Thursday, September 9, 1999 - The Michigan Daily - 98
Tech determined to make statement
ATLANTA (AP) - Not only does
No. 10 Georgia Tech have its hands full
with top-ranked Florida State on
Saturday night, the Yellow Jackets must
find a way to drown out the noise from
50,000 folks rooting for the Seminoles,
whaven't lost at home since 1991.
e oddsmakers have taken that into
consideration and made the Seminoles
an 18-point favorite in the nationally
tlevised game at Doak Campbell
iadium in Tallahassee.
The game will be the Atlantic Coast
'onference opener for both schools.
"I don't look at that stuff. They
ould have said 50 points, and that
Mould be fine with me. We just got to
o in and play," coach George O'Leary
ai sesday.
bviously they're the top team in
ur conference and in the country and I
pink the ranking is richly deserved," he
aid.
"I've watched tape on them and I
don't see a lot of flaws in their offense,
defense or kicking game. We'll have our
work cut out for us down there.
Obviously, it's going to be a difficult
place to play"
In addition, there's probably no way
to turn off the crowd, he said.
"I just don't know if you can. I think
the noise is a factor down there and
we've got to be able to handle that,"
O'Leary said. "But basically the
players have to understand that the
game is played on the field and not in
the stands."
There are several other reasons the
Yellow Jackets are the underdog.
The Seminoles are 50-1-I at home
in the 1990s, the best record in the
country. Florida State last lost at home
to Miami in 1991, 17-16.
After beating Louisiana Tech 41-7
in its opener, the Seminoles are riding a
41-game home unbeaten streak.
Florida State, 7-7-1 overall against
Tech, hasn't lost to the Yellow Jackets
since 1975 and are 7-0 against the
Atlanta school since entering the ACC
in 1992.
The Seminoles have beaten Tech by
an aggregate score of 121-10 in their
last three meetings, winning 49-3 in
1996, 38-0 in 1997 and 34-7 last year.
But O'Leary pointed out that his
Yellow Jackets were down only 10-7
last season late in the third quarter when
quarterback Joe Hamilton was injured.
"When Joe got hurt, I sensed a little
bit of the air being let out of the bal-
loon," he said. The year before, Tech
trailed only 7-0 at the intermission
before the Seminoles scored 31 points
in the second half.
"We haven't been able to put a full
game together against them and that's
basically what we need. Our task is to
play a full 60 minutes against them, and
we haven't done that,' O'Leary said.
"We can't play a half or three quar-
ters. We've got to play a full game and
do it with the same intensity from the
first snap."
Tech is coming off an easy 49-14
win over Navy in its season opener a
week ago.
"It's going to be a lot different than
last week. It'll be two times faster," said
senior linebacker Chris Edwards, who
had a career-high 10 tackles against the
Seminoles last season.
The Yellow Jackets have won six
straight since losing to the Seminoles
last year. Facing them early in the sea-
son could be a break, Edwards said.
"I think this is the best time to play
Florida State," he said. "As the season
goes on they get stronger and stronger.
so maybe we can catch them before
everything is clicking."
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AP' PHO
Joe Hamilton and the rest of Georgia Tech team will be faced with the No. 1Iteam
in the nation this Saturday.
Hurons looking for comeback
YPSILANTI (AP)- The Hurons
are down but not out at Eastern
Michigan University, where an
alumni group has renewed its push
to restore the former Indian nick-
name.
The school discarded the Hurons
logo in 1991 and adopted the Eagles
mascot instead.
The regents acted under pressure
from the Michigan Civil Rights
Commission and others who said
use of the Hurons mascot was
demeaning to Indians.
The Huron Restoration Alumni
Chapter never reconciled itself to
the change. Now, members say the
retirement next spring of president
William Shelton is an opportunity to
dump the Eagles nickname and
return to the Hurons.
Shelton recommended the drop-
ping of the Huron logo and nick-
name in 1991, not long after he
came to Eastern Michigan.
The front page of a recent edition
of the group's newsletter sums up
the group's position: "High Hopes
Hurons! Now is the time!"
"I've been talking to quite a few
people over there who say the cli-
mate is good to return the Huron
name without the logo," alumnus
and ex-University of Michigan track
coach Kenneth Simmons told The
Ann Arbor News for a story Tuesday.
"Everyone's holding back until the
president leaves."
Members of Huron Restoration
have met with Eastern Michigan
regents chairman Phil Incarnati, and
have talked with several other
regents, encouraging them to revisit
the issue at their fall retreat.
Huron supporters say the only
people who should have a say in
whether the nickname is offensive
are the Huron tribal members. They
have the support of the remaining
Huron tribes - the Huron-
Wyandotte of Quebec and the
Wyandotte Tribe of Oklahoma - on
the issue.
