EMERALD BOWL
NEW MEXICO vs. NAVY - December 30th, 4:30 pm
This game provides a look at two coaches who have every right to be extremely proud of what they have accomplished the past few seasons. New Mexico HC Rocky Long has his fourth straight winning season in the books and all that is missing is a bowl victory. Navy HC Paul Johnson is equally deserving of recognition for the fine job that he has done in just three years at the helm in Annapolis. Johnson has turned around a pitiful Navy program that recorded only one victory in the two seasons prior to his arrival and the Middies have now earned two straight bowl bids.
The Midshipmen rolled through their schedule to a 9-2 record, losing only to Notre Dame and Tulane. Navy runs the triple option offense and has proven that it is difficult to prepare for and at times, can put up big yardage while controlling the clock. The Middies finished their season with 54 and 42 point victories over Rutgers and Army but are liable to find the going a little tougher against the Lobo defense. This offense likes to spread the ball around and Navy has four different backs that have averaged over 30 yards per game. Midshipmen QB Aaron Polanco is not much of a passing threat although he has been fairly effective with play action tallying 7 touchdowns, 4 interceptions and averaging 18 yards per pass this season. He has averaged only 77 yards per game through the air but he has frequently kept the ball himself on the option sweep, scoring 13 touchdowns on 844 yards rushing. It should be noted that although Navy went 9-2 on the year, their schedule was the weakest of any bowl team and they were spanked in the only game played against a fellow bowler, Notre Dame, by a score of 27-9.
New Mexico has lived and died by their defense this year and it has carried them to a 7-4 record. The Lobos finished the season ranked No. 8 against the run and have had ample time to prepare for this game and what the Middies will bring. In the only game that they played against a similar offense, Air Force was able to log the 28-23 victory with 239 yards rushing on 53 attempts. The offense averaged only 287 offensive yards this season which is the lowest total of all bowl teams but New Mexico?s offensive line outweighs their Navy counterparts by over 50 pounds per man and over the course of the game will likely wear down the Navy defensive front allowing RB Dontrell Moore to add to the 1,083 yards rushing he accumulated this season. The key however, will be for their stop unit to continue with the success that they had in their last four games where the Lobos allowed only 49 points combined. They are a force to be reckoned with as demonstrated in the game against Utah?s high powered offense in which they held the Utes to only 28 points which was 20 points below their season average and they were also able to contain the high flying Texas Tech offense in a 27-24 victory. Only four teams were able to rush for over 100 yards against this team with Utah and Air Force being the only two to cross the 200 yard mark. Is doubtful that the Midshipmen will have that kind of success and without a good performance on the ground, Navy will be hard pressed to beat the Lobos.
The Verdict: NEW MEXICO (-3)
NEW MEXICO vs. NAVY - December 30th, 4:30 pm
This game provides a look at two coaches who have every right to be extremely proud of what they have accomplished the past few seasons. New Mexico HC Rocky Long has his fourth straight winning season in the books and all that is missing is a bowl victory. Navy HC Paul Johnson is equally deserving of recognition for the fine job that he has done in just three years at the helm in Annapolis. Johnson has turned around a pitiful Navy program that recorded only one victory in the two seasons prior to his arrival and the Middies have now earned two straight bowl bids.
The Midshipmen rolled through their schedule to a 9-2 record, losing only to Notre Dame and Tulane. Navy runs the triple option offense and has proven that it is difficult to prepare for and at times, can put up big yardage while controlling the clock. The Middies finished their season with 54 and 42 point victories over Rutgers and Army but are liable to find the going a little tougher against the Lobo defense. This offense likes to spread the ball around and Navy has four different backs that have averaged over 30 yards per game. Midshipmen QB Aaron Polanco is not much of a passing threat although he has been fairly effective with play action tallying 7 touchdowns, 4 interceptions and averaging 18 yards per pass this season. He has averaged only 77 yards per game through the air but he has frequently kept the ball himself on the option sweep, scoring 13 touchdowns on 844 yards rushing. It should be noted that although Navy went 9-2 on the year, their schedule was the weakest of any bowl team and they were spanked in the only game played against a fellow bowler, Notre Dame, by a score of 27-9.
New Mexico has lived and died by their defense this year and it has carried them to a 7-4 record. The Lobos finished the season ranked No. 8 against the run and have had ample time to prepare for this game and what the Middies will bring. In the only game that they played against a similar offense, Air Force was able to log the 28-23 victory with 239 yards rushing on 53 attempts. The offense averaged only 287 offensive yards this season which is the lowest total of all bowl teams but New Mexico?s offensive line outweighs their Navy counterparts by over 50 pounds per man and over the course of the game will likely wear down the Navy defensive front allowing RB Dontrell Moore to add to the 1,083 yards rushing he accumulated this season. The key however, will be for their stop unit to continue with the success that they had in their last four games where the Lobos allowed only 49 points combined. They are a force to be reckoned with as demonstrated in the game against Utah?s high powered offense in which they held the Utes to only 28 points which was 20 points below their season average and they were also able to contain the high flying Texas Tech offense in a 27-24 victory. Only four teams were able to rush for over 100 yards against this team with Utah and Air Force being the only two to cross the 200 yard mark. Is doubtful that the Midshipmen will have that kind of success and without a good performance on the ground, Navy will be hard pressed to beat the Lobos.
The Verdict: NEW MEXICO (-3)
