DATE: Thursday, September 4, 1997           TAG: 9709040650

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN

LENGTH: 86 lines

ACC ROUNDUP Auburn gives Virginia the 'Bama treatment

Auburn and Virginia seem to be preparing surprises to spring on each other tonight in Scott Stadium.

Auburn coach Terry Bowden totally closed his practices this week, something he normally does only during Alabama week.

Virginia's George Welsh, who runs the most secretive practices in the country, has been even tighter for this season opener. Virginia's practices always are conducted in private, but Welsh has gone to the extreme of putting players and assistant coaches off limits to the media all week.

He even put himself off limits, too, by snubbing Wednesday's ACC telephone media conference and not giving anyone a chance to ask the condition of his team or freshman running back Antwoine Womack, who injured his arm in last week's scrimmage.

Welsh sent taped comments but the tape was interrupted by several long mid-sentence silences. Cavs pick kickers

John Allen Roberts, a first-year grad student, has won the Cavaliers' place-kicking job. Roberts, who never kicked during four seasons as an undergrad, beat out junior Whitney Magers, last season's back-up.

Frank Rotella, another grad student, apparently will do the punting against Auburn.

Welsh has indicated he will red-shirt freshmen kicker Greg Owens and punter Mike Abrams. Bowden returns to Scott

While this will be the first game ever played between Virginia and Auburn, it will be the second visit to Scott Stadium for Auburn coach Terry Bowden. As a senior, he was a punt returner on the 1977 West Virginia team that beat the Cavaliers 13-0.

What does he remember?

``It was a lousy game,'' Bowdens says. ``Neither team was very good.'' ESPN sends No. 1 team

ESPN will have its first team of Mike Patrick, Mike Gottfried and Dr. Jerry Punch working tonight's game between Virginia and Auburn.

The Cavaliers have a habit of playing well for the ESPN cameras. Some of the biggest wins in school history - against Clemson in 1990, Florida State in 1995 and last year against Texas - were televised by the network. A tie at the top?

Members of the ACC media tour picked North Carolina and Florida State to tie for the ACC championship with 7-1 records.

North Carolina was predicted to defeat Florida State on Nov. 8 and then lose to Clemson the following week. The Tar Heels were picked to finish 10-1 overall and FSU 9-2 with the other loss being to Florida.

The group picked Virginia to finish 6-5 overall and 5-3 in the ACC with losses to Auburn, North Carolina, Clemson, Florida State and Virginia Tech. Big foot at FSU

The talk of Florida State's preseason camp was Sebastian Janikowski, a first-year place-kicker who was virtually unknown this time last year.

Janikowski, who left Poland three years ago to be near his father, played only one season of high school ball in Daytona Beach but emerged as the state's top kicking prospect.

He's hit field goals from 60 yards out in practice and reportedly just missed on a 71-yard attempt in high school.

His kickoffs routinely sail out of the end zone. Quick hits . . .

Florida State will be without starting defensive end Greg Spires (leg injury) in its season-opener Saturday against Southern Cal. He'll be replaced by redshirt freshman Roland Seymour. . . . North Carolina coach Mack Brown has named true freshman Domonique Williams, a quarterback in high school, to be his No. 3 tailback, behind seniors John Linton and Mike Geter. . . .

Duke coach Fred Goldsmith says his team watched North Carolina State's overtime win over Syracuse on television and everyone was standing and cheering the Wolfpack in the final dramatic minutes. Goldsmith hopes none of his players ask for autographs when the teams play Saturday in Durham.

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