THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 6, 1996 TAG: 9610060185
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 66 lines
Pick a Norfolk State streak, any streak. Chances are it ended Saturday night at Foreman Field.
The Spartans' four-game winning streak? A thing of the past. John Quinerly's five straight games rushing for 100 yards or more? There wasn't a sixth.
NSU's string of three straight games with the defense scoring a touchdown ended, too.
And were it not for an 82-yard kickoff return by Lydell Finley in the fourth quarter, the Spartans' run of 40 games without being shut out would have been in jeopardy. Finley's return gave the Spartans a shot of adrenaline that NSU turned into another late touchdown.
But the Spartans' fate - a 24-14 loss to Central State of Ohio - was all but sealed in the first half.
NSU netted 23 total offensive yards in the first half and wouldn't have had a first down except for a personal-foul penalty on the Marauders with one second left before halftime. The Spartans went to the locker room trailing 18-0.
``I cannot remember any of my teams (high school or college) not making a first down in a half,'' NSU head coach Darnell Moore said.
Meanwhile, the Marauders (3-2), NAIA champions a year ago, ran all over the Spartans, even in passing situations. Kezon McNeil perfected the quarterback draw, rushing six times in the first half for 67 yards. In each of the Marauders' three first-half scoring drives, McNeil had a big run.
``Only one of those was planned,'' McNeil said. ``That was my touchdown run. The others I was scrambling through gaps. When I saw NSU's defense on film, I thought there were some things they did that were unsound. But it's hard to call a team unsound when they're 4-1.''
Make that 4-2. The Spartans have an off week before returning to Foreman Field for homecoming against Virginia Union Oct. 19.
For all his exploits, it was a foiled McNeil pass early in the second quarter seemingly took the starch out of the Spartans. With Central State leading 6-0, NSU appeared to have held on downs when McNeil threw incomplete on fourth-and-6 from the NSU 16. But a pass interference call on a late flag gave the Marauders a first down at the NSU 10. They scored three plays later on a 6-yard run by McNeil for a 12-0 lead.
Fred Wilson had scored on a 10-yard run for Central State's first touchdown and Omega Porcher had a 3-yard run for the Marauders' third TD and an 18-0 lead. All three Central State 2-point conversions failed.
Central State upped the lead to 24-0 with 9:04 remaining in the fourth quarter when backup quarterback Stanley Jackson hit Alonzo Johnson on a 7-yard scoring pass.
After Finley's touchdown return on the ensuing kickoff, the Spartans scored again with 5:29 remaining when Robert Morris hit Quinerly on a 15-yard pass. The Spartans' five-play, 50-yard scoring drive began after Theo Roach picked off a Jackson pass at the NSU 27 and returned it to midfield. At least Roach's pickoff extended one meaningful streak: The Spartans have picked off at least one pass in 11 straight games, leaving them one shy of a school mark set in 1991.
One Spartan set a single-game record. Middle linebacker Robert Johnson finished with 29 tackles, breaking Art Jimerson's team record of 21 against Cheyney in 1989. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
HUY NGUYEN/The Virginian-Pilot
Central State's James Smith eludes the grasp of Norfolk State free
safety Robert Weaver en route to a first-half gain. by CNB