Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, October 25, 1994 TAG: 9412220044
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
``I don't usually hug men,'' a sometimes-detached Welsh said after the game.
Barber has emerged as the leading candidate for ACC rookie of the year, an award that has gone to a defensive back only once in 19 years. UVa's only rookie of the year was wide receiver John Ford in 1984.
Barber on Monday was named ACC rookie of the week for the second time this season.
A redshirt freshman from Cave Spring High in Roanoke, he is tied for first in Division I-A in interceptions with seven in seven games and leads the conference in two categories (interceptions and pass break-ups).
Virginia's 34-10 victory over North Carolina was under wraps by the time Barber got his second interception. He got his first when it was 17-7 and the Tar Heels were driving before the half.
The Cavaliers were given possession at their 1-yard line and had to kick the ball away, giving Carolina one more chance before the half. The Tar Heels got as far as the 14 before Barber tackled wide receiver Raphael Wall for a 3-yard loss and kept him in bounds as the clock ran out.
No wonder Welsh was in a hugging mood.
``He doesn't usually hug anybody,'' Barber said. ``It surprised me. I saw him coming down the sideline and he was looking right at me. I didn't know what he was going to do.''
TWIN TALES: Barber's twin brother, Tiki, continues to experience soreness in one of his hamstrings and has not resumed his kick-return duties. He rushed for 56 yards on 12 carries, 11 in the second half, and is second in the ACC with 479 yards for the season.
NOT AGAIN: Welsh said there is no chance that UVa's seventh victory in its past eight games with North Carolina will be immortalized on the cover of Virginia's 1995 media guide.
This year's UVa media guide was the subject of much talk before Saturday's game because the cover was a drawing of a North Carolina player being smashed by a Cavaliers' defender.
``There's never going to be another media guide like that when I'm here,'' Welsh said. ``I'm seeing them all from now on. I don't care if I'm in Tahiti. It's going to be mailed to me. ... You guys [in the media] made a bigger deal of it than it was, or maybe they did.''
STANICEK STOPPED: North Carolina quarterback Jason Stanicek was considered a leading candidate for ACC player of the year before Saturday, but his inability to throw long proved costly. Compared to Stanicek, UVa quarterback Mike Groh has a cannon.
``Everybody loves Stanicek,'' UVa linebacker Randy Neal said. ``Everybody's going to pick their favorite and they're going to ride him whether he's doing good or bad. When he has a bad game, like [Saturday's], I'm sure they're going to find a thousand excuses why.
``We just shut him down. He's a good guy for that [option-oriented] offense, but we just felt confident as a defense that we could handle him. We didn't feel that he was going to beat us long and we didn't feel he was going to run the ball that much.''
The most impressive thing Stanicek did was consistently avoid a UVa front four that had logged six quarterback sacks in each of three consecutive games. The Cavaliers had no sacks and four tackles for loss - season lows in both categories.
COVERAGE WOES: UVa's kick coverage has become such an adventure that kickoff man Rafael Garcia has had four tackles or assists in the last three games and bruised his shoulder on one play. ``It's probably the worst part of our game right now,'' Welsh said.
HOOPS UPDATE: Jason Williford, UVa's starting small forward the last two seasons, is wearing a soft cast after suffering a sprained ankle Friday in practice. He could be out two to three weeks, but is expected to be available for the Cavs' opener Nov.16 against Old Dominion in the Preseason NIT.
Despite being ranked as high as sixth in the preseason, the Cavaliers remain 300 season's tickets shy of selling out, a possible reason that coach Jeff Jones has sent a letter to potential supporters. A new seating plan has left some longtime contributors reluctant to renew.
by CNB