THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 26, 1996 TAG: 9609260490
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 72 lines
Had there been an open date to work with and a little more time, Norfolk State might have been traveling to Johannesburg, South Africa, on Nov. 16 to play Central State of Ohio.
The Marauders, who last season won the NAIA Division I championship, approached the Spartans with the idea two weeks ago when an NCAA appeals committee, by a 3-2 vote, struck down Morehouse's request to add a 12th game to its schedule.
Central State asked if the Spartans could move their Oct. 5 home game against the Marauders to Johannesburg on Nov. 16. And the Marauders offered to pay expenses for a party of 250 NSU representatives, including the team and marching band, and chip in a $50,000 bonus.
NSU athletic director Dick Price says the school seriously considered the offer, but problems were multiple.
NSU season-ticket holders would have lost a home date, there would have been a time crunch to complete paper work for overseas travel, and the Spartans already play Hampton University on Nov. 16 in the Battle of the Bay.
``Norfolk State said it was just too tough to turn things around,'' Central State AD Ken Hudson said. ``At the least, we wanted to extend the invitation.''
Said Price: ``We were real excited about it when they called. If they'd have called in May, we would have jumped at the chance. But it was a little too late.''
Morehouse is planning to appeal the NCAA's decision against a 12th-game waiver and Hudson is hopeful the waiver is granted this time.
``There are many other considerations I believe the NCAA should look at,'' said Hudson, whose school is switching to NCAA Division II status in 1998. ``We have a contract with the South African Sports Federation for a 60,000-seat stadium and this is more than just a football game. There's going to be a soccer exhibition before the football game and many other festivities surrounding it.''
MORE ON NSU: Prior to Norfolk State's game at Bethune-Cookman last Saturday, the offensive line met with quarterback Robert Morris and some of the Spartans' running backs.
``In the previous game, it seemed there was always a breakdown in our blocking, but it wasn't one guy every time,'' said lineman Eric Musgrove. ``We told Robert that we'd get it together and if he felt like he had to scramble, just to yell and tell us where he was going.''
The result: Morris was sacked only twice against Bethune-Cookman. In fact, there were three plays where his pass blocking was so solid he refused to scramble when yardage was there for the taking, opting to pass instead.
``That meeting and the way we played did a lot for our confidence,'' Musgrove said.
The Spartans have 10 interceptions in four games, far ahead of last season's pace of 17 in 10 games.
``We've got more experience in the defensive backfield and we're putting more pressure on the quarterback up front,'' NSU coach Darnell Moore said. ``We've got 10 interceptions, but also have a lot of knockdowns and hurries.''
NEW HURLER: Now pitching for James Madison, Greg Maddox.
Ok, so it's not the three-time Cy Young winner, who spells his last name differently, anyway.
But Maddox, a redshirt freshman from Fairfax, did a nice job in relief of injured JMU quarterback Willie Gonzalez last week, in a 38-7 win over Boston University.
Maddox completed 20 of 29 passes for 243 yards, and three touchdowns, after Gonzalez left the game with a broken left hand. Gonzalez, a senior, is expected to be out four to six weeks, and JMU coach Alex Wood said he'll petition the NCAA for another year of eligibility.
FLYTHE SNUB: Somehow, Hampton University linebacker Darrell Flythe avoided being named the MEAC's defensive player of the week this week. Flythe, a senior from Suffolk's Nansemond River High, had 20 tackles in Hampton's 24-20 loss to North Carolina A&T. He has 52 tackles in three games, 22 more than any other Hampton player. MEMO: Staff writer Ed Miller contributed to this report. by CNB