THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 19, 1996 TAG: 9609190578
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 82 lines
There may never be a good time to play Florida State, but North Carolina State seems to be catching the Seminoles at a very bad time.
Coach Bobby Bowden's No. 3-ranked Seminoles are hungry for action and a chance tonight to prove their worth to a national television (ESPN, 8 p.m.) audience.
``It seems the season is half over and we've only played one game,'' Bowden said Wednesday.
The Seminoles didn't play the opening weekend and then had an open date after waxing Duke 44-7 two weeks ago.
A strong showing against the Wolfpack could help the Seminoles jump into the coveted No. 2 ranking if No. 4 Florida defeats No. 2 Tennessee on Saturday.
``That's where you want to be, No. 1 or No. 2 so you have the chance to play for the national championship,'' Bowden said. ``I hope we are impressive with the game on national television, but I want us to be impressive every week.''
Despite the lopsided result, the Seminoles were not overly impressive against Duke.
Heisman Trophy candidate Warrick Dunn rushed for only 70 yards and quarterback Thad Busby passed for only 75 yards.
Bowden spent much of the past two weeks fine-tuning his offense and is eager to test it.
``I want to see if we are on the right road,'' Bowden said.
The Wolfpack also had last week off after losing its opener to Georgia Tech. Coach Mike O'Cain spent the off-week trying to make his team more physical.
``We want our upfront people to be attackers,'' O'Cain said.
TIKI WATCH: Virginia running back Tiki Barber has rushed for 270 yards in his first two games.
That is more rushing yardage than North Carolina (266), Clemson (243), and Duke (56) have in their first two games.
Barber's rushing stats top the ACC and are 14th nationally.
WILLIAMS BACK: Virginia defensive back Joe Williams, who missed last week's win over Maryland, has been cleared to return to practice.
Williams, a junior from Chesapeake, suffered a groin injury in the season opener against Central Michigan.
It is questionable if receiver Germane Crowell (dislocated toe) will play Saturday at Wake Forest.
WHO'S HE? As the saying goes, there is always one that doesn't get the word. In the case of quarterback Brian Kuklick, Virginia was the one that apparently didn't get the word.
Cavaliers coach George Welsh said earlier this week he is impressed with Kuklick.
``I asked my coaches where Wake got him,'' Welsh said. ``He's pretty good. We should have taken a look at him.''
Wake Forest coach Jim Caldwell, who found Kuklick in Hatboro, Pa., can't understand why the Cavs didn't. Seems everyone else did.
``Brian was no secret,'' Caldwell said. ``He was recruited by Penn State, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia Tech, and all up and down the East Coast.''
VERSATILE: While watching film of Georgia Tech's win over Wake Forest last weekend, North Carolina coach Mack Brown learned there will be more to stopping Tech on Saturday than simply shutting down the Jackets' running game.
Brown says Tech's freshman quarterback Joe Hamilton is a much better passer than he had thought. Hamilton has thrown for 301 yards and completed 26 of 33 passes (78.8 percent) in helping the Jackets to a 2-0 start, their best since winning a share of the national title in 1990.
Still, rushing remains Tech's strength. The Jackets lead the ACC and are seventh nationally in rushing, averaging 298 yards per game.
EVERY 30 YEARS: North Carolina's 27-10 victory over No. 9 Syracuse was the Tar Heels' first road win over a top-10 team since a 21-7 victory at No. 8 Michigan in 1966.
The only other times the Tar Heels accomplished that feat were in 1943 and 1937 with wins over No. 10 Penn State and No. 8 Duke.
CUMMINGS UPDATE: Maryland coach Mark Duffner couldn't have picked a better time for an open date than this weekend.
It gives quarterback Brian Cummings time to recover from the shoulder separation he suffered in the first quarter against Virginia.
Duffner said Cummings is expected back at practice on Monday and should play in next week's West Virginia game.
GIVE AND TAKE: Fifty two of the 76 points Virginia has scored in two games were set up by the defense (5 fumbles, 3 interceptions, and 1 blocked punt).
The bad news is while the defense has forced eight turnovers, the offense has given the ball back seven times with three fumbles and four interceptions. by CNB