ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, December 24, 1996 TAG: 9612240085
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
Sometimes you can learn a lot about a person from the professional sports teams he or she follows.
University of Miami quarterback Ryan Clement is an Oakland Raiders fan.
``Huge Raiders fan,'' said Clement, who is from Denver, home of the AFC West Division champion Broncos. ``And, I would have to say there's a connection there.
``Coming out of high school, I looked at Miami as the Oakland or LA Raiders of college football. They basically have the same type of mentality.''
As a student with a 3.5 grade-point average and a score of 1,220 on the Scholastic Assessment Test, Clement came from a geographical and academic background more frequently identified with a football program such as Stanford's.
``I seriously considered going to Stanford for a while,'' said Clement, rated the No.3 quarterback in the recruiting class of 1994. ``I would have played under Bill Walsh for a year, but I knew he wasn't long for the college game.''
If he had gone to Stanford, Clement would have been closer to the Raiders, known for their toughness, their swagger, their vertical passing game. And, until recently, few teams at the pro or college level won more than the Raiders or Hurricanes.
``We've kind of gotten away from our free-spirited ways because of the atmosphere in college football,'' Clement said during a break in preparations for the Carquest Bowl on Friday night against Virginia. ``The rules won't allow it.
``It doesn't bother me, but it was something that was attractive to me. I don't like my uniform tucked in. I kind of like to bloody my nose. I'll get with the linemen and make a block or tackle if need be.''
Clement's intense nature never was more evident than when the Hurricanes entertained Virginia Tech on the third Saturday in November. With the score tied at 7, Miami had driven to the Hokies' 1-yard line in the waning moments of the second quarter.
Clement, who already had talked coach Butch Davis out of one field-goal try, went ballistic when he discovered the Hurricanes had only 10 men on the field. He was forced to take a delay-of-game penalty before Andy Crosland missed a 23-yard field-goal attempt.
``I was just so very frustrated at that turn of events,'' said Clement, who sank to his knees when he returned to the bench and pounded the turf with his fists. ``I feel, if we score a touchdown there, we win the football game.
``I don't want to take anything away from Virginia Tech. They're a heck of a football team, but we gave 'em one that day. When you've got 450 yards and score only one touchdown, you're not doing something right.''
Clement suffered a badly sprained ankle in the third quarter and was not around for the finish, which included Keion Carpenter's interception and 100-yard return for a touchdown that sealed the Hokies' 21-7 victory.
Clement did not play the next week against Boston College, but that was the only game he missed during a season in which he separated his left (non-throwing) shoulder in the Hurricanes' 31-6 loss to East Carolina.
Miami's alternatives the next week were back-up Scott Covington, who had a collapsed lung, and freshman Steve Kelley, who was at risk of losing a redshirt year. Clement, though severely limited, started and went the distance in a 10-7 victory over West Virginia.
``According to the doctors, those [shoulder injuries] don't heal unless you rest them right away,'' Clement said. ``It was a situation where I had to play. I probably had no business in that game, but somehow I managed.''
Clement shrugged off the injuries to complete 148 of 246 passes for 1,983 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. In the process, he began to restore some of the prestige Miami's quarterback position had lost in recent years. The Hurricanes have had a pair of Heisman Trophy winners in Vinny Testaverde and Gino Torretta and have sent a host of other quarterbacks to the NFL, including Jim Kelly, Bernie Kosar and Craig Erickson.
``If you're compared to those guys, hell, you've got it made,'' Clement said. ``I always like to be in a situation where I'm challenged. I feel like I'm at a place where I can be at the pinnacle of the game.
``Coming out of high school, this is the place to be for a quarterback. It's right up there with the Nebraska tailback and the Penn State [linebackers] as the marquee positions in college football.''
Clement was one of 11 semifinalists for the Davey O'Brien Award, which goes to the top quarterback in college football. He did not make the final cut, which included Florida's Danny Wuerffel (the winner), Arizona State's Jake Plummer and Tennessee's Peyton Manning.
``I think Jake's a great quarterback,'' Clement said, ``but I can remember going to ASU to watch him play when I was a true freshman. A lot of these guys are in their fourth or fifth year and they've had the opportunity to grow and change in the system.''
Clement did not have the advantage of a redshirt year. He attempted only seven passes under then-Miami coach Dennis Erickson before becoming the Hurricanes' punter at the end of the 1994 season. He did not become the starting quarterback until the fourth game of the 1995 season.
``Sure, I'm satisfied with what I've done,'' said Clement, who was behind center when the Hurricanes won the last seven games of the '95 season to finish 8-3. ``I'm not satisfied with what we've done.''
The Hurricanes still are hurting over the loss to Virginia Tech in a game that was close until the final interception. They shared the conference championship with Syracuse and Virginia Tech, but were passed over by the Gator Bowl with its second choice of Big East teams.
Clement has been outspoken about the political nature of the selection process and points out that Miami and Virginia beat the two Gator Bowl teams, West Virginia and North Carolina, although it took improbable comebacks.
``We put a ton of pressure on ourselves when we got so upset,'' Clement said. ``I mean, what if we go out and get our butts kicked by Virginia? It would prove the Gator Bowl right, wouldn't it?''
Sounds like Clement is issuing himself one more challenge.
LENGTH: Long : 108 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ROSS OBLEY Miami quarterback Ryan Clement says: ``Iby CNBdon't like my uniform tucked in. I kind of like to bloody my
nose.''