THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 29, 1996 TAG: 9609290190
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 69 lines
Norfolk State showed Saturday that its newfound defensive prowess is no fluke.
The Spartans stopped two potential game-winning drives by Delaware State in the last five minutes for a 27-23 victory in the 49th Fish Bowl Classic at Foreman Field.
It was the fourth consecutive win for the Spartans, equaling the longest winning streak under third-year head coach Darnell Moore, and the second straight against a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, which the Spartans intend to join next year when they move from Division II to Division I-AA.
Tavoris Carnes and John Green sacked Hornets quarterback Rahsaan Matthews with 1:20 remaining on fourth-and-goal from the NSU 32 to preserve the victory. But there were a half-dozen big plays turned in by the Spartans leading to the final one.
``We've won three straight close ones with big defensive plays,'' said middle linebacker Robert Johnson. ``And it's never been just one guy coming up with the plays. It's the entire defense.''
In a game that saw four lead changes, the Spartans took their final lead with 9:26 remaining when quarterback Robert Morris hit Reggie Bureau in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown pass. Steve Verdi tacked on the conversion kick that turned out to be important now that college football has adopted overtime.
``I didn't want to tell him when he went out there, but that four-point cushion was huge,'' Moore said. ``It took away their field-goal option.''
And that was a serious option for the Hornets. Theodore Johnson had booted a 32-yarder for a 23-20 lead early in the fourth quarter and was just wide to the right on a 45-yard attempt in the first quarter.
Bureau's catch capped a 67-yard scoring drive that was highlighted by a 42-yard catch-and-run play by Darius Blount.
Delaware State took the ensuing kickoff and marched 48 yards on six plays and had first-and-10 at the NSU 20 when the Spartans dug in their heels.
Johnson snuffed a run up the middle by Bryan Jenkins (185 yards, 32 carries) for a 1-yard loss. Safety Lonnie White then brought down Reggie Brown on a quarterback option keeper for a 4-yard loss.
A delay of game penalty pushed the Hornets (1-3) back to the NSU 30 and Matthews' pass to Damon Daniels across the middle was high, giving the Spartans the ball with 4:40 remaining.
But when Morris fumbled the exchange to running back John Quinerly on the next play, the Hornets Cedric Jones recovered.
Two running plays by Jenkins gave the Hornets first down at the NSU 19. Dennis Hill then went around left end and the Spartans were called for inadvertently grabbing a face mask, giving Delaware State first down at the NSU 9 with 3:35 left.
An offside penalty backed the Hornets to the NSU 14 and Johnson snuffed Jenkins again, this time for a 2-yard loss. After a 1-yard gain by Thalamus Trammell, the lefthanded Matthews dropped back on third-and-goal from the 15 and was blind-sided by blitzing outside linebacker Andre Nixon, the force of the blow knocking the ball backward and sideways all the way to the NSU 32, where it went out of bounds.
Carnes and Green finished the defensive stand with their sack of Matthews.
Morris took a knee on successive plays to kill the remaining time.
``When we had to go back out there after the first stop, we weren't hanging our heads,'' Nixon said. ``You have to face adversity with enthusiasm and that's exactly what we did.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
MIKE JEFFNER[sic]/The Virginian-Pilot
Norfolk State free safety Robert Weaver took this pass away from
Delaware State's Dennis Hill in the first quarter. by CNB