Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest Football
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Oct. 20, 1997 Deacs, Devils Duel in DurhamThe Wake Forest football team will be attempting to even its 1997 record as well as its '97 ACC won-lost mark this Saturday when the Demon Deacons visit Durham to take on longtime rival Duke. Kickoff for the regionally televised (ACC/JP Sports network) contest will be 12 noon. The Deacons are coming off an impressive victory over Maryland, one in which their offense posted season highs for both passing (330 yds) and rushing (151 yds) production, while the Wake defensive unit shutout the Terrapins in the second half. Team Data
WAKE FOREST (3-4 / 2-3 in ACC) DUKE (2-5 / 0-4 in ACC)
Offense: Multiple Offense: Pro Set
(22.3 pts / 365.7 yds per game) (18.1 pts / 291.7 yds per game)
Defense: Multiple Defense: 3-4
(22.7 pts / 339.4 yds per game) (26.1 pts / 383.7 yds per game)
Head Coach: Jim Caldwell (5th year) Head Coach: Fred Goldsmith (4th year at Duke)
W-12, L-39 W-13, L-39
same record overall 38-66-1 overall (9th year)
1-3 vs Duke 3-1-1 vs Wake Forest (2-1 @ Duke)
1997 Schedule 1997 Schedule
9/6 Northwestern W 27-20 9/6 N.C.State L 14-45
9/13 at East Carolina L 24-25 9/13 at Northwestern L 20-24
9/20 Georgia Tech L 26-28 9/20 Army W 20-17
9/25 N.C.State W 19-18 9/27 Navy W 26-17
10/4 at Virginia L 13-21 10/4 at Maryland L 10-16
10/11 at North Carolina L 12-30 10/11 Florida State L 27-51
10/18 Maryland W 35-17 10/18 at Virginia L 10-13
10/25 at Duke 12:00 10/25 Wake Forest
11/1 Clemson 1:00* 11/8 at Clemson
11/8 at Rutgers 12:00* 11/15 Georgia Tech
11/15 at Florida State tba 11/22 at North Carolina
*tentative - subject to change
THE SERIES WITH DUKE - Wake Forest and Duke first met in 1889 and will knock heads for the 78th time when they tangle this weekend in Wallace Wade Stadium. The Demon Deacons trail in the overall series by a considerable amount (51-24-2), but recently the competition between the two former eastern North Carolina neighbors has been quite close. Wake and Duke have split their last 10 meetings, although the Deacs' one-point decision (17-16) last year in Winston-Salem (see reverse side) snapped a three-game losing streak to the Blue Devils. The scoreboard is usually active when these two schools get together as well--last year's 33 points was the lowest combined total for the Deacs and Devils since a 17-14 Wake Forest win in 1979. Wake Forest's last trip to Durham is a memorable one because of the record-setting performance that day by Deacon quarterback Rusty LaRue. With his team trailing 28-0 at halftime, LaRue filled the Wallace Wade Stadium air with passes, setting five NCAA records in the process. He was 41-of-56 passing in the second half alone, and finished with 55 completions (seven more than any previous player in NCAA history) on 78 attempts for 478 yards. LaRue tied a WFU record with four TD passes but was intercepted three times. LAST YEAR'S GAME - The Demon Deacons rallied from a 13-point deficit with two fourth-quarter touchdowns to defeat Duke last November 16th, 17-16. The victory ended a seven-game losing streak for Wake Forest during the 1996 campaign and was its first in ACC play after 14 consecutive league losses. The Blue Devils held the upper hand most of the day, overcoming a Matthew Burdick 38-yard field goal in the second period (the first of his career) with two TD passes by quarterback David Green and a Sims Lenhardt field goal that gave Duke a 16-3 lead (they missed one PAT) with 2:25 left in the third period. Wake fought back behind Brian Kuklick and Desmond Clark. In a 69-yard drive, Kuklick converted three fourth-down plays with passes to Clark and eventually connected with him on a 13-yard TD play with 7:32 left. The Deacs got the ball back at their own 11 with 4:03 to go and drove 89 yards as Kuklick completed seven of nine passes. His seventh completion went to Clark from three yards out with 1:27 remaining. Burdick hit the game-winning PAT, although the outcome was in doubt until Lenhardt's 49-yard field goal try with 0:49 left fell short. Kuklick finished 27-of-50 for 299 yards. Green was almost as productive, completing 25 of 37 for 272. Clark had a career high 13 receptions for 137 yards, while Thabiti Davis added eight catches for 99 yards. THE