ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, September 17, 1996 TAG: 9609170099
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE
The way Ronde Barber tells it, he was just minding his business when Virginia offensive coordinator Tom O'Brien approached him about trying wide receiver.
``He's lying to you,'' Barber's twin brother, Tiki, said. ``Ronde started it all.''
Actually, UVa head coach George Welsh started ``it'' Saturday, when he marveled about Barber's fourth-quarter interception and wondered out loud if the Cavaliers should use the two-time All-ACC cornerback on offense.
``If I had a little bit more time, I wouldn't hesitate to try him out,'' Welsh said on his weekly radio call-in show Sunday.
By Monday, he had changed his tune.
``I don't think we can do it,'' Welsh said. ``It's too much for him.''
Barber sounded more amused than disappointed when informed of Welsh's comments.
``Y'all are pushing that more than I am,'' said Barber, who played wide receiver at Cave Spring High School in Roanoke. ``When coach [Welsh] puts his fist down, there's nothing you can do about it.
``But, didn't he play both ways - what was it? - 80 years ago.''
It was only 40 years ago, but, yes, Welsh did play during the two-platoon era. Times have changed, but nobody needed to remind Barber that Deion Sanders has been starting at cornerback and wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys.
``He's one of my favorite players,'' Barber said. ``I wouldn't call him my idol, but you've got to look up to him. He's one of the greatest athletes playing the game.''
Tiki Barber wears the same No.21 as Sanders and jokingly said he would change jerseys if his brother wanted to try a Sanders imitation.
``That's an idea,'' Ronde said, ``but I don't think Tiki would be too keen on wearing No.19.''
SABELHAUS SAGA: Virginia has shown little interest to date in Bobby Sabelhaus, a former Parade All-America quarterback from Baltimore who left Florida after one redshirt season.
Melanie Sabelhaus said Sunday that the family faxed a copy of her son's release from Florida to Virginia on Friday. Sabelhaus, rated the No.3 quarterback prospect in the country in 1995, earlier had told The Baltimore Sun that UVa was one of the schools that interested him.
Sabelhaus hopes to transfer to another Division I-A program; however, he must have a year's ``residency'' at his new school to be eligible in 1997. Moreover, he would be required by NCAA rules to be enrolled within 12 days of the start of the semester.
Many schools, particularly in this part of the country, have been in session for more than 12 days. Sabelhaus' mother said one option is for her son to go to junior college. If he could take the credits he earned at Florida and apply them toward a two-year degree, he could be eligible next season.
Although Sabelhaus had fallen on the Florida depth chart, he has good size (6-6, 225) and a strong arm. Whether Virginia might be interested at a later date could hinge on its success with other quarterback prospects, such as Tim Olmstead from Woodberry Forest.
KUKLICK IMPRESSES: Welsh said he asked his coaches for some background on Wake Forest quarterback Brian Kuklick, a redshirt sophomore from Hatboro, Pa., who has passed for 668 yards in the Deacons' first three games.
``I like him,'' said Welsh, whose staff regularly recruits the eastern Pennsylvania area. ``I think he's going to be good. He's got a lot of poise. He's accurate. We should have taken a look at him. He made a great throw to beat Northwestern.''
Kuklick (pronounced COOK-lick) committed to the Deacons during the summer before his senior year in high school, at least partly because Wake assured him he could play baseball and football. He was a fifth-round pick of the New York Mets and pitched for the Deacons in 1995.
LINEBACKER SHARP: UVa linebacker Jamie Sharper, whose aggressiveness against Central Michigan resulted in some assignment mistakes, rebounded Saturday with 16 tackles, including 12 solo stops and two tackles for loss.
``I said unkind things to him all week long,'' defensive coordinator Rick Lantz said. ``So, Thursday, [the other coaches] said, `Maybe you could ease up on him.' I said, `Like hell. Let him prove he can do it on Saturday.' And he did.''
WINNING FOR MOM: Welsh's 83-year-old mother, Ann, was in the stands Saturday for the first time in her son's 15 seasons as Virginia coach.
``I think she saw a lot of Navy games,'' said Welsh, who was the Middies' head coach from 1973-81, ``but she started getting too nervous. She said she couldn't take it. She's been in town for game weekends, but she didn't want to go to the games.''
Welsh said his mother still lives in his hometown of Coledale, Pa., a town of 5,500 when he was in high school. Now, the population has dropped to 2,300 and 80 percent of the residents are retired.
``I'll tell you what, you can get a nice house for $30,000,'' he said. ``There's a lot of 80-year-olds in that town. Most of them are women, too. All the men are dead. The mines wore 'em out.''
LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: DON PETERSEN/Staff. Ronde Barber celebrates anby CNBinterception Saturday. color.