THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 29, 1996 TAG: 9610290442
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 97 lines
The question on the Big East football coaches' teleconference Monday was about ESPN analyst Lee Corso calling for Don Nehlen's job, and it set the West Virginia coach off.
``First of all, I think that's why Lee Corso is on the air, because he lost his job,'' Nehlen said of the former Indiana coach. ``He couldn't win a game.''
ESPN spokesman Dean Diltz said Monday he spoke to the producers and reviewed three hours of tape following West Virginia's loss to Miami on a late punt block, and that Corso never suggested Nehlen should step down or be fired.
``That subject was never visited,'' Diltz said. ``I can't stress enough that it didn't take place.''
But Corso - who last week said, but then retracted it a moment later, that Wisconsin's Barry Alvarez should step down after a decision that led to a loss to Northwestern - did say Nehlen erred by not voluntarily taking a safety. The Mountaineers led 7-3 and faced fourth down at their 30 in the game's closing seconds. Miami was out of timeouts, so the Mountaineers - whose defense had stuffed Miami all night - essentially just needed to get off a punt to win the game.
But the Hurricanes' Tremain Mack broke free and blocked the punt with 29 seconds left, and Miami scooped it up and scored the winning touchdown. It was the fifth punt West Virginia has had blocked this season. Corso then said Nehlen blew the call.
``For him to say that kind of stuff is baloney,'' Nehlen said. ``When you're on your own 30-yard-line, to take a safety and have your punter run backwards 17 yards, that's kind of shaky.
``I never gave it a thought to take a safety. If we had been backed up to our own end zone, that's a completely different story. It's not like we were ahead 10 or 12 points. We take a safety then we've got to kick off from the 20, then they complete one pass and they beat us with a field goal. I don't understand Lee Corso even thinking about that.''
MORE MOUNTAINEER WOES: Security questions have arisen at West Virginia following two incidents Saturday night at Mountaineer Field. An ambulance carrying Miami tailback Danyell Ferguson (dislocated hip) to the hospital was allegedly shaken and almost tipped over by Mountaineer fans outside the stadium.
Nehlen said he talked to the ambulance driver Monday, who said it was not true and only that a few people banged on the side of the ambulance.
``It was just a story that was relayed to us by our security people,'' Miami coach Butch Davis said. ``If it is untrue, I truly regret it being spread. The people that were there claim that it did happen, the people who were inside the ambulance.''
Also, a Miami assistant coach was struck by a trash can thrown from the second level of the stadium.
``These are things the athletic directors and conference commissioners should probably address,'' Davis said. ``I don't think it's anything that needs to be waged in the media.''
West Virginia president David Hardesty issued a statement Monday decrying the ``irresponsible actions and behavior of a few who put the university and the state in a bad light.'' Hardesty promised tougher enforcement measures would be taken at future games, and also sent a letter of apology to Miami's president, athletic director and Davis.
ECU-TECH TIME CHANGE: The East Carolina-Virginia Tech game Nov. 9 in Blacksburg has been shifted to a 7 p.m. start to accommodate television. The game will be broadcast by ESPN2. The Hokies' home game with Southwestern Louisiana Saturday will not be televised, but their final four games will all be broadcast by either CBS or ESPN2.
LEAGUE RACE: Syracuse is at West Virginia Saturday, and with a win the Orangemen would improve to 5-0 in the Big East and likely would play Miami Nov. 30 for a chance to win the conference title.
Four teams are in the hunt for the championship and corresponding Bowl Alliance bid: Syracuse (4-0) has remaining league games at West Virginia and Temple and home versus Miami; Miami (3-0) is at Temple, home against Virginia Tech and Boston College and at Syracuse; Virginia Tech (4-1) is at Miami and home versus West Virginia; West Virginia (3-1) is home versus Syracuse and at Rutgers and Virginia Tech.
The league has adopted a tiebreaker system this season to determine its representative to the Alliance game - the Sugar, Fiesta and Orange bowls. The tiebreaker is based on head-to-head competition as well as ranking in the polls.
QUICK HITS: Tech coach Frank Beamer said All-American defensive end Cornell Brown will return to practice this week and should play Saturday against Southwestern Louisiana. Beamer said linebacker Tony Morrison and backup punter John Thomas remain indefinitely suspended for unspecified reasons. . . . Miami's Mack, the hero of the West Virginia game, publicly admitted a drinking problem in September and underwent rehabilitation and counseling. . . . Davis said Ferguson may be able to play in a bowl game, but is unlikely to return during the regular season. . . . Miami QB Ryan Clement was not expected to play Saturday because of a shoulder separation in his non-throwing shoulder, but was forced into action when backup Scott Covington suffered a collapsed lung the Monday before the West Virginia game. ILLUSTRATION: Don Nehlen said Lee Corso is working on TV ``because
he lost his job. He couldn't win a game.'' by CNB