DEACS LAST WEEK - Wake Forest snapped a four-game losing streak versus Maryland and defeated the Terps in Groves Stadium for the first time since 1979 in a convincing 35-17 triumph. The Deacons received contributions from some relatively unfamiliar sources early as Herman Lewis burst up the middle for a 22-yard TD run, his first score since 1995; Myles Savage returned a kickoff 98 yards for a second touchdown (and his first career points); and walkon William Merritt added his first career TD (on his second career reception). Merritt's TD on a 20-yard pass from Brian Kuklick gave WFU a 21-3 lead with 12:51 left in the second quarter. Maryland fought back with two lengthy drives, however, to make the score 21-17 at the half. The final 30 minutes were all Deacs, though, as Wake Forest limited the Terps to 123 second half yards and zero points. The Wake offense put two TDs on the board early in the fourth as Kuklick found Desmond Clark and Thabiti Davis open for six points. The Deacon QB finished with a career high 330 yards (matching his total vs NCState in '96). Lewis ran for 87 yards on 17 carries, the most by a Deacon on the ground this fall. Standouts on defense were many as the Deacs compiled seven sacks, including two each by Fred Robbins and Dustin Lyman. COMMENTS from COACH JIM CALDWELL (On the win over Maryland) - "We had a strong team effort and were able to control the second half of the game, which is something that has not happened often for us. It wasn't that pretty at times--we still turned the ball over twice and had too many penalties (11), but our offense did put together some time-consuming drives when we needed them and the defense shut Maryland out in the second half. We have not gotten to the point where we need to be yet by any means, but this was a step in the right direction." (On Duke) - "In Duke I see a team much like our own. They have played a number of young people since the beginning of the season, but those young players are now much more experienced and getting better each week. Ob-viously, they played a good game at Virginia and three of their losses have been by six points or less. There are no easy games in the ACC and we anticipate a very difficult one again this Saturday at Duke." 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 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 910-854-5859 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 12:20 to 12:30 p.m. (Eastern time). For the number needed to access the teleconference, contact the Wake Forest Sports Information Office or the ACC Office (910-851-6062). A replay of the teleconference will be available for 24 hours each Wednesday afternoon. The replay phone number is 402-220-3128. 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. NOTING THE DEMON DEACONS IMPROVING DEACONS - With four games remaining on the 1997 regular season schedule, Wake Forest has already equaled the three wins that it totaled in 1994 and 1996 under head coach JIM CALDWELL. One more "W" would be a new high for the Deacons under Caldwell's direction. A victory this week against Duke would equal the total number of ACC victories that the Demon Deacons have compiled since 1992. Wake was winless in conference play in 1995 and 1-7 in 1993, 1994 and 1996, already bettering that mark with league wins this year over N.C.State and Maryland. Wake Forest had lost nine in a row to the Wolfpack and four straight to the Terrapins. STATISTICALLY SPEAKING - There are still four 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 Best under Caldwell
Total Offense 365.7 319.2 352.2 (1993)
Scoring Offense 22.3 13.1 18.1 (1993)
Total Defense 339.4 475.8 426.1 (1995)
Scoring Defense 22.7 34.0 28.9 (1993)
ESPECIALLY ON DEFENSE - There is no question that the Demon Deacons are a much-improved team this season on the defensive side, where Wake Forest has allowed only 339 yards per game to its first seven opponents. The Deacons have been especially stingy against the run, surrendering under 100 yards per game on the average (92.7 ypg). Last year, the opposition averaged 476 yards per game in total offense versus the Deacon defense, including 254 yards per outing on the ground. A comparison of Wake Forest's defensive numbers in '97 versus this season's five ACC opponents a year ago is also quite revealing.
