THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 15, 1995 TAG: 9511150363
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Long : 114 lines
When Kevin Brooks says he never envisioned his senior season at the University of Virginia ``being like this,'' he isn't referring to beating Florida State, winning the ACC championship or taking a No. 13 national ranking into Saturday's final home game against Virginia Tech.
Even if Virginia slips into a major bowl, Brooks won't be surprised. That is the kind of success he expected when he chose Virginia. It was a program on the rise, and he wanted to be part of it.
But what Brooks never expected, especially after the success he had his first three seasons, was to find himself on the shelf this year. Because of a series of nagging injuries and the sudden emergence of teammate Tiki Barber, Brooks has watched most of his senior season from the shadows of the sidelines.
``I don't knock Tiki getting more playing time, or that he's had a great year,'' Brooks said. ``I just don't feel right knowing they didn't give me a chance at all.''
A tailback, Brooks was hailed in the Virginia media guide as a candidate for postseason honors. But until last Saturday, when he came off the bench to help Virginia clinch at least a share of the ACC title by beating Maryland, Brooks had become almost a forgotten man.
Brooks came out of Great Bridge High in Chesapeake with a classic blend of speed and power. Last season, he led Virginia in rushing, was fifth in the ACC and was honorable mention All-ACC.
But this year, the lights began dimming on his expectations in the third game, when coaches made an unannounced decision to go with Barber, a fast-improving junior, instead of Brooks, who was battling nagging injuries.
A groin injury he suffered in the spring reappeared in preseason camp. Then, he broke a wrist in the opening game against Michigan and sprained a knee against Georgia Tech in the fourth game.
While the door was closing on Brooks, Barber was kicking open the portal to superstardom. He became the focal point of Virginia's offense and is on his way to setting a school single-season rushing record.
Head coach George Welsh and running backs coach Ken Mack say Brooks was not effective early on because of injuries and that Barber simply made the most of the opportunity. Brooks agrees with the part about Barber, but not about the injuries.
``They just wanted to play Tiki all year,'' Brooks said. ``He had a good season and I guess that is why, but don't blame it on my injuries and stuff.
``I got decent yardage (64) against Michigan with my groin hurting. It was still bothering me, along with my wrist, the next week against William and Mary, but I think I was effective (110 yards). In the N.C. State game the next week I had 80 yards on 11 carries.''
That's when things really started going downhill. Brooks met with Welsh and Mack, and he says they essentially told him to get used to the bench.
``They told me I had not been effective, and I told them they weren't giving me a chance to be effective,'' he said.
``They would put me in for one or two plays and take me out. That is not what I was recruited to come here and do. I asked them how I was supposed to get into the flow of the game on one or two plays. I guess that didn't sit right with them.''
Until rushing for 106 yards on 16 carries and scoring the go-ahead touchdown last Saturday against Maryland, Brooks had no more than seven carries in four of the previous five games.
Welsh admitted he turned to Brooks in desperation last Saturday because Barber was having problems running on Maryland's slippery turf. But Welsh says his staff had not given up on Brooks.
``One of my assistants had told me we were going to need him again,'' Welsh said, ``and he was right.''
Brooks carried six times for 68 yards in an 80-yard drive that put Virginia ahead 18-11 midway through the third period.
``Kevin took the ball right down the field and got us a touchdown,'' Barber said. ``It was the key possession in our win, and I was happy for Kevin.''
Brooks, who is 10th in the ACC with 570 yards and a 4.4 average, shares a four-person suite with Barber and says their friendship has not suffered.
``We kid and joke around like we always did,'' Brooks said. ``I can't blame him for what the coaches did.''
Offensive tackle Chris Harrison said he wasn't surprised that Brooks played a big part in the title-clinching victory when he got a chance.
``Kevin always has been an explosive back,'' Harrison said. ``He's always has been a tough runner.
``He is healthy again, so I knew he could do it. This has been a disappointing season for him, being hurt and all, but he has taken it in stride.''
Brooks said advice and support from family members helped.
``I got frustrated, but my momma and brother told me to stick in there and do the best I could,'' he said. ``That is what I've tried to do.''
Brooks rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown in last year's 42-23 victory over Virginia Tech. Brooks says Saturday's game - the 100th anniversary of the rivalry - is big to him because of the friends he has from Chesapeake who went to Tech. But even after what he did last week, Brooks isn't sure he'll get a chance to play much.
``I really doubt it,'' he said. ``But they might put me in if they want to give Tiki a rest, now that I've showed them I can be effective, like they said I wasn't.
``If I don't play, it really doesn't matter. It matters in a sense that I want to play, but if I don't, it won't be a big problem. I haven't played that much all year.''
Brooks has found some positives in this season of frustration. He said ``things really would be ending on a sour note'' if not for the ACC title and the role he played in the win over Maryland. And, ``I'll leave here smiling with a championship ring on my finger.'' ILLUSTRATION: Beacuse of a series of injuries and the sudden emergence of
teammate Tiki Barber, Kevin Brooks of Chesapeake has seen less
playing time this year.
LAWRENCE JACKSON
The Virginian-Pilot
``I just don't feel right knowing they didn't give me a chance at
all,'' Kevin Brooks says of the Virginia coaches.
by CNB