No one sure of Tech
until curtain opens
By BOB YOCiNC
Staff Writer
Until the curtain is opened on
the 1984 version of the Georgia
Tech football team Sept. 15
against Alabama, no one can be
exactly sure what to expect from
the Yellow Jackets. Even head
coach Bill Curry can't speculate
as to how the team will perform.
"I really have mixed emotions
about this team," Curry said.
"WeVe made some progress in
areas that will be key for us this
season, but not as much as I
wanted to see."
The key areas, Curry said,
were overall team toughness, the
kicking game and defense.
Curry said that toughness,
both physical and mental, were
lacking in last year's squad,
pointing out that the Yellow
Jackets played very tough
against teams such as Georgia,
Auburn and North Carolina
until the last quarter, where they
. lost all three games.
The Tech kicking game was
hurt by the graduation of Ron
Rice, who handled both place
kicking and punting last season.
It is possible that three men will
step in to fill this gap. Curry
indicated that sophomore David
Bell would handle the place
kicking, junior college transfer
Mike Snow would take over the
punting duties, and freshman
Steve Paradise would handle the
kickoffs. "
"I'm not too sure how these
guys will perform; none of them
is experienced in varsity play,"
Curry said. "We'll just have to
wait and see."
Although Curry was pleased
with the improvement that he
saw in his team's defense after
spring practice, he has not been
satisfied with its performance so
far this fall.
"We came into the fall in great
shape the best we've ever been
in," he said. "But that hasn't
shown up in practices' so far this
fall."
When it comes to the offense,
however, the expectations
become much higher, due in no
small part to the presence of
Heisman Trophy candidate
Robert Lavette.
A senior, Lavette is the only
player in the nation to rank
among the top three returnees in
career rushing (2877 yards),
scoring (192 points) and all
purpose running (4,058 yards).
Lavette accomplished all this in
spite of the fact that he missed
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GEORGIA TECH
YELLOW JACKETS
Coach: Bill Curry
1983 record: 3-8
Returning Starters: Offense (8)
SE Darrell Norton, FL Daryl
Wise, TE Ken Whisenhunt, T
John Davis, T John Ivemeyer,
G Tony Kepano, QB John
Dewberry, TB Robert Lavette
Defense (9)- OLB Pat Swilling,
OLB Dante Jones. DE Ken
Parker, DE Glenn Spencer, NG
I very Lee, I LB Ted Roof, CB
Reginald Rutland, CB Mike
Travis, FS Toby Lantz.
Predictions: The success of the
Yellow Jackets will depend a
great deal on whether or not its
defense will be able to stop the
tough offenses that it will face.
Robert Lavette will lead what
should be a very exciting
offense.
Prediction: Second in the ACC.
all or most of four games last
season with knee problems.
What's more, Lavette seems to
be able to perform at his best
against the tough teams. In his
two years as a starter, he has
gained 36 1 yards against Georgia
and 309 against North Carolina's
tough rushing defense.
Georgia coach Vince Dooley
summed up the feelings of
Lavette's opponents quite well.
"I've got to face him one more
time and I'm not looking forward
to it," Dooley said.
But the Tech running attack
is far from one-dimensional.
Also in the backfield will be ACC
rookie of the year Cory Collier,
who rushed for 442 yards last
year on only 79 carries, including
a season-high 1 68-yard effort
against Wake Forest. However,
Collier's impact will be put on
hold for at least six weeks
following a knee injury he sus
tained in practice last week.
Calling the signals will be
junior quarterback John Dew
berry, who earned the starting
spot last year when senior Stu
Rogers suffered a knee injury.
Dewberry threw for nearly 800
yards last season, but will almost
surely surpass that mark this
year, due to the more expe
rienced receiver corps and the
great improvement in tight end
Ken Whisenhunt.
See TECH page 12
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Terrapins taking on a
By MIKE SANDERS
Staff Writer
The Maryland Terrapins will
take on a different look this season
as they try to successfully defend,
their 1983 ACC title.
