THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 29, 1996 TAG: 9609290189
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: RICH RADFORD
LENGTH: 63 lines
Deceptive Quinerly NSU's 100-yard man
Norfolk State head coach Darnell Moore concedes that if anyone saw John Quinerly on a street corner and was told he was on pace to rush for 1,000 yards this season, they'd say, ``That guy? No way.
``He just doesn't look like a running back,'' Moore said.
He's not exceptionally big - 5-foot-8, 190 pounds - and isn't built like a speedster, but for the fifth straight game this season, the senior tailback ran for more than 100 yards Saturday in the Spartans' 27-23 victory over Delaware State.
Quinerly collected 126 yards on 20 carries, including a 67-yard touchdown romp in the second quarter. He now has 589 yards rushing in five games.
Quinerly's touchdown run came on a counter-trey play to the right that Quinerly cut back to the left. A final block by wide receiver Darius Blount and Quinerly was in a foot race with the Delaware State secondary.
``That was just like the old days when we were both at Maury (High School),'' Quinerly said. ``Darius gave me a good block, but the offensive line gave me great blocks all day.''
Another big defensive stop
While much was made of the Spartans' two fourth-quarter defensive stands, NSU had another equally big stop in the second quarter.
The Hornets had just taken a 14-7 lead on a 71-yard touchdown pass from Rahsaan Matthews to Damon Daniels when NSU's Theo Roach was stripped of the ball on a kickoff return, giving the Hornets first down at the NSU 15.
NSU's defense held on four plays - Lonnie White stuck Thalamus Trammel for a 5-yard loss on second down and John Green snuffed a draw play to Bryan Jenkins on fourth-and-11 from the 16 - and the Spartans turned around and marched 84 yards for a game-tying touchdown.
The final 42 yards came on a Robert Morris-to-Marty Conner pass on a post pattern.
``We knew right then that we had a chance to win this game,'' Conner said. ``And when the other team scores on a big play, it doesn't hurt to score on one of your own. That's when the momentum changes.''
This and that
For the third consecutive week, the Spartans defense scored a touchdown. With 2:25 left in the first half, Robert Weaver returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown.
The Spartans defense has scored four touchdowns in the last three games, three on interceptions and another on a fumble recovery. . . .
Delaware State alternated quarterbacks throughout, with Matthews, a freshman, as the designated passer and Reggie Brown, the designated option quarterback.
Matthews finished 3 for 7 for 102 yards passing, was intercepted twice and was sacked four times. Brown, a converted senior defensive back, ran for 54 yards on 12 attempts, while one of his two passes was intercepted. . . .
The Spartans continued to display a balanced offensive attack, rushing for 173 yards on 38 attempts while Morris was 11-for-20 passing for 164 yards. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
MIKE HEFFNER/The Virginian-Pilot
Norfolk State wide receiver Marty Conner hauls in a 42-yard
touchdown pass in Saturday's 27-23 win over Delaware State. by CNB