
DATE: Sunday, September 28, 1997            TAG: 9709280226

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   83 lines

SPARTANS FLEX NEWLY DISCOVERED MUSCLE

Behold, the new and improved Green and Gold!

Remember that tentative, overwhelmed nature Norfolk State's Spartans displayed in their 36-7 season-opening loss at home to Virginia State on Aug. 30? It was gone Saturday, replaced by ferocious defense and dazzling special-teams play throughout a 48-6 rout of Morgan State before 9,010 fans in the Spartans' resoundingly triumphant return to Dick Price Stadium.

Three straight road games appear to have toughened up the youthful Spartans (2-3), who mauled the Bears with heretofore unseen displays of Norfolk State power. After recording only two sacks in their first four games, the Spartans punctuated the 50th annual Fish Bowl by getting seven Saturday, one for a safety.

After picking off just one pass all season, the Spartans intercepted Bears quarterback Donald Green twice Saturday, including one Lydell Finley returned 45 yards for a touchdown.

And after going more than two years without a field goal, Greg Howell booted three against Morgan State, from 24, 42 and 44 yards out.

``This is the Norfolk State team everybody expected,'' Spartans defensive lineman Robert Rushing said. ``And you can expect to see this type of play in our last five games, too.''

Granted, Morgan State (2-2, 4-7 last season) is not Florida State. Still, the victory represents progress - it was Norfolk State's first over a Division I-AA opponent this season. Furthermore, while the Spartans beat three such teams last year, none of those victories was anywhere near this decisive.

``A win like this was long overdue,'' Finley said.

Relentless pressure on Morgan State passers was the foundation for the blowout. Frustrated by the team's inability to put pressure on passers, Norfolk State coach Darnell Moore elected to blitz ``about 98 percent of the time.''

It worked to perfection. Spartan defenders were so disruptive to the Bear passing attack that starter Willie McGirt, coming off a career-best performance, was pulled in the first quarter in favor of the more mobile Green.

But Green actually fared worse, and Bear passers finished with only 10 completions in 34 attempts for 104 yards. The Bears also gained just 10 yards in 24 carries on the ground.

``We were prepared,'' Morgan State coach Stump Mitchell insisted.

According to Rushing, however, the view from the trenches told a different story.

``Near the end of the first quarter, I could see their linemen were getting tired,'' he said. ``Then they started hollering and cursing at each other. We were sending so many people they didn't know who to block. We were using different schemes than we'd used before. I don't think they knew what to expect.''

The Spartans defense helped put points on the board as well. Torrance Jackson recovered William Black's clean block of the Bears' first punt, setting up Howell for his 24-yard field goal to give the Spartans a 3-0 first quarter lead.

The special teams then got into the act, as Finley's 50-yard punt return to within inches of the Bears' goal line was the dirty work behind Deangelo Hodges' one-yard scoring plunge.

Finley's day took a disappointing turn on the last play of the quarter, when he slipped and fell in man-to-man coverage and was burned on a 33-yard touchdown pass from McGirt to Anthony Collins.

But Finley recovered nicely on the Bears' next possession. Breaking on a Green pass as though he had listened in on the Bears' huddle, Finley swooped in front of Collins on an out pattern, caught the ball in full stride and raced 45 yards down the right sideline to put the Spartans ahead 15-6.

``He made a bad decision that time,'' Finley said.

Norfolk State poured it on from there, as quarterback Robert Morris fired a pair of touchdown passes and Angelo Todd and Kondwani Johnson added scoring runs as the Spartans got in such a commanding position third-string quarterback Corey Coleman took the final snaps. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos

L. TODD SPENCER

With Morgan State's Charles Fields defending, Norfolk State's Willie

Parker goes up for a pass Saturday at Dick Price Stadium in Norfolk.

Photo

L. TODD SPENCER/The Virginian-Pilot

Lydell Finley blocks a Morgan State point-after attempt Saturday.

Finley also ran a punt back to the one and returned an interception

45 yards for a TD.