Deacons Graduate 10 Scholarship Players
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
December 9, 1998
ONLY 10 SCHOLARSHIP SENIORS - The 1998 Wake Forest senior class numbered 13 individuals but just 10 scholarship players (not including Kelvin Moses -- see note below). This class, which includes the schools all-time leading pass receiver DESMOND CLARK and number-one passer BRIAN KUKLICK, had seen the program improve in each of the past two years since their freshman year before experiencing a disappointing 3-8 season this fall.
As freshmen (redshirt freshmen except for Clark), this class won only one game. In 1996 as sophomores, they helped the Deacons improve to 3-8, then on to a 5-6 mark in 1997.
The 1998 senior class of Demon Deacons played a lot of football for Wake Forest during their careers. Seven of this year's 10 scholarship seniors started 30-or-more games. (That includes punter TRIPP MOORE, who has been the team's number-one punter the last 33 contests.)
Overall, this year's senior class compiled 301 starts (including Moore) the past four seasons.
WHAT'S COMING BACK - There's a solid corps of experience in the current junior class as well for the Demon Deacons. Nine Wake Forest juniors have at least 15 career starts to date. Of the six players who completed the 1998 season with a streak of 20-or-more consecutive starts, five are juniors (all but senior offensive tackle JEFF FLOWE). Overall, the Deacs expect to return 49 of 62 lettermen from the 98 squad. Fourteen starters (8 on defense; 6 on offense) should be back as well.
MOSES GRANTED SIXTH YEAR - The Demon Deacons were forced to play the entire 1998 season without their outstanding veteran linebacker KELVIN MOSES, who appeared briefly in only two games (12 total plays) due to a knee injury. Following the completion of the 98 schedule, however, the NCAA granted Moses a sixth year of eligibility because he had also missed the 1994 season with another knee problem.
With the return of Moses, whose 321 career tackles rank him 10th on the all-time Wake Forest tackle chart, and fellow-linebacker DUSTIN LYMAN, who made 62 tackles in five games this fall before being sidelined with a knee injury, the Deacon defense has a lot to look forward to in 1999.
A TOUGH OCTOBER - Wake Forest's opportunity for the type of 1998 season that the Demon Deacons had hoped for was hampered considerably by three difficult down-to-the-wire losses during the month of October.
On October 3rd against Appalachian State, the Deacs drove 74 yards to a game-tying touchdown with 0:53 remaining. That contest was then decided in the first overtime game in WFU history--the Deacs kicked a field goal on their possession, but the Mountaineers then scored a touchdown.
The following week (Oct.10) versus Duke, Blue Devil kicker Sims Lenhardt's 32-yard field goal with 1:48 left gave his team a 19-16 lead. Wake Forest managed one first down on its final possession but two sacks, the second on fourth down, ended the Deacon bid for a tie or a win.
Then on October 24th against North Carolina, Wake Forest rallied from a 23-3 halftime deficit but trailed 38-31 when it took over on its own 27-yard-line with 1:25 remaining. The Deacs moved to the UNC 20-yard-line in the closing seconds, but four consecutive incompletions at that point left them short of a comeback once again.
Desmond Clark -- #1 Receiver in ACC History
Demon Deacon wide receiver DESMOND CLARK became the ACC's all-time leading pass receiver on October 17th at Maryland. The week before (Oct.10) against Duke, Clark had become the Wake Forest all-time leading receiver, moving past Ricky Proehl (now with the St. Louis Rams), who had 188 catches during his career (1986-1989).
ACC Top Five Receivers ACC Top Six in Receiving Yardage
(1) DESMOND CLARK 216 (1) Torry Holt, NCState 3,379
(2) Jermaine Lewis, Md 193 (2) Clarkston Hines, Duke 3,318
(3) Torry Holt, NCState 191 (3) Ricky Proehl, WF 2,949
(4) Clarkston Hines, Duke 189 (4) Jermaine Lewis, Md 2,932
(5) Ricky Proehl, WF 188 (5) E.G. Green, FSU 2,920
(6) DESMOND CLARK 2,834
DEESE JOINS DESMOND - Junior (1999 senior) JAMMIE DEESE was the 2nd-leading receiver in the ACC in 1998, completing the year with 68 receptions. Deese's total equals that of Marlon Curtis, who had 68 catches in 1995, as the second-most productive year ever by a Demon Deacon pass receiver. Only DESMOND CLARK's school record 72 receptions last fall rank higher.
With those 68 catches, Deese advanced quickly up the WFU career receiving list and now will enter his senior campaign as the 5th-leading receiver in school history with 152 catches the past three seasons.
Wake Forest Career Receiving Leaders
Receptions Receiving Yardage Touchdown Receptions
(1) DESMOND CLARK 216 Ricky Proehl 2,949 Ricky Proehl 25
(2) Ricky Proehl 188 DESMOND CLARK 2,834 Todd Dixon 24
(3) Thabiti Davis 161 Todd Dixon 2,466 Red O'Quinn 22
(4) James Brim 153 Wayne Baumgardner 2,431 DESMOND CLARK 20
(5) JAMMIE DEESE 152 James Brim 2,040
(6) Red O'Quinn 1,990
(7) JAMMIE DEESE 1,904
Brian Kuklick -- #1 Passer in Wake Forest History
Wake Forest senior quarterback BRIAN KUKLICK became the all-time leading passer in Wake Forest school history with a career-high 421-yard performance at NC State on November 7th. That performance moved him past previous record-holder Mike Elkins (7,304).
