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Abdul Guice
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When the 1998 season opened, no one realized how important this popular and talented player would be to last year's Demon Deacons … the loss of projected starter Kelvin Moses to a knee injury opened a starting position for him and he responded with an energy and effort that were contagious on the entire WFU defense … simply gave everything he had throughout a season that saw injuries strike him as well … a banged-up knee and a sore shoulder not withstanding, he finished as the Deacs' third-leading tackler and one of the most active members of the defensive unit … enters 1999 with a wealth of experience following that opportunity … unfortunately, is still the same size (195 lbs), but will continue to compensate for that physical drawback with his intelligence, knowledge of the system and desire … is a constant source of pride for his coaches because of his willingness to do whatever he can for the sake of the team … first lettered as a redshirt freshman (in 1996) after sitting out the '95 campaign … remained in a key backup role during the 1997 season while being an instrumental member of the special teams lineup … will definitely be an important part of that aspect of the '99 squad while being ready whenever called upon at linebacker -- either as a backup to a returning Moses or in a starting role if needed. 1998: Started every game and played most of the plays (on defense) at inside linebacker … on the field for 50 snaps or more in nine contests and four times topped the 60-play figure with a personal-high of 68 against North Carolina … also recorded a career-high 11 tackles that afternoon with a sack, a TFL and a fumble-caused … attained double digits in hits on three other occasions with 10 stops against Air Force, Navy and NC State … enjoyed one of his finest overall performances in the win over the Midshipmen with three of his tackles accounting for negative yardage … also blocked a field goal try that evening before a national television audience … his final total of 71 hits ranked third on the team, while his 37 assists were the most by any Deacon. 1997: Appeared in 10 games at linebacker, usually for brief periods of time … only twice reached double-figures in defensive snaps with a high of 18 plays at Florida State … spread his eight tackles for the year among six dates … broke up a pass versus Maryland and had a tackle-for-loss at FSU … only game in which he did not participate was Virginia. 1996: Saw action in nine contests with his busiest day against North Carolina when he was on the field for 29 plays and made four tackles … had two stops behind the line of scrimmage (for 4 yds in losses) on that occasion as well … contributed six tackles (3 solo) in the next outing at Maryland and recorded a TFL that afternoon, too. BACKGROUND: Outstanding student and athlete at Rockledge High under coach Chuck Wood … named team MVP and honorable mention all-state in his senior year as a defensive lineman … lettered two years in both football and basketball, and three times in track … also quite active in school affairs, serving as president of his junior class and the overall student body during his senior year … took part in a number of school clubs and committees, too … area representative to Boys State and the University of Florida Scholars Program … earned a spot on the Dean's List and the ACC Honor Roll as an undergraduate while working toward his degree in sociology … reached that point in his academic career this past May and now is enrolled in the Master Teacher Fellows program this fall … received national publicity this summer when he was selected as North Carolina's "Most Eligible Bachelor" by Cosmopolitan magazine in its July issue … age 22 (born 5/16/77).
CAREER STATISTICS UT AT TOTAL TFL SACKS 1996 9 7 16 3/-5 1997 6 2 8 1/-1 1998 34 37 71 7/-28 3/-23 TOTALS 49 46 95 11/-34 3/-23
MOST TACKLES MOST UNASSISTED TACKLES |
Wake Forest Football |