Deacons Getting Defensive
RUSHING YARDAGE TOTAL YARDAGE
OPPONENT 1997 1996 Improved by 1997 1996 Improved by
GaTech 133 309 176 341 536 195
N.C.State 98 274 176 307 461 154
Virginia 128 215 87 311 522 211
N.Carolina 80 191 111 354 497 143
Maryland 53 355 302 589 367 222
Average Improvement 170.4 Average Improvement 185.0
ONE GAME TURNAROUND - And thanks to ACC director of media relations Brian Morrison for this noteworthy note. The 70-point reversal of fortunes for the Demon Deacons against Maryland is the largest one-season turnaround in ACC history. Wake Forest lost to the Terps last year, 52-0 (-52) but defeated them this past Saturday, 35-17 (+18). ONE STREAK CONTINUES - Wake Forest has not allowed a touchdown in the first period this season. Maryland came as close as anyone could, but had a touchdown run nullified by a holding penalty. The Terrapins did kick a field goal on that same possession, which was only the second score versus the Demon Deacons in the first quarter this year. The only opposition points scored in the first 15 minutes of play previously came on a field goal by Northwestern. Wake has now outscored its seven opponents, 51-6, in the first quarter in 1997. ANOTHER STREAK ENDS- Prior to last Saturday, every team that had led at halftime of a Wake Forest game had lost. The Demon Deacons ended that string, extending a 21-17 lead at the half to a 35-17 victory. Date Halftime Score Final Score September 6 Northwestern 10, Wake Forest 6 Wake Forest 27, Northwestern 20 September 13 Wake Forest 21, East Carolina 13 East Carolina 25, Wake Forest 24 September 20 Wake Forest 17, Georgia Tech 7 Georgia Tech 28, Wake Forest 26 September 25 N.C.State 10, Wake Forest 3 Wake Forest 19, N.C.State 18 October 4 Wake Forest 10, Virginia 7 Virginia 21, Wake Forest 13 October 11 Wake Forest 6, North Carolina 3 North Carolina 30, Wake Forest 12 October 18 Wake Forest 21, Maryland 17 Wake Forest 35, Maryland 17 SAVAGE TIES WAKE FOREST RECORD - With his 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second quarter against Maryland, senior MYLES SAVAGE equaled the longest play of any kind in Wake Forest history. Savage's run matched the 98-yard kickoff returns by Tom Lockridge in 1973 at N.C.State and by Anthony Williams at Maryland in 1990 (oddly, Williams did not score a TD!). The last time that a Deacon returned a kickoff for a TD was in 1993 when Todd Dixon scored on a 95-yard runback versus Vanderbilt. Savage, a reserve running back from Piscataway, NJ, is only the fifth individual ever at Wake Forest to return a kickoff for a touchdown. ACC LEADERS - With his 98-yard kickoff return against Maryland, as well as another of 32 yards versus the Terps, MYLES SAVAGE now leads the ACC in kickoff returns with a 30.7 yards per return average. Four different Demon Deacons currently rank 2nd in the ACC in other departments. Quarterback BRAIN KUKLICK is 2nd in total offense (264.0 ypg) and passing yardage (270.6 ypg), wide receiver DESMOND CLARK is 2nd in receptions (47), and specialists MATTHEW BURDICK and TRIPP MOORE are 2nd in their respective areas--Burdick in field goals (11) and scoring (48 pts), Moore in punting (41.7 yds per punt). Wideout JAMMIE DEESE is among the top eight individuals in three categories, ranking 3rd in receptions (42), 6th in receiving yardage (73.3 ypg) and 8th in all-purpose yardage (98.1 ypg). Clark is 3rd in receiving yardage (93.4 ypg), while another Deacon, THABITI DAVIS, gives the program a third receiver among the ACC top ten performers with 28 catches (9th in that category). NATIONALLY SPEAKING - MYLES SAVAGE is 5th in the country in kickoff returns to lead five Deacons who rank among the top 20 individuals in this week's NCAA statistics. MATTHEW BURDICK is 11th in field goal kicking, while both DESMOND CLARK (14th) and JAMMIE DEESE (18th) are among the national leaders in receptions. BRIAN KUKLICK is 17th in total offense. As a team, Wake Forest is among the national leaders in two categories, one on both sides of the ball. The Demon Deacons are 16th in the country in rushing defense (allowing only 92.7 ypg) and 18th nationally in passing offense (277.6 yards per game). KUKLICK MATCHES CAREER HIGH AND HITS 5,000 - Demon Deacon quarterback BRIAN KUKLICK completed 26 of 41 passes versus Maryland for 330 yards. That matched his personal best in single game yardage which he originally compiled