Demond Claiborne day-to-day; Deacons lose O-lineman indefinitely
Wake Forest has some positive news on the injury front but also lost an offensive starter for an indefinite period of time.
Star running back Demond Claiborne is “day-to-day” with the rib injury that limited him to four snaps against Kennesaw State.
“Demond will be day-to-day. Having the extra day, I thought, has been really, really positive,” coach Jake Dickert said, noting Wake’s game was Friday night.
Left guard Clinton Richard suffered a broken foot against the Owls. It happened late in the game and he still played all 78 offensive snaps for the Deacons.
He’s a redshirt freshman, the youngest starter on the Deacons’ remade offensive line.
“Now, you want a story about Clinton Richard? He finished the game with a broken foot,” Dickert said. “(Richard) did it about two plays before the end of the game. He was out there for victory (formation), yes.
“I’m disappointed for that young man because he’s worked tirelessly hard to get to this point.”
George Steih, a 6-5, 295-pound redshirt sophomore, will start in Richard’s place against Western Carolina on Saturday.
Getting Claiborne back to health is of the utmost importance. Wake Forest built its offense around the senior running back who had 1,049 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.
The 5-10, 195-pounder had a 13-yard run on the first play against Kennesaw State. It briefly looked as if it’d go for a 75-yard touchdown. But a couple of plays later, Claiborne suffered a rib injury that sent him to the locker room for the rest of the first quarter.
He returned to the sideline late in the first quarter and reentered the game in the second quarter. Claiborne took one snap, carried for 4 yards, and gingerly walked to the sideline.
Claiborne was in and out of the injury tent for the rest of the first half. He spent the second half on the sideline with a sweatshirt on underneath his jersey.
