South Carolina Signs Appalachian State to Replace Wake Forest for Oct. 1 Grame

Wake Forest has backed out of its football game scheduled against South Carolina on Oct. 1 and the Gamecocks now will face Appalachian State on that date.

“We’re pleased to announce the addition of Appalachian State University to our 1988 football schedule,” Athletic Director Bob Marcum said.

“When we contacted them about the opening in our schedule, they were extremely interested and we were able to work things out with them,” Marcum said.

“We’ve played Appalachian State in the past and the two schools have a good relationship,” he said.

Marcum told members of the Intercollegiate Activities Committee of the university’s Board of Trustees that the Wake Forest game was the final one in a three-year agreement between the two schools and that breaking the contract will cost Wake Forest $75,000.

South Carolina has played Appalachian State eight times, winning seven. The last time they met was last year’s season opener, when the Gamecocks beat the North Carolina visitors, 24-3.

Appalachian State is an NCAA Division 1-AA school from the Southern Conference and finished last season with an 11-3 record. It also made it to the semifinal round of the division’s playoffs.

Marcum said he received official notification of Wake Forest’s decision to buy its way out of the game last Friday from Wake Forest Athletic Director Gene Hooks.

In prior discussions with Hooks and Wake Forest football Coach Bill Dooley, Marcum said the reason given for dropping the game was that the Demon Deacons have a game scheduled against Michigan the week before the game with South Carolina.

“Dooley said playing Michigan and us back-to-back was just too much for Wake Forest to handle,” Marcum said. “I said, ‘Welcome to the club. We’ve been doing that.’ I tried to get him to drop the Michigan game instead of us since we’re more of a regional opponent and we play them in some other sports. He wouldn’t do it.”