THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 28, 1996 TAG: 9609280517
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 46 lines
Remember when the pass-happy Norfolk State Spartans put the ball in the air over 40 times a game?
Those days are a thing of the past, and head coach Darnell Moore says he is content with an offense that runs more, meaning Delaware State will see a decidedly different Spartans squad today than the one it beat 20-14 last season.
Then again, the Spartans (3-1) may see a decidedly different Delaware State (1-2) team than the one which lost last week to North Carolina Central.
The teams meet at 2:30 at Foreman Field in the 49th Annual Fish Bowl.
The Hornets will start freshman Rahsaan Matthews at quarterback after watching senior Latroy Caesar falter for three weeks.
``We are still struggling with our offense,'' Delaware State head coach Bill Collick said. ``And we will go with the young kid at quarterback. Rahsaan will be making his first collegiate start at quarterback, but we have confidence in his athletic ability an his familiarity with our Wing-T offense.''
Matthews has completed 6 of 9 pass attempts for 122 yards and one touchdown. Such little activity means the Spartans haven't seen a lot of footage of Matthews on game tapes. But the belief is that the Hornets will throw more than usual.
``(Rahsaan) has looked good when he has played, and a big concern of ours is getting the ball in the hands of Damon Daniels, our big-play receiver who we feel can dictate the course of a game.''
Moore is not surprised by the move.
``When you get off to a slow start, you must decide whether you can turn it around with the players who are playing or if you want to look to the future and give someone else a chance,'' Moore said. ``I'm expecting some other changes on their part.''
Little, however, should change with the Spartans, who are averaging 127 yards rushing, much of that by John Quinerly, the CIAA's leading rusher with 463 yards. The Spartans barely averaged 100 rushing yards last season. NSU is averaging 184 passing yards.
``Since I'm an old college quarterback myself, I like to see the ball in the air,'' Moore said. ``But this is working well for us.'' by CNB