Wake Forest Football

Nov. 3, 1997

Deacons Venture North to Take on Rutgers

For the past seven weeks, Wake Forest has been battling only ACC competition. This week the Demon Deacons go outside conference play for the final time in 1997 as they visit Big East member Rutgers. It's the first meeting ever between the two schools.

Kickoff time in Rutgers Stadium is 12 noon. The game will be televised on the Big East network.

 Team Data
    WAKE FOREST (4-5 / 3-4 in ACC)              RUTGERS (0-9 / 0-6 in Big East)
    Offense: Multiple                           Offense: Multiple
        (23.3 pts / 372.6 yds per game)                 (17.1 pts / 299.6 yds per game)
    Defense: Multiple                           Defense: 4-4
        (24.0 pts / 356.3 yds per game)                 (46.3 pts / 494.1 yds per game)
    Head Coach: Jim Caldwell (5th year)         Head Coach: Terry Shea (2nd year at Rutgers)
            W-13, L-40                                  W-2, L-18 
            same record overall                         17-24-2 overall (5th year)

    1997 Schedule                               1997 Schedule
    9/6     Northwestern    W   27-20           8/30    Virginia Tech   L   19-59
    9/13    at East Carolina    L   24-25       9/6     at Texas    L   14-48
    9/20    Georgia Tech    L   26-28           9/13    at Navy L   7-36
    9/25    N.C.State   W   19-18               9/20    Boston College  L   21-35
    10/4    at Virginia L   13-21               10/4    at West Virginia    L   0-48
    10/11   at North Carolina   L   12-30       10/9    Syracuse    L   3-50
    10/18   Maryland    W   35-17               10/18   at Army L   35-37
    10/25   at Duke W   38-24                   10/25   Pittsburgh  L   48-55   (2ot)   
    11/1    Clemson L   16-33                   11/1    at Temple   L   7-49    
    11/8    at Rutgers  12:00                   11/8    Wake Forest
    11/15   at Florida State    tba             11/15   at Miami (Fla.)

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 4:00.

ACC HIGHLIGHTS - ACC video highlights are available via satellite on Wednesday from 1:45 to 2:45 p.m. on C-band satellite Galaxy 9 / Transponder 22. The downlink frequency is 4140 Horizontal and the Bandwidth is 36 Mhz. Call the ACC Office for more information.

THE DEACS LAST WEEK - With an upper division finish in the ACC and possible bowl considerations on the line, visiting Clemson wore down the Demon Deacons this past Saturday in Groves Stadium, 33-16. The Tigers piled up more yardage offensively in three quarters (383) than any previous Wake Forest opponent had managed in an entire game. The Tigers finished with 482 yards of total offense--115 more than any Deacon foe this year. Injuries played a role for both sides, although Wake was obviously hampered more. Clemson lost star running back Raymond Priester, who had 30 yards on seven carries before being sidelined with an ankle problem. The Deacons played most of the game without starting quarterback Brian Kuklick (bruised knee) and four defensive starters--safety Terrence Suber (infection) and linemen Aljamont Joyner (knee), Fred Robbins (knee) and Robert Fatzinger (hamstring). The game was close at haltime with Clemson leading, 12-10, but two long touchdown passes in the third quarter by Nealon Greene to Tony Horne (52 yds) and Rob Gardner (41 yds) broke the game open. Greene was outstanding all day, throwing for 286 yards (18-of-25) and running for 51 more. Ben Sankey completed 13 of 22 passes for 148 yards in relief of Kuklick but was sacked six times.

SCARLET KNIGHT UPDATE - Rutgers is coming off a 49-7 loss at Temple this past Saturday and has yet to win in nine 1997 outings. The Scarlet Knights have played 10 true freshmen this season, including their starting quarterback Mike McMahon. In his first career start, McMahon threw for 386 yards at Army on October 18th but in a losing cause (37-35) when the Cadets converted a field goal in the final two minutes. Two weeks ago, Rutgers dropped a 55-48 double-overtime decision to Pittsburgh as McMahon passed for 269 yards. Seven different players have caught at least 10 passes for the Knights this season. Their leader on defense is linebacker Brian Sheridan, who already has 119 tackles (13.2 per game) this year.