No longer are they the seasoned
veterans of ACC competition,
with the likes of second-team A1I
Americans quarterback Boomer
Esiason and guard Ron Solt
leading the way- Those two are in
the pros now along with standout
tailback Willie Joyner and defen
sive tackle Pete Koch.
The accent will be on youth this
season, with only 10 of the top 44
players from last year's Citrus
Bowl team returning. "We're so
young we might start burping our
players at night," said second-year
head coach Bobby Ross.
But opposing teams should take
Ross'comment with a grain of salt.
Nearly every returning player for
the Terps gained valuable playing
time last season, thus proving both
that Maryland isn't as inexpe
rienced as may seem on first
glance, and that Ross has excellent
foresight, a must for successful
coaches.
But it was the inexperience that
showed up in all its clumsiness last
Saturday, as the Terps fumbled
twice in the fourth quarter and lost
at home to Syracuse, 23-7.
The man with the most unen
viable task this season is fifth-year
senior quarterback Frank Reich.
Reich must replace Esiason, who
during his tenure at Maryland
gave Terp fans both sterling
performances on the field and
brash comments during the week.
Dont expect Reich to be as flashy
off the field as Esiason, but he
could fill Boomer's shoes very
nicely on Saturday afternoons this
fall.
Reich epitomizes what could be
Maryland's biggest asset this
season he, like the team,
appears inexperienced at first
glance, but may fool quite a few
people. Remember last Sept. 24
when Esiason was hurt and Reich
started against Pitt? Probably not,
unless you're a Terps fan. But it
was Reich who calmly stepped in
and took the reins, leading the
Terps to a 17-13 victory.
"(Reich's) vision is good, and he
throws with better touch," said
Ross, comparing Reich to Esia
son. "Hell play and throw with
more precision, more accuracy."
Joining Reich in the backfield
will be junior fullback Rick Badan
jek, a 5-9, 223 lb. spark plug who
has scored nine touchdowns in
each of his first two seasons and
who led the ACC in punt returns
last season. "I wouldn't trade him
for any back in the country," Ross
a1
Football
said. An excellent blocker, Bad an -
jek should open many holes for
incumbent tailback Tommy Nea!
and provide Maryland with a good
short-yardage threat. Neal, a
sophomore who carried the ball
only six times last season but who
gained experience as a kickoff
return man (he had an 80-yard
return against Tennessee), is
another player who could surprise
Maryland opponents.
Ross will undoubtably mix his
running and passing attacks, and
when Reich drops back to throw
he will be protected by a strong
offensive line that averages 6-3,
270 pounds, and is led by co
captain and All-ACC center Kevin
Glover. Reich's primary target will
be senior wide receiver Greg Hill,
who averaged 21 yards per catch
last season and who holds the
school record for touchdown
receptions in a career with 14.
One returning player for the
Terps who is no secret to anyone
is placekicker Jess Atkinson, an
AU-ACC performer last season.
Atkinson is deadly, having hit 42
of 63 field goal attempts and 9 1
of 93 PATs in his career.
Maryland's defense will be its
Achilles heel The defensive line is
young and inexperienced and will ,
be tested often by opposing teams.
The secondary is also inexpe
rienced, with the exception of
safety Joe Kraus, and should
expect to face its share of
challenges.
Leading the defense will be
senior linebacker Eric Wilson, an
All-ACC selection last season who
was named ACC player of the
week three times. Wilson will
provide leadership for the inexpe
rienced defensive squad. A "hitter"
with good natural instincts, Wil
son had 25 tackles in one game
against Wake Forest last season
and another 19 against powerful
Clemson.
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1984September 13, 198413
new look
Eric Wilson
MARYLAND
TERRAPINS
1983 Record: 8-3-0
Coach: Bobby Ross
Starters Returning: Offense (4)
-C Kevin Glover, G Greg
Harraka, WR Greg Hill, TE Bill
Rogers.
Defense (4) - LB Bobby DePaul,
S Joe Kraus, MG Tom Parker,
LB Eric Wilson.
Forecast: Despite huge losses,
including the entire backfield,
the Terrapins always seem to
reload with fine young talent.
Prediction: Third in the ACC.
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