Deacons look for experience to pay off.
March 29, 1999 Wake Forest approaches the 1999 football season with one of its most experienced teams ever. Head coach Jim Caldwell, now in his seventh season with the Demon Deacons, can look to 27 seniors among his 49 returning lettermen for not only leadership, but quality play as well, next fall. A total of 14 starters, six on offense and eight on defense, return. Seven Deacons have already recorded more than 20 career starts as they begin spring drills in preparation for the '99 campaign. Wake began spring practice on March 20th. This year's Spring Game is scheduled for April 17th. Caldwell's squad will be without some talented individual performers who have made a significant impact on Wake Forest and the Atlantic Coast Conference the past three years, however. Wide receiver Desmond Clark, who last year established an ACC record with his 216 career receptions, and quarterback Brian Kuklick, WFU's all-time passing leader and the 4th-leading passer in conference history, are the most notable departures and leave major voids in the Deacon offensive attack. Defensively, though, in addition to the eight returning starters, the Deacs will benefit from the services of three key players who missed all or most of 1998 with injuries. If experience means productivity, the Wake Forest defense next fall should be one of the finest in recent years. The good news begins in the middle, where two outstanding individuals return after injury-plagued 1998 campaigns. Dustin Lyman was credited with 62 tackles in five games last fall before sidelined for the year with a knee injury (torn ACL). He still finished fourth on the team in total stops. His running mate at the inside linebacker spots figures to be Kelvin Moses, whose 321 career tackles are already the 10th-highest total in school history. Moses underwent knee surgery in August of 1998 and never recovered fully. He played a total of 12 plays and was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA, leaving the Deacons with potentially one of the finest linebacker tandems in the ACC. Abdul Guice, who tied for second on the team with 71 tackles last season, is a third returning senior linebacker, while Ed Kargbookorogie, the only true freshman to play for the Deacs the past two years, is a very promising performer at that position. At outside linebacker, a replacement must be found for last year's starter Mark Makovec. The outlook for the defensive line is similarly optimistic as all four starters return, bolstered by the addition of two other gifted veterans who were not available for physical reasons last year. Tackle Fred Robbins, a starter the past three years, anchors the middle of the defensive front. Kelvin Jones returns at the other tackle slot, although he figures to be challenged by Kelvin Shackleford, a starter before he sustained a knee injury at Clemson in last year's third game, for a first-string spot. Da'Vaughn Mellerson, who missed all of 1998 with a knee problem, is back to full speed and will also play a great deal. The defensive end duo of Mat Petz and Bryan Ray are back as well. Both individuals converted to end from linebacker prior to last season and made positive contributions throughout the year. Petz, in particular, was outstanding at times, finishing with 61 tackles, including a team-high six sacks as part of his 15 stops behind the line of scrimmage. Those 15 TFLs tied him for third in the ACC in that category. Veteran DaLawn Parrish leads an experienced and talented defensive secondary. The team's leading tackler in 1998 (with 75 stops), Parrish is perhaps the most versatile individual on the defensive unit, having played four different positions earlier in his career. He appears set at free safety this season, and should be primed for an outstanding senior season. Other key returnees in the defensive backfield are cornerback Reggie Austin, the team leader in interceptions (4), pass breakups (4) and fumble recoveries (3) a year ago; and safety David Moore, who earned valuable playing experience last season as a starter in four games. On the offensive side of the ball, Clark and Kuklick are gone, but the Deacons can look to explosive players such as senior wideout Jammie Deese for big-play production. Deese was second in the ACC in receiving in 1998 with his 68 receptions and should emerge as one of the premier wide receivers in the conference and perhaps even in the nation, this fall. Overall, seven of the team's top eight pass receivers are back (all but Clark). Others to watch in that department include Marvin Chalmers (31 receptions in '98) and Ira Williams (24 receptions). At tight end, the Deacs must replace three-year starter Joe Zelenka and will look initially to James Lik to fill that role. Lik is more of a pass-receiving threat than was Zelenka, but he, too, is coming off a 1998 injury (broken fibula). A new quarterback, of course, will be throwing the passes to Deese and the other gifted Wake receivers this fall. Senior Ben Sankey, Kuklick's primary backup the past two years, is the top returning candidate at that position. He started twice late in the 1997 season and led the Deacons to a road victory at Rutgers. Last year he completed an impressive 65 percent of his passes (38 of 58) for 468 yards and four touchdowns in abbreviated duty in five games. Joining the Wake Forest program in the fall will be an exciting young quarterback, freshman C. J. Leak, the most heralded recruit for the Deacons under Caldwell. Rated as one of the top five prep quarterbacks in the nation last year (and the number-one QB in the South by Fox Sports South), Leak figures to play immediately as a rookie and contend with Sankey and another veteran, Dan Bradley, for the starting spot. The Demon Deacon running game must be better this fall, however, if the overall offense is to increase its point production. Wake Forest averaged only 65.4 yards per game on the ground in '98 after a promising performance the previous year (106 ypg). Morgan Kane, last year's leading rusher, returns although he may be switched to fullback from the primary running back spot. Kane gained 113 yards rushing in Wake's win at Clemson last September and at that point was leading the ACC in rushing. His output diminished significantly during the second half of the season, though, and he finished with 454 yards on the year. Junior Chris McCoy turned in some solid efforts late in the 1998 schedule, particularly as a pass receiver, catching 17 passes for 178 yards and two TDs in the final three games. Also back is senior Kito Gary, who averaged a 5.3 yards per carry as a sophomore, but then gained a total of 194 yards (2.6 yds per carry) last season. Four of five starters return on the offensive line, led by the guard tandem of Sam Settar and Brian Wolverton. Both played all 786 offensive snaps for Wake Forest last season and should provide excellent leadership up front. Marlon Curtis, last year's starting center, will likely be moved to tackle to replace the only graduating lineman, Jeff Flowe. Taking over the center spot will be Vince Azzolina, who played well during the latter half of 1998 when Curtis was out with a shoulder injury. Sophomore Michael Collins returns as a very promising player at the other tackle position. The Deacon kicking game features veteran Matthew Burdick, who is on the verge of becoming the school's all-time leader in field goals. Burdick, who was 11 of 12 on three-point tries inside 45 yards last season, needs only eight more field goals to set a new WFU record. The punting duties will be handled by a newcomer this fall, however, as Tripp Moore, one of the ACC's top punters the past two years, has graduated. Redshirt freshman Matt Brennie is the top candidate to replace Moore entering preseason drills. The 1999 Wake Forest schedule features six home games, including first-ever Groves Stadium visits by Rutgers (Oct.2) and UAB (Oct.23). The Deacs open next year on the road in their other non-ACC date, traveling to West Point to face Army.
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