Jim Caldwell

COMMENTS from COACH JIM CALDWELL
(On the loss to Clemson) - "We knew entering the contest that Clemson had a big, strong and talented foot- team. They played very well and certainly deserved to win this past Saturday. I thought our team played hard, but in all honesty, we simply could not perform as we had in previous weeks because of some key injuries. When you have three starters in your defensive line and your starting quarterback out of action, it's difficult to play as well as you want to. Still, that is part of the game and should not detract from a good effort by Clemson. We now have to try and get healthy and get back to work this week."

(On Rutgers) - "Rutgers has a young football team that has played well at times, particularly during the past month when they really were in a position to win against both Army and Pittsburgh. We expect a difficult game, one that will match two teams who both need a victory. This is a very important game for our squad if we hope to reach some of the goals we set for ourselves before the season ever began. We had an emotional week of preparation for Clemson last week and will need to regain that same type of intensity after a disappointing loss."

Demon Deacon Basketball Opens Saturday with Exhibition Contests
Wake Forest's 1997-98 basketball season opens this Saturday (Nov.8) with both the men's and women's teams in action in exhibition contests against international competition. The women's squad under new coach Charlene Curtis faces the Moscow Dynamo at 2 p.m., with the men's team taking on the Geelong All-Stars of Australia at 7:30 p.m. Both games will be played in Lawrence Joel Coliseum.

Coach Dave Odom's team will be relying on the senior backcourt of 6'2 TONY RUTLAND and 6'1 JERRY BRASWELL to lead it into the upcoming campaign. The Demon Deacons finished 24-7 last season, but are now without national player of the year Tim Duncan and starting forwards Ricky Peral and Sean Allen.

Sophomore center LOREN WOODS (7'1) figures to step into Duncan's spot in the lineup, while the small forward position will be filled by either senior STEVEN GOOLSBY (6'4) or junior JOSEPH AMONETT (6'5). The final starting spot will be taken by a freshman--NIKI ARINZE (6'5), RAFAEL VIDAURRETA (6'8) and JOSH SHOEMAKER (6'9) have been battling for that assignment during preseason drills.

The Deacon men will hold their annual "Black & Gold Game" this Wednesday (Nov.5) at 7 p.m. on campus in Reynolds Gymnasium.

NOTING THE DEMON DEACONS

NEW TERRITORY - Not only has Wake Forest never played a football game against Rutgers (as noted at the top), but this week's matchup with the Scarlet Knights marks the first Demon Deacon contest ever against an opponent from the Big East since the football portion of that conference was formed in 1991. The last time that Wake met a team from the current Big East membership was in 1984 when it hosted Virginia Tech.

FAMILIAR TERRITORY - If the Demon Deacons need directions to Piscataway, New Jersey--the home of Rutgers University--they can rely on quite a few of their current players, most notably, senior kickoff return specialist MYLES SAVAGE, whose home is located not more than a mile from the Scarlet Knights' stadium. Savage attended Piscataway High School where he was a standout in both football and track. Other Deacs who will be returning "home" to New Jersey this Saturday include starting offensive guard SAM SETTAR (Marlton/Cherokee HS), reserve offensive guard CHRIS BLANK (Sewell/Washington Township), backup quarterback MIKE KOCH (Medford/Shawnee) and backup punter SCOTT PALANJIAN (Medford Lakes/St.Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia). Some other members of the '97 WFU team will not be far from their hometowns in nearby eastern Pennsylvania either. That group includes special teams player NICK BENDER (Nazareth), co-captain defensive end ROBERT FATZINGER (Northampton), quarterback BRIAN KUKLICK (Hatboro), reserve linebacker MARK MAKOVEC (Nesquehoning) and offensive lineman BRIAN WALLS (Philadelphia).

