Rutgers (4-4) at Navy (3-4)
Site: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis
Time: Noon
Radio: WJFK (1300 AM), WNAV (1430 AM)
Outlook: Navy's confidence has soared following consecutive come-from-behind victories over Colgate and Boston College. The sophomore combination of quarterback Brian Broadwater and WR Ryan Read has been particularly effective. In his two starts, Broadwater has completed 18 of 23 passes for 357 yards and four touchdowns. In the last two games, Read has caught eight passes for 222 yards and three TDs. The Midshipmen also rank second in the nation in rushing (292.6 yards per game). After losing 14 straight games, Rutgers has responded by going 4-4 this season, ensuring third-year coach Terry Shea of a return next season. The Scarlet Knights have a balanced attack featuring sophomore QB Mike McMahon (1,493 yards, six TDs) and running backs Dennis Thomas (410 yards) and Jacki Crooks (404). Rutgers will likely try to exploit Navy's pass defense, which has allowed 306 yards a game. The Knights have allowed 33.5 points per game, suffering lopsided losses to BC, Syracuse, Miami and Tulane.
Maryland (2-6, 0-5) at North Carolina (3-4, 2-2)
Site: Kenan Memorial Stadium, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Time: 12: 10 p.m.
TV/Radio: ESPN2/WBAL (AM 1090)
Outlook: Maryland has lost 10 straight ACC games and now runs into a North Carolina team that has recovered from an 0-3 start to win three of its last four games. It also is homecoming for North Carolina and the final home game for the seniors. The Tar Heels had a three-game winning streak stopped by No. 6 Florida State, 39-13, last week. North Carolina has two outstanding QBs, highly celebrated freshman Ronald Curry and senior Oscar Davenport, who will start. Davenport is 2-1 as a starter this year, with his only loss coming in the season opener when he was knocked out against Miami of Ohio after only four plays. The Tar Heels also are led by junior cornerback Dre' Bly, only the fifth ACC football player to earn consensus All-America honors twice.
Morgan State (1-7) at Samford (4-4)
Site: Seibert Stadium, Birmingham, Ala.
Time: Noon
Radio: WEAA (88.9 FM)
Outlook: The 59-32 pasting that the Bears took from Florida A&M; was not a surprise. The surprise was the passing game that Morgan seems to have discovered in the past two weeks and will probably use in today's non-conference matchup. Willie McGirt completed 29 of 58 passes for 404 yards in the loss, following a 13-of-17, 200-yard performance against Delaware State. Marc Lester has 17 receptions and 356 receiving yards in the past two games, including 243 yards on 11 catches against Florida A&M.; Samford, coming off a 20-2 win over Division II Mars Hill, holds a 2-0 series lead over Morgan State, winning the last meeting in 1995, 35-24.
Salisbury State (2-6, 0-4) at Ferrum (6-2, 2-1)
Site: Adams Stadium, Ferrum, Va.
Time: 1 p.m.
Outlook: In a 36-17 loss, the Sea Gulls gave Western Maryland some things to think about, holding the Green Terror to minus-1 yard rushing in the first half and staying within six points at the break. That's what Salisbury will carry into its final Atlantic Central Football Conference game, trying to get a win in the first season of the league. Running back Tony Ellis was one of the bright spots, picking up 132 yards on 21 carries, with a 60-yard dash among his two TDs, but the Ferrum defense allows only 11 yards per game. Salisbury's defense against the run will probably need an encore against the Panthers, who rush for 203.4 yards per game. Four different backs have 200 or more yards for the season, led by Randy Anderson's 428 yards. Stopping Anderson and the rest will force Ferrum to rely on a pass offense (66.3 ypg) that's worse than any other in the ACFC.
Site: Welcome Stadium, Dayton, Ohio
Time: 1 p.m.
