Three keys: Navy in the Texas Bowl
December 31, 2009
Navy Midshipmen(9-4)
1. Watch Alexander: Missouri makes no secret that its plan is to get the ball to star receiver Danario Alexander, who led all receivers in yards this season. However, stopping him is another story. Navy doesn’t have one player who can match him man-to-man, so they’ll have to get some safety help to keep Alexander quiet and force Missouri to find other options.
2. Test the run defense: Missouri’s run defense ranks 12th in the country, allowing 96.42 yards per game, but it hasn’t faced an option offense in quite some time. Navy is the nation’s fourth-best rushing team and it’s going to need quarterback Ricky Dobbs to lead them against a tough Missouri front.
3. Diversify: One of the qualities that has made Dobbs so successful this season has been his ability to diversify the offense and give the Midshipmen a quality passing attack. Missouri is going to stack the box to stop the run, which will leave Dobbs with a couple of opportunities to find open receivers over the top.
