ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, April 14, 1996 TAG: 9604150113
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
SHANNON TAYLOR shines in the spring game, picking up three quarterback sacks.
Virginia didn't establish its No.1 quarterback in its final spring football scrimmage Saturday but the Cavaliers established who it won't be: former all-state selection Shannon Taylor.
``I think Shannon's throwing days are over,'' said Tim Sherman, who felt more comfortable competing with Taylor than he did in trying to evade him Saturday.
The Blue team had reached the White 4-yard line with under one minute remaining before Taylor sacked Sherman, caused a fumble and recovered the ball himself to preserve a 41-33 victory for the UVa defense.
The White team was awarded points for stopping drives and causing turnovers, although linebacker James Farrior scored a pair of touchdowns on interception returns of 95 and 28 yards.
Taylor, who received time at outside linebacker and defensive end, began the scoring for the White team when he tackled Aaron Brooks for a safety. It was one of Taylor's three sacks for the day.
``He's a helluva athlete who's getting better as a linebacker and, obviously, he's a big-time pass rusher,'' UVa defensive coordinator Rick Lantz said. ``We haven't had one like that, since, what was his name, No. 85 [Chris Slade]?''
Taylor, a 6-foot-3, 235-pounder, has played outside linebacker for most of the spring. However, Farrior and Jamie Sharper are returning starters at those spots and the opportunity for playing time might be greater at end.
``Right now, I'm making plays at defensive end,'' said Taylor, a redshirt freshman. ``It allows me to get closer to the line and do some things. At linebacker, I'm three yards down the field.''
Taylor was the first-team All-Group AAA quarterback in 1992, when he was a junior at Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke. He remained at quarterback through a post-graduate year at Fork Union Military Academy, but was moved shortly after arriving at Virginia last summer.
``I've had no thoughts of moving him back to offense,'' said UVa head coach George Welsh. ``You roll the dice putting him at defensive end because he might be our third-best linebacker, but he'll be on the field somewhere.''
Few starting jobs were determined Saturday, not that they ever are in a spring game. Injuries left the Cavaliers without four players who started last year and at least two more who are likely to start this year.
Tailback Tiki Barber, being promoted by UVa as a Heisman Trophy candidate, did not have the benefit of a single returning starter on the offensive line but carried 13 times for 115 yards, including touchdown runs of 59 and 16 yards.
``It wasn't as productive as some of my other [spring] games,'' said Barber, who did most of his damage Saturday against the second-team defense, ``but it didn't have to be. I definitely didn't want to be injured, although, if you try and avoid injuries, sometimes that's the surest way to get hurt.''
And, in Barber's case, sometimes you're hurt and don't know it. He required surgery after playing most of the 1995 season - and rushing for a school-record 1,392 yards - with a broken navicular bone in his right wrist.
Barber, wearing a protective cast, played little more than 21/2 quarters Saturday. Redshirt freshman Anthony Southern, viewed as a combination tailback-fullback, received most of the work and carried 23 times for 68 yards.
Brooks had the better numbers of Virginia's two scholarship quarterbacks, completing 15 of 32 passes for 240 yards. However, he was victimized for both Farrior interceptions, the first when he should have taken a sack and the second when he threw into coverage.
Sherman, playing primarily with the first unit against the first defense, was 9-of-22 for 143 yards and was sacked five times. He lacked Brooks' zip, but was not intercepted.
``I think we'll be all right on the offensive line,'' said Sherman, a rising senior, ``but, for a lot of people, this was their first go-around. I'm not sure that was such a bad thing today. We'll face some pressure during the season, too.''
Welsh said that Sherman and Brooks have split time with the first unit during the spring and that Saturday was Sherman's day to start. Brooks, a sophomore, had started UVa's previous scrimmage.
LENGTH: Medium: 81 linesby CNB