One of the nation’s top quarterbacks against a quarterback who passed for more than 3,500 yards this season.

It appears the defense is in trouble when Navy and San Diego State meet in the Poinsettia Bowl, Dec. 23 at

Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.

There figures to be plenty of offense in this one. Navy (9-3) brings its triple-option attack anchored by quarterback Ricky Dobbs, who has rushed for 860 yards and 13 touchdowns, and passed for 1,380 yards and 12 touchdowns. In three seasons, Dobbs has accounted for 48 rushing touchdowns, 13 100-yard games and 2,558 yards on the ground.

But Navy’s rushing attack, fifth in the nation with 288.9 yards per game, features more than Dobbs. Navy also features running backs Alexander Teich (825 yards) and Gee Gee Greene (459).

San Diego State (8-4) brings plenty of offense to the matchup as well, boasting an offense 20th in the nation in points scored and 11th in passing at 303.8 yards per contest. Ryan Lindley led the Mountain West in passing with 3,554 yards and tied for conference top honors with 26 touchdowns. DeMarco Sampson hauled in 65 passes for 1,175 yards, while Vincent Brown finished with 61 receptions for 1,187 yards.

It’s the first time since the two schools have played since 1997, when the Aztecs beat Navy 45-31.

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Navy struggled at the outset of the game and went into the second quarter trailing by two touchdowns.

As Midshipmen are apt to do, the team didn’t panic and quickly began to take control of the game.

Despite running more than twice as many offensive plays as Maryland, Navy couldn’t put the ball in the end zone.

They found themselves in the red zone seven times over the course of the game only to score two touchdowns.

Despite the fact that Navy was essentially the home team, Army managed to pull off the one-goal upset.

 The day also features the Maryland Terrapins and Johns Hopkins Blue Jays, which is widely regarded as the oldest rivalry in lacrosse.

This past May, M&T Bank Stadium and Johns Hopkins played host to the NCAA Lacrosse Championships, which is considered the premier college lacrosse event in the country.

Ricky Dobbs is back, his kneecap is healing and the Navy Midshipmen are looking for even better things in 2010.

Guided by Dobbs, who rushed and passed for more than 1,000 yards and set an NCAA record for single-season rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, Navy hits the field with 16 starters back in the fold from last season’s 10-4 squad.

Navy, which won the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy for the seventh consecutive season, beat Missouri in the Texas Bowl last season.

Despite a broken kneecap that slowed most of his season, Dobbs still set the NCAA record for single-season rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, rushing for 27 (and throwing for six more). Dobbs rushed for 1,203 yards and passed for 1,031 last season.

Navy kicks off the 2010 season against Maryland at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Sept. 6. The home opener comes against Georgia Southern five days later. Three consecutive road games are next: at Louisiana Tech, at Air Force and at Wake Forest.

After playing host to Southern Methodist Oct. 16, Navy faces Notre Dame on Oct. 23 at The New Meadowlands. Then comes three home games out of the next four contests: vs. Duke, at Eastern Carolina, vs. Central Michigan and vs. Arkansas State.

Navy then will end the regular season by playing for its eighth consecutive Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, Dec. 11 against Army at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

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Former President George Bush was on hand to witness the beating first hand at Reliant Stadium, and the Midshipmen certainly didn’t disappoint the old Commander-in-Chief.

Playing against a team many thought would be too fast and too explosive for Navy, the Midshipmen ran the ball down the Tigers’ throats and dominated time of possession.

That kept Missouri’s explosive passing attack on the sidelines for much of the day, which then threw them out of their usual rhythm.

The way in which Navy’s rushing attack constantly kept Missouri off balance was a sight to behold. The Tigers defense was getting very frustrated in the second half, as they had a hard time believing a team like Navy could run at will on them.

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.

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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.

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The Midshipmen got off to a slow start, trailing Delaware 9-7 at halftime.

However, they responded with 21 fourth quarter points to turned what was a close game into a relatively easy victory.

Navy, despite a disappointing loss to Temple, has really had a fantastic year highlight by the win in South Bend.

The Midshipmen have a couple of games left before the big showdown against the rival Army Cadets.

After a furious rally fell just short in Baltimore last year, the Midshipmen finished the job this year with a 23-21 upset of Notre Dame.

The game was not nearly as close as the score indicated, as Navy held a two touchdown lead for much of the fourth quarter. The Irish did have the ball late in the game trailing by seven, but Navy sacked Jimmy Clausen for a safety to end any threat of a comeback.

It’s another signature win for the Midshipmen, who have to be kicking themselves over their loss to Temple last week.