Football Begins Demanding Stretch Drive
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
October 26, 1998
Wake Forest faces perhaps as tough a final four games as any team in the nation with all four remaining Demon Deacon opponents having been ranked in the national Top 25 during the 1998 season (including three current members of the national polls). That four-game stretch begins this Saturday in Groves Stadium against #15 (AP poll) Virginia.
Kickoff for the regionally televised (ABC) contest is at 3:30 p.m.
Team Data
WAKE FOREST (3-4 / 2-2 in ACC) VIRGINIA (6-1 / 4-1 in ACC)
Offense: Multiple Offense: Multiple I
(21.3 ppg / 334.0 ypg) (29.6 ppg / 446.3 ypg)
Defense: Multiple Defense: 4-3
(24.6 ppg / 365.9 ypg) (15.0 ppg / 315.0 ypg)
Head Coach: Jim Caldwell (6th year) Head Coach: George Welsh (17th year at Virginia)
W-17, L-45 W-118, L-73, T-3
same record overall 173-119-4 overall (26th year)
0-5 vs Virginia 15-1 vs Wake Forest
1998 Schedule 1998 Schedule
9/5 at Air Force L 0-42 9/3 at Auburn W 19-0
9/10 Navy W 26-14 9/12 Maryland W 31-19
9/26 at Clemson W 29-19 9/19 Clemson W 20-18
10/3 Appalachian State L 27-30 (ot) 9/26 at Duke W 24-0
10/10 Duke L 16-19 10/3 San Jose State W 52-14
10/17 at Maryland W 20-10 10/17 at Georgia Tech L 38-41
10/24 North Carolina L 31-38 10/24 NC State W 23-13
10/31 Virginia 3:30 10/31 at Wake Forest
11/7 at NC State tba 11/7 at Florida State
11/14 Florida State tba 11/14 North Carolina
11/21 at Georgia Tech tba 11/28 at Virginia Tech
THE SERIES WITH VIRGINIA - Wake Forest has lost 15 straight meetings to Virginia and now trails 28-11 in a series which began in 1889 (a 46-4 UVa win). The two schools met one more time in 1911, then did not play again until Virginia joined the ACC for the 1955 season.
The last time that the Demon Deacons defeated the Cavaliers was in 1983, a 38-34 triumph in Groves Stadium. The Deacs have lost seven home dates with the Wahoos since. That stretch includes back-to-back two-point losses in 1985 (20-18) and 1986 (30-28) but no other close decisions. In fact, since that 1986 close call, Virginia has scored over 30 points in Groves on five consecutive visits and beaten Wake Forest by an average of 28 points per games during that time. The two teams' last meeting in Winston-Salem in 1996 resulted in a 42-6 UVa victory.
LAST YEAR VERSUS THE CAVALIERS - Wake Forest held the upper hand for most of the afternoon but two Virginia touchdowns in the final 5:29 gave the Cavs a 21-13 win, the closest outcome in the series since 1986. The Deacs led 13-7 midway in the fourth quarter on the strength of a Brian Kuklick-to-Desmond Clark TD pass and two Matthew Burdick field goals, but Virginia then drove 87 yards in seven plays, with quarterback Aaron Brooks scoring on a 25-yard scramble for the go-ahead score. A Joe Williams interception and 32-yard run with 0:24 left iced the win. Kuklick completed 27 of 40 passes for 264 yards but the Deacs managed just 37 yards rushing. Brooks com-pleted 17 of 20 passes for 183 yards, though the Deacon defense limited the Cavs to just 311 yards in total offense.
THE DEACS LAST WEEK - In a game of big play after big play, visiting North Carolina held on to down Wake Forest this past Saturday in Groves Stadium, 38-31. The contest was the 95th in the oldest football rivalry in the state of North Carolina and as wild as any during that long series. The Demon Deacons trailed, 23-3, at halftime, battled back to within a touchdown early in the fourth period, but saw their final drive for a tying or winning score end on fourth down at the UNC 20-yard-line with 0:19 left.
