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Sept. 21, 1998 The Wake Forest football team enjoyed an open date this past Saturday, but now begins a stretch of nine straight weekends of competition with its 1998 ACC opener. The Demon Deacons, 1-1 outside the league after a win over Navy on September 10th, travel to Clemson this week to face the Tigers in a regionally televised (ABC) contest. Kickoff time in Memorial Stadium is 12:00.
Team Data
WAKE FOREST (1-1) CLEMSON (1-2 / 0-1 in ACC)
Offense: Multiple Offense: Multiple I
Lettermen/Starters Back: 16/8 Lettermen/Starters Back: 18/5
Defense: Multiple Defense: Multiple 50
Lettermen/Starters Back: 20/8 Lettermen/Starters Back: 23/6
Total Lettermen Back: 38 Total Lettermen Back: 44
Head Coach: Jim Caldwell (6th year) Head Coach: Tommy West (5th year)
W-15, L-42 W-29, L-22
same record overall 33-29 overall (6th year)
1-4 vs Clemson 4-0 vs Wake Forest
THE SERIES WITH CLEMSON - Wake Forest has lost four straight to Clemson and trails in the overall series by a rather lopsided, 49-13-1. The Demon Deacons last beat the Tigers on October 16, 1993 in Death Valley -- a 20-16 triumph that gave Coach Jim Caldwell his first ACC victory at Wake Forest. Wake also claimed an 18-15 win over the Tigs in 1992. Those two victories (in '92 & '93) are the only ones for the Deacs in the series since 1976, Clemson having won 19 of the last 21 meetings between the two schools. In Clemson, Wake Forest holds a 6-24 record, but only two of those wins have come since the formation of the ACC in 1954. Those came in 1961 (17-13) and on the aforementioned 1993 visit (20-16). In between those two dates, the Deacons lost 16 straight times on this field.
TRAVEL PLANS - The Demon Deacons will depart Winston-Salem via chartered busses Friday afternoon. No workout is scheduled for Memorial Stadium that day. Team headquarters for the trip is the Greenville / Spartanburg Airport Marriott (864-297-0300). The Sports Information staff of director John Justus and assistant Jen Hoover can be contacted there Friday evening, or in the SID Office earlier that day.
FOLLOW THE DEACS ON NEW RADIO FLAGSHIP STATION -- All Wake Forest games during the 1998 season will be broadcast locally by the Triad's newest and most powerful radio station, WXII News Radio (830 AM). This new outlet offers the Deacs a 50,000 watt clear channel signal that when combined with co-flagship station WBRF-FM (98.1), a 100,000 watt FM station headquartered in Galax, VA, provides the most expansive coverage of Wake Forest Football ever.
LAST YEAR VERSUS THE TIGERS - After two straight ACC victories over Maryland and Duke, Wake Forest entered the November 1, 1997 meeting with Clemson in Groves Stadium in pursuit of a winning season and an outside shot at a bowl invitation. A strong Tiger defense and big-play offense, though, blocked those plans in a 33-16 Demon Deacon loss. The two teams stood toe-to-toe throughout the first half, trading scores en route to a 12-10 Clemson lead at the intermission. Raymond Priester scored on a two-yard run, but Brian Kuklick connected with Thabiti Davis on a five-yard TD pass to give WFU a 7-6 advantage. David Richardson booted a 52-yard field goal, Matthew Burdick answered for Wake with 38-yarder, then Richardson responded with a successful 34-yard attempt at the 0:27 mark of the second period. The second half, however, was all Clemson. Wake was forced to go without Kuklick, who had suffered a hairline fracture in his lower right leg, and managed just 106 yards in total offense during the third and fourth periods. The Tigers exploded for two long TD passes by Nealon Greene (52 yds to Tony Horne; 41 yds to Rob Gardner) in the third quarter and controlled the rest of the game. Greene finished with an impressive 286 yards through the air, completing 18 of 25 passes. Horne had seven catches for 152 yards.
COMMENTS from COACH JIM CALDWELL
(On the off week) "This was a productive week for us. We were able to take a close look at the areas that have given us problems during our first two games and really attacked those during the week. We also, however, made a commitment not to lose our timing or our edge just because we didn't have a game this past Saturday. We actually followed almost an identical practice schedule as we have during a game week and feel our team responded very well to everything we asked them to do. The proof, though, must come on the field."
