Without its stars, Navy edges Wake Forest

Dobbs, Curry sidelined in win over Demon Deacons

A service academy football team faces certain challenges whenever it lines up against a team from a major conference such as the ACC. But consider what else Navy had to deal with when it hosted Wake Forest on a rainy and windy Saturday afternoon.

The Midshipmen's top two offensive playmakers -- including their quarterback, who was leading the country in touchdowns -- were out with injuries. Their backup quarterback was making his first-ever start, and had appeared in 44 fewer games and had thrown 1,163 fewer passes than his Demon Deacons counterpart.

But Navy still found a way to persevere, thanks to a stalwart defense, a hard-running fullback and a poised special teams unit. The Midshipmen beat Wake Forest, 13-10, in front of a drenched homecoming crowd that was announced as 31,907 but dwindled down to hundreds by game's end.

"I'm speechless with our kids," said Coach Ken Niumatalolo, whose team needs only one more win to secure its spot in the Texas Bowl. "That was a good football team that we played. Obviously the elements weren't the greatest. . . . But our kids went out there and battled and battled."

The Midshipmen (6-2) didn't have junior quarterback Ricky Dobbs (cracked kneecap) and sophomore slot back Marcus Curry (pulled quadriceps), two players who, coming into the game, had accounted for nearly 50 percent of Navy's rushing yards (972 of 1,953) and 73 percent of its touchdowns (22 of 30).

"I really didn't think about [the short-handed offense], to be honest," said senior linebacker Ross Pospisil, who had eight tackles. "I have an extreme amount of trust and confidence in any guy that steps up in there."

Navy got a big performance from junior fullback Vince Murray, who ran for a career-high 175 yards and sealed the victory with a 42-yard gain as the Midshipmen were trying to run out the clock. The offense -- which was also missing starting wide receiver Mike Schupp (illness) -- amassed 338 yards, all of it on the ground. It was the second time in two seasons that the Midshipmen won a game without attempting a pass; nearly one year ago to the day -- Oct. 25, 2008 -- they ran the ball 77 times in a 34-7 win over SMU that was played in a similar downpour.

"Conditions like this, I told the [slot] backs, be aware of crazy pitches because it was a little slippery. It might be a little radical," said sophomore quarterback Kriss Proctor, who rushed for 89 yards.

Navy held a 6-3 lead at halftime on the strength of two field goals from junior Joe Buckley, the first from 50 yards out and the second from 41. The Midshipmen extended their advantage to 13-3 on the first possession of the second half, when Proctor, who was making his second career appearance, broke loose for a 40-yard touchdown run.

The Demon Deacons (4-4) got back into the game behind their four-year starter at quarterback, redshirt senior Riley Skinner (13 of 25, 173 yards). He drove his team 76 yards in 2 minutes 8 seconds and found wide receiver Devon Brown (Stone Bridge) in the right corner of the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown with 7:21 remaining in the game.

But as it did throughout the game, Navy's defense and special teams stepped up. The Midshipmen had to punt with about four minutes left in the game, and junior Kyle Delahooke boomed a 68-yard punt into the end zone. The defense -- which had three sacks (two from senior linebacker Tony Haberer) and a fourth-down pass deflection (Pospisil) earlier in the game -- then forced Wake Forest to punt.

"We've got some tough kids," Niumatalolo said. "Our kids just know that, week in and week out, we've got to go and there's no excuses. Nobody really cares if they're tired, if they had back-to-back games or had an exam. Once you line up, nobody cares."