TELEVISION AGAIN - The 1997 season has seen Wake Forest enjoy unprecedented television coverage. With this week's game at Rutgers being carried on the Big East network, eight of 10 dates on the '97 schedule have been televised. Wake's September 25th win over N.C.State was the first nationally televised (ESPN) regular season game in school history. The season-opener against Northwestern was carried on a regional basis by ABC; four games (Virginia, UNC, Duke & Clemson) have been shown on the ACC/JP Sports network throughout the Southeast; and the contest at East Carolina was televised by Fox Sports South.

BEST SINCE '92 - With two games still remaining on the 1997 schedule, Wake Forest already has com-piled its best season mark in head coach Jim Caldwell's five years at the school. The Demon Deacons have four wins for the first time since 1992 when that year's club put together a 7-4 regular season record and went on to defeat Oregon in the Independence Bowl. That '92 campaign is the only other time in nine years (since 1988) that Wake Forest has won four games in a season. It's also been five years (1992) since the Demon Deacons have won three games in ACC play. Wake Forest, which is 3-4 in the league with Florida State still ahead on November 15th, finished with a 4-4 mark in conference competition in '92. Remarkably, that is the only season until now since 1988 that a Deacon squad has defeated more than one ACC opponent.

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    4-5 / 3-4

WINNING MARK AT HOME - The 1997 home schedule was completed this past Saturday with a loss to Clemson, but the '97 Deacons still registered a winning record (3-2) on their Groves Stadium home turf this fall. Since the opening of Groves in 1968, the Demon Deacons had won more games than they had lost at home only seven times prior to this fall, including undefeated records in 1970 (4-0) and 1979 (5-0). The last season that saw Wake have a winning record in Groves was 1992 when that Independence Bowl-bound club was 3-2 at home.

SEEKING TWO IN A ROW ON THE ROAD - Wake Forest won its last outing away from home, defeating Duke in Durham, 38-24, on October 25th. That was the Demon Deacons' first "W" away from home since a 1995 victory (30-7) at Navy, and the first ACC road win for the Demon Deacons since a 20-13 conquest of Georgia Tech in Atlanta in 1994. The Deacons had lost 10 straight conference contests on the road and 11 games overall on foreign territory prior to their win over the Blue Devils two weeks ago. If Wake Forest can defeat Rutgers this Saturday, it would mark the first time that the Deacs had put road wins back-to-back since the 1992 team won four consecutive contests away from home, defeating Vanderbilt, Maryland, Duke and Georgia Tech as part of a six-game overall winning streak.

FROM A STATISTICAL STANDPOINT - There are two dates left, of course, but here's a revealing comparison of total offense, total defense and scoring figures for Wake Forest this season, in 1996, and over the last four years.

Getting Better by the Numbers
                    1997    1996    Difference  Best under Caldwell
    Total Offense   372.6   319.2   +53.4 ypg   352.2 (1993)
    Scoring Offense 23.3    13.1    +10.2 ppg   18.1 (1993)
    Total Defense   356.3   475.8   -119.5 ypg  426.1 (1995)
    Scoring Defense 24.0    34.0    -10.0 ppg   28.9 (1993)

MOST POINTS UNDER CALDWELL - Wake Forest's 38 points on October 25th at Duke represent the most scored by a Demon Deacon team in five seasons under coach Jim Caldwell. Twice, the Deacs had totaled 35 points under Caldwell, including in a 35-17 win over Maryland the week prior to the Duke game. With the 35 points against Maryland and the 38 at Duke, Wake Forest put together its highest scoring back-to-back games in seven years. The last time that the Deacons totaled more than 73 points in consecutive outings came in 1990 when they beat Army, 52-14, then lost the next week to North Carolina, 31-24 (76 points).

TURNOVER IMPROVEMENT--SORTA - For the first time in 1997, Wake Forest went an entire game without committing a turnover in its loss to Clemson. However, the Demon Deacons did not force any turnovers on the part of the Tigers either. Therefore, their season mark in that department remained at a not-so-impressive "negative 13" with 25 turnovers (14 fumbles, 11 interceptions) as opposed to the opposition's 12 (6 of each). Wake has even won twice this year while committing five turnovers in a game. The Deacs managed that accomplishment while defeating both N.C.State and Maryland.

