2010 Wake Forest Demon Deacons Football: Wake Forest @ Navy

With a season of such high expectations on the brink becoming a total lost cause, the Navy Midshipmen put together their finest effort of the season and beat ACC foe Wake Forest on the road in dramatic fashion.

With just 26 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, quarterback Ricky Dobbs hit wide receiver Greg Jones in the corner of the end zone to give the Midshipmen a 28-26 victory. The win helps erase the sting of closes losses to rival Air Force and Maryland and revives Navy’s flagging bowl hopes with half of the season remaining.

Navy and quarterback Ricky Dobbs entered 2010 with high hopes but dropped two close games to Air Force and Maryland. With very few games that appear to be automatic victories on the schedule, a win over Wake Forest was absolutely essential if the Midshipmen’s goal of being a bowl eligible team would still be a possibility. With the season truly on the brink, the Midshipmen finally got the performance out of Dobbs that they’d expected all year.

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Dobbs has been the victim of defenses focusing solely on stopping him, even to the point of ignoring the other aspects of the Midshipmen’s flexbone attack. On Saturday, even Wake Forest’s act of keying on Dobbs was not enough to stop him; he rushed for 100 yards for the first time in 2010 and also scored two touchdowns. Dobbs also threw for two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with under a minute to play, in the rousing win for coach Ken Niumatalolo’s club. It will still take a herculean effort for Navy to get to six wins, but, having this one in the books at least makes it a possibility.

It’s a shame when a close loss overshadows a superb individual effort, but that’s what ultimately will happen for Wake Forest and quarterback Tanner Price. The Demon Deacon field general had what was easily his best outing of the year, completing 37 of 53 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns. He also added a touchdown on the ground. Utilizing a quick passing attack and a healthy dose of screens and misdirection, Price spread the ball around to nine different receivers. His favorite target on Saturday evening at Groves Stadium was Devon Brown, who finished the day for Wake with 10 catches but just 59 yards. Coach Jim Grobe’s squad drops to 2-4 now, and with the heart of the ACC schedule in front of Wake, this looks to be a lean year for the Demon Deacons.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons @ Navy Midshipmen Football Recap