Proctor to run show for Navy

Quarterbacks at the complete opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of experience will be in the spotlight when Wake Forest meets Navy today.

Wake Forest's pass-oriented spread offense is led by Riley Skinner, a four-year starter and the school's all-time passing leader. Navy's run-oriented triple-option attack will be directed by Kriss Proctor, a sophomore making his first career start.

Proctor is replacing Dobbs, who learned through an MRI examination this week that he has a cracked bone in his right knee. Dobbs leads the nation with 16 rushing touchdowns and leads Navy with 579 rushing yards.

Proctor has made one varsity appearance in his brief career, playing the final 24 minutes against Rice and rushing for 82 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound California native displayed a good grasp of the triple-option in terms making the reads and distributing the ball.

Proctor grasped the responsibil-ity of starting against a tough Atlantic Coast Conference opponent on Homecoming in Annapolis.

"This is one of those games you circle on the calendar before the season. They beat us in the bowl game last year and we want to get redemption. It's a huge game and we have a good scheme, so we feel like we can get the win," said Proctor, who played in an option system at Big Bear High.

Dobbs did not practice at all this week and was wearing an immobilizer brace that runs the full length of his right leg. Proctor took all the practice repetitions with the first team and performed well, according to Niumatalolo.

"Kriss had a great game against Rice," Niumatalolo said. "Some of the things he did were the same things he did in camp against our defense, which is a very good defense."

Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe did not know about Dobbs' injury earlier this week when he talked about trying to stop Navy's unique offense. The Demon Deacons gave up 520 yards rushing in two games against the Midshipmen last season, and that was when they had a pair of NFL Draft picks in linebacker Aaron Curry (Seattle Seahawks) and cornerback Alphonso Smith (Denver Broncos).

"They run the triple-option to perfection. Defensively, we've got some thoughts, but whether we can execute that or not… we'll have to wait until Saturday to find out," Grobe said. "It's not how much the coaches know, it's how much we can teach the players in one week. We've got a lot of new guys playing them this year."

Free safety Josh Bush said it was invaluable to watch videotape of Wake Forest's three games against Navy in 2007 and 2008.

"It helps as far as knowing what they're going to do and getting used to things they're going to do," Bush said. "I haven't had a chance to play against Navy, so I can go back and watch film of Chip Vaughn and Kevin Patterson and see how they played their assignments, and hopefully that will help me on Saturday."

Meanwhile, Skinner has 44 career starts under his belt and has piled up 8,378 career passing yards. He needs just 10 more to move into 10th place on the Atlantic Coast Conference's all-time chart.

This is the fourth time in three seasons that Navy defensive coordinator Buddy Green has needed to game-plan for Skinner, the ACC career leader with a completion percentage of .672. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior is throwing for 253 yards per game this season.

"When you average that many yards per game, it's remarkable," Green said. "When you throw the ball that much, to have that sort of accuracy is incredible. He's just one heck of a quarterback."

Navy's defense notched three sacks and numerous hurries in harassing Skinner into four interceptions en route to winning the regular-season meeting with Wake Forest last year, 24-17. Skinner completed all 11 of his passes for 166 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions as the Demon Deacons gained revenge by defeating Navy 29-19 in the EagleBank Bowl.

CURRY OUT: The Capital has learned that starting slotback Marcus Curry will also sit out today's game after suffering a quadriceps injury in practice on Tuesday. Curry is the second-leading rusher on the team behind Dobbs with 393 yards and four touchdowns.