ACC LEADERS - Demon Deacon kickoff return specialist MYLES SAVAGE continues to lead the ACC in that category, averaging 28.5 yards per return. Wide receiver DESMOND CLARK is 2nd in the league in pass receiving with 63 receptions (7.0 per game), while quarterback BRIAN KUKLICK is 2nd in passing yardage with his 242.4 yards per game average. Kuklick is also 3rd in the ACC in total offense (236.9 ypg) despite totaling just 81 yards this past Saturday after having to leave the Clemson game with an injured knee. And in addition to Clark, two other Deacon wideouts are included among the ACC's top eight receivers--JAMMIE DEESE is 4th with 50 catches, while THABITI DAVIS is 8th with 39.

Myles Savage

ON THE NATIONAL SCENE - Four Demon Deacons are ranked among the top 25 individuals in America in various categories, topped by MYLES SAVAGE who is 7th in the country in kickoff returns (28.5 ypr) and DESMOND CLARK, who with his 10 receptions against Clemson last week jumped into the national top 10--he's now locked in a three-way tie for 9th nationally with his 63 catches (7 per game). Placekicker MATTHEW BURDICK is tied for 14th in the nation in field goal production with 13 (1.4 per game), while BRIAN KUKLICK is 25th in total offense (236.9 ypg).

ACC HONORS - Three Demon Deacons have received recognition by the Atlantic Coast Sports Writers Association this season for their performances in individual games. BRIAN KUKLICK has been named ACC Offensive Back of the Week three times, the most by any player in the conference. The Wake signal-caller was so honored after leading the Deacs to victories over Northwestern, N.C.State and Maryland. The Deacon offensive line has garnered two weekly honors with tackle JEFF FLOWE being named the ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week after WFU's win over N.C.State and center CHRIS GASKELL taking that same award following the victory over Duke.

INJURIES NOW A FACTOR - For the first time this season, injuries became a problem for the Demon Deacons this past Saturday in their game with Clemson. Two fifth-year defensive starters--tackle ALJAMONT JOYNER and safety TERRENCE SUBER--did not play at all, and two other starting linemen--tackle FRED ROBBINS and end ROBERT FATZINGER--were sidelined during the first half. Suber should be back this week. The status of the three defensive linemen remains questionable. On the offensive side, only one injury occurred but it was a vital one as quarterback BRIAN KUKLICK played only three possessions after sustaining a bruised knee. He, too, will be evaluated on a daily basis through-out the week leading up to the Rutgers game.

Brian Kuklick

DEACON AIR ATTACK - Demon Deacon quarterback BRIAN KUKLICK has passed for more than 250 yards in six games this season, and for 235-or-more in seven of nine outings. His top single game performance was a career-high 330-yard outing versus Maryland (on 26 of 41 passes). The Hatboro, PA junior is already in 3rd place on the all-time WFU passing list with 5,334 career yards, That career figure is good enough for 15th on the ACC career chart as well. Kuklick is also now 4th on the Wake recordbook in pass completions and TD passes.

 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   5,334   Rusty LaRue 472         Jay Venuto  38
(4) BRIAN KUKLICK   449                             BRIAN KUKLICK   30

TRIPLE THREAT RECEIVERS - As noted earlier, Wake Forest has three players--all wide receivers--among this week's top eight receivers in the ACC. DESMOND CLARK is 2nd (with 63 receptions), JAMMIE DEESE is 4th (50), and THABITI DAVIS is 8th (39). Davis, after catching four touchdown passes the past three weeks, leads that trio in TDs on the season with five (Clark & Deese have four each). Deese is still just a sophomore, but both Clark (a junior) and Davis (a senior) are steadily ascending the Wake Forest career lists for receiving and receiving yardage as the 1997 regular season enters its final two weeks.

