the head football coach at James Madison, I made the

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Army coach Jeff Monken and Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson have spent three years building their programs toward bowl eligibility.Their teams meet Saturday with the host Demon Deacons a win away from qualifying for a bowl, while the Black Knights are having one of their best seasons in years to put them at least within reach of that same goal.After two straight 3-9 seasons, Wake Forest (5-2) can become bowl eligible for the first time since 2011. And Army (4-3) has already matched its best season win total since last having a winning season and bowl trip in 2010.With both coaches in their third year, Clawson sees parallels in each programs growth.I speak from experience: when youre in your third year, the kids understand the offense and the defense, Clawson said. So theyve had the same offensive system for three years and the same defensive system for three years. Theyre not playing a lot of guys theyve recruited that have bought in, and now theyre more multiple on both sides of the ball.So theyre not only doing what they do better, theyre doing more things that make them hard to prepare for.The Demon Deacons are coming off a bye week following a loss at Florida State, while the Black Knights have lost three of four since a 3-0 start. Still, Army has reached four wins before November for just the second time since a 10-win season 20 years ago.Army is coming off a 35-18 home loss to North Texas that included the Black Knights committing seven turnovers.Show me a team that isnt down after a loss and Ill show you a bunch of losers, Monken said. When you care and you lose, its going to hurt, and it should hurt. Hopefully it will tick them off, and well come back and play better. When thats the case, then you know you have guys that care.---Some other things to know about Saturdays Army-Wake Forest game:HINTONS STATUS: Its unclear whether mobile Wake Forest quarterback Kendall Hinton will return after a four-game absence due to a knee injury. Clawson said the sophomore is making progress but hasnt looked fully ready at times during practice. Hintons mobility would certainly help loosen things up for the offense, though junior John Wolford has 28 career starts.NATIONALLY RANKED: Army ranks second nationally in rushing offense (357.6 yards) and leads the country in possession time at roughly 36 minutes per game, led by Andy Davidson (615 yards rushing, seven touchdowns) and Ahmad Bradshaw (494 yards, four TDs). And that ball-control offense is a big reason why the Black Knights also rank third in total defense (255.9) and 10th in scoring defense (17 points).TURNOVER MARGIN: Turnovers could be a big factor. Armys seven turnovers led to 21 points in last weeks loss to North Texas, and the Black Knights are tied for 76th nationally in turnover margin. Wake Forest is tied for 18th and has had two turnover-free games this season. With an up-and-down offense, Wake Forest cant afford to lose possessions and give Army extra chances to get its clock-eating offense in a rhythm.SERIES SUCCESS: Wake Forest has beaten Army in four straight seasons, winning each of the past two by three-point margins since Clawson and Monken had taken over their respective programs. We just havent been able to find a way to beat them, Monken said.BOWL MENTALITY: Clawson said the team talked in the preseason about the realistic goal of becoming bowl eligible, but he said the coaches wouldnt bring it up this week. Senior defensive lineman Josh Banks said the players know the program could make a big step by reaching six wins, but added: By far we want to win more than six games.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap---More AP college football: http://collegefootball.ap.org Devils Jerseys China . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Custom Devils Jerseys . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. http://www.customdevilsjersey.com/ . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. 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(STATS) -- Theyre surrounded by reminders all year long, whether its in a trophy case or in the talk that goes with their programs historical level of success.The four teams in this years FCS semifinals, James Madison will play at North Dakota State Friday night and Youngstown State goes to Eastern Washington on Saturday, have all won an FCS national title previously.The only other year that has happened since the playoff system began in 1978 was in 2006, with Massachusetts, Montana, Youngstown State and eventual champion Appalachian State.The coaches and players from the semifinalists understand they are in special programs, and share a need to maintain the high standards.Number one, its not anything that we had hid from or backed down from since the first day I got here, James Madisons first-year coach Mike Houston said Monday. The first day that I was introduced as the head football coach at James Madison, I made the statement that our goal was to perennially contend for the CAA championship and to be a presence at the national level and to compete for a national championship. Certainly thats the expectation that I had comingg in here, I think its the expectation of all of our players within our program.ddddddddddddNorth Dakota State has won the last five FCS titles, one shy of Georgia Southerns record six. Youngstown State won four FCS titles in the 1990s (1991, 93, 94 and 97). James Madison captured the 2004 national title and Eastern Washington did the same in 2010.James Madison is appearing in the playoffs for the 13th time, while Eastern Washington and Youngstown State are both making their 12th appearances. North Dakota State, which moved to Division I in 2004 and became playoff-eligible in 09, is in the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.I think if you look at it for this year, NDSU coach Chris Klieman said, I believe the best four teams are left.North Dakota State, Eastern Washington and James Madison are seeded 1, 2 and 4, respectively, and each is 12-1. Youngstown State is unseeded and 11-3.The semifinal-round winners will meet in the national championship game Jan. 7 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. ' ' '