THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 22, 1995 TAG: 9510220161
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
With their first six scoring drives averaging 60 seconds in length, the Norfolk State Spartans gave new meaning to ``quick-strike offense'' on their way to a 58-32 victory over host Virginia Union.
Aaron Sparrow threw for 450 yards and six touchdowns and completed 32 of 47 pass attempts without an interception, making the Gold Bowl most valuable player selection an afterthought.
And to think, the 8,934 on hand Saturday at Hovey Field only got to see the senior All-American candidate for three quarters. Sparrow headed for the sidelines for good following a 42-yard scoring strike to Reggie Bureau that gave the Spartans a 52-18 lead.
It was Sparrow's fourth game this season with more than 400 passing yards. Such outputs have become commonplace to the point that head coach Darnell Moore was nonchalant when asked to grade the performance.
``I expect great things from him,'' Moore said. ``So he has to do something astonishing to really impress me.''
As in breaking the all-time Division II record for passing yards in a single game? C.W. Post's Perry Klein holds it, throwing for 614 yards in 1993.
But with the Spartans (5-3 overall, 4-2 in the CIAA) playing against a struggling Virginia Union (0-5-2, 0-3-2) squad coached by former Norfolk State head coach Willard Bailey, it wasn't about to happen.
Bailey, in the first year of his second coaching stint with the Panthers, signed Sparrow out of high school in 1991 and gave Moore his college coaching break when he brought him on as a Norfolk State assistant in 1992.
Bailey, who resigned as Norfolk State's head coach after the 1992 season, inherited a team that went 1-9 a year ago.
``Such a record would mean something,'' Moore said. ``But I'd rather pick somebody else to do that on.''
Besides, Virginia Union was having a tough enough day already.
The Panthers fumbled away the opening kickoff and fumbled away their next possession on the second play of the series. Norfolk State's Robert Weaver picked off a Voscan Smyre pass on Virginia Union's following possession.
The Spartans turned those Panthers turnovers into a 7-yard scoring pass from Sparrow to Marty Conner, a 1-yard Sparrow plunge for a touchdown and a 4-yard scoring pass to James Roe.
``You turn it over three times to open the game and that does something to you psychologically,'' Bailey said. ``I'm just glad I don't have to face Sparrow and Roe every week.''
Roe, who has been playing on a sore ankle since spraining it three weeks ago against Delaware State, continued his assault on Division II's all-time receiving records.
His first touchdown catch marked the 14th consecutive game in which he's caught a touchdown pass, tying the NCAA Division II record previously owned by South Dakota State's Jeff Tiefenthaler. It was also the 26th game in which Roe has caught a scoring pass, breaking Tiefenthaler's record of 25, set from 1983 to 1986.
Roe, who caught two more touchdown passes before his day ended, finished with eight receptions for 104 yards.
``Our game plan was to throw the ball today,'' Sparrow said. ``We wanted to score as quickly as possible and make it a big game. The offensive line gave me enough time to drop back, set up and find my receivers. I felt like it was just another day at practice most of the afternoon.'' by CNB