DATE: Thursday, September 4, 1997           TAG: 9709040623

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: ED MILLER 

                                            LENGTH:   73 lines

AREA ROUNDUP - SPORTS

``Pass'' has never been a four-letter word at William and Mary. At least not for the 18 years Jimmye Laycock has been head coach.

But with new quarterbacks at the helm the last two years, Laycock toned things down a bit, scaling back his intricate passing game in favor of a more conservative approach.

This year, with second-year starter Mike Cook at the helm, things should get back to normal in Williamsburg. It certainly seemed like old times, anyway, in William and Mary's season opener against Hampton last Saturday.

In rolling to a 31-6 win, the Tribe spread the field, and showed more formations than the halftime entertainment, Hampton's celebrated ``Marching Force'' band.

The Tribe kept Hampton guessing by lining up, at various times, with three receivers, two tight ends, two running backs, one running back, and in the shotgun formation. The Tribe also mixed in some option and plenty of motion.

There's more to come, Laycock said.

``We put in some things in preseason that we didn't use,'' Laycock said. ``It got to the point in the fourth quarter where we weren't interested in experimenting with anything unusual. There wasn't any need to stretch ourselves offensively.''

No sense in revealing too much to Saturday's opponent, Georgia Southern. Mindful that every new offensive wrinkle would be recorded on the videotape sent to the Eagles, Laycock the director yelled ``Cut!'' in the third quarter.

Laycock's passing game long ago earned him a reputation as an offensive innovator. The key to its revival is Cook, a redshirt junior who proved to be a quick study last year, when he threw for 3,166 yards.

Laycock says he's ready to give Cook more options this season.

``Let's see what he can do,'' Laycock said. Tribe's double threat

Two of the biggest beneficiaries of the Tribe's modified attack are tight ends Gary Foster and Tim Leedy. The pair, used mostly as blockers last year, combined for six catches Saturday.

Foster had four catches, after catching just five last season. That prompted a teammate to joke that Foster had hand surgery in the off-season.

``He had hands surgically attached,'' the teammate said.

Actually, Foster said, he's always had good hands. He just never had a chance to use them.

``They never really ran many pass plays for the tight ends here,'' Foster said. ``I guess they realize they've finally got the personnel for the tight ends to become an integral part of the passing game.''

Tony Morrison may start

Tony Morrison's days as a reserve linebacker at Hampton appear to be numbered. Look for the Chesapeake native and transfer from Virginia Tech - who has been in a Hampton uniform less than a month - to challenge for a starting spot, coach Joe Taylor said.

``I don't need to look at the film to tell he'll be out there quite a bit more,'' Taylor said. ``He's learning the system. No one questions his ability to hit.''

Morrison was used sparingly Saturday, but had three tackles, including one for a five-yard loss. JMU is young

James Madison coach Alex Wood wasn't kidding when he said his offense would be young this season. Five true freshmen are listed on the two-deep roster for Saturday's opener at Ball State.

Among them is Kempsville High graduate Zeb Clark, the second-string tailback. Clark is backing up a redshirt freshman, Delvin Joyce, who was a walk-on last year. Behind Clark is another true freshman, Anthony Moore.

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