"We ... as a tribe feel very hon-
ored to have the Huron name
restored at the college," Oklahoma
Wyandotte Chief Leaford Bearskin
wrote in April.
Incarnati said he expects the issue
to come before the board again, but
he would vote against changing back
because the reasons for the change
are still valid.
LUIS tROWN/aily
te this Eastem Michigan running back the Eagles have been dodging the issue of returning to the Huron mascot. Eastern
chigar changed its mascot from the Hurons to the Eagles in 1991.
.ew Texas quarterback Simms
inds South to be culture shock
,USTIN, Texas (AP) - So far,
cmost difficult adjustment for
srimms, the New Jersey high
hool star quarterback turned Texas
:shman, has been the language.
Like many Yankees, Simms has
> concept of that mainstay of
uthern dialects - fixin'.
"I say I'm going to the movies.
ey say they're fixin' to go to the
avies," Simms said, laughing. "I
tdo not understand what that
r teans. What are you fixin' to
?
$imms, the son of former New
rk Giants quarterback Phil Simms,
t to play for the first time last
ck, in Texas' 69-17 romp over
atford.
After throwing for 27 yards and a
thdown in mop-up duty, he could
ytagain when Texas (1-1) faces
tgers (0-I) Saturday in
wataway, N.J., just 40 miles from
> We in Franklin Lakes.
ter Texas rules, freshmen
't talk to the media until they
v played in a game. Finally
owed to speak, Simms' rolled off
res about how an Easterner with
L pedigree and a rocket of a left
a had adjusted to life in the Lone
t State.
For the record, he loves barbecue,
,eammates tease him about his
tt and he digs watching his old
nmeat it out in the stands in the
Kas beat.
t'is most embarrassing moment
s-his first on campus. After spend-
; the night at the posh Four
msons hotel, he was ready to move
campus when freshmen were due.
Having no car in town, he asked
hotel for help. It sent the hotel
ousine service, a garish white van
h leather seats and a wet bar. The
V d the two women attendants
ssed in black suits and ties, left
ama feeling a bit sheepish.
"I told my mom I'm not riding in
tI knew I was never going to live
own," Simms said.
Longhorns players took one look
that on the evening news and
bed Simms "Limo."
"As soon as the varsity got here,
had seen it on TV, they were
,,/hat are you doing?' he said.
Simms loves the Italian food back
ie but is enamored of Texas bar-
ue.
II can't recall one barbecue joint
New Jersey)," Simms said. "I
ebarbecue. They make fun of inc
ause I go out to dinner a lot and I
barbecue almost every night."
Crawfish are another story.
'They've got like tentacles ... I'll
at the stuff"
New Jersey accent and
:hes - lots of blacks and grays
jeans slung low on his hips -
etimes prompts jokes from team-
vs who have never been east of
Mississippi.
'A lot of my friends call me the
an Stallion," said Simms, who
i.a shock of blond hair and blue
looks about as Italian as
i Esiason-
"They're used to more happier
colors here"
The trip home will mean another
chance for his dad to watch him play.
ABC cut away to Phil Simms watch-
ing from the stands during the
Stanford game, looking very hot in
the 94-degree weather.
"It's fun watching him sit in the
stands and suffer in the heat having
to watch me," Simms said. "I had to
do it for him the for first 13 years of
my life"
Simms was 3 of 7 passing in the
fourth quarter when the game was all
but over. After the touchdown, he
spread his arms and ran around as if
he were flying.
"I was like a kid in a candy store
the first time," he said. "I couldn't
get the smile off my face."
The debut wasn't perfect. His
first two passes were batted down at
the line.
I'm 6-foot-5 and couldn't get it
over the line. I couldn't believe that,"
Simms said.
Simms' toughest challenge may
be living up to the expectations.
Even with the return of quarterback
Major Applewhite, ;he 1998 Big 12
freshman of the year, some fans
speculated he could contend for the
starting role.
Although coach Mack Brown has
never indicated that's even a possi-
bility, Applewhite has seemed to
respond to Simms' presence. He's
thrown for 669 yards and four touch-
downs in two games.
Applewhite, one of the first to
congratulate Simms on his touch-
down pass, says the two have worked
well together.
"It doesn't bother me."
Applewhite said. "The backup QB is
probably the most popular guy on the
team.
"I don't feel a push from Chris. 1
need to help him or whoever it might
be become a good backup,"
Applewhite said.
Simms wants no part of a quarter-
back controversy but can thank him-
self for fueling one.
He initially committed to
Tennessee, where he could have
fought to replace senior Tee Martin
next year. He then chose Texas,
where Applewhite is only a sopho-
more.
"I think everyone knows Major is
the starter," Simms said. "I haven't
done anything yet."
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