Dec. 27, 2009

Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo
(on flying in from all over the country) "We had 100 guys coming from across the country, and we only had a few guys come on the chartered flight. We're a national team, so guys come from all over but having said that, all but three guys made it here on time. To have 100 guys flying from across the country, to me, that's pretty amazing."

(on shifting from the relaxed holidays to practice) "Practice started off a little slow, some guys had to run off some turkey and sugar cookies. You come from Christmas which is such a pleasant time, and now we have to get ready to go, because we've got a very good football team that we're getting ready to play. We just have to make sure that our minds are right and that we have good practices, because Missouri is going to be a tough challenge for us."

(on participating in the Texas Bowl) "We just came from a blizzard last week on the East Coast with over two feet of snow, and it's just now melting, so to be able come down south and come here to Houston, we're ecstatic to be here. Everything that we've been a part of with this bowl so far has been first class. I showed my wife the bowl manual, and all the wives and our families are ecstatic to be here."

Navy QB Ricky Dobbs
(on returning to practice after the holiday) "Everybody's got the same goal in mind. Our officer representative for the football team told us we're going to do it like the fleet. When you leave your families at home, you come back and report for business, and that's what we're doing. We get to go back (to our families) after the game, so we have to put that on hold, and be here with this family, and we've got business to take care of."

(on being in Houston) "This is my first time in Houston outside of AAU basketball and playing Rice, so this will be my first time to actually go out and see what Houston has to offer."

(on what a victory means) "It would mean a lot for us. It would be the first time we've won a bowl since I've been here at the Academy. A lot of guys are hungry for that, and it gives us something to build off of for the offseason. We would be the third team in school history to win 10 games, and it would mean a lot for us to go down as one of the best teams to ever play for the school. That's definitely something in the back of our minds that we want to achieve. We made a team goal at the beginning to be the best team that we could be and right now with a victory, that would be the best that we could be."

(on Missouri) "Watching them on tape, they're pretty big and very physical on defense. We're going to have to come out here and prepare and be ready for a dogfight. I'm sure they aren't coming here ready to lay down, and neither are we. It's a bowl game, and it's supposed to be postseason fun, but everybody knows that we're about business. Both teams have four losses, we've got a little bit to prove, and both teams are hungry so I'm prepared for a fight."