The
2008 EagleBank Bowl was the inaugural edition of the new
college football bowl game, and was played at
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in
Washington, DC. The game, formerly known as the
Congressional Bowl before naming rights were purchased by
EagleBank, started at 11 AM
US EST on Saturday, December 20, 2008, as the first contest of the
2008–09 bowl season. The game, telecast on
ESPN, pit the
Wake Forest Demon Deacons against the
Navy Midshipmen. This was a
rematch of a September 27, 2008, game between the two teams that Navy won, 24–17, at Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons got a measure of revenge by winning the game, 29–19.
Not only was it a 11a.m. start, as stated above it was also the first day of the 2008 bowl season, meaning the Deacs literally kicked off the bowls for that year. At the time, I recall thinking immediately after the game that it kind of felt like a Thursday opener in August where after a win you can sit back and relax/enjoy the rest of the following days' action, i.e. not a bad thing.