Military Bowl

The Naval Academy will host its first-ever bowl game this year, as organizers announced Monday the move of the 2013 Military Bowl from RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis in December. “This move puts our game into a facility that honors the men and women who have served in our Armed Forces,” said Steve Beck, DC Bowl Committee president and executive director. “The big benefit for other schools coming in, if you talk to college players, playing at a military academy is unique and special.

The Naval Academy will host its first-ever bowl game this year, as organizers announced Monday the move of the 2013 Military Bowl from RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis in December. “This move puts our game into a facility that honors the men and women who have served in our Armed Forces,” said Steve Beck, DC Bowl Committee president and executive director. “The big benefit for other schools coming in, if you talk to college players, playing at a military academy is unique and special.

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.

After every game, Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith returns to his phone and finds a text message from his former University of Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen . Some texts, like the one Friedgen sent last Saturday following the Ravens' 38-35 victory over the Denver Broncos, are congratulatory. Others offer support or encouragement. Almost all of them include Friedgen telling Smith how much his success means to him. "I try to tell him every time we talk how proud I am of him,” Friedgen said.

College football San Jose St. to play in Military Bowl at RFK San Jose State, fresh off its first 10-win season since 1987, has agreed to play in the Military Bowl on Dec. 27 at RFK Stadium, bowl organizers announced Friday. The Spartans, who received the 26th-most votes in the most recent Associated Press poll, will play a team to be determined after this weekend's games are completed. It will be San Jose State's second trip to the Washington area this season. On Sept. 29, the Spartans defeated Navy, 12-0, in Annapolis.

After every game, Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith returns to his phone and finds a text message from his former University of Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen . Some texts, like the one Friedgen sent last Saturday following the Ravens' 38-35 victory over the Denver Broncos, are congratulatory. Others offer support or encouragement. Almost all of them include Friedgen telling Smith how much his success means to him. "I try to tell him every time we talk how proud I am of him,” Friedgen said.

WEDNESDAY'S TELEVISION HIGHLIGHTS M. bask. Northwestern@Ohio State BIGTEN5:30 Southern Methodist@Okla. State ESPNU6:30 Georgetown@Louisville ESPN27 Villanova@West Virginia MASN7 Wofford@South Carolina TCN7 Indiana@Michigan State BIGTEN7:30 Lamar@Kentucky ESPNU8:30 Baylor vs. Mississippi State ESPN29 Connecticut@South Florida MASN9 Purdue@Iowa BIGTEN9:30 Seton Hall@Syracuse (T)

Quarterback C.J. Brown has started only a single game for Maryland, and there's already speculation about whether Danny 'O'Brien -- the starter the previous 15 games -- could depart for another school. It's a bit premature. At least for now, those who know him say O'Brien doesn't intend to leave. That doesn't surprise me. His attachment to Maryland and the region is strong, and that's not something that changes overnight.  O'Brien is smart enough to know seasons are long, and outlooks for players can swiftly change.

If anyone wants to nitpick at Navy's football success over the past decade, a starting point - and finish line - might be the team's record in bowl games. Going into Saturday's Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl against Arizona State (7-5) at San Francisco's AT&T Park, Navy (8-4) has lost four of its last five postseason games and five of eight since 2003. Though two of the losses have been close - a 25-24 defeat to Boston College in the 2006 Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, N.C., and a 35-32 defeat to Utah the next year at the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego - many have been blowouts.

Each morning, Monday through Friday, I'll hook you up with reading material to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday -- that way I'll have an excuse to do the same at the start of mine. Running it back: John Harbaugh says motivation is a two-way street for the Ravens and the Steelers . ... Prescott Burgess is headed to the injured reserve . ... Tony LaCava turned down the Orioles' offer to become their next general manager . ... For the first time in 13 years, the Orioles have multiple Gold Glove winners . ... Randy Edsall is "not panicking" about the Terps' 2-6 start . ... Navy was invited to join the Big East as a football-only member.