Wake was plagued by turnovers (3 interceptions, 2 lost fumbles), a blocked punt that was returned for a Tar Heel touchdown, and nine penalties. Behind by 20 at intermission, the Deacs rallied on two key defensive plays. A DaLawn Parrish interception set up one TD, then a hard hit by Abdul Guice on UNC quarterback Ronald Curry caused a fumble that led to another score.
Kito Gary's five-yard TD run with 12:38 left in the game pulled the Deacons to within seven (38-31), but two later WFU drives were halted inside Carolina territory -- the first at the Tar Heel 34 on an interception; the second (and final one) on downs at the 20 after the Deacs had driven from their own 27-yard-line in the final 1:25.
Brian Kuklick threw for 276 yards but was not as accurate (16-of-35) as he had been throughout the year. Desmond Clark was outstanding, catching seven passes for 143 yards, including a 74-yard TD toss from Kuklick.
COMMENTS from COACH JIM CALDWELL
(On the loss to North Carolina) "We put ourselves in too big of a hole with the mistakes in the first half. I was very proud of the way our football team continued to fight and scratch to get back in the game. Once again, we had a chance to win at the end but just didn't quite get the job done. North Carolina has a talented team and made some big plays, particularly Ronald Curry with his ability to avoid tacklers and throw the deep ball, but we made some big plays of our own and never quit."
(On Virginia) "Virginia obviously will be another difficult test for our team. Offensively, they have the leading rushing attack in our league and Aaron Brooks gives them a threat throwing the ball as well. Their defense is big, fast and aggressive and is as good as any in the ACC. They have been a fairly dominant team in six of their seven games, and only a great comeback by Georgia Tech has kept them from being unbeaten and ranked in the top ten. We have to put the disappointment of our loss to North Carolina behind us, concentrate on eliminating the mistakes we made in that ballgame, and get ready for one of the best teams we'll play all season."
NOTING THE DEMON DEACONS
A TOUGH OCTOBER IN GROVES - With last week's loss to North Carolina, Wake Forest has dropped three straight home dates this month, with all three contests not being decided until the final minute. On October 3rd against Appalachian State, the Demon Deacons drove 74 yards to a game-tying touchdown (a 7-yard pass from BRIAN KUKLICK to JAMMIE DEESE on 4th-and-goal) 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 at the WFU 36-yard-line, ended the Deacon threat. Then last week, Wake Forest took over on its own 27 with 1:25 remaining, trailing 38-31 and without a timeout. Two completions to redshirt freshman IRA WILLIAMS (of 36 & 12 yds) helped the Deacons move to the North Carolina 20-yard-line in the closing seconds, but four consecutive incompletions left them short of a comeback once again.
BRIAN'S BIRTHDAY - Perhaps the most well-known football player in Wake Forest history, All-America running back Brian Piccolo, was born on October 31, 1943 -- 55 years ago this Saturday. The last time that the Demon Deacons played on this date was during the 1992 season when they broke a 15-game losing streak against Clemson, defeating the Tigers, 18-15, in Groves Stadium. (The Wake Forest men's basketball team will hold its annual "Black & Gold" intrasquad scrimmage this Saturday at 12 noon in Reynolds Gym on campus prior to the Demon Deacon football game with Virginia. Proceeds from the game will be donated to the Brian Piccolo Cancer Fund, a campus-wide fund-raising effort at WFU that has generated nearly $400,000 for cancer research during the past 19 years.) THE LAST WIN OVER VIRGINIA - It's also been 15 years since the Demon Deacons defeated Virginia. That win in 1983 also came in Groves Stadium by a 38-34 final score and saw Wake Forest overcome 595 yards in total offense by the Cavaliers. The Deacs had just 367 yards in total offense but were aided by four fumbles lost by Virginia, the final one coming with 0:32 remaining in the game.