(On Clemson) "We have a great challenge awaiting us this week. Clemson played extremely well at Virginia and had the game won until the final minute. Their game the previous week with Virginia Tech turned on a couple of big plays and ill-timed turnovers. Defensively, there is no doubt they are the finest team we'll have faced to date. They have an abundance of speed on their defensive unit and a number of players who make big plays for them. On offense, Streeter has stepped in at quarterback and given them excellent leadership. He has a strong arm and provides them with a passing threat to complement what is always a very good running game."
WAKE FOREST FOOTBALL / MEDIA SERVICES WEEKLY MEDIA CONFERENCE - Weekly sessions with head coach JIM CALDWELL and selected Demon Deacon players are on Tuesday afternoon. Newspaper and radio media can meet with players from 2:30 to 3:00 in the Rovere Room in the football office complex. Coach Caldwell will be available from 3:00 to 3:30. Television interviews with the coach and players will take place on the practice field beginning at 3:45. ACC FAXBACK - Wake Forest news releases and statistics are available at any time via the ACC Faxback system. Dial the Faxback number from the handset of your fax machine and select the document(s) you wish to receive. They will then be faxed to you instantly. To access the ACC Faxback, call 336-854-5859 and follow the voice instructions. Wake Forest Football documents are available under the following codes: RELEASE (notes, stats & depth chart) 91050 STATISTICS ONLY 91052 NOTES ONLY 91051 MOST RECENT GAME STATS 91053 ACC TELECONFERENCE - Coach Jim Caldwell takes part in the ACC Teleconference each Wednesday from 11:00 to 11:20 a.m. (Eastern time). For the number needed to access the teleconference, contact the Wake Forest Sports Information Office or the ACC Office (336-851-6062). A replay of the teleconference will be available for 24 hours each Wednesday afternoon. The replay phone number is 402-220-4214. ACC HIGHLIGHTS - ACC video highlights are available via satellite on Wednesday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. on C-band satellite Galaxy 9 / Transponder 2. The downlink frequency is 3740 Mhz and the Bandwidth is 36 Mhz. Call the ACC Office for more information.
NOTING THE DEMON DEACONS
PRESEASON PROJECTIONS - After compiling a 5-6 record in 1997, and leading at halftime of four games that ended up on the loss side of the ledger, Wake Forest entered the 1998 campaign with as much optimism as the program has enjoyed in Coach Jim Caldwell's six years at the school. With 18 starters returning from last year's club, that optimism would appear to be well-founded. The Demon Deacons were picked 6th in the preseason poll conducted by ACC media at the conference's annual "ACC Kickoff" session in late-July. They were tabbed to finish 5th in the league by the media participating in the ACC "Operation Football" tour in August. Wake Forest has not finished higher than tied for 6th (in 1997) in the ACC standings since the 1992 Deacons gained a 4th-place spot with a 4-4 conference record.
Deacon Records since 1988
(overall / in ACC)
1989 2-8-1 / 1-6 1992 8-4 / 4-4 1995 1-10 / 0-8
1990 3-8 / 0-7 1993 2-9 / 1-7 1996 3-8 / 1-7
1991 3-8 / 1-6 1994 3-8 / 1-7 1997 5-6 / 3-5
SENIORS SEEK TO CONTINUE TREND - The current Wake Forest senior class is small in numbers (14 total, 11 on scholarship), but large in improvement the past three years. As freshmen (redshirt freshmen except for DESMOND CLARK), this class won only one game. In 1996 as sophomores, they helped the Deacons improve to 3-8. Then came last year and a 5-6 record. That same progress has come in Atlantic Coast Conference play. In 1995, Wake Forest was winless in eight league outings. In '96, the Deacs defeated one conference opponent. And last year they were 3-5, tied for 6th in the final ACC standings.
THIRD STRAIGHT ON THE TUBE - Wake Forest's first three games in 1998 have been featured on national network television coverage. The opener at Air Force was shown on ESPN2, the September 10th date with Navy was on ESPN, and this week's game at Clemson will be aired to an ABC regional audience.
