ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, November 12, 1996 TAG: 9611120092
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: UVA NOTES
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
There seems to be little doubt Virginia quarterback Tim Sherman's injured left shoulder will be close to 100 percent by the time the Cavaliers entertain North Carolina on Saturday.
Actually, Sherman would have returned to action this past Saturday if Clemson had not held on to the ball for the last three minutes of a 24-16 victory over then-No.15 UVa.
``Everybody thinks he'll be all right, including himself,'' UVa coach George Welsh said Monday. ``It wasn't a bruise. I thought it was a bruise Saturday, but it turns out it was a pinched nerve.
``I saw him this morning as he was going into the training room and he said he felt pretty good. As long as he doesn't have to make some tackles this week or hit somebody, it should be all right. It's not like he's a running back or a linebacker.''
There were times when Sherman must have felt like a running back Saturday, when he was credited with 15 rushing attempts, most of them resulting from sacks. However, he originally was injured at the end of a 17-yard scramble.
``I was basically down; then, one of their guys came from the side and fell on top of me,'' Sherman said. ``I didn't slide. I slid once in the first half. After that, it seemed like we needed all the yards we could get, so I kept going.''
Sherman required medical attention on the field, so he could not remain in the game without UVa being assessed a timeout. The Cavaliers inserted back-up quarterback Aaron Brooks, who had not played in the first three quarters.
``That was a hard situation for him,'' Sherman said. ``It was freezing out there. But I really couldn't have stayed out there. My left hand was a little numb, and I'm not sure I could have taken a snap.''
Sherman re-entered the game on UVa's next series of downs and led the Cavaliers on an 82-yard drive. Sherman aggravated his injury on a 4-yard touchdown run and was replaced by Will Thompson as the holder on Rafael Garcia's point-after kick.
Brooks attempted one pass, a third-down incompletion, and his playing time has decreased dramatically since midseason. He is 2-of-9 for 12 yards with one interception in the past three games.
``I thought he had come on and was doing pretty well,'' Welsh said, ``but he hasn't played enough now. I think, when it falls into place for him, you'll see a really good quarterback. I'd like to have five 300-pounders in front of him.''
TELLTALE TURNOVERS: Virginia has lost more fumbles in the first nine games (13) this season than it did all of the 1995 season (nine). Sherman and Brooks have lost six fumbles, as opposed to '95 quarterback Mike Groh, who did not lose a single fumble.
BARBER BOBBLES: Although he now leads the ACC in punt-return average, which was mostly a matter of having enough returns to qualify, Tiki Barber may be fielding a few more punts than usual in practice.
When Barber muffed a punt late in the first quarter Saturday, Clemson recovered at the Cavaliers' 1-yard line and needed two plays to score the touchdown that put the Tigers ahead 14-3.
UVa has lost the ball four times on Barber fumbles this season - twice among his 203 rushing attempts and twice on punt returns. Another time, he misjudged a punt at Georgia Tech that the Yellow Jackets downed at the UVa 4.
``It was very frustrating [Saturday] because I thought I had mastered catching punts, especially practicing against Will,'' said Barber, referring to UVa punter Will Brice, whose punts have such a high trajectory.
Barber said the Cavaliers work on punting before practice every day and devote extra time to returns on Tuesdays. Despite penalties that have nullified several long returns, his 14.9-yard average leads the ACC and ranks ninth in NCAA Division I-A.
``He's going to get more this week,'' Welsh said. ``Let me put it that way. I don't want him catching the ball sideways anymore. That's how you drop 'em. You get in front of it or you get out of the way.''
* Barber did not have a run of more than 12 yards Saturday, one reason he was held to fewer than 100 yards in a game for the first time this season. UVa has lost the past four games in which Barber has not had at least one 20-yard run.
On the flip side, Barber had a 34-yard reception, one of six non-scoring plays by the Cavaliers that covered 25 yards or more. Clemson had one play of more than 25 yards, a 54-yard Kelton Dunnican touchdown run.
ODDS `N' ENDS: Virginia attempted a halfback pass for the second consecutive game, with no more success than the first time. Barber, who overthrew wide-open Bryan Owen at Duke on Nov.2, threw away the ball Saturday when all his receivers were covered.
* Virginia defensive coordinator Rick Lantz declined an invitation to the interview area Saturday, not for the first time after a loss. The Cavaliers gave up 263 yards on the ground, their highest yield since Clemson rushed for 361 yards against them in 1993.
* Word from the grapevine is UVa wideout Derick Byrd's two-game suspension resulted from poor class attendance. Welsh said this past week that Byrd would be reinstated in time for the Cavaliers' regular-season finale Nov.29 at Virginia Tech.
LENGTH: Medium: 94 linesby CNB