By Bud L. Ellis
Entering the Texas Bowl on New Year’s Eve at Reliant Stadium in Houston, there is plenty of focus on the Navy offense, and with good reason.
But while the Midshipmen’s rush offense grabs lots of the attention, there should be equal focus on the Navy defense. In facing Missouri and its strong passing attack, the Midshipmen defense will have to play well if Navy wants to emerge with the victory.
Missouri didn’t figure to be as much of a passing threat this season with the graduation of Chase Daniel. But Blaine Gabbert has passed for 3,302 yards and 23 touchdowns, and has not thrown an interception since October. The Tigers are 13th in the nation in passing offense.
It will be a challenge for the Navy defense to slow down the Tigers’ air assault. Should Navy fall behind, it will be tough to catch up, as the Midshipmen prefer to run the ball behind standout quarterback Ricky Dobbs. Navy is fourth in NCAA in rushing offense but last in passing offense.
Stopping Missouri’s passing game is critical for a Navy defense that is giving up a little less than 20 points per game. Hold Missouri to that number or lower, and Navy should be in good shape. But if the Tigers are able to fling it all over the field, the Midshipmen could be in trouble.
—30—
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at 10:46 pm by bud
Tags: Blaine Gabbert, Chase Daniel, Missouri, Navy, Reliant Stadium, Ricky Dobbs, Texas Bowl
By Bud L. Ellis
For a school-record seventh-consecutive season, Navy will end its season with a bowl game.
The Midshipman will take on Missouri in the Texas Bowl, set for New Year’s Eve in Reliant Stadium in Houston. And all eyes will be on Navy’s powerful running attack, one that has propelled the Midshipman to nine victories. A win over the Tigers would give Navy 10 wins for just the second time in school history (1905, 2004) and would tie the school record.
At the center of it all is junior quarterback Ricky Dobbs, who set an NCAA record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season. Dobbs set the mark with his 24th running TD of the season in Navy’s 17-3 win over Army last Saturday.
Dobbs, who hails from the Atlanta suburbs, has rushed for at least one touchdown in all 12 games this season. He’s second in the nation in TDs this season and in points scored per game in 2009 (12.0). If Dobbs can get loose and do his thing, the Midshipman figure to have a good shot at ending a three-year bowl losing streak.
Navy’s last win in a bowl game came in 2005, in the Poinsettia Bowl against Colorado State. The matchup with Missouri is the first time Navy has faced the Tigers since the 1961 Orange Bowl, a game Navy lost 21-14. In the only other matchup between the two schools, Navy lost to Missouri 35-14 in 1948.
—30—
Wednesday, December 16, 2009 at 10:19 pm by bud
Tags: Army, Colorado State, Missouri, Navy, Poinsettia Bowl, Ricky Dobbs, Texas Bowl
The Missouri Tigers feel slighted that they were passed up in favor of 6-6 Iowa State for the Insight Bowl.
Now, they’ve got a chance to do something about it against the Navy Midshipmen, as the two 8-4 teams will square off on New Year’s Eve in the Texas Bowl.
In the first meeting between the two schools since the 1961 Orange Bowl, we’ll see a huge contrast of styles. Missouri features one of the most prolific passing attacks in the NCAA, ranking 14th in the country in passing yardage per game, while the Midshipmen boast the NCAA’s 3rd ranked rushing attack.
Navy relies on a triple-spread option for their offensive scheme, which explains why QB Ricky Dobbs has thrown for a total of 840 yards and four touchdowns all season.
Dobbs does most of his damage on the ground, as he’s accounted for 913 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns on the season.
While Missouri ranks 12th best in the country in rushing defense (only allowing opponents an average of 96.4 yards/game rushing), they haven’t faced any offenses like Navy.
On the other side of the ball, Missouri features the ever-dangerous Danario Alexander out wide, who’s always a threat to break off a big play. Alexander has racked up over 1600 yards receiving this season, to go with 13 touchdowns.
If Navy can limit the damage done from Missouri QB Blaine Gabbart to Alexander, they’ve got a solid shot to pull out the victory here.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 10:11 pm by bryan
