
Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs, known as "The Magic Man," conducted magic operations in the Navy's victory over Air Force Oct. 3 // Oscar Sosa/ Navy
The Naval Academy Midshipmen will doubtless be eager for vengeance this weekend when they host the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in Annapolis. It’s Navy’s homecoming game and it’ll be the first meeting of these football squads since Wake Forest defeated the Mids at the inaugural EagleBank Bowl last December at The Thunderdome RFK Stadium in Washington. (You can see our live-blogged coverage of the game here, along with a story about the Marine Corps’ Logistics Vehicle System Replacements, for some reason.)
This year, the Mids want to notch five straight wins for the first time since 2004, and one of their key weapons is junior quarterback Ricky Dobbs — “the Magic Man” — who leads the country in touchdowns scored (16) and points per game (13.7) according to this excellent read-ahead. And although Wake Forest beat Navy in their bowl game match-up, the Deacons are winless on the road this year.
In another critical match-up, Navy mascot Bill the Goat is holding steady in 4th place in this year’s national mascot derby, according to this site, but he can always use more votes in his quest to become America’s top goat. As of Tuesday, Western Kentucky’s “Big Red” was in the lead; the University of Maryland’s Testudo — the most dangerous turtle in America — was in second place; and the University of Miami’s “Sebastian,” some kind of bird, was in third.