumble that led to ECSU's go-ahead touchdown.
The Vikings (3-1) were trailing 41-37 when they gave up the ball on downs at the Norfolk State 31. But Quinerly fumbled on the next play and ECSU, ranked No. 20 in Division II, recovered and answered with a 36-yard touchdown pass from Kenny Crump to Marion Hall for the 44-41 advantage.
Quinerly, however, delivered a key downfield block on the next series on a 50-yard catch-and-run by All-American receiver James Roe. Two plays later, Aaron Sparrow hit Darius Blount for a 17-yard touchdown reception that put the Spartans back on top, 49-44.
After Norfolk State's defense held ECSU to three plays and a punt, Quinerly doubled up the payback with a 35-yard scamper around the left side that gave Norfolk State a 55-44 lead.
``I really wanted redemption for the fumble,'' said Quinerly, who also scored twice on 1-yard runs in the first half. ``It made me feel much better .
If the Spartans, who led 35-13 late in the first half, had lost this one, Quinerly wouldn't have been the only one feeling sick.
``After we gave up the lead, I remembered back to last year and the look on coach (Darnell) Moore's face on Monday after we lost that one (27-26 at ECSU),'' Sparrow said. ``I didn't want to see that look again.''
For the second consecutive week, Sparrow threw for over 400 yards. This time, he completed 26 of 34 passes for 409 yards and four touchdowns.
He was nothing short of dazzling in the first half as he completed his first 14 pass attempts, including a pair of 12-yard touchdown passes to Roe.
It was the 10th consecutive game in which Roe has caught a touchdown pass. He finished with nine receptions for 167 yards. But even he expressed a measure of fear after this one.
``Yeah, I was scared,'' Roe said. ``We were on a real emotional high for a while, then we were behind.''
Consecutive NSU special-teams breakdowns allowed the the Vikings to erase the majority of that 22-point deficit in the final two minutes of the first half.
After the Spartans scored on their first five possessions, ECSU's Aaron Murchinson returned a kickoff 67 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 35-19.
Norfolk State was stopped on its next possession and forced to punt. ECSU's Sharano Woodly responded with a 68-yard return for another touchdown and the Vikings trailed 35-25 at the half.
Malcolm Mackey scored on a 34-yard screen pass to cut the deficit to 35-31 early in the third quarter and the teams traded touchdowns - a 22-yard reception by Blount and a 40-yard reception by Mackey - to set up the fourth-quarter theatrics.
Notable: Norfolk State's game next Saturday (Sept. 30) against Delaware State, originally scheduled for 8 p.m. at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, has been moved to 1 p.m. at Alumni Stadium in Dover, Del. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
CHRISTOPHER REDDICK/Staff
NSU's John Quinerly ran for a career-high 133 yards and three
touchdowns, the last a 35-yard tear that made up for a fumble.
Photo
CHRISTOPHER REDDICK/Staff
Aaron Sparrow keeps Elizabeth City State's Derrick Wilkes at arm's
length. Sparrow was 26 of 34 for 409 yards, his second week in a row
over 400 yards, and four touchdowns. He completed his first 14 pass
attempts, including a pair of 12-yard touchdown passes to James
Roe.
by CNB