Radio: WTMD (89.7 FM)
Outlook: The Tigers run into their third meeting with the Flyers after rallying from 21 points down to beat St. Mary's (Calif.) last week, 27-21. Towson has not had much success in previous meetings between the two schools, losing 38-0 in 1995 and 24-17 in 1996. Dayton comes into the game after a bye week that followed a 23-16 win over Valparaiso. For the Tigers, Kevin Smith needs only 31 passing yards to become the third QB to amass more than 7,000 for a career. Smith was the Patriot League's offensive player of the week after passing for 268 yards and three TDs, including two to freshman receiver Jamal White. The game is the second in a series of three non-conference games preceding the season finale at Bucknell.
Swarthmore (0-6, 0-6) at Western Maryland (8-0, 6-0)
Site: Bair Stadium, Westminster
Time: 1 p.m.
Outlook: Did somebody say mismatch? Western Maryland scored 56 points in its season opener. In 1998, Swarthmore has )) scored 56 points. And on from there. Still, the Garnet Tide has played some decent football of late, losing a 21-17 decision to Franklin & Marshall only after a late rally that needed two &L; touchdowns in the final minutes. Freshman linebacker Joe Corso was named the ECAC/Budget Southern Regional player of the week following an 11-tackle performance against the Diplomats, while quarterback J. P. Harris completed 15 of 29 passes for 247 yards and two scores. The Green Terror, which beat Swarthmore last year, 56-0, is coming off a 36-17 win over Salisbury State.
Johns Hopkins (6-2, 4-1) at Franklin & Marshall (4-4, 4-1)
Site: Sponaugle-Williamson Field, Lancaster, Pa.
Time: 1 p.m.
Outlook: Both teams are one game off the Centennial Conference lead, and a victory today means a shot at a co-championship if Western Maryland slips up against the Blue Jays next week. Likewise, both teams enter following shaky performances last week. Hopkins lost to Dickinson, 14-0, the first time the Blue Jays have been shut out since 1996. At the same time, F&M; needed two TDs in the final four minutes to take out Swarthmore. In Lancaster, the edge would have to go to the Diplomats, who have scored all of their wins in conference play, but JHU has won in two of its last four trips there. With 879 rushing yards and two games remaining, Hopkins running back Adam Gentile is still within reach of 1,000 for the season.
Virginia State (2-6, 1-4) at Bowie State (6-2, 4-2)
Site: Bulldog Stadium, Bowie
Time: 1 p.m.
Outlook: With their first winning season since 1989 already wrapped up, the Bulldogs are in search of bigger game when facing Virginia State, a team that beat them last year, 31-22. Bowie, which has won its last five games -- including a 10-7 win over Fayetteville State last week -- can earn the CIAA crown with a win today. Johnson C. Smith, Livingstone, Virginia Union, Winston-Salem and Johnson C. Smith all have two losses, so the worst that Bowie can do with a win is a tie for first place. In a two-way tie between Livingstone and Bowie, the Bulldogs would lose out because of a loss to the Blue Bears on Sept. 26, right before they started their winning streak. In a 28-23 loss to Virginia Union, the Trojans piled up 445 yards of total offense but gave up 395 yards and had three turnovers.
Frostburg State (7-1) at Waynesburg (4-4)
Site: College Field, Waynesburg, Pa.
Time: 1: 30 p.m.
Radio: WFRB (560 AM)
Outlook: Less will be at stake for Frostburg than in previous meetings with the Yellow Jackets, who are coming in off a 20-19 win over La Salle last week. In 1990 and 1994, Bobcat losses in this 32-game series ruined the goal of making the NCAA Division III playoffs. This season, Frostburg is ranked No. 9 in the Lambert poll of the top teams in the East but has not been in line for the playoffs since a loss to Chowan in September. The Bobcats average nearly 200 rushing yards a game. This effort has been led by Brandon Walker, who ran for 168 yards and three TDs last weekend, passing the 1,000-yard mark as Frostburg downed Kentucky Wesleyan, 34-16. The Frostburg defense is among the nation's leaders (allowing 250 yards per game) in total defense, but also creates opportunities. the Bobcats rank seventh in turnover margin (plus-2 per game).
Pub Date: 11/07/98