DEACS FROM VIRGINIA - Wake Forest has only five players on its roster from the state of Virginia, inclu-ding a pair of junior wide receivers, MARVIN CHALMERS and WILLIAM MERRITT. Chalmers (Richmond/ Highland Springs HS) has made an impact in his first year on the active list after transferring from Utah, catching 12 passes (all in the last five games) with touchdown receptions against Clemson (48 yds) and App State (9 yds). Merritt (Gretna/Gretna HS) is a former walkon who earned a scholarship with his performance the past two years. He has been slowed this fall by a leg injury (contusion). Also on the Deacon roster from Virginia are junior WILLIE LAM (McGaheysville/Spotswood HS), who started five of the year's first six games at offensive guard but did not play this past week versus North Carolina; junior reserve offensive lineman TODD HOLLOWELL (Chesapeake/Western Branch HS); and true freshman defen-sive end RODERICK STEPHEN (Colonial Heights/Thomas Dale HS), who is being redshirted.
DEACONS VERSUS VIRGINIA - Here's a review of individual highlights for some current Demon Deacon players previously in their careers versus the Cavaliers:
Matthew Burdick - converted both of his field goal tries (29 & 24 yds) last year in Charlottesville.
Desmond Clark - caught 7 passes (for 59 yds) as a freshman, then added 9 rec for 113 yds in '96 as a sophomore, although most of his production in both games came after the outcome was decided caught a 2-yd TD pass from Ben Sankey in Groves in 1996 turned in another solid effort last year at UVa with 7 rec for 96 yds, including a 13-yd TD to open the scoring.
Brian Kuklick - experienced one of his most difficult days vs Cavs as a soph in '96, completing just 15 of 39 passes for 177 yds while being sacked 6 times came back to throw for 264 yds last year in C'ville by completing 27 of 40 passes was intercepted 3 times, though two came in game's final minute.
Tripp Moore - enjoyed a very good day last year at UVa, averaging 46.2 yds per punt on five kicks.
Fred Robbins - as a redshirt freshman in 1996, made 6 tackles with one for lost yardage turned in another excellent performance last year at UVa with 6 solo stops, including a sack and two other TFLs.
KUKLICK KONNECTS FOR SEASON HIGH - Although his completion percentage was not as high as it has been throughout the 1998 campaign (16 of 35), Demon Deacon quarterback BRIAN KUKLICK did pass for a season high 276 yards in last Saturday's contest against North Carolina. That effort also represented the 15th time in the WFU field leader's outstanding career that he has topped the 250-yard mark in passing yardage in a game. Earlier this fall, Kuklick surpassed the 250-yard mark with 256 yards (21-36) in the win over Navy, with 251 yards (14-24) at Clemson, and with 259 yards (22of 37) against App State. And by the way, his pass completion percentage of 58.7% still is tops in the ACC this week.
KUKLICK KLOSING IN ON DEACON TOP SPOT - With four more regular season games, Wake Forest's BRIAN KUKLICK is nearing the top of the all-time Demon Deacon passing lists in all three major categories.
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 6,941 BRIAN KUKLICK 587 BRIAN KUKLICK 40
AND IN THE ACC, TOO - BRIAN KUKLICK now needs only 59 more yards passing to become the 8th quarterback in ACC history to throw for at least 7,000 yards during his career. The same can be said for his standing on the conference's all-time pass completion list -- Kuklick needs 13 more completed throws to be the 8th player in the league's 35 years to have 600 completions.
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) Steve Slayden, Duke 8,004 Shawn Jones, GaTech 652
5) MIKE ELKINS, WF 7,304 Scott Milanovich, Md 650
6) Scott Milanovich, Md 7,301 GARY SCHOFIELD, WF 640
7) GARY SCHOFIELD, WF 7,205 MIKE ELKINS, WF 609
8) BRIAN KUKLICK 6,941 BRIAN KUKLICK 587
PARRISH MAKING BIG PLAYS ON DEFENSE - Junior safety DALAWN PARRISH was named the "ACC Defensive Back of the Week" after setting up the game-clinching field goal in Wake Forest's win at Maryland on October 17th with an interception.
