2008 EagleBank Bowl Preview

Navy (8-4, Independent) vs. Wake Forest (7-5, 4-4 ACC)

December 20th, 2008 @ 11 AM (EST) – ESPN – Washington, DC - Buy EagleBank Bowl tickets

The inaugural EagleBank Bowl was given the honor of kicking off the 2008 Bowl season and will feature Navy and an ACC team as its yearly tie-ins. Unfortunately, this game features a rematch of a regular season showdown between the Navy Midshipmen and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, something no bowl game wants. Navy defeated Wake Forest at home by a score of 24-17 in late September to stun the then #16 and unbeaten Demon Deacons.

The first matchup between the two teams can be characterized by one major factor: Turnovers. Wake Forest had a whopping six turnovers, including four interceptions by quarterback Riley Skinner. Navy used the turnovers to jump out ahead of Wake Forest 17-0 and held on in the second half for the win. Navy also played solid run defense and held the Demon Deacons to 43 yards on the ground.

This time around, I expect a completely different matchup for one major reason: Riley Skinner’s four interceptions that day were more than he threw during the rest of the season put together! That’s right, in eleven other games, Skinner only threw three interceptions, which makes me think that he’ll be looking for redemption this time around. Furthermore, Wake Forest should find more success running the ball when they’re not trying to play catch up all game.

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Navy will certainly look to play well again. After rolling up nearly 300 yards on the ground against Wake earlier this year, the Midshipmen continued their success on and are one of the country’s best rushing teams, racking up 298 yards per game. Senior quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada has struggled with injuries but will be healthy for this game and is excellent at running Navy’s option attack.

Like the first matchup of the season between these twos teams, Wake Forest’s Riley Skinner will be the deciding factor. However, unlike the first meeting, Skinner will help decide the game in his team’s favor by taking care of the football. Expect Navy to give Wake Forest a tough test but in the end Wake Forest’s passing attack will prove to be too much and the Demon Deacons will win the first EagleBank Bowl.

EagleBank Bowl Pick: Wake Forest 31 - Navy 17

by Matt Baxendell
CollegeSports-fans.com Staff Writer

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