Eaglebank Bowl

NBA James, O'Neal help Cavs rally past Wizards, 102-90 LeBron James scored 27 points, Shaquille O'Neal added a season-high 21 while wearing out Washington's big men and the host Cleveland Cavaliers won their third straight, beating the Wizards, 102-90, on Tuesday night. The Cavaliers trailed by 18 in the second quarter before turning up their defense to win their sixth straight at home over the Wizards. Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas scored 22 apiece to lead Washington. Butler, back after missing one game with a bruised left knee, scored 17 in the first half.

In the days leading up to the 110th playing of the Army-Navy game, the Midshipmen listened quietly as their counterparts from West Point talked about the improvements they had made, the new confidence they possessed and the extra motivation they had with a bowl bid on the line. They saw their offense struggle in the first half and Army take a lead into the locker room at halftime. But Navy calmly rallied in the second half for a 17-3 victory in front of an announced 69,541 at Lincoln Financial Field and won the Commander in Chief's Trophy for a record seventh straight season.

Maryland learned Sunday that it will play in the Military Bowl at Washington's RFK Stadium — an outcome that seemed to puzzle and disappoint a school that believed it had earned the right to travel to a higher-level bowl game far from campus. The Terps (8-4, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) will be matched on Dec. 29 at 2:30 p.m. against East Carolina (6-6), which finished in a tie for fourth place in Conference USA. Maryland did not want to be disrespectful to the Military Bowl, which is in its third year — it was formerly called the EagleBank Bowl — and benefits the USO. But it was no secret that the Terrapins hoped and expected to be invited to an upper-echelon bowl game.

DEKALB, Ill. - Ricky Dobbs fumbled on his first snap from scrimmage and didn't throw a pass for nearly 23 minutes last night. But there wasn't a thing wrong with his legs. Making his first start for Navy, the sophomore quarterback rushed for 124 yards on 25 carries and scored a touchdown as the Midshipmen blanked Northern Illinois, 16-0, for their first shutout in five years. Navy (7-4) scored on its first two possessions and held the ball for more than 17 minutes in the first half. "I thought Ricky played solid," Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said.

Navy will play an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent in the 2011 Military Bowl on Dec. 28 at 4:30 p.m. at RFK Stadium in Washington. The game, which is presented by Northrop Grumman and benefits the USO, will be televised by ESPN. The Midshipmen played in the inaugural bowl game in 2008 — then called the EagleBank Bowl — losing to Wake Forest, 29-19. "Last year we rebranded the bowl game to better reflect the game's mission of recognizing and supporting our nation's military, so we're especially pleased to have the Naval Academy scheduled for the game at RFK Stadium this year," said Erik A. Moses , managing director of the Washington Convention and Sports Authority's Sports, Entertainment and Special Events Division.

For two seasons, Navy quarterback Kriss Proctor was a more-than-capable replacement when starter Ricky Dobbs went down with an injury. He stepped in to lead the Midshipmen to a pair of wins in three career starts, and when Dobbs returned to full health, stepped back to the sidelines just as quickly. Now, with Dobbs' illustrious college career completed, Proctor enters his senior season listed as QB1 on coach Ken Niumatalolo's depth chart, taking the keys to Navy's triple-option offense and trying to continue the success he saw in his previous role.

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - This is not how Maryland wanted its regular season to end: watching another team, Boston College, celebrate winning the Atlantic Coast Conference division title the Terrapins had long coveted. But when it was over, the Terps could only watch Eagles players pump their helmets up and down as they savored a 28-21 victory and an Atlantic Division championship. It was the sort of celebration the Terps (7-5, 4-4) had imagined occurring at Byrd Stadium last weekend if Maryland had beaten Florida State and Boston College had lost to Wake Forest.

PHILADELPHIA - Navy quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada had spent the past month trying to recover from a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for much of the season. Slotback Shun White had spent the past two months trying to rediscover the magic that had made him the nation's leading rusher early in the season. Fullback Eric Kettani had spent the season hearing all about his Army counterpart, Collin Mooney. Maybe it was the sight of Army's new camouflage uniforms yesterday at Lincoln Financial Field that helped Kaheaku-Enhada salvage his final season, White redefine his and Kettani prove who was the best service academy fullback.

NFL Injury report Sunday RAVENS AT PITTSBURGH RAVENS: Doubtful: T Jared Gaither (foot); LB Tavaras Gooden (groin); LB Jarret Johnson (knee); LS Matt Katula (forearm); S Ed Reed (groin). Questionable: WR Mark Clayton (knee); S KJ Gerard (thigh); DT Kelly Talavou (knee). Probable: C Matt Birk (neck); WR Justin Harper (foot); TE Todd Heap (chest); DT Haloti Ngata (ankle); TE LJ Smith (ankle); WR Kelley Washington (ankle). STEELERS: Doubtful: G Chris Kemoeatu (wrist)