Wake Forest Career Receiving Leaders
    Receptions              Receiving Yardage           Touchdown Receptions
(1) Ricky Proehl        188 Ricky Proehl        2,949   Ricky Proehl        25
(2) James Brim          153 Todd Dixon          2,466   Todd Dixon          24
(3) THABITI DAVIS       151 Wayne Baumgardner   2,431   Red O'Quinn         22
(4) DESMOND CLARK       148 James Brim          2,040   Kenny Duckett       19
(5) John Henry Mills    146 Red O'Quinn         1,990   Wayne Baumgardner   13
(6) Wayne Baumgardner   141 DESMOND CLARK       1,831   Greg Scales
(7)                     THABITI DAVIS           1,773   THABITI DAVIS       12
                                                        James Brim 
(9)                                                     DESMOND CLARK       11
                                                        Jack Lewis

DAVIS AMONG TOP TEN IN ACC ALL-TIME - Although he caught just two passes against Clemson, those were enough to move THABITI DAVIS into a tie for 10th place on the ACC career receiving list. Davis and former UNC running back Leon Johnson both have 151 career receptions and are tied for 10th all-time in the league. Former ACC standouts who are immediately ahead of Davis include Wake Forest's own James Brim (9th with 153), Corey Holliday of North Carolina (8th with 155) and Wes Chesson of Duke (7th with 164).

Desmond Clark

CLARK OVER 100 YARDS FOUR TIMES THIS FALL - Wide receiver DESMOND CLARK has reached triple digits in receiving yardage four times this season, most recently with a 111-yard outing three weeks ago in the win over Maryland. That was also his seventh career 100-yard game. The Lakeland, FL junior has narrowly missed triple figures in receiving against both Virginia (96 yds) and last week versus Clemson (98 yds).

   
100-Yard Receiving Games for DESMOND CLARK
    137 (13 receptions) vs Duke 11/16/96
    134 (7) vs N.C.State    9/25/97
    127 (9) vs Northwestern 9/6/97
    113 (9) vs Virginia 9/21/96
    111 (6) vs Maryland 10/18/97
    110 (6) at N.C.State    11/23/96
    102 (11) at North Carolina  10/11/97

DEESE AT 100 A 3RD TIME - Sophomore JAMMIE DEESE reached the 100-yard mark in receiving yardage in a single game for the third time this fall with 102 yards (on 7 catches) against Clemson. Previously, Deese had registered a career-high 118 yards (on 7 receptions) versus Georgia Tech, and 104 yards (9) in the win over N.C.State. The Laurinburg, NC product has caught five-or-more passes in seven games and has contributed more than 50 yards in receptions in eight of nine dates.

SOLOMON MAKING THE PLAYS - Senior D'ANGELO SOLOMON continued his outstanding 1997 season with a team-high 13 tackles against Clemson, including 11 unassisted stops. Those 11 solo hits were a new career best, while the 13 total tackles represented the second-highest figure for him during an outstanding career. Solomon should make his 33rd consecutive start for Wake Forest this Saturday, a streak of durability and excellence that extends back to the final game of the 1994 schedule (his true freshman year) at Georgia Tech. He also had turned in two big plays the previous week at Duke, recovering a Blue Devil fumble in the first quarter to set up one Wake Forest scoring drive, then with the score tied at 24-24 in the fourth period, deflecting a pass that was picked off by teammates DAVID ZADEL--a play that put the Deacon offense in position to drive for the go-ahead score. The veteran from Decatur, GA currently ranks 4th on the team in total tackles with 57, while being a part of three "takeaways" by the WFU defense--two fumble recoveries and one fumble caused.

LINEBACKERS LYMAN & MOSES STILL ATOP TACKLE CHART - The outstanding linebacking duo of sophomore DUSTIN LYMAN and junior KELVIN MOSES are one-two at the top of the Wake Forest tackle list again this week, although neither posted his usual high figures last Saturday versus Clemson. Lyman, who was credited with a season-low three stops against the Tigers has 78 tackles to rank first on the squad, while Moses, who made six tackles this past Saturday, is close behind with 75. The Clemson game marked the first time in 1997 that a Deacon other than one of the two inside linebackers led the team in total stops (D'ANGELO SOLOMON had 13). Lyman also is tops on the squad in tackles for loss (9--tied with FRED ROBBINS), sacks (7) and pass breakups (6).