This past Saturday, Parrish again made a huge play for the Demon Deacon defense by intercepting a Ronald Curry pass on the first Tar Heel possession of the second half and returning it 26 yards to the UNC two-yard-line to set up a WFU touchdown and initiate the team's comeback attempt from a 23-3 halftime deficit. The Columbia, MD product also contributed nine tackles (8 solo) to the Deacon cause this past weekend, and now ranks 3rd on the team's tackle chart with 48 stops (including a team-high 39 unassisted tackles).
DEACS SURPASS 1997 INTERCEPTION TOTAL - Sparked by DaLawn Parrish's two interceptions the past two weeks, the Demon Deacons now have 11 "picks" this season -- two more than the team's total (of 9) for the entire 1997 campaign. NC State (with 13 interceptions) is the only ACC team with more "INTs" than Wake Forest.
ROBBINS TURNS IN TOP OUTING AS D-LINE LEADER - Junior defensive tackle FRED ROBBINS continued his excellent play during the 1998 season with a season-high eight tackles (7 unassisted) in Wake Forest's loss to North Carolina this past Saturday. Robbins has been extremely consistent in the middle of the Demon Deacon defense all fall with five tackles or more in six contests. His 38 hits are the most among the team's defensive linemen.
The Deacon defensive front is as youthful as any group on the '98 squad. No senior is included among the top eight current players. Last week's starting lineup in addition to Robbins included one other junior (tackle KELVIN JONES making his first start of the season), one sophomore (end MAT PETZ) and one redshirt freshman (end NATHAN BOLLING).
MAT & MARK MAKE MINUS YARDAGE - Demon Deacon defensive end MAT PETZ and outside linebacker MARK MAKOVEC have combined for 22 tackles behind the line of scrimmage this season. Petz has 12 "TFLs" for a total of 37 yards in opposition losses; Makovec has accounted for 29 yards in negative yardage with his 10 stops.
STILL NOT THE SAME - The Wake Forest defensive unit is without three starters, including its two leading tacklers from 1997, linebackers KELVIN MOSES and DUSTIN LYMAN. Moses has been hampered by a sore knee since undergoing arthroscopic surgery in late-August, playing a total of just 12 defensive snaps in two games (App State & Duke). Lyman, who was having a superlative 1998 season as the team's leading tackler with 62 tackles in five games (12.4 per) is lost for the season after sustaining a torn ACL in his right knee versus Duke.
Moses and Lyman have combined for 553 total tackles during the past three-plus seasons at their inside linebacker spots (Moses with 321; Lyman with 232).
WAKE KICKERS RANK AMONG NATION'S BEST - Wake Forest placekicker MATTHEW BURDICK and punter TRIPP MOORE are both included among the national leaders.
Burdick is 10-of-13 on field goal tries with his three misses coming from 45, 48 and 54 yards. He has converted his last four attempts and is now ranked 10th nationally in field goal production (1.7 per game).
Moore is averaging 44.1 yards per punt, which places him 12th in the nation in that specialty. Of his 39 punts this season, only 14 have been returned for an average of a mere 4.5 yards per runback.
BURDICK EQUALS SCHOOL LONGEST FIELD GOAL - Junior placekicker MATTHEW BURDICK booted a 53-yard field goal against App State on October 3rd, matching the longest successful field goal ever kicked by a Wake Forest player. The record was previously held solely by Wade Tollison, whose 53-yard three-pointer in 1990 also came versus the Mountaineers.
Deacon Field Goals from Fifty
53 yards Wade Tollison vs App State 9/8/90
53 yards Matthew Burdick vs App State 10/3/98
51 yards Steve Schonert at South Carolina 11/18/79
51 yards Wilson Hoyle at NC State 9/17/89
51 yards Wade Tollison vs App State 9/12/92
50 yards Bill Hollws at Clemson 9/28/96
Desmond Clark #1 Receiver in ACC History / #11 in the Country in 1998
CLARK ATTAINS ALL-TIME ACC MARK - Demon Deacon wide receiver DESMOND CLARK became the ACC's all-time leading pass receiver on October 17th at Maryland when he grabbed his second reception of the afternoon. It did not take the senior from Lakeland, FL, long to gain the record against the Terps as it came on the fifth play of the contest. Clark had caught a 19-yarder from Brian Kuklick on the game's second play from scrimmage, then on 3rd-and-3 from the Terp 49, he picked up a Deacon first down with a six-yard catch.
