Navy @ Wake Forest preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 24, 2009 ) Wake Forest 10, Navy 13

Wake Forest (2-3) ought to be ready for Navy's triple option offense after slowing Georgia Tech's similar attack on Saturday. Maybe this time the Demon Deacons can turn it into a victory.

Holding the nation's No. 4 rushing team to 209 yards on the ground (111 below its average) wasn't enough to beat Georgia Tech, which found just enough success through the air to pull out a 24-20 win. The Yellow Jackets' highly touted quarterback, Joshua Nesbitt, carried 26 times for 72 yards, most of that coming on one 50-yard run.

The Demon Deacons had come into the game allowing an average of 40 points and 467 yards over their first four games. Senior linebacker Matt Woodlief had three tackles for loss against Georgia Tech. Wake Forest defensive end Kyle Wilber leads the nation with 12.5 tackles for loss after missing most of 2009 with a broken leg.

The challenge presented by Navy (2-2) is not quite as daunting as the Wake Forest defense faced last week. The Midshipmen (2-2) are averaging 256.8 rushing yards a game, 11th in the nation. But Navy has had trouble getting into the end zone, ranking 110th in scoring at 17.5 points per game, partly because the Middies have just seven touchdowns on 19 trips to the red zone.

Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs has 217 yards rushing and 479 passing.

In Navy's 14-6 loss at Air Force last Saturday, which ended Navy's seven-game winning streak in the series, the Middies managed just 312 yards of offense while Air Force gained 292 on the ground.

The Midshipmen rank 17th in total defense, but their No. 1 ranking in pass defense (95.3 yards a game) is an illusion, considering that three of their opponents attempted fewer than 10 passes, and Louisiana Tech completed 31 of 43 for 251 yards.

The top priority for Wake Forest's offense is to establish some stability at quarterback. Following the graduation of four-year starter Riley Skinner and a series of injuries, Wake Forest has played four quarterbacks. Junior Skylar Jones had the best day against Georgia Tech. He entered on the Demon Deacons' fourth possession and finished the game completing 9 of 20 passes for 105 yards while rushing eight times for 31 yards. He led Wake Forest to two touchdowns and a field goal.

Wake Forest spreads the carries around in a running game that averages 223 yards. The Demon Deacons' Josh Adams rushed for 101 yards on 20 carries last week, the team's top rushing performance of the year.

Both teams are near the bottom of the FBS in passing yards, Navy averaging 129.8 for 115th place and Wake Forest at 140.2 ypg for 114th. Wake Forest is 17th in scoring at 30.2 ppg.

Navy beat Wake Forest 13-10 last year in Annapolis without attempting a pass.