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WINSTON-SALEM — Wake Forest's young defense got even younger Saturday afternoon.

The joy of a second-half comeback in a 24-17 victory over Stanford was tempered by the loss of the Demon Deacons' best pass rusher. Defensive end Kyle Wilber — one of only four returning starters from last season — hopped off the field in the third quarter, never letting his left foot touch the ground.

Trainers helped him to the locker room, and the news was not good. The sophomore broke a bone in his lower leg chasing Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

"Kyle gave people problems," Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said Tuesday. "Just his mere lining up across from the (offensive) tackle was enough to make that tackle nervous because (Wilber) could run right past you. It's a big loss for us."

Grobe said Wilber suffered a clean break, and it's an injury that could heal quickly. The Demon Deacons expect Wilber to return this season, but they're tentatively planning to go without him for the next six weeks.

Last season, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Wilber was the only redshirt freshman to crack the starting lineup in a dominant defense that sent four players to the NFL draft. This season, he already had a sack, a fumble recovery and a blocked field goal in 11/2 games.

How do the Deacs replace him? With numbers.

"We've got some talented kids," Grobe said. "But now you're not just talking about inexperienced, you're talking about young and inexperienced. That's something we're not going to be able to replace. We're going to have to find some different ways to put pressure on people."

Gelo Orange, a sophomore who played linebacker last season, moves into Wilber's starting role. The backups include physical sophomore Will Wright and redshirt freshmen Derricus Ellis and Kevin Smith.

All four will get a chance to be the bookend to sophomore Tristan Dorty, the other starting defensive end in Wake's 4-3 defense.

"We didn't know much about Kyle Wilber this time last year, and all of a sudden he became the man," Grobe said. "... We've got some good young players, it's just getting them to make a (difference). We felt Kyle, as the season went along, would develop into an impact player. I don't know if these young guys are capable of that. We've got talent. It's just a matter of getting them to play well."

Orange will get the first chance. At 6-1 and 235 pounds, he's small for a defensive lineman at a major college. But he's quick and athletic, a raw talent who didn't play football until his senior year of high school.

"He plays with a lot of energy," Grobe said. "He's a pretty strong guy. He's got good explosiveness. The biggest problem with Gelo is he played linebacker all last season. You talk about inexperience &ellipses; he's playing a brand-new position, been in it two weeks, and now we need him to play better — quick."

Putting pressure on the quarterback is critical for Wake this week against Elon.

Wake will be a heavy favorite against an FCS (formerly I-AA) opponent, but the Deacons are wary of the No. 11 Phoenix.

"You can see so far this season how many I-AA programs have taken it to big programs," Wake linebacker Hunter Haynes said. "They've got some great athletes, and they want to win like everyone else. They're not going to be scared of us coming in here. When you turn on that film, it's not hard to see that they've got some great players."

Junior quarterback Scott Riddle, the former News & Record prep player of the year who led Eastern Randolph to a state title, is already Elon's all-time passing leader. Senior wide receiver Terrell Hudgins is closing in on NCAA all-time records for catches and receiving yards.

"It's not a shock anymore ... when a I-AA team beats a I-A team. It's just not a big deal anymore," Grobe said. "Our guys understand. They know what's coming to town. The problem is, whether you know what's coming or not, you (can) go play your best football game and you still might get your butt beat."

Especially with your best pass rusher watching from the sidelines on crutches.

Contact Jeff Mills at 373-7024 or jeff.mills@news-record.com