PREVIOUSLY VERSUS CLEMSON - Although no current Wake Forest player has ever enjoyed a victory over Clemson, there have been some notable individual achievements. Here's a quick review: Desmond Clark - caught his first career pass, a 33-yd TD toss from Rusty LaRue, against Clemson in 1995 had 4 receptions for 61 yds in Death Valley as a soph, then had 10 catches (3rd highest of career) for 98 yds a year ago. Jammie Deese - topped the 100-yard figure last year with 7 receptions for 102 yards had 4 catches for 42 yards at Clemson in '96. Morgan Kane - ran for 131 yards (2nd most in career) on a career-high 33 carries in Death Valley in '96 did not score a TD that afternoon, however carried just 6 times (for 20 yds) in '97 game. Brian Kuklick - played briefly in a backup role as a true freshman at Clemson in '94 and scrambled for a 44-yard TD run (longest run of his career) was 19 of 37 for 231 yards in Death Valley in '96 started well vs the Tigs last year, completing 9 of 14 passes for 81 yards and a TD before having to leave the game with a broken leg. DaLawn Parrish - appeared in his first career game vs Clemson as a true freshman in '95 and made quite a debut with 10 tackles (8 solo) also caused one fumble and recovered another that night had 6 tackles in last year's meeting. Kelvin Shackleford - four times last year he recorded a career best 6 tackles in a game -- one of those times came against Clemson when he was credited with 3 solo stops and 3 assists.
DEACS FROM SOUTH CAROLINA - Only four members of this year's Wake Forest squad are from the state of South Carolina. Two are true freshmen and are not likely to play in this week's contest (wide receiver FABIAN DAVIS of Greenville; running back OVIE MUGHELLI of Charleston). Of course, standout linebacker KELVIN MOSES is from Hartsville (Hartsville HS). A member of the preseason Butkus Award checklist as one of the country's top linebackers, Moses has yet to see any action this fall after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on August 21st to relieve irritation in the joint. He may be available for the Clemson game. The other South Carolinian is senior TRIPP MOORE (Columbia/Spring Valley HS), a 2nd-team All-ACC player in 1997 who is off to a terrific start this season (please see later note). IMPORTANCE OF THE RUNNING GAME - Wake Forest rushed for 148 yards in its win over Navy, its fifth consecutive victory when totaling more than 130 yards on the ground. Last year the Demon Deacons were 4-0 when attaining that figure with their running attack (doing so against Northwestern, Maryland, Duke & Rutgers). PERCENTAGE PASSING - Demon Deacon quarterbacks have completed 63.4 percent of their passes through two games, led by starter BRIAN KUKLICK's outstanding 63.6 completion mark. The only other ACC team with a completion percentage above 60% is Virginia (at 60.2%).
PASS DEFENSE YET TO BE TESTED - Having played its first two games of 1998 against the run-oriented offenses of Air Force and Navy, the Wake Forest secondary is still awaiting its first true test of the season. The Falcons and Middies combined to attempt only 20 passes against the Demon Deacons (completing 11). The Deacs have come up with three interceptions--one each by DAMEON DANIEL (at Air Force), ADRIAN DUNCAN and MARK MAKOVEC (both vs Navy).
A GAME OF FIELD POSITION - Wake Forest found itself in a major hole in its season opener at Air Force when it was forced to start its inital two drives inside its own 10-yard-line. Wake's average field position for that entire game was its own 21. The Deacons, as the record shows, did not score. Against Navy, the Deacs turned that statistic around thanks to some outstanding work by punter TRIPP MOORE. Three times Moore drove the Midshipmen back inside their own 10-yard-line with his punting. Each time the WFU defense held and each time the offense scored on its next possession. In fact, 16 of Wake Forest's 26 points in the win over Navy came after Moore's three decisive punts.
MORE ON MOORE - Punter TRIPP MOORE, a 2nd team All-ACC selection in 1997, averaged 41.2 yards per punt on five attempts overall against Navy. In the '98 opener at Air Force, the Columbia, SC, senior averaged 45.5 yards per punt on six boots. He now has a 43.5 average on the year (2nd in the ACC) with more than half (6) of his 11 punts driving the opposition inside its own 20. Four times those punts have been downed inside the opponent's 10.
CLARK LEAPS UP ACC CAREER CHART - With his nine receptions (for 98 yards and a TD) in the win over Navy, Demon Deacon wide receiver DESMOND CLARK jumped six places on the all-time ACC pass receiving list. The Lakeland, FL, senior had entered that game 11th in league history with 161 catches, but now stands 5th on the ACC career chart with 170 receptions. ACC Top Twelve Receivers -- All Time (1) Jermaine Lewis, Md 193 (7) Kez McCorvey, FSU 167 (2) Clarkston Hines, Duke 189 (8) E.G. Green, FSU 166 (3) Ricky Proehl, WF 188 (9) Harvey Middleton, GaT 165 (4) Geroy Simon, Md 185 Corey Thomas, Duke 165 (5) DESMOND CLARK 170 (11) Wes Chesson, Duke 164 (6) Roger Boone, Duke 168 (12) Thabiti Davis, WF 161
CONSISTENCY WITH CLARK- In his last 10 games dating back to the middle portion of the 1997 season, DESMOND CLARK has caught six-or-more passes eight times and totaled 90-or-more yards in receiving six times.