Kuklick also took over the top spot in career completions at WFU against Florida State the following week (Nov.14), then tied Gary Schofield for number-one on the school's all-time list for touchdown passes with a TD toss to Chris McCoy at Georgia Tech in the 98 season finale (Nov.21).
Wake Forest Career Passing Leaders
Passing Yardage Pass Completions Touchdown Passes
(1) BRIAN KUKLICK 8,017 BRIAN KUKLICK 665 BRIAN KUKLICK 44
(2) Mike Elkins 7,304 Gary Schofield 640 Gary Schofield 44
(3) Gary Schofield 7,205 Mike Elkins 609 Mike Elkins 43
AND IN THE ACC - BRIAN KUKLICK completed his outstanding career as only the fifth quarterback in ACC history to throw for more than 8,000 yards in his career, and was 4th on the league's all-time chart in both passing yardage (8,017) and pass completions (665). His 44 career TD passes tie him for 11th all-time in the ACC.
ACC Career Passing Leaders
Yardage Completions
1) Ben Bennett, Duke 9,614 Ben Bennett, Duke 820
2) Spence Fischer, Duke 9,021 Spence Fischer, Duke 786
3) Shawn Jones, GaTech 8,441 Steve Slayden, Duke 699
4) BRIAN KUKLICK 8,017 BRIAN KUKLICK 665
DURABLE DEACS - Demon Deacon offensive guard SAM SETTAR, a 6'4, 238-pound junior from Marlton, NJ, played all 786 offensive plays this season, giving him a string of 22 consecutive games in which he has not missed a single play. In 1997, Settar played all 804 snaps and now will enter his senior season having taken part in 1,590 consecutive offensive plays.
Two other Deacon offensive linemen -- tackle JEFF FLOWE and guard BRIAN WOLVERTON -- also were on the field for all 786 plays during the 1998 season.
PARRISH, PETZ DEFENSIVE LEADERS - Junior DALAWN PARRISH finished the 1998 season as the top tackler for the Demon Deacons. The Columbia, MD product made 75 stops on the year as a starter in all 11 contests. He played most of the season at safety, but when injuries decimated the team's linebacking corps, he moved to outside linebacker for the final four games. Parrish's 59 unassisted tackles were also a team-high. He ranked 3rd on the squad in tackles-for-loss with 10 (for a negative 33 yards).
Sophomore end MAT PETZ started every game at defensive end and led the Deacs in tackles for loss (15) and quarterback sacks (6). Petz's 15 TFLs tied him for 3rd in the ACC in that department.
Parrish and Petz were also the only Deacons to receive weekly recognition from the ACC during the 1998 season. Parrish was named "ACC Defensive Back of the Week" following Wake Forest's win at Maryland, in which his interception clinched that 20-10 victory. Petz was the "ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week" after an outstan-ding performance in the Deacs' win over Navy.
INTERCEPTION TOTAL HIGHEST IN DECADE - The Wake Forest defensive unit intercepted at least one pass in 10 of 11 games during the 1998 season. Eight different players contributed at least one "pick" to the team's total of 16, which was the most by a Demon Deacon team since 1987. The only ACC team with more interceptions than Wake Forest was NC State with 19.
Junior cornerback REGGIE AUSTIN led the team in interceptions with four, linebacker MARK MAKOVEC had three, and three players (DAVID MOORE, JEFF MUYRES & DALAWN PARRISH) collected two each.
MOORE, BURDICK HEAD UP SOLID KICKING GAME - For the second year in a row, Wake Forest punter TRIPP MOORE finished 2nd in the ACC in his specialty, averaging 42.9 yards per punt. That figure was also good enough to place the Demon Deacon senior 19th in the country in punting.
Placekicker MATTHEW BURDICK, who unlike Moore will return for the 1999 campaign, converted 13 of 18 field goal attempts during the year. Only one of his misses came from less than 45 yards. His most memorable single kick was a school-record-tying 53-yard field goal against Appalachian State. Burdick will enter his senior season with 142 career points (9th in WFU history), and with 30 career field goals, just seven behind the Deacs' all-time leader in that category Wilson Hoyle (with 37).
REDSHIRTING PLAN - Wake Forest head coach JIM CALDWELL has implemented a program that has emphasized the redshirting of young players the past four years. Of 1995's 23 incoming freshman, 22 have been redshirted (all but wide receiver DESMOND CLARK) and now move into the 1999 season as next year's senior class bolstered by the addition of three non-redshirted players (REGGIE AUSTIN, MATTHEW BURDICK & DAVID MOORE), transfer MARVIN CHALMERS, and a former walkon now on scholarship (WILLIAM MERRITT) who has been redshirted.
Austin, Burdick and Moore leave 11 former classmates behind as a junior class of 11 players, all of whom have been redshirted. No true freshman (of a class of 17) saw action in 1997, and only one rookie (linebacker ED KARGBOOKOROGIE) played this past fall and now joins the sophomore class.
As the Demon Deacons prepare for 1999, only four of 71 scholarship players have not been redshirted at some point during their career.
Deacon Redshirting Progress
1999 Class Total Members* Not Been Redshirted Have Redshirted Seniors 28 3 25 Juniors 11 0 11 Sophomores 18 1 17 Redshirt Freshmen 14 0 14*scholarship players only
Desmond Clark vs the ACC
Opponent Receptions Yardage Touchdowns Clemson 20 302 2 Duke 27 297 3 Florida State 10 115 1 Georgia Tech 17 207 1 Maryland 20 278 3 North Carolina 24 318 1 NC State 20 290 2 Virginia 27 336 2