West Virginia Tech (0-3)
at Frostburg (1-0)
Time: 1 p.m.
Site: Bobcat Stadium, Frostburg
TV/Radio: WFRB (560 AM)
Outlook: West Virginia Tech has the best of this matchup in one respect. With three games under its belts, it has been well-tested relative to their Frostburg counterparts. However, the Division II Golden Bears have been pasted in all three contests, including a 41-22 loss to Geneva, Pa., last week. Meanwhile, the Bobcats hope to improve to 2-0 after beating Salve Regina last week, 14-7, in Newport, R.I., on the strength of 205 passing yards and two touchdowns from quarterback Jason Henry. Linebacker Chris Seguinot (11 tackles last week) will lead a Frostburg defense that will attempt to keep West Virginia Tech's not-so-potent running game -- it's averaging 28 yards per game -- under wraps.
Johnson C. Smith (1-0)
at Bowie State (1-0)
Time: 1 p.m.
Site: Bulldog Stadium, Bowie.
TV/Radio: None
Outlook: After a 41-0 victory over forever-winless Cheyney two weeks ago, Bowie gets down to business against its first CIAA opponent, Johnson C. Smith. The Bowie defense dominated Cheyney, allowing only 75 yards as Rod Williams intercepted two passes and returned a fumble for a touchdown. It will be challenged by a Johnson C. Smith offense that gained 407 yards in a 40-28 win over Gardner-Webb, including a combined 286 yards rushing from running backs Armis Stokes, Desmond Brown and Geoffrey Brooks. In a match between the two teams last season, Bowie failed to stop the run in a 19-13 loss, allowing 207 rushing yards.
Salisbury State (2-0)
at Methodist (1-1)
Time: 1 p.m.
Site: Monarch Field, Fayetteville, N.C.
TV/Radio: None
Outlook: The game will be Salisbury's debut in the new Atlantic Central Football Conference, the school's first game as a conference member in its 27 seasons of football. The team will do so after attaining its best record at this point since 1986, having beaten Alfred last week, 28-21. With quarterback Matt Main and running backs Myron Dent and Tony Ellis, the Sea Gulls average 33 points per game, second in their conference. Meanwhile, Methodist come in off a 9-0 loss to Guilford. The Monarchs, who defeated Salisbury, 29-22, in overtime last season, are led by quarterback Brian Turner and wide receiver William Ray, who has 11 catches for 190 yards.
Colgate (0-1) at Towson (2-0)
Time: 1 p.m.
Site: Minnegan Stadium
TV/Radio: WTMD (89.7 FM)
Outlook: After wins over Morgan State and Monmouth, today is what Towson coach Gordy Combs refers to as a measuring stick, and also the 300th game in the program's 30-year history. Colgate has been the team's strongest opponent the past two seasons, winning 35-10 at Towson in 1996, then winning 34-3 last season in Hamilton, N.Y. The 1997 game was a microcosm of Towson's 2-8 season. Up 3-0, Colgate blocked a field-goal attempt, which Jason Patterson returned for a touchdown. Though rested after an off week, Colgate will probably enter the game without quarterback Ryan Vena, who suffered a shoulder injury during a 45-35 loss to Connecticut in the season's first week. In a 42-20 win over Monmouth, the Towson offense showed its variety. Jason Corle ran for 148 yards on 29 carries, and Kevin Smith completed 12 of 17 passes for 158 yards, 113 going to Adam Overbey, including an 89-yard touchdown pass.
Gettysburg (0-1)
at Western Maryland (2-0)
Time: 1 p.m.
Site: Scott S. Bair Stadium, Westminster
TV/Radio: None
Outlook: Looking for its 13th straight regular-season win after last week's 40-7 win over Juniata, the Green Terror will be challenged on defense. In a 42-35 overtime loss to Hampden-Sydney, Gettysburg rolled up 814 yards in total offense. This total included 277 yards rushing on 35 carries from running back Paul Smith, who also scored three touchdowns, providing a test for a Western Maryland defense that is giving up only 3.1 yards per rush. But, Western Maryland held Smith to 53 yards in last year's game, a 55-7 Green Terror rout. Also, the Gettysburg defense was nearly as laughable as the opponent's last week, giving up 782 yards of total offense. That does not bode well on the road against Western Maryland, which averaged 48 points and 454.5 yards total offense in its two victories. Junior quarterback Ron Sermarini is the conference's top-rated passer (204.0 rating), completing 70 percent of his passes while throwing for three touchdowns.
Johns Hopkins (1-0)
at Swarthmore (0-0)
Time: 1: 30 p.m.
Site: Clothier Field, Swarthmore, Pa.
TV/Radio: None
Outlook: For his college coaching debut, Swarthmore's Peter Alvanos attempts to get the school's first win since 1995, and tries to avenge the 73-0 pasting Hopkins handed the team last year. He'll try this against a Hopkins team coming off a 43-23 win over Washington & Lee. Running back Donald Davis ran for three touchdowns while quarterbacks Wayne Roccia and Jamie Monica combined for 277 yards passing and two touchdown throws for Hopkins. Strong safety Harrison Bernstein had six tackles to lead a Blue Jays defense that held Washington & Lee to 10 points before the fourth quarter.
Maryland (1-1)
at No. 19 West Virginia (0-1)
Site: Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, W.Va.
Time: 6 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
Radio: WBAL (1090 AM)
Outlook: West Virginia and its Heisman Trophy candidate Amos Zereoue will not be in the best of moods tonight, having had to wait two weeks to atone for a season- opening 34-17 loss to No. 1 Ohio State. Mountaineers coach Don Nehlen has vowed to give the ball more often to Zereoue after he had 77 yards on 20 carries against Ohio State. Maryland hopes to counter Zereoue with the running of sophomore tailback LaMont Jordan, who was impressive last week in his 1998 debut, a 31-19 loss to Virginia. Jordan came off the bench early in the first quarter and ran well enough for the Terps to pull off an upset if they had not turned the ball over twice in the first quarter, giving No. 10 Virginia 10 points. Jordan rushed for 88 yards and caught three passes for 31 yards. The entire Maryland backfield had flashes of brilliance against Virginia, with fullback Matt Kalapinski, tailback Harold Westley and backup fullback Kenny Rogers all contributing to the near-upset. But the Terps will be playing in a hostile environment for the second straight week and will need their offensive line and quarterback Ken Mastrole to avoid the costly sacks (nine) that have plagued them in the first two games. Maryland coach Ron Vanderlinden said, "Our ability to handle defensive pressure will dictate how well we do down there. Also 'Famous Amos' can stop on a dime, is a powerful runner and is probably a first-round pick."
Pub Date: 9/19/98