WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - All Navy needed was one defensive stop with less than four minutes to play yesterday, but as had been the trend this season, even that was too much to ask.
The Midshipmen took a four-point lead with 4:11 to play after Craig Candeto's 1-yard touchdown run, but Wake Forest marched 62 yards to score the winning touchdown on a 5-yard end around from Fabian Davis with 53 seconds left to give the Demon Deacons a 30-27 win at Groves Stadium.
Navy (1-10) gouged Wake Forest for 444 total yards and 20 second-half points but couldn't stop the Deacons' offense, which totaled 410 yards with the help of four Navy turnovers.
The victory makes Wake Forest (6-5) eligible for a bowl.
"We have to learn how to close them out. We had it," Candeto said. "We just couldn't finish the deal. I think we gave a good effort. It still hurts, though. I don't think there are any positives when you lose."
Tony Lane took the ensuing kickoff from Matt Wisnosky and returned it 12 yards before he was stripped by Wake Forest's Dominic Anderson, who recovered the fumble to seal the outcome.
"They are all hard when you lose," Navy coach Paul Johnson said. "They drove the ball down when they had to to win the game. As a microcosm of our damn season, we can't tuck it away on a kickoff return. And it was not a vicious lick, either. Trust me, I saw it.
"I am sick of losing. We didn't play well enough to win. That is all that matters. We have to play better everywhere. Offensively, we have to take care of the ball, and defensively, we have to play better."
Despite the offensive efficiency, there was plenty of blame to spread around for Navy. Its defense forced Wake Forest to punt just three times, and Navy committed three turnovers in the second quarter inside Wake Forest's 41. Candeto fumbled a snap at the Wake 40, and Warren Braxton also intercepted him twice.
"I am proud of our team for winning. It got down to crunch time and we pulled it out," Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said.
Navy trailed 17-7 at halftime, but Michael Brimage capped Navy's first possession of the second half with a 10-yard touchdown run, and the Midshipmen took a 21-20 lead with 2:26 left in the third quarter on Candeto's 53-yard touchdown pass to Chandler Sims and Eric Rolfs' extra point.
Brimage, a sophomore fullback, blasted through Wake Forest's defense for 171 yards and a touchdown. He started the season on the JV but isn't likely to go back anytime soon. It was the first 100-yard game by a Navy fullback since Raheem Lambert did it against Georgia Tech on Sept. 16, 2000 .
"I really don't know what to say," Brimage said. "Individual stats don't really make a difference. The only one I care about is the win. I thought we had the win. We couldn't seal the deal. Losing hurts."
Wake Forest regained the lead at 23-21 on Wisnosky's field goal with 12:08 left in the fourth quarter. The teams traded possessions, and the Midshipmen took over at their 40 with 8:06 to play.
Eric Roberts raced 19 yards to the Wake 40, and Brimage gained 32 yards on three carries to put Navy at the Wake 8.
Four plays later, Candeto ran untouched into the end zone from 1 yard. He was stuffed on the two-point try, but Navy led 27-23 and needed just one defensive stop to win. But it didn't get it.
"The guys just opened up a nice hole, and I just followed the fullback on the play and ran right through," Candeto said. "We haven't been ahead much this year, and it felt pretty good.
"At that point I thought we were going to take it, but again, we just didn't close it."
Navy 7 0 14 6 - 27
Wake Forest 10 7 3 10 - 30
Next for Navy
Matchup:Army (1-10) vs. Navy (1-10)
Site:The Meadowlands, East Rutherford, N.J.
When:Dec. 7, noon
TV/Radio: Chs. 13, 9/WJFK (1300 AM, WNAV (1430 AM)
Yesterday:Army lost to Memphis, 38-10