If anyone wants to nitpick at Navy's football success over the past decade, a starting point - and finish line - might be the team's record in bowl games. Going into Saturday's Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl against Arizona State (7-5) at San Francisco's AT&T Park, Navy (8-4) has lost four of its last five postseason games and five of eight since 2003. Though two of the losses have been close - a 25-24 defeat to Boston College in the 2006 Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, N.C., and a 35-32 defeat to Utah the next year at the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego - many have been blowouts.

College football San Jose St. to play in Military Bowl at RFK San Jose State, fresh off its first 10-win season since 1987, has agreed to play in the Military Bowl on Dec. 27 at RFK Stadium, bowl organizers announced Friday. The Spartans, who received the 26th-most votes in the most recent Associated Press poll, will play a team to be determined after this weekend's games are completed. It will be San Jose State's second trip to the Washington area this season. On Sept. 29, the Spartans defeated Navy, 12-0, in Annapolis.

It's hard to miss the illustration of an oversized pyramid posted on a wall inside the Gossett Football Team House. In and around the black and red pyramid - which Maryland players see as they walk between the locker room and meeting rooms - are words depicting core values and goals of the Terps. Among the goals in block letters at the top are "ACC Champion," "Graduate" and "Bowl Game. " Halfway through their regular season, the Terps (4-2, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) aren't quite comfortable talking about a bowl game.

THURSDAY'S TELEVISION HIGHLIGHTS NASCAR Sprint Cup: AAA 400 (T) SPEEDNoon M. bask. Villanova@West Virginia (T) MASN10 a.m. Northwestern@Ohio State (T) BIGTEN10:30 a.m. Indiana@Michigan State (T) BIGTEN12:30 Purdue@Iowa (T) BIGTEN2:30 Florida@Rutgers ESPN27 Elon@North Carolina ESPNU7 Penn State@Michigan BIGTEN7:30 Georgia Tech@Fordham CBSSN8 Vanderbilt@Marquette ESPN29 Oklahoma@Cincinnati ESPNU9 Robert Morris@Memphis TCN9 Penn State@Michigan BIGTEN11 UCLA@Stanford CSN11 BYU@St.

A year ago today, Kevin Anderson announced that he was firing Ralph Friedgen after the longtime Maryland football coach refused to retire. A year ago today, the mess that is now the Maryland football program began to take hold in College Park. While first-year coach Randy Edsall certainly played a major part in the team's embarrassing 2-10 record in 2011, so did Anderson. In fact, Anderson might be even more responsible. Not only did he hire a coach with a mediocre overall record (74-70)

The holidays can be stressful, and once the Christmas season hits, free time is precious. Thus, in the holiday spirit of selflessness, here is our top 20 (of the 35 games) to help you best adjust your calendar around the holidays. 20. Holiday Bowl, California (7-5) vs. Texas (7-5), Dec. 28: Both coaches have been at their schools forever, and the loser is going to hear a lot of grief in the offseason. Actually, considering each team was so inconsistent, the winner is going to get some grief this offseason too. 19. Military Bowl, Air Force (7-5)

It's hard to miss the illustration of an oversized pyramid posted on a wall inside the Gossett Football Team House. In and around the black and red pyramid - which Maryland players see as they walk between the locker room and meeting rooms - are words depicting core values and goals of the Terps. Among the goals in block letters at the top are "ACC Champion," "Graduate" and "Bowl Game. " Halfway through their regular season, the Terps (4-2, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) aren't quite comfortable talking about a bowl game.

The list of Maryland players who went from being burgeoning stars to malcontents to former Terps grew again Wednesday, when sophomore tailback D.J. Adams announced that he had been granted his release from the school. Adams, who as a redshirt freshman scored 11 mostly red-zone touchdowns for former coach Ralph Friedgen, played infrequently under first-year coach Randy Edsall after being suspended from the season-opening victory over Miami for violating an unspecified team rule. After gaining 239 yards on 67 carries as a freshman -- including scoring four times for the 9-4 Terps in their Military Bowl victory over East Carolina in what turned out to be ACC Coach of the Year's last game -- Adams carried only 40 times for 167 yards and four touchdowns for Edsall's 2-10 team.