CNNSI.com - 2000 College Football Preview - CNNSI.com's Wake Forest preview

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Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Enjoy those Hawaii pictures a little longer

'99: 7-5, 3-5 ACC

Coach

Jim Caldwell (eighth season, 24-54)

Key offensive players

C.J. Leak, QB, So.
After spurning Notre Dame, Leak is the highest-profile recruit in Caldwell's tenure. He'll get his chance to run the team from the first fall practice.

Ira Williams, WR, Jr.
He caught only 13 passes last year, but he averaged a team-high 16.5 yards a catch and will be counted on to produce more this year.

Key defensive players

Bryan Ray, DE, Sr.
Second in the ACC with 10 sacks last year, Ray will get lots more attention from double teams this year.

Ivan Maisel's Player of the Century: Brian Piccolo, RB, 1962-64
"His early death has obscured the simple fact that he could run with that ball."

Brightest Moment: Using a ground-breaking veer offense developed by head coach Cal Stoll, the Deacons rebounded from three season-opening losses to win their only ACC championship in 1970.

Lowest Moment: Words really can't describe how bad the Demon Deacons were in 1973 & '74. They went 0-17-1 from the second game in '73 to the next-to-last game in '74, including five straight shutouts by an astounding 210-0 margin.

Keyshorn Smith, CB, Sr.
Smith started every regular-season game in 1999, but lost his job to Adrian Duncan for the Aloha Bowl.

Key newcomer

Fred Staton, TB, Fr. Like Leak, Staton comes from Charlotte, where he was an all-star tailback with fast feet and strong legs.

Throwback player

Two-year starter Bryan Ray is the lone holdover from last year's top-flight defense -- hence the only connection to Wake's first success of the last 10 years.

21st century player

C.J. Leak is the guy Caldwell's building the entire program around -- an athletic, passing QB in what once was a run-oriented offense

Fast fact

The Deacons lost 26 seniors from last year's Aloha Bowl champion squad and have only six returning starters.

Outlook

Last year was a dream for the Demon Deacons. No, they didn't challenge Florida State for the ACC championship. Heck, they didn't even have a winning record in the conference. But by beating nationally ranked Georgia Tech in the season finale, the Deacons assured themselves of their first non-losing season of the Caldwell era. Then, by beating Arizona State in the Aloha Bowl, they gave the school its 10th winning season since 1953. The sad fact, however, is that only twice in the last 50 years has Wake Forest had winning records in back-to-back years, and this year's team will be completely revamped. There is no question that it will be sophomore QB Leak's team: He's the only healthy quarterback going into preseason practice. Then again, nearly every position on the field is thin, with few players and little experience. The defense must replace nine starters. In other words, Caldwell is essentially starting from scratch. Wake fans are just hoping it doesn't take another seven years for Caldwell to produce something.

-- Tim Peeler