Navy Midshipmen vs San Diego State Aztecs
Thursday, 12/23/10, 8:00 PM EDT, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: San Diego State -6
Current Betting Line: San Diego State -3.5
Opening Total: 60.5
Current Total: 60.5
Navy will be facing off for the third time overall and first time in postseason against San Diego State in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. The Midshipmen will be playing their third bowl game in San Diego in six years, returning to the city with the largest naval base on the West Coast. The team enters the contest ranked No. 1 in the country in fewest penalty yards per game and fifth in rushing by gaining 288.9 yards a contest. Navy closed out the regular season with a 31-17 win over Army on December 11 despite miscues by starting quarterback Ricky Dobbs. “Those turnovers drive you crazy,” said coach Ken Niumatalolo. “But that’s Ricky.” The team is 2-0 ATS as an underdog of 3.5 to 10 points and the college football lines page has them currently listed in getting points.
The Midshipmen are undoubtedly led on offense by Dobbs, who has recorded 48 career rushing touchdowns, which is the fifth-most by a quarterback in NCAA history. He also needs 140 yards rushing to become just the seventh quarterback in college football history to rush for 1,000 yards and pass for 1,000 yards in a season twice in his career. The Poinsettia Bowl marks Navy’s 17th bowl appearance, including a school-record eight straight. In its postseason history, the team has compiled a 7-8-1 bowl record, dropping the last three by a combined 14 points.
San Diego enters as one of the most improved teams in the country and will be playing in a bowl game for the first time since 1998, ending the nation’s ninth-longest active bowl drought in the process. “I feel great,” said senior wide receiver Vincent Jackson. “We had a lot of downs and ups and I say downs and ups because we know how this program was when we got here. It’s on the other side now.” The Aztecs posted an 8-4 overall record and their four losses came by a total of 15 points. Among those four losses are three that occurred on the road, with all three opponents currently ranked 20th or higher by the Associated Press. San Diego State is 6-4 ATS on the season and 3-3 ATS when favored.
The Aztecs defense will have had a good amount of time to prepare for the Midshipmen’s option attack and they allowed the third-fewest rushing yards in the Mountain West. “You have to stop the fullback,” said coach Brady Hoke. “Either after the fake or when he has it, he’s the one getting down the field cutting linebackers and alley players. You have to stop him.” This will mark Hoke’s third encounter with the Midshipmen after sweeping a home-and-home series in his final two seasons at Ball State.
Bettors will be interested in the Midshipmen being 7-0 ATS versus teams with a winning record, while the Aztecs are 1-3 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points.
The college football handicappers at Maddux Sports are off to a flying start in the bowl games and can’t wait for you to join them all the way up to the BCS Championship Game.
