Sports > October 25, 2007

By Ryan Durham | Sports editor

With their helmets polished and uniforms cleaned to perfection, the Deacs tried to look nice for Homecoming at the United States Naval Academy, but they were unwilling to allow the Midshipmen to win in front of their alumni.

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Redshirt senior Kenneth Moore cuts away from a Navy defender during the Oct. 20 victory. (Jeff Merski/Old Gold & Black)

Led by a strong rushing attack and a defense that allowed only seven points in the second half, Wake Forest outpaced Navy to take the win 44-24.

Wake Forest had trouble in the first half controlling Navy’s triple-option offense.

The Midshipmen ran for a total of 173-yards in the first half.

Navy quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada was a big portion of the attack, rushing for 47-yards and a touchdown in the first half, but a big hit from redshirt junior linebacker Aaron Curry put an end to Kaheaku-Enhada, who did not return to the game.

With the loss of Kaheaku-Enhada, the Midshipmen attack started to break down with a major turning point coming with 2:19 left in the half.

Redshirt junior Alphonso Smith came in off a cornerback blitz and knocked the ball loose from the Midshipmen’s quarterback, and redshirt senior Matt Robinson picked the ball up and took it seven yards for a touchdown.

This put the Deacs up 24-17 with 2:19 left on the clock, but Wake was not finished.

The Deacons drove down the field and let redshirt junior Sam Swank put another through the uprights to put the Deacs up 27-17.

“There were two big swings of momentum,” said Navy Coach Paul Johnson. “At the end of the first half when they kicked the field goal and in the second half when they scored after we had cut the lead back to three points.”

Wake Forest’s defense was instrumental in the Deacons’ success in the second half.

The only points the Midshipmen scored were on their first drive of the half, in which they drove 80-yards for a touchdown.

With the exception of this drive, Navy had only 144-yards in the second half of the game.

The Midshipmen’s offense, the one consistent part of Navy’ game in the first half, began to fall apart in the second half. The Midshipmen fumbled the ball twice more and were forced to punt the ball for only the ninth time this season.

The Deacon offense on the other hand drove the ball down the field three more times for two touchdowns and a 52-yard Swank field goal.

Wake Forest was led by redshirt senior Kenneth Moore, who tied the Wake Forest single game record with 15 receptions and had a career high 181 yards receiving.

“You give him the ball, you kind of hold your breath and see what he does,” redshirt sophomore Riley Skinner said of Moore’s performance. “He made me look good a couple times on some throws,”

Skinner was 22 of 28 for 213 yards and two touchdowns.

Skinner, Moore and the Deacs return to action Oct. 27 against UNC-Chapel Hill.