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2009 Texas Bowl Odds & Picks: Navy vs Missouri

Written December 14, 2009 by Rock Henderson

It will be a middle of the pack Big 12 squad vs. one of the stronger Independent teams when the Mizzou Tigers and Navy Midshipmen meet. Styles will contrast in this match up as Missouri loves to air it out with strong armed quarterback Blaine Gabbert, while Navy relies on the triple action attack that is ran effectively by Ricky Dobbs. Points should come in bunches as the offenses outclass the defenses by a wide margin in this game. Our latest college football odds show that Mizzou is a 6.5 point favorite.

Navy will not have much time to prepare for their game with Missouri as the annual Army/Navy match up was pushed to December 12th to showcase the game on a stage of its own. That will leave the Midshipmen with a little over weeks to prepare for the explosive Tiger offense. QB Ricky Dobbs is the leader of this team as he is a dangerous threat running the ball. He leads the team in rushing with 913 yards and a eye popping 23 touchdowns on the ground. Navy does not try to trick you on offense as they threw the ball only 84 times the entire season. FB Vince Murray is a key part of this offense also, rushing for 884 yards and six scores in the triple option attack. Ken Niumatalolo’s squad was seeking their fifth straight national rushing title, but rank third in that category with two games to play and will not be able to catch up. The Midshipmen’s leading receiver, Mario Washington, has a whopping nine catches and is averaging over 18 yards per catch. This will be Navy’s seventh consecutive bowl trip and they have shockingly lost their last three bowl games. The team can still obtain 10 wins with a win over Army and by defeating Missouri. If you bet on college football you can now sign up with SportsBook.com and get a $20 free play!

Missouri has to feel a bit snubbed after being overlooked by representatives from the Insight Bowl and Independence Bowl. They will try and make the best of their situation with an intriguing match up against Navy. QB Blaine Gabbert has produced on the field besides a four game stretch in which the sophomore signal caller threw for four touchdown passes and seven interceptions. Since then, the Tigers have won three of their last four games and Gabbert has thrown eight touchdowns and no interceptions. He has amassed over 3300 yards on the season and has given Tiger fans hope for a bright future. RB Derrick Washington has ran for 803 yards and 10 touchdowns in his junior season. His numbers are down from last year, but there is no doubt that Washington is a guy you must keep an eye on if you are the opposing defense. WR Danario Alexander has been on a tear the past four games, catching 49 passes for over 800 yards and scoring six times. The prototypical wide receiver is a game breaker and is hard to double team as he lines up mainly in the slot position, but Gary Pinkel moves him around quite a bit also. WR Jerrell Jackson is also an important part of the offense and could have a huge Texas Bowl if the Middies decide to focus their attention on Alexander.

Navy has known that they would be playing in this bowl after they reached the seven win mark. Missouri finished the Big 12 season with a bang and capped off a eight win regular season. The Tigers defense is atrocious against the pass, but stout versus the run. Navy’s defense has struggled against some of the more explosive offenses they have faced this season and Missouri is as explosive as they come. Take the Tigers to the bank.

Recommended Play: Missouri -6.5

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