EagleBank Bowl Guide - Wake Forest vs. Navy
12/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 15, 2008
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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest will get a rematch with Navy in the inaugural EagleBank Bowl to be played Dec. 20 at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN as well as over the air on the Wake Forest ISP Radio Network.
Wake Forest has earned a trip to a bowl game for the third straight year, a first in school history. The Deacons are 5-3 all-time in bowl games.
Wake Forest will enter the EagleBank Bowl with a 7-5 overall record after finishing tied for third in the Atlantic Coast Conference's Atlantic Division.
Navy comes into the game with an 8-4 mark after shutting out rival Army 34-0 on Saturday, Dec. 6.
The Deacons won their regular season finale, defeating Vanderbilt 23-10 on Nov. 29 at BB&T Field. The victory made Wake's 16 seniors the winningest class in school history with a 31-19 record.
Navy won the regular season meeting with the Deacons, posting a 24-17 win at BB&T Field on Sept. 27. It was the first loss of the year for Wake Forest, which started the season 3-0 and was ranked No. 15 in the country.
This bowl game will mark the first time since 1945 that Wake Forest has played a team twice in a season. In that year, the Deacons played South Carolina to a 13-13 tie during the regular season before downing the Gamecocks, 26-14, in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1, 1946.
Wake Forest holds a 6-3 advantage in the all-time series with Navy that dates back to 1929. The Deacons had won four straight over the Midshipmen until this year's loss.
Quickie Notes
- Wake Forest is looking for its eighth win of the season. The Deacons have never had three straight seasons of eight or more wins.
- Wake's senior class will leave as the winningest class in school history. They enter the bowl game with a four-year record of 31-19 with three bowl appearances and the 2006 ACC Championship.
- Linebacker Aaron Curry won the 2008 Butkus Award, which goes to the nation's top collegiate linebacker. Curry was presented with the trophy by Hall of Famer Dick Butkus on campus on Dec. 9.
