Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 31, 1995 TAG: 9508310045
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: College Notebook
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The Blue Devils, one of the surprises in college football last year, when they won their first seven games, will receive $850,000 for moving their season-opening game with Florida State to the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla.
``We're not going to do it again,'' said Fred Goldsmith, entering his second year as Duke's head coach. ``Once we started to sell out last year, we tried to get out of it. We asked the Citrus Bowl to release us from the game and [bowl officials] wouldn't let us do it.''
According to most estimates, Duke stands to gain $500,000 from the move of Saturday's game.
``We've done a lot to upgrade the program and this has helped,'' Goldsmith said. ``I've told the team, `There will be 25,000 less Florida State fans than there would have been in Tallahassee.' Plus, we'll be a huge sentimental favorite around the country.''
Of course, all that support from TV viewers won't be reflected in the crowd noise at the Citrus Bowl.
``I'd much rather see Duke in Orlando than Durham, so we got a break there,'' said Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden.
Duke may not be the last ACC team to move one of its home games to Florida. Financially strapped Maryland, scheduled to play the Seminoles next year in College Park, Md., tentatively has accepted a $1 million offer to move the game to Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami.
Wake Forest has been approached about moving its 1997 home game with Florida State to Jacksonville, Fla.
IN THE ACC: Virginia coach George Welsh said running back Tiki Barber had not practiced as of Wednesday noon, increasing the likelihood Barber will miss the Cavaliers' home opener Saturday against William and Mary. Barber suffered a bruised shoulder in an 18-17 loss to Michigan.
nClemson defensive tackle Marvin Cross, a preseason All-ACC choice, faces reconstructive knee surgery. The Tigers hope four or five weeks of rehabilitation will enable Cross to play this year and put off the operation until after the season.
nAmong the prominent ACC players who are expected to miss opening-game action this week are N.C. State defensive back James Walker, Florida State linebacker Darryl Bush and Georgia Tech wide receiver Derrick Steagall, none with season-threatening injuries.
'CANES CHANGE: Ryan Collins' scrambling ability separates him from former Miami quarterbacks Bernie Kosar, Vinnie Testaverde and Gino Torretta, which is fine with new Hurricanes coach Butch Davis.
``The old traditional, drop-back, get-their-brains-beat-in quarterbacks ... those guys are dinosaurs,'' Davis said. ``If there's one common denominator [with Collins and backups Ryan Clement and Scott Covington], it is their athleticism. That is really the vogue now in the NFL.''
AROUND THE STATE: First-year Richmond coach Jim Reid said he may redshirt his entire freshman class. ... Former Virginia defensive tackle and NFL offensive lineman Ron Mattes is a first-year assistant at James Madison.
IN THE PROS: One-time Virginia Tech linebacker Jock Jones is with the Baltimore Stallions of the Canadian Football League. The Stallions have added former Virginia All-American Mark Dixon, a guard, to their practice roster. ... Former UVa linebacker Randy Neal has joined the Green Bay Packers' practice squad.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Virginia Tech women's basketball f\ bof\ bof\ bo to the No.1 assistant's post.
Alfano also promoted restricted-earnings coach Jill Jameson to full-time status and said she would have considered former William Byrd and Wake Forest basketball standout Jenny Mitchell for Jameson's old spot. However, Mitchell has taken a full-time job at Missouri-Kansas City.
``We'd like to have had Jenny,'' Alfano said. ``We missed her the first time [as a player]. She may end up back here yet.''
SCHMALL TALK: Former All-Big South Conference guard Brian Schmall from Radford has accepted a position as a player-coach for a professional basketball team in Luxembourg. Schmall's boss will be one-time Roanoke College standout Alan Jones, who discovered Schmall while looking at a tape of post prospects prepared by Highlanders assistant Bill Lilly.
COACHING CAROUSEL: Former Roanoke College basketball player Brian Blaney has joined the staff at Miami (Ohio) University. Blaney, son of Seton Hall coach George Blaney, was an assistant coach at Hargrave Military Academy last season.
nJeff Reynolds, once the boys' basketball coach at Carroll County High School, has joined the staff at North Carolina-Greensboro. Reynolds previously was an assistant at Winthrop, Randolph-Macon, James Madison and UNC-Wilmington.
EX-HOKIE NAMED: Dr. Mike Welch, a 1973 graduate of Virginia Tech, is the first commissioner of the Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Welch most recently was the faculty athletic representative at Guilford College.
LOCAL UPDATE: Former Cave Spring High School running back Anthony Woolums is playing football at Charleston Southern, while two former Knights teammates, tackle Bo Belinsky and center Jeff Tolley, are at Carson-Newman. ... Meredith Ritter, a sophomore from Christiansburg, is the top returning runner for the women's cross-country team at Radford University. ... All-Timesland volleyball player Blair Calvert is at Radford after helping North Cross win the private school state championship.
by CNB