last year at N.C.State and was his fourth career game over the 300-yard figure. The Hatboro, PA junior also topped 300 yards in this year's win over Northwestern (308) and in a victory over App State in 1996 (301). Kuklick has now passed for more than 250 yards in six of seven games this season (all but North Carolina where he had 237), and in eight of his last nine outings dating back to the final two contests in 1996. Kuklick's performance this past Saturday also pushed him over the 5,000-yard mark for his career as a Demon Deacon and into 4th place on the school's all-time list (see below). The Wake Forest signal-caller is also among the WFU career top five in pass completions and touchdown 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) Jay Venuto 5,251 Rusty LaRue 472 Jay Venuto 38
(4) BRIAN KUKLICK 5,048 Jay Venuto 422 Keith West 29
BRIAN KUKLICK 421 BRIAN KUKLICK 27
Norm Snead 27
CLARK OVER 100 YARDS FOR FOURTH TIME THIS FALL - Wide receiver DESMOND CLARK caught six passes for 111 yards against Maryland, including a 39-yard TD. That marked the fourth time this season that the Lakeland, FL junior has reached triple digits in receiving yardage and was his seventh career 100-yard game. 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 10/11/97BILETNIKOFF CHECKLIST - Wake Forest's two outstanding veteran wide receivers--senior THABITI DAVIS and junior DESMOND CLARK--were included in the preseason checklist for the 1997 "Biletnikoff Award," which is presented annually by the Tallahassee (FL) Quarterback Club to the top receiver in the country. As noted earlier, both players are currently among the ACC top ten individuals in pass receiving this season. Both are also in Wake Forest's career top ten with four games remaining in the 1997.
Wake Forest Career Receiving Leaders
Receptions Receiving Yardage
(1) Ricky Proehl 188 Ricky Proehl 2,949
(2) James Brim 153 Todd Dixon 2,466
(3) John Henry Mills 146 Wayne Baumgardner 2,431
(4) Wayne Baumgardner 141 James Brim 2,040
(5) THABITI DAVIS 140 Red O'Quinn 1,990
(6) Todd Dixon 139 John Henry Mills 1,735
(7) DESMOND CLARK 131 Steve Brown 1,678
(8) DESMOND CLARK 1,672
(9) THABITI DAVIS 1,664
LEWIS LEADS RUSHING GAME - Senior HERMAN LEWIS, who had run for a total of 68 yards in 1997's first six games, collected 87 yards on the ground (on 17 carries) in the win over Maryland. That effort included a 22-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, the first rushing TD for the Columbus, GA veteran since the opening game of the 1995 season (vs App State). The 151 rushing yards that the Deacons totaled as a team represented their highest total in 16 games since they ran for 196 yards in last year's win over Northwestern. PAPER OR PLASTIC - The Wake Forest defense recorded seven quarterback sacks against Maryland, its highest single game total since 1992 when that year's Independence Bowl-bound squad collected nine sacks versus the Terps in a win in College Park. The 1997 Deacs now have 20 sacks for the season--that's seven more than their 1996 counterparts had in an entire year. In fact, the current figure is higher than any season total at Wake Forest since the 1992 team was credited with 41 sacks. LYMAN THE LEADER - Linebacker DUSTIN LYMAN contributed two of those seven sacks against the Terrapins, raising his team-best total for the season to six (for 52 yards in negative yardage). The talented sopho-more also leads the Demon Deacons on the year in total tackles with 67, as well as in tackles for loss with eight. Lyman has led (or tied for the team lead) in hits five times in seven games. Previously, the Boulder, CO product topped the Deacs with 10 stops versus Northwestern, 12 at East Carolina, 9 at Virginia and 11 at North Carolina. LED BY LINEBACKERS - An outstanding trio of linebackers are an important component in the Wake Forest defensive scheme, providing both consistency and big plays. The trio are one-two-three in tackles on the Deacon chart, combining for 178 stops on the season (25 per game!) and 19 tackles-for-losses. Behind DUSTIN LYMAN on the Deacon tackle chart (see above note) is junior KELVIN MOSES, who led Wake with 14 stops against Georgia Tech and 10 in the win over N.C.State. Moses had 7 tackles and a sack in the win over Maryland and now has 60 stops on the season. DAVID ZADEL, the lone senior in the linebacking corps, is 3rd on the team with 51 total tackles. MOSES APPROACHING 300 MARK - He's still just a junior, but linebacker KELVIN MOSES needs just eight more tackles to reach the 300-tackle figure for his already terrific Wake Forest career. The Hartsville, SC native presently ranks 15th in school history with 292 career stops and should work his way into the all-time top ten before the 1997 season concludes. Demon Deacon Hit List