The week before 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 brilliant career from 1986-1989.
ACC Top Five Receivers -- All Time
(1) DESMOND CLARK 207
(2) Jermaine Lewis, Md 193
(3) Clarkston Hines, Duke 189
(4) Ricky Proehl, WF 188
(5) Geroy Simon, Md 185
ACC Top Six in Receiving Yardage
(1) Clarkston Hines, Duke 3,318
(2) Ricky Proehl, WF 2,949
(3) Jermaine Lewis, Md 2,932
(4) E.G. Green, FSU 2,920
(5) Torry Holt, NCState 2,709
(6) DESMOND CLARK 2,673
As noted in the chart above, the top four receivers in ACC history prior to DESMOND CLARK were all grouped fairly closely together (with eight receptions of each other). The Demon Deacon star has the potential to not only surpass this talented foursome, but shatter the existing record.
Clark is presently averaging slightly over seven receptions per game. If he maintains that rate of produc-tion the remainder of the 1998 season, he'll finish his career with 235 receptions -- 42 more than any other player in the 35-year history of ACC Football.
ON THE WAKE FOREST LISTS - Clark, of course, is rapidly ascending the other two Wake Forest career receiving lists. He became only the fifth Deacon ever to surpass the 2,000-yard mark in receiving yardage earlier this season against Navy and advanced into 2nd-place on that chart at Maryland with his 112-yard performance, moving past Wayne Baumgardner (2,431 yds) and Ricky Proehl (2,466).
Wake Forest Career Receiving Leaders
Receptions Receiving Yardage Touchdown Receptions
(1) DESMOND CLARK 207 Ricky Proehl 2,949 Ricky Proehl 25
(2) Ricky Proehl 188 DESMOND CLARK 2,673 Todd Dixon 24
(3) Red O'Quinn 22
(4) Kenny Duckett 19
(5) DESMOND CLARK 19
NUMBER ONE IN THE ACC; #11 NATIONALLY - For the second straight week, DESMOND CLARK ranks 1st in the ACC in receiving with a current total of 50 receptions (7.1 per game). Clark led the conference in receiving last year, too, with a Wake Forest single season record 72 receptions -- a mark that he could surpass this fall if he can maintain his present pace.
In this week's NCAA statistics, the Demon Deacon star is 11th in the country in receiving and 18th-best in America in receiving yardage (100.7 ypg).
ANOTHER 100-YARD GAME - With a career-best 143-yard effort (on 7 rec) this past Saturday against North Carolina, DESMOND CLARK has gone over the 100-yard mark in receiving in four outings this season (with two others at 89 & 98 yds). He totaled 110 yards in receiving at Clemson (on five receptions), had 138 yards on 10 catches against Appalachian State, then recorded a 112-yard game at Maryland.
Overall, Clark now has caught passes for 100 yards-or-more in 11 games during his career.
100-Yard Receiving Games for DESMOND CLARK 143 (7 receptions) vs North Carolina 10/24/98 SIX STRAIGHT GAMES--SIX WITH TOUCHDOWNS - In the last six Wake Forest games, DESMOND CLARK has caught a touchdown pass, a streak that he kept alive this past weekend with a dramatic 74-yard ctach (and run) against North Carolina. That reception was the longest of his brilliant career, surpassing a 56-yarder he had recorded earlier this fall at Clemson.
Clark's string of touchdowns include a 19-yarder vs Navy; the 56-yarder at Clemson; a 43-yard TD vs App State; a 35-yard TD vs Duke; and a two-touchdown performance (from 26 & 9 yds) in the win at Maryland.
FORGETTING THE FALCONS - In the 1998 opener at Air Force (a 42-0 Wake Forest loss), DESMOND CLARK was limited to 4 receptions for 15 yards. In six Deacon outings since that game, he has averaged 7.7 catches per game for an impressive 115 yards per contest.