Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, November 22, 1994 TAG: 9411220119
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Coach George Welsh said Barber will be sidelined for approximately four weeks by the injury to his scapula, the same bone that former Cavalier standout Terry Kirby fractured in 1992.
``I had never been around one before that,'' Welsh said.
Barber was injured with 13 minutes, 1 second remaining in the second quarter, when he was pushed out of bounds following a 9-yard run. He got up flexing his shoulder, but returned to action in the quarter and had 12 of his 16 carries after the injury.
``Everybody thought it was a bruise,'' said Welsh, but Barber indicated after the game he could not lift his arm above his shoulder when he muffed a punt in the third quarter.
In the absence of Barber, who had rushed for 591 yards, Barber said fullback Charles Way would serve as the backup to starting tailback Kevin Brooks when North Carolina State comes to Scott Stadium on Friday.
``Brooks will not play the whole game,'' Welsh said.
UVa has used Way frequently as the single back in its one-back set. Way practiced as a tailback in the Cavaliers' two-back set, but has not been used there in a game.
Way had two 17-yard runs and a 16-yarder Saturday against the Hokies and has rushed 26 times for 132 yards in the past two games.
``The only time I was frustrated was early in the season, when I wasn't running the way I was capable,'' said Way, a punishing blocker who dropped from 238 pounds to 230 during the off-season.
``At the beginning of the year, people were saying I might be getting the ball a little bit more and I think I tried to be a little too flashy. I didn't take into perspective what got me here. I tried to be a tailback and I'm not.''
If Way moves to tailback, UVa has experience at fullback in Darrell Medley. Welsh said he would use freshman tailback Terrence Wilkins, a redshirt candidate, in an emergency. Walk-on C.E. Rhodes, who has 12 carries for 48 yards in mop-up duty, is another possibility.
``We only have a problem if two more guys get hurt,'' Welsh said.
DAVIS UPDATE: Welsh said wide receiver Tyrone Davis continues to limp because of a sprained toe, but Davis is in better shape than he was before the Tech game, when he got on the field for 24 plays but did not catch a pass.
``We called his number, but [Mike] Groh didn't like what he saw,'' Welsh said. ``They doubled him a lot, so he served his purpose. He helped us win.''
Patrick Jeffers, who took Davis' place in the starting lineup, had six receptions for 116 yards. For the first time, Welsh tried to explain Monday why Jeffers has not been moved to the other receiving spot, where Petey Allen only once has caught more than two passes in a game.
``We've always liked our split ends to be big guys because they're running over the middle,'' said Welsh, who could have noted that Davis and Jeffers are both at least 6 feet 4 and 210 pounds. ``We played [with Jeffers starting] for a while, but it meant he was playing three positions, counting our three-receiver sets.''
Said Jeffers: ``Tyrone was playing 80 plays a game there for a while and was getting too tired. My only individual goal was to be on the field more and I actually have been. I knew all along what I could do, but it was nice to have it confirmed Saturday.''
INTERCEPTIONS: Virginia, which led NCAA Division I-A with 22 interceptions last year, has 24 after 10 games this season. Southern Mississippi, which has finished the season, has 25. The UVa record is 25, set in 1941; the ACC record is 26, set by Duke in 1954. ... Junior cornerback Joe Crocker has four interceptions in the past two games and six for the season, one behind teammate Ronde Barber for the team and ACC lead.
RUNNING JOKE: Welsh fell for the joke Monday when somebody told him kicker Rafael Garcia would be joining the errant-shooting UVa men's basketball team. The punch line: ``Nobody else on campus can make a 3-pointer.''
ODDS AND ENDS: Friday's game will be the last for the artificial turf that made its debut at Scott Stadium for the 1974 season. UVa will install natural grass for the 1995 season. ... UVa, which is 4-0 at home this season, will go for its third undefeated season at home since 1987. ... The Cavaliers have become the sixth team in ACC history to score 300 or more points in six consecutive seasons. ... Defensive tackle Mike Frederick, who has a team-high 14 tackles for loss, is UVa's nominee for the Dudley Award as the top college player in Virginia.
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB