THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Saturday, October 26, 1996            TAG: 9610260476
SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C4   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY                    LENGTH:   40 lines

RUN-ORIENTED NSU HAS FOCUS SET ON BALL CONTROL AGAINST ECSU

Time of possession may be a statistic that goes unnoticed by many, but it is a key indicator for Norfolk State this season.

When the Spartans have kept time of possession close this year, they've done well. The one time NSU was at an extreme disadvantage, it lost to Central State (Ohio) 24-14. In that game, the Marauders had the ball for over 41 minutes.

For the season, the Spartans are averaging possession time of 28:11 per game to opponents' 31:49. Today at Elizabeth City State (1:30 p.m.), the Spartans will focus on ball control.

``I've looked at time of possession and sometimes it's a factor, sometimes it isn't,'' NSU head coach Darnell Moore said. ``If the other team is monopolizing the ball, that forces you to change your game plan.

``Last year, our mentality was to score in a hurry. Time of possession didn't always matter.''

This year, the Spartans are more run-oriented, led by the CIAA's leading rusher, John Quinerly. The tailback has run for 736 yards this season and is averaging 5.0 yards per carry.

Thus, they keep the ball for longer stretches of time.

The Vikings are led by running back Aaron Murchison, who has run for 496 yards.

ECSU, however, is coming off a 48-0 loss to New Haven, in which the Vikings were limited to 42 total offensive yards.

When these teams met a year ago, they exploded for 1,040 total yards in a 62-50 NSU victory that set a CIAA record for total points scored (112).

Murchison ignited the Vikings a year ago against NSU when he returned a kickoff 67 yards for a touchdown with less than two minutes remaining in the first half. The Vikings then scored on a 68-yard punt return before the half to make it a game, pulling ECSU to a 33-25 deficit.

``We need to limit their big plays and long drives,'' Moore said. ``And if we do come close to matching those 112 points from a year ago, I hope we've got 110.'' by CNB