DATE: Wednesday, September 17, 1997         TAG: 9709170645

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE:    - PAUL WHITE

                                            LENGTH:   73 lines

MEAC ROUNDUP

Defeat to Tribe

helped to prepare

Hampton for Howard

When Hampton University coach Joe Taylor was doling out the credit for Saturday's 49-21 victory over preseason MEAC favorite Howard, he reserved a sizable portion for William and Mary.

The Tribe, ranked third in Division I-AA, blasted the Pirates 31-6 on Aug. 31. According to Taylor, it was just the kind of beating Hampton could learn from.

``We took a page out of their book,'' Taylor said. ``Every year they used to go up and play Virginia. They'd play hard, maybe not have much success, but then they could come back, make adjustments and just plain work hard. That's what we did after William and Mary to get ready for Howard.''

Properly focused, the Pirates had their way with the Bison Saturday, especially during a 42-point second half.

Although Howard returned most of its players from last year's 10-2 Heritage Bowl championship team, Taylor said he wasn't surprised the Pirates were able to finish strong.

``I didn't think they were in the best of shape, especially their linemen,'' Taylor said. ``We rotated eight defensive linemen and kept our guys fresh. I think we kind of wore them down.''

The Pirates also frustrated Bison quarterback Ted White, who likes to call plays at the line of scrimmage, by jumping in and out of formations. Hampton returned three interceptions for touchdowns Saturday.

``This game was a long time in coming,'' Taylor said. ``They were ranked ahead of us, but we knew we had a chance to be competitive.''

S.C. State got defensive

in victory over Furman

South Carolina State stunned 10th-ranked Furman Saturday despite little contribution from the Bulldogs' offense.

The Bulldogs had 99 yards passing and 63 yards rushing in the 17-6 victory and went the second half without a first down.

The defense, on the other hand, was downright heroic. Furman drove into first-and-goal situations twice in the fourth quarter, but was denied both times by Bulldog goal-line stands. Another Furman fourth-quarter drive was shut down at the Bulldogs 14.

``We thought our defense would be good this year, but it was remarkable Saturday,'' South Carolina State coach Willie Jeffries said after the Bulldogs' second victory over Furman in their last three meetings.

South Carolina State defensive back Jermaine Derricott had 11 solo tackles and a forced fumble. He was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Week.

As for the MEAC's lowest-rated offense, Jeffries said it should get a boost when quarterback Reggie Curry is fully recovered from a hamstring injury. A weakened Curry made his first start against Furman, and Jeffries said the sophomore should be 100 percent when the Bulldogs play Tennessee State after a bye week Sept. 27.

Former Maury star named

MEAC's top offensive player

Hampton running back Charles ``Boom Boom'' Jackson, the 1993 All-Tidewater Player of the Year from Maury, was the Offensive Player of the Week after his 209-yard, three-touchdown performance against Hampton. Jackson leads the MEAC in rushing despite gaining only 39 yards in the Pirates' only other game against William and Mary.

Norfolk State quarterback Robert Morris leads the conference in passing yards with 761. Morris saw his streak of passes without an interception snapped at 79 Saturday when Florida A&M's Russell Parker plucked a deflected ball in the second quarter of the Rattlers' 41-26 victory.

Norfolk State's Charles Burnette has a conference-leading 20 receptions, eight more than No. 2 Kyle Payne of Hampton.

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