Deacs Rebound Quickly, Enter the Win Column
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Final Stats
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) - Wake Forest's run defense was the most improved in Atlantic Coast Conference history last season. The Demon Deacons showed it Thursday night.
Brian Kuklick threw for 256 yards and Wake Forest finally solved the option as the Demon Deacons defeated Navy 26-14, limiting one of the nation's powerful running attacks to 35 yards on the ground in the second half.
Wake Forest (1-1), playing on four day's rest, rebounded after a 42-0 season-opening loss at Air Force, scoring 23 unanswered points after falling behind 14-3 in the first half.
"It was a demoralizing loss (to Air Force). For the two days after the loss I don't think anybody on the team talked to each other," Wake Forest linebacker Dustin Lyman said. "Then it was a matter of we had to regroup. We had no choice, we were back into action quick."
After giving up 294 yards on the ground Saturday, the Demon Deacons shut down the Midshipmen (0-1), third in the nation in rushing last season at 306.4 yards a game, surrendering only 114 yards.
"It felt a lot better to not be on the receiving end but the delivering end of the option," Lyman said. "I don't think the way we attacked it was any different, we just didn't have to make so many adjustments. We knew how to prepare for it. We knew not to overreact when they had a little bit of success with it."
When informed that his team rushed for a little more than 100 yards, Navy coached Charlie Weatherbie said: "Is that all we ran for? I don't ever remember running for 114 yards - maybe in a half. They stopped us on three-and-outs a bunch of times."
With Wake Forest clinging to a 16-14 lead, Kuklick completed 5-of-6 passes on the game-clinching 74-yard scoring drive midway through the fourth quarter. His 10-yard keeper on third-and-5 to the Navy 14 set up Kito Gary's scoring run on the next play.
Despite piling up the 12th 200-yard passing game of his career, Kuklick, 21-for-36, threw three interceptions, matching his career high, including two in his team's end zone that halted potential scoring drives.
Wake Forest closed to 14-10 at intermission and took the lead for good midway through the third quarter when Kuklick's 24-yard pass to Desmond Clark set up Morgan Kane's 2-yard scoring leap.
First-time starter Steve Holley was effective early for the Midshipmen at quarterback, but he was replaced midway through the third quarter by Brian Broadwater when Navy's offense bogged down.
"I really didn't understand why they did that," Lyman said. "Holley understood the offense a little better. When the second guy came in, he was confused and we just jumped all over that."
Wake Forest had Navy stopped on its opening possession after three plays, but Mat Petz was called for running into the punter, keeping the Midshipmen's march alive. Four plays later, Holley hit Mark Mill with a 39-yard pass play down the middle, setting up Holley's 5-yard scoring run - the first TD of his career.
The Demon Deacons wasted a 15-play drive early in the second quarter when Kuklick threw an interception in the end zone. Wake Forest's season-opening scoring drought ended at 81 minutes, 21 seconds when Matt Burdick connected on a 41-yard field goal 8:39 before halftime.
A 34-yard return on the ensuing kickoff set up Navy in good field position as Holley went to work again. He ran keepers for 8 and 5 yards and completed a 17-yard pass before Ryan Read beat DaLawn Parrish on a 38-yard scoring pass for a 14-3 lead.
Holley's only mistake occurred late in the half when he had a pass intercepted at the 21 by freshman Adrian Duncan. Forty-one seconds later Kuklick found Clark on a stop-and-go pattern as the Demon Deacons narrowed the deficit to four.
By DAVID DROSCHAK
AP Sports Writer