Ken Niumatalolo knew Alphonso Smith was going to have an impact Saturday. So it was a relief to the Navy coach when Wake Forest’s All-American cornerback fumbled in the first quarter on a rare carry.
Unfortunately for the Midshipmen, Smith returned to his usual ballhawk ways in the second quarter, intercepting Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada on the Wake 2-yard line. The pick gave life to the Demon Deacons, who sent Navy to its third straight bowl loss with a 29-19 victory at the inaugural EagleBank Bowl at RFK Stadium.
“That turnover late kind of swung the momentum for them - and then they went the length of the field,” Niumatalolo said. “That was a critical juncture in the game.”
Navy controlled the game up to that point and was set to put Wake in a perilous situation. The Mids held a 13-0 lead and were due to get the ball back after halftime before Smith made his ACC-record 21st career interception.
Instead, Wake’s 12-play, 98-yard touchdown drive made it 13-7 at halftime, helping the Demon Deacons avenge a 24-17 loss to the Mids on Sept. 27.
“When the offense took the ball and went the length of the field right before the half, there was a good feeling in our locker room,” Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said. “To end the half like that was important for us on both sides of the football.”
The Demon Deacons (8-5) rode tailback Kevin Harris (24 carries, 142 yards) and got a perfect day from quarterback Riley Skinner (11-for-11, 166 yards and a touchdown). Their defense, which entered 19th in the country, stiffened in the second half.
Navy (8-5) had its chances but came up short at the wrong times. Kaheaku-Enhada scored on a 2-yard keeper in the third quarter to reclaim a 19-14 lead for Navy, but his two-point conversion pass was nearly intercepted by linebacker Aaron Curry.
Skinner found tight end Ben Wooster in the back of the end zone on the Demon Deacons’ next possession to give them the lead for good, then hit Devon Brown in the same spot for the conversion and a 22-19 lead. Navy twice had a chance to tie or take the lead in the final five minutes but couldn’t manage a first down on either drive.
“We just didn’t execute when we had to,” slotback Shun White said. “We had a couple times where we got in the red zone and didn’t score and had the chance on a couple of plays at the end, but we didn’t get it done.”
As disappointing as the loss was, the Mids couldn’t help but celebrate the afternoon of cornerback Rashawn King, who missed the Army game because his father had died unexpectedly just days before. The senior recovered Smith’s fumble and scampered 50 yards for Navy’s first touchdown. King appeared to have a second fumble recovery and touchdown in the second quarter, but it was called back after a review showed Harris was down by contact.
“I think from the beginning, just being back with the guys was the biggest thing,” King said. “Coming out of the locker room for the last time, that was really a heartfelt moment. Getting the fumble and being able to contribute was huge. … It was exciting because I’ve never been in the end zone before, so I felt like Shun White a little bit.”
Niumatalolo teared up when talking about the close-knit senior class after the game. The first-year coach often talks about the respect he has for his players because of their military commitment.
“You could see it in Coach’s eyes, in everybody’s eyes,” King said. “He wanted to send the seniors out with a victory.”
But even though that didn’t happen, several seniors said losing their final game isn’t enough to taint their memories of their time at the academy.
“I think about the game, but I really think about the whole four years,” White said. “With Rashawn, I’ve been with him for five years since we went to the prep school together. That’s more important - my whole career here from being at the prep school to being at the academy.”
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