Navy brings unique offense to Texas Bowl

Missouri has not faced a team that runs the triple-option this year.

By Sean Leahy

Published Dec. 11, 2009

In the Texas Bowl, Navy will present the Missouri defense with challenges it has not faced this season.

The Midshipmen run a triple-option offense and are one of only a handful of teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision to do so. Of the few members of the Tigers defense who have played against this unique system, most faced it in high school.

Come Dec. 31 in Houston, the Tigers will have to acquaint themselves with this rare offense — one that has produced a premier rushing attack.

"The teams we've played this year, no one's like them," junior linebacker Andrew Gachkar said. "We obviously have to change everything up to play against them."

Navy junior quarterback Ricky Dobbs directs the potent running attack. After the snap, Dobbs can run the ball himself, hand it off to a fullback or pitch it to a trailing slotback.

The Midshipmen's receivers are usually on the field to block, as evidenced by Navy's 3,356 yards rushing this season compared to 867 yards passing. The two leading Navy receivers have 165 yards each this season. Missouri senior wide receiver Danario Alexander alone has caught for more yards in six different games.

After leading the nation in rushing the last four years, Navy ranks third in the country this year with 279.7 yards per game. The Midshipmen are well-versed in the offensive scheme and have shown they can execute it well.

"I'm really glad we have 11 practices instead of three," defensive coordinator Dave Steckel said.

Missouri will get extra film footage this weekend when Navy takes on Army in a battle of triple-option offenses. The game is on CBS at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in Philadelphia.

Navy has ridden its success with the triple-option to an 8-4 record going into this weekend's match-up with Army. Included in that record is a win against Notre Dame on the road and a four-point loss at Ohio State to start the season.

"Navy's a good team," senior defensive lineman Jaron Baston said. "They fight hard, they're tough mentally just for all the stuff they do outside the football field."

On the field, Dobbs is the man who makes Navy's offense tick. He has rushed for 924 yards and 23 touchdowns this season, followed by junior fullback Vince Murray who has 884 yards on the ground and six touchdowns.

Preparation will be key for the Tigers. Neither Gachkar nor Baston said he had ever played against the triple-option before. It might come as a relief to Missouri that it will have much more time than it would during a normal game week to prepare for the Midshipmen.

Missouri held its first bowl practice Thursday evening and will have two more weeks of practice in Columbia before traveling to Houston for the game.

"The more time you get to watch a team on film, the more you get to rep it over and get your mind used to doing the same things and seeing the same things over and over," Baston said. "It prepares you to go out and have your best game."