THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 2, 1996 TAG: 9611020613
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DURHAM, N.C. LENGTH: 63 lines
Virginia has been troubled most of the season by offensive problems - like not throwing and catching the ball consistently - that it may never be able to solve.
But there is one offensive problem - not getting the ball often enough to tailback Tiki Barber - that coach George Welsh is determined to eliminate in today's ACC game at Duke.
``We have to get Tiki the ball 25 times and I am determined to do that,'' Welsh said.
Barber ran the ball only 21 times in last Saturday's 31-24 loss to Florida State. One of his carries was a 48-yard touchdown run, and overall he gained 150 yards.
In the second half, when the Seminoles took control, Barber carried only six times for 38 yards.
``Not enough,'' Welsh said.
``Earlier in the year we didn't use Tiki much in the second half because we didn't want to kill him. Our offensive line wasn't as good. That's not the case now.''
Welsh says one way to get the ball more often to Barber is by using him as a receiver out of the backfield.
``We need to do that four or five times a game,'' Welsh said.
``We are telling our quarterbacks to do that, but they are not doing it enough. Barber was open a couple of times against Florida State but the quarterback didn't get him the ball.''
Welsh's other major emphasis this week was to make sure his team will be up for the Blue Devils, who are 0-7 and facing the possibility of their first winless season this century.
``I would rather be playing a 5-2 team than an 0-7 team,'' Welsh said.
``I was in that situation (0-7) a couple of times at Navy, and I know the desperation of that kind of thing.''
Getting his team up for the Blue Devils wasn't a problem for Welsh in recent years.
The two teams, which shared the ACC title in 1989, became bitter rivals while Steve Spurrier was coaching at Duke and the feeling continued through the Barry Wilson era.
The rivalry erupted in a bench-clearing brawl three years ago.
Duke coach Fred Goldsmith said he tried to cool off the rivalry when he became head coach in 1994.
Welsh said what really chilled the rivalry, though, was Duke's decline and new NCAA rules that helped to eliminate trash-talking and fights.
The Cavaliers have won six of the last seven games in the series and are averaging 38.7 points and 453.9 yards total offense in the last 13 games.
Another reason the rivalry has cooled is that most Duke players from the ``grudge era'' have graduated and in their place are freshmen and sophomores filling starting positions.
While inexperienced, the Blue Devils have several good young prospects, such as true freshman Letavious Wilks, who rushed for 137 yards in his first start last Saturday against Maryland.
``You can see Duke getting better each week, and they've played well in their last two games,'' Welsh said.
Still, Welsh knows if the Cavaliers are mentally prepared, it is a game they should win.
``We are at a point where we can have a good season, a mediocre season, a bad season, or a really good season. A lot of what decides that will be from the shoulders up from now on,'' Welsh said. by CNB