Navy eyes New Year’s Eve date with Missouri in 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