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Wake Forest knows Navy still dangerous
Midshipmen will be without Dobbs, talented starting quarterback
AP File Photo
Navy linebacker Tony Haberer celebrates after recovering a fumble.
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Published: October 24, 2009
Rumors of Navy's demise after Coach Paul Johnson's departure for Georgia Tech have been greatly exaggerated.
The Midshipmen have played 21 games since Johnson left after the 2007regular season, and they've won 13.
This season, they're 5-2, with losses at Ohio State (31-27) and Pittsburgh (27-14).
Navy was a good team both times it played Wake Forest last season -- winning 24-17 in the regular season and losing 29-19 in the EagleBank Bowl -- and it appears even better heading into today's game against the Deacons (3:30 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium).
Wake Forest is 4-3 after last week's 38-3 debacle at Clemson.
"It's a beautiful stadium, a great environment," Coach Jim Grobe of Wake Forest said. "Academy games are cool. It's really a great experience for our players to have that opportunity.
"But it's a tough out. It's hard to win at Navy."
It might not be quite so hard today if quarterback Ricky Dobbs is sidelined. Dobbs, who leads the nation with 16 touchdowns, has a cracked bone in his kneecap, and Coach Ken Niumatalolo said he would let Dobbs decide whether he will try to play.
There's also the question of how effective Dobbs -- whose 167 carries out the Flex-bone offense are more than twice that of any teammate -- can be on a broken kneecap. Niumatalolo spent the week preparing Dobbs' backup Kriss Proctor, who carried 14 times for 82 yards and three touchdowns in a 63-14 romp at Rice on Oct. 10.
Regardless, Wake Forest will have to face a Navy defense that, according to Grobe, has improved immeasurably during Niumatalolo's time as head coach. Last year, the Midshipmen forced six turnovers -- including four Riley Skinner interceptions -- during their regular-season victory at BB&T Field. This season, they're giving up an average of 22.3 points a game, but held Pitt to 269 total yards.
Ross Pospisil, a senior linebacker who made 13 tackles against the Deacons in the EagleBank Bowl, leads Navy with 53 tackles, including five for losses.
"Navy's defense last year compared to the year before, the transformation was amazing," Grobe said. "I mean (that's) how much better they were. And it wasn't just against us. It was all season long. They played great defense all year, and they're right back playing great defense again.
"These guys are very athletic, they're tough guys, they chase the football, they do all the kind of things that coaches like to see. And the coaches do a great job with their scheme. They give you a lot of different looks. They blitz you from different angles. They play some great coverage concepts."
Offensive guard Barrett McMillin has played Navy three times in his career, enough to be impressed.
"I told one of the players I kind of relate all their defensive players to John Russell," McMillin said, referring to the Deacons' high-energy senior defensive tackle. "They all kind of have that non-stop motor, and they never quit.
"That's got to be the mentality of those guys with what they're going to be doing in four or five years. You've just got to play to the whistle every single play."
Although Grobe said after the loss at Clemson that he and his coaches would evaluate the offense and defense to make sure they were playing the right players, no wholesale changes were obvious in practice. The Deacons will be without linebacker Hunter Haynes (knee), tight end Andrew Parker (ankle), running back Kevin Harris (groin), defensive end Kyle Wilber (broken leg) and offensive tackle Dennis Godfrey (knee).
dcollins@wsjournal.com | 727-7323
ACC today
• Noon: Georgia Tech at Virginia; WXLV Ch. 7 (ABC)
• 1:30: Maryland at Duke; WIST 98.3
• 3:30: Clemson at Miami; WXLV Ch. 7 (ABC)
• 3:30: Boston College at Notre Dame; WXII Ch. 11 (NBC)
• 3:30: Wake Forest at Navy; CBSCS Ch. 187; WBRF 98.1; WZTK 101.1
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