THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 14, 1994 TAG: 9408110195
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 62 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Sports
SOURCE: BY JEFF ZEIGLER, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
One year ago, the Elizabeth City State University football program was in turmoil. Head coach Alvin Kelley had resigned under fire and George Moody took over with practice for the 1993 season beginning a week late.
What a difference a year makes.
Practice for the 1994 season began Wednesday with a relative calm. Moody was much more optimistic about this season than he was last year.
``It's like night and day this season,'' Moody said Wednesday after a double practice session. ``The players came back in much better shape and in much better condition. The attitude was positive and they seem to have a purpose in mind. We are trying to eliminate all the distractions. So far, so good.''
Last year, Moody came into practice on Aug. 15 with many prospective players missing due to poor grades and many of the others out of shape. This year, Moody has had a whole offseason to prepare for 1994.
``We started working out after Christmas break with the weight training,'' Moody said. ``Most went about it religiously. A lot of that carried over to the summer.''
Last year's first practice, Moody had the players working on endurance drills. This year, he was able to run the offense.
``The offense ran plays today based on what we went over in the skull sessions we had the last two days,'' Moody said. ``We spent a lot of time on the execution. It wasn't bad for the first day.
``Last year nobody knew what to expect,'' Moody added. ``This year, I know what to expect and the team members know what to expect.''
Another change is Moody's coaching staff. Last year he was saddled with Alvin Kelley's old coaches. This year he has brought in a new staff, more to his personal liking.
The extra week, however, could make the biggest difference. Last year, the Vikings used a basic zone offense in their first game against Winston-Salem. This year, Moody will already have the offense in place when the Vikings suit up to play Bowie State on Sept. 3.
``The zone offense is simple,'' Moody said. ``I've been a wing-T man all my life. It was too tough for us to learn right away last year. Then I put that system in for the second game against Edinboro and it really showed good results against a top-ranked team.''
Although ECSU handled Bowie easily last year during its 2-8 season, Moody said the game with the Bulldogs this year will be important.
``The first game is big, they are a conference opponent,'' Moody said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Head Coash George Moody by CNB