(total tackles)
(1) Ed Stetz 460 (6) Reggie McCummings 374 (11) James Parker 311
(2) Carlos Bradley 438 (7) Jimmie Simmons 346 (12) Tony Scott 306
(3) Kevin Giles 412 (8) Marc Hester 331 (13) Maurice Miller 299
(4) Bill Armstrong 402 (9) Lamont Scales 320 (14) Tucker Grace 298
(5) Ernie Purnsley 385 (10) Rory Holt 319 (15) KELVIN MOSES 292
YOUTHFUL FRONT SEVEN - With regular starters ALJAMONT JOYNER and ROBERT FATZINGER missing from the Wake Forest defensive line due to injuries, the Demon Deacon front took on a very youthful appearance in the victory over Maryland. Nine different players took part in 30-or-more snaps on either the defensive line or at linebacker versus the Terps. Of that group, only one (linebacker DAVID ZADEL) is a senior. Joyner sat out the win over Maryland with a sprained knee that he sustained at Virginia. An anchor in the defensive trenches at his tackle position, Joyner hopes to be back for this week's game at Duke, as does Fatzinger, who tried (7 plays) but could not play at full speed this past Saturday because of a sprained foot. FRED UP FRONT - One young Deacon who has stepped up his performance in recent weeks is sophomore FRED ROBBINS. In the last three games, Robbins has accounted for 14 unassisted tackles, including six at Virginia and four each versus North Carolina and Maryland. He also was credited with two sacks this past week in the victory over the Terrapins and now is tied (with DUSTIN LYMAN) for the team lead in tackles for loss on the season with eight (for 30 yards in losses). SLICK KICKS - Placekicker MATTHEW BURDICK had his streak of nine consecutive successful field goal attempts, the second-longest string in Wake Forest history, ended against Maryland when he had a 43-yard try partially blocked. The Winston-Salem sophomore is still an excellent 11 of 14 on three-pointers this season, including a perfect 8-for-8 inside 40 yards. And on extra point attempts, Burdick is hitting 100%, converting all 15 of his attempts to date. Punter TRIPP MOORE moved into 2nd-place in the ACC by averaging 41.7 yards per punt on three boots versus Maryland. That marked the third straight game that Moore has averaged over 41 yards per punt. In fact, in those three dates, the Columbia, SC junior has averaged an outstanding 44.4 yards on his 16 punts. REDSHIRTING REGIMEN - Although he was not able to redshirt the desired number of individuals in his first two classes to Wake Forest, coach JIM CALDWELL has stayed with that course the past two years--and he's well on his way to a third straight season of holding back his freshman class in 1997. There are only eight fifth-year scholarship players on this year's roster, the lone remainder of Caldwell's first group of Demon Deacon freshmen. His second incoming group (in 1994) had five of 16 players play as true freshmen. Since then the redshirt numbers have increased considerably. 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 - Senior D'ANGELO SOLOMON started his 30th straight game at cornerback for the Demon Deacons this past Saturday. The talented Solomon has not been out of the opening lineup since his first start at Georgia Tech in the 1994 regular season finale (his true freshman year).
Demon Deacon Career Starts (1997 starts)
30 Robert Fatzinger (7) 18 Desmond Clark (7) 7 Dameon Daniel (7)
D'Angelo Solomon (7) Aljamont Joyner (5) Jammie Deese (7)
29 Kelvin Moses (7) Chris Gaskell (7) John Mannon
28 David Zadel (7) 17 Taris Clark (7) Sam Settar (7)
22 Jeffrey Muyres (5) Fred Robbins (7) Clint Wilburn
21 Thabiti Davis (7) 16 Joe Zelenka (7) 6 Kelvin Jones (6)
20 Jeff Flowe (7) 13 Morgan Kane (6) 4 Kelvin Shackleford (3)
Brian Kuklick (7) Brian Wolverton (7) 3 Reggie Austin
Wande Shaw (1) 12 Dustin Lyman (7) Herman Lewis (1)
Terrence Suber (2) 10 DaLawn Parrish (7) 2 Mark Makovec
Consecutive Starts: Solomon - 30; Zadel - 24 ; D.Clark, Davis, Flowe, Kuklick, Moses - 18; Gaskell 14;
Robbins, Wolverton 13
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