THE ACC'S LEADING RECEIVER - No, it's not Desmond Clark -- he's 3rd with 13 receptions (6.5 per game). The top receiver in the ACC after three weekends of action this fall is Wake Forest junior JAMMIE DEESE, whose 16 catches (8.0 per game) top the league. Deese opened the year with eight receptions (for 71 yards) at Air Force, then established a new career high with 122 yards in receptions, catching eight more balls in the win over Navy. Those eight receptions versus the Middies, by the way, give the Lumberton product an even 100 catches for his career. That's good for 15th place on the all-time Wake Forest receiving chart.
KUKLICK SURPASSES 250 FOR THE 12TH TIME - Wake Forest quarterback BRIAN KUKLICK bounced back from a subpar outing at Air Force by throwing for 256 yards (21 of 36) in the win over Navy. That marked the 12th time in his outstanding career that he has totaled 250 yards or more through the air in a single contest. Kuklick also moved into 14th place on the career passing list in the ACC with his performance against the Middies. He now has 5,732 yards to his credit. Next on that prestigious chart are Florida State's Thad Busby (13th with 5,916 yds) and NC State's Terry Harvey (12th with 5,925). Eleven former ACC quarterbacks have topped the 6,000-yard figure during their careers -- Duke's Leo Hart is 11th on that list with 6,116.
Wake Forest Career Passing Leaders
Passing Yardage Pass Completions Touchdown Passes
(1) Mike Elkins 7,304 Gary Schofield 640 Gary Schofield 44
(2) Gary Schofield 7,205 Mike Elkins 609 Mike Elkins 43
(3) BRIAN KUKLICK 5,732 BRIAN KUKLICK 491 Jay Venuto 38
(4) BRIAN KUKLICK 31
KUKLICK ON UNITAS AWARD CHECKLIST - Wake Forest's BRIAN KUKLICK is one of 13 quarterbacks named as candidates for the "Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award", which is presented annually to the nation's top senior QB.
KANE LEADS GROUND GAME - Running back MORGAN KANE turned in his second straight productive performance of the 1998 season by rushing for 94 yards (on 22 carries) against Navy. The junior from Ottawa, Ontario also reached the endzone for the first time in '98 by flying over the line of scrimmage for a two-yard TD that gave the Deacons the lead to stay, 16-14, in the third quarter. Kane now has compiled 165 yards (82.5 avg) in two outings, good for 3rd on the ACC rushing list this week. Fellow-junior KITO GARY also contributed a scoring run in the fourth period versus the Middies, sprinting through a gaping hole cleared by the middle of the Wake offensive line for a 14-yard TD. For Gary, it was only the second six-pointer of his career (he also scored at Duke last year).
CANADIAN CONNECTION - As noted above, Demon Deacon running back Morgan Kane is a native of Ottawa, Ontario. In the win against Navy, another Canadian product (from Windsor), defensive end MAT PETZ, turned in a terrific overall effort and was honored as the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week for that performance. Petz, who was moved from outside linebacker to end during spring drills, totaled 13 tackles versus the Mid-shipmen. Five of those hits came behind the line of scrimmage for a total of 12 yards in lost yardage. "BEAT NAVY" A FAMILIAR REFRAIN FOR MAKOVEC - Senior outside linebacker MARK MAKOVEC's older brother Mike played quarterback for Army earlier this decade, so it perhaps was no surprise that Mark's best single game performance as a Deacon would come against the Naval Academy. Makovec (Mark) was credited with a career-high eight tackles in the win over the Middies. Included in that total were two sacks (for negative-13 yards). He also picked off the first interception of his career to set up the Deacs' final field goal. A fifth-year member of the WFU program, Makovec has already received his undergraduate degree from Wake Forest in Health & Exercise Science and is now working toward a graduate degree.
LYMAN LEADS AGAIN - Linebacker DUSTIN LYMAN finished as the leading tackler for Wake Forest for the second time in as many games this season when he collected 16 stops versus Navy. Nine of Lyman's tackles were of the unassisted variety (equaling a career high). He also had two tackles-for-loss, totaling seven yards. In two games, the Boulder, CO, junior now has a team-high 29 hits, nine more than his closest teammate, fellow-linebacker ABDUL GUICE who has 20 tackles. His 14.5 tackle average in two dates was 5th-best in the ACC last week.
