Skinner Atones for Previous Outing Against Navy

The last time Riley Skinner walked off the field after playing Navy, the Wake Forest junior quarterback wanted to make clear that the result of the game was all about him. Skinner had thrown a career-high four interceptions in the Demon Deacons' upset loss to the Midshipmen, and he wanted it known publicly that he had let down his teammates.

That result, and Skinner's role in it, was a big reason why he entered yesterday's inaugural EagleBank Bowl at RFK Stadium "on a mission," as his coach, Jim Grobe, put it afterward.

Skinner was determined to avoid throwing any interceptions, and he ended up going even further: He avoided throwing any incompletions. Skinner completed all 11 of his passes for 166 yards and a touchdown and was named the most valuable player in Wake Forest's 29-19 victory.

"I think any quarterback who plays a football game like I had last time we played them, if you're a competitor, you want another shot at those guys and try to get some revenge," Skinner said. "You don't want the last thing you think about when you think of Navy to be that game and the performance we had."

The first performance was uncharacteristic on many levels for the Demon Deacons, who also lost two fumbles in the game to finish minus-4 in the turnover ratio. In the Demon Deacons' 11 other games combined, Skinner threw just three interceptions, and the team finished tied for third in the country in turnover differential.

"The great thing about Riley Skinner is he walked straight into the press conference after that game and said, 'This game's my fault,' " said Grobe, who added that the coaching staff put Skinner and the offense in bad positions in that game by going for too many big plays. "Of course, it wasn't all him . . . [but] he felt bad about the way he played."

Yesterday's more methodical approach almost was derailed early. Midway through the first quarter, Alphonso Smith, normally a cornerback, fumbled on a second-down run, and Rashawn King returned the ball 50 yards for a touchdown to give the Midshipmen a 10-0 lead.

The Demon Deacons had just 86 yards of offense and were trailing 13-0 with 4 minutes 24 seconds left in the first half when Smith atoned for his fumble by picking off a pass by Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada. Smith stepped out of bounds at the Wake Forest 2-yard line.

After six consecutive rushes -- four of them by Kevin Harris, who finished with 136 yards -- Wake Forest shifted into its two-minute offense and Skinner took over, completing four passes for 74 yards in a 98-yard drive that culminated in a four-yard touchdown run by Josh Adams.

Skinner was equally effective on the drive that put Wake Forest in the lead to stay in the fourth quarter. After Navy took a 19-14 lead, the Demon Deacons went 80 yards on nine plays, four of them completions by Skinner accounting for 69 yards. The final play of the drive was an eight-yard completion to Ben Wooster on third down. Skinner then completed a pass to Devon Brown on the ensuing two-point conversion.

"He obviously didn't have his best game the first time around," Grobe said. "Today in the rematch, I don't know if he could have played any better."