DATE: Wednesday, November 19, 1997          TAG: 9711190729

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C2   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: ANALYSIS 

SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   64 lines

DON'T BE SURPRISED IF NORFOLK STATE MAKES BIG TURNAROUND IN '98

His team may have been taking a major step up in class, and many of his key players may have been playing college football for the first time, but Norfolk State coach Darnell Moore still didn't expect the Spartans to lose seven games this season.

Heck, he didn't expect them to lose any.

And for the most part, the Spartans played this way, which in large part explains why the team competed so hard - and at times so well - against a schedule that featured five top-25 teams and two of the three teams that tied for first in the CIAA.

But the reality is most Division II teams don't just saunter into the I-AA ranks and commence to kicking tails right away. Hampton (5-6 in '96, the Pirates' first year in the MEAC) discovered this last year, and Pirates coach Joe Taylor predicted the Spartans would suffer a similar fate.

Turns out Taylor was right - the Spartans closed the 1997 season with a disappointing, but not terribly surprising, 3-7 record.

Taylor was also right when he said his team would turn things around quickly. Today, the Pirates are ranked ninth in the country, own a nine-game winning streak and are celebrating a MEAC championship.

That the Pirates were able to post such a dramatic turnaround doesn't guarantee Norfolk State is set to do likewise. But the elements appear in place for the Spartans to rebound with a winning record in 1998 - provided their young players can build on the experience gained this season, the coaching staff recruits smartly and mistakes are kept to a minimum.

Taking care of that last point alone might be enough to boost the Spartans over the .500 mark. The Spartans were seventh in the nine-team MEAC in turnover margin, but forced three more turnovers than they committed in their three victories. Blown assignments continually spoiled otherwise solid defensive efforts. And the Spartans averaged more than 100 yards a game in penalties.

More mistake-free play might have turned things around this year, as the Spartans dropped four games by eight points or less.

The Spartans probably would have gotten away with this kind of play were they still in the CIAA. The Virginia Union team Norfolk State hammered by 26 points wound up with a share of the CIAA title.

But the MEAC is much more competitive. Even Hampton didn't dominate - a closer look at their gaudy 9-1 record reveals two overtime victories, a third by a field goal with no time remaining and additional wins by scores of 9-2 and 7-2.

Cleaning up the little mistakes in a conference like the MEAC should make a big difference.

Crisper play seems likely next season, though, as the Spartans should no longer be the youngest team in the conference. At one point this season, 18 of the 22 starters were underclassmen. Only one senior, quarterback Robert Morris, saw significant minutes on offense.

But this doesn't mean the Spartans couldn't still use a strong recruiting year. Moore is high on Morris' backup, Maurice Selby. But Selby is untested, having attempted only two passes this season. Big linemen, offensive and defensive, and a field-goal kicker will also be priorities.

Success in these areas - recruiting, experience and cutting down mistakes - will almost certainly help the Spartans even the score against teams that knocked them around in '97.

As usual, however, Moore is thinking even bigger.

``I don't want to get even,'' the Spartans' coach said. ``I want to get ahead.''

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