LIKE THE DEACS, DUNCAN BOUNCES BACK - Redshirt freshman defensive back ADRIAN DUNCAN probably will never forget his first play as a Demon Deacon. It came on special teams at Air Force when he attempted to field a wind-blown punt over his head and fumbled the ball in the WFU endzone to give the Falcons an easy touchdown (which increased the Wake deficit from 21-0 to 28-0). Only five days later, Duncan proved to be one of the heroes in the Wake Forest victory over Navy. With both of the team's starting cornerbacks sidelined with injuries, the Dayton, OH, product saw his first significant action (39 plays) and made one of the evening's biggest plays. His interception with 1:38 remaining in the first half set up a Deacon touchdown that reduced the Navy lead from 14-3 to 14-10 at halftime, setting the stage for a WFU comeback after intermission. Duncan also displayed his abilities as a punt return specialist, handling four runbacks without a problem and averaging an impressive 11.5 yards per return.
BURDICK BOOTS CAREER LONGEST - Junior placekicker MATTHEW BURDICK never got on the field at Air Force). Against Navy, however, Burdick made his presence felt with successful field goals of 41 and 48 yards, the latter representing a new career longest for the Winston-Salem (Mount Tabor HS) product.
BIGGER THAN EVER - When Coach Jim Caldwell took over the Wake Forest football program in 1993, there was not a single player on the roster listed at 300 pounds. As the Demon Deacons prepare for the 1998 season, they have 11 individuals who tip the scales at that weight or higher. That group includes the entire projected starting offensive line, which averages a svelte 311 pounds per man with center MARLON CURTIS (301 lbs), guards BRIAN WOLVERTON (310) and SAM SETTAR (328), and tackles JEFF FLOWE (310) and WILLIE LAM (305). The second-unit offensive interior could be even bulkier with TODD HOLLOWELL (341) and MICHAEL COLLINS (333) available there.
STARTING EXPERIENCE - Seventeen of the 22 players listed as starters on this week's depth chart had starting experience prior to the start of the 1998 season. That does not include KELVIN MOSES, who because of a knee injury has yet to add to his team-high total of 33 career starts and had a string of 22 consecutive starts ended at Air Force. Safety JEFFREY MUYRES has 27 previous starting assignments, second on the team behind Moses. Eight current Deacons have started 20-or-more games during their careers. Sixteen have 10-or-more starts.
Demon Deacon Career Starts (1998 starts)
33 Kelvin Moses 22 Joe Zelenka (2) 12 Dameon Daniel (2)
27 Jeffrey Muyres (2) 19 Brian Wolverton (2) 10 Kelvin Jones
26 Jeff Flowe (2) 18 Dustin Lyman (2) 9 Kelvin Shackleford (2)
Wande Shaw (2) 16 DaLawn Parrish (2) 7 Jon Mannon
24 Desmond Clark (2) 15 Morgan Kane (2) Clinton Wilburn
Brian Kuklick (2) 13 Jammie Deese (2) 6 Reggie Austin (2)
23 Fred Robbins (2) Sam Settar (2) 4 Mark Makovec (2)
3 Ben Sankey
First-Time Starters vs Air Force & Navy: Marlon Curtis, Abdul Guice, Willie Lam, Mat Petz, Bryan Ray Consecutive Starts: Clark, Flowe - 24; Robbins, Wolverton 19; Lyman 16; Deese, Parrish, Settar 13 REDSHIRTING PLAN - Wake Forest head coach JIM CALDWELL has implemented a program that has emphasized the redshirting of young players the past three years. Of 1995's 23 freshman, 22 have been redshirted (all but star wide receiver DESMOND CLARK). Twelve of 16 first-year players two years ago were held out as rookies. No true freshman (of a class of 17) saw action last fall for the Deacons. Entering the 1998 season, Wake Forest has 61 "redshirts" among its 66 active scholarship players.
Deacon Redshirting Progress
1998 Class Total Members* Not Been Redshirted Have Redshirted
Seniors 11 1 10
Juniors 28 4 24
Sophomores 10 0 10
Redshirt Freshmen 17 0 17
*scholarship players only
It's still early in the 1998 campaign, but Wake Forest is the only ACC school that has not played a true freshman yet this fall.
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