MOSES AMONG TOP DOZEN "HIT MEN" - He's still just a junior, but linebacker KELVIN MOSES has already topped the 300-tackle figure for his Wake Forest career. The Hartsville, SC native presently ranks 12th in school history with 307 career stops and should enter the all-time top ten before the 1997 season concludes.

Demon Deacon Hit List
(total tackles)
    (1) Ed Stetz    460         (7) Jimmie Simmons  346
    (2) Carlos Bradley  438     (8) Marc Hester 331
    (3) Kevin Giles 412         (9) Lamont Scales   320
    (4) Bill Armstrong  402     (10) Rory Holt  319
    (5) Ernie Purnsley  385     (11) James Parker   311
    (6) Reggie McCummings 374   (12) KELVIN MOSES   307

THE SACK IS BACK - The 1997 Demon Deacons have 23 sacks this season--that's 10 more than their total in 1996. In fact, the current figure is the highest at Wake Forest since the 1992 team was credited with 41 sacks. The individual leader in that department is linebacker DUSTIN LYMAN with seven, followed by tackle FRED ROBBINS with four, and KELVIN MOSES and KELVIN SHACKLEFORD with three apiece.

REDSHIRTING REGIMEN - Wake Forest head coach JIM CALDWELL has implemented a program that has emphasized the redshirting of young players the past three years (including 1997). Of 1995's 23 freshman, 22 have been redshirted, and 12 of 16 first-year players a year ago were held out as rookies. Thus far in the 1997 campaign, no true freshman (of a class of 17) has seen action for the Deacons.

    Deacon Redshirting Progress
    1997 Class          Total Members*  Not Been Redshirted         Have Redshirted
    Senior              13                  5                           8
    Junior              12                  1                           11
    Soph                26                  4                           22  
    Redshirt Freshmen   12                                              12
    1997 True Freshmen  17                                              17#
            *scholarship players only             #have not played in 1997

THE STARTING LINEUP - As noted at the top of this page, senior cornerback D'ANGELO SOLOMON started his 32nd straight game at cornerback for the Demon Deacons this past Saturday. Linebacker DAVID ZADEL has 26 consecutive starts as a Deacon, while five other individuals--DESMOND CLARK, THABITI DAVIS, JEFF FLOWE, BRIAN KUKLICK & KELVIN MOSES--started their 20th straight game at Wake Forest last Saturday versus Clemson. (For A Complete List of Career Starts by Current Deacons, See the Back of This Week's Depth Chart.)

Demon Deacon Career Starts (1997 starts)
    32  Robert Fatzinger (9)    20  Desmond Clark (9)       9   Dameon Daniel (9)
        D'Angelo Solomon (9)        Chris Gaskell (9)           Jammie Deese (9)
    31  Kelvin Moses (9)        19  Taris Clark (9)             Sam Settar (9)
    30  David Zadel (9)             Fred Robbins (9)        8   Kelvin Jones (8)
    23  Thabiti Davis (9)           Aljamont Joyner (6)     7   Jon Mannon
        Jeffrey Muyres (6)      18  Joe Zelenka (9)             Clint Wilburn
    22  Jeff Flowe (9)          15  Brian Wolverton (9)     5   Herman Lewis (3)
        Brian Kuklick (9)       14  Dustin Lyman (9)            Kelvin Shackleford (4)
        Wande Shaw (3)          13  Morgan Kane (6)         3   Reggie Austin
    21  Terrence Suber (3)      12  DaLawn Parrish (9)      2   Mark Makovec
Consecutive Starts: Solomon - 32; Zadel - 26 ; D.Clark, Davis, Flowe, Kuklick,
 Moses - 20; Gaskell 16;Robbins, Wolverton 15; Lyman 12

Wake Forest Athletics

Deacons Venture North to Take on Rutgers