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News Nuggets, 10.22.03
NOTES FROM ECU AND BEYOND...

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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

StateLine Power Rankings©

Here's how the Division I-A football programs in the Carolinas stack up this week:

1. N.C. State (5-3, 2-2 ACC) ... The Wolfpack edges Clemson 17-15 and has extra time to prepare for Duke.

2. Clemson (4-3, 2-2 ACC) ... Tigers come up short in Raleigh but try to bounce back at home against UNC.

3. South Carolina (4-3, 1-3 SEC) ... Gamecocks can't handle LSU but shift focus to homecoming against Vandy.

4. Wake Forest (4-3, 2-2 ACC) ... Demon Deacons roll to 42-13 win at Duke and get ready for trip to Florida State.

5. North Carolina (1-6, 0-3 ACC) ... Tar Heels left saying 'What if?' after losing on last play to Arizona State.

6. Duke (2-5, 0-4) ... The axe was hovering over Blue Devils coach Carl Franks and it fell Sunday.

7. East Carolina (1-6, 1-2 C-USA) ... A nice vibe on campus after the first win in the John Thompson era.

Tonight's VPI-WVU TV capsule

No. 3 Virginia Tech (6-0) at West Virginia (2-4)
ESPN, 7:30 p.m.

Opening Line: Virginia Tech by 13½.
Series Record: West Virginia leads, 27-20-1.
Last Meeting: 2002, West Virginia, 21-18.

WHAT TO WATCH: Virginia Tech should be undefeated when it meets Miami on Nov. 1 - just as long as the Hokies don't look past this game. Slippery Mountaineers QB Rasheed Marshall has eight passing TDs. Though he has completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes, he's a threat to run with 138 yards on the season. RB Quincy Wilson has 632 yards rushing and 7 TDs this season, including an astonishing rumble for a TD against Miami. That score gave West Virginia a one-point lead before the Hurricanes kicked a late field goal to for a 22-20 win. The Hokies have had it easier, with their closest win by 16 points. That's mostly because of RB Kevin Jones and QB Bryan Randall. Jones, who gains 5.6 yards per carry, has scored nine TDs. Randall runs for 49 yards per game, and completes 65 percent of his passes. The bulk of them have been to WR Ernest Wilford, whose 24 catches is double that of the team's second-leading receiver. But the Hokies' defense (279 yards per game) and special teams (blocked kicks in three straight games), more than makes up for their one-dimensional offense.

STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES: Virginia Tech's DeAngelo Hall returned two punts for TDs against Syracuse. He averages 16 yards on returns. ... Virginia Tech has won 10 of the past 14 meetings. ... West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez is 14-16 in his third season with the Mountaineers. ... The Hokies have scored in 102 straight games since they were shut out 16-0 by Cincinnati in 1995.

After perfect Costa Rican tour, Marquette ready for 'Madness'

While other Division I basketball teams tipping off with Midnight Madness events last week, Marquette's student body was on fall break and the Golden Eagles basketball team was in South America taking care of business.

Marquette, which last season reached the Final Four, finished off its exhibition tour of Costa Rica with an unblemished record after defeating the Costa Rican national team, 82-51, at the National Stadium in Escazu on Sunday afternoon.

Leading the way was junior point guard Travis Diener, who finished with 21 points and five assists. Also scoring in double figures were sophomore forward Steve Novak (14 points, 4 three-pointers, six rebounds) and sophomore guard Joe Chapman (12 points, four rebounds).

Now that both the Golden Eagles and Marquette students are back on campus, the school will put on its own Midnight Madness celebration on Saturday, Oct. 25. The free event will be held at the U.S. Cellular Arena with doors opening at 9:00 p.m., and activities beginning at approximately at 10:00 p.m. Early arrivals to Marquette Madness will receive a free Marquette Madness t-shirt.

BCA targets 20 percent hiring threshold

The Black Coaches Association will use a five-part system next year to evaluate hiring practices in Division I-A football. "This will serve as a cornerstone for accountability," executive director Floyd Keith said Tuesday. "We want to recruit, train and retain coaches of color."

Keith said the BCA's goal was to have 20 percent of all new coaches, dating to last year, to be minority hires. The association said it will grade individual schools on the number of contacts it has with the BCA's executive director, the percentage of minorities involved in the hiring process, the number of minority candidates interviewed, the length of time involved in the search process and how the process compares to institutional affirmative action policies.

Each category will be scored on a 4-point basis, with the number of interviews counting twice for a high score of 24 points. The BCA hopes to announce its first results next fall.

Last year, one black head football coach was hired - UCLA's Karl Dorrell. There are only four black coaches in Division I-A football - Dorrell, Notre Dame's Tyrone Willingham, San Jose State's Fitz Hill and New Mexico State's Tony Samuel.

NCAA president Myles Brand said the problem was not bias. Instead, he thinks the hiring process needs to be improved, and he supports the BCA's new report card. "I believe the process should come to resemble that which we have in the university system, for a dean," Brand said.

While no official grades were awarded last year, numbers compiled by Michigan professor Keith Harrison indicated only two schools - Washington and Washington State - would have received an F. Both schools hired assistant coaches without conducting a full search process.

Six schools - Houston, Kentucky, Michigan State, Tulsa, Utah and Wyoming - would have received an A. Perhaps the biggest surprise on the list was Michigan State, which fired Bobby Williams, a black coach. Harrison said the figures indicated the system would prove to be fair.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member schools, and from Associated Press and other reports. Copyright 2003 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007