Ricky Dobbs could have played football somewhere else. Unlike a lot of players on the Navy roster, the quarterback for the Midshipmen had an offer to be a receiver at Georgia Tech.

But he, and his family, wanted to go to the dentist.

Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs: On coming to Navy, the triple option and running for president

"Growing up, I didn't have the luxury of medical insurance," Dobbs said. "So my first trip to the dentist was for my 17th birthday. Here, your family and everybody can get free medical and dental benefits."

Such a simple thing, and such a responsible decision.

The Navy coaches are thrilled he's there. Dobbs played some last season, but is in his first year as a full-time starter and is the best passer this version of the Navy offense has ever seen.



He threw it in high school, and he misses that.



"A lot," Dobbs said with a laugh.

So though Navy went through a game last year without throwing a single pass, the passing game is a threat to Ohio State on Saturday. Jim Tressel said the threat of Navy's play action, when the Buckeyes are charging up hard to stop the triple option and Dobbs is looking downfield for a receiver who's all alone, is what scares him the most about this offense.

A year ago, Dobbs played in seven games, starting once, and threw only 16 passes, completing nine. But he averaged 24 yards per completion. So the pass won't be a staple of Navy's gameplan on Saturday, but it could lead to a few big plays.

And then Dobbs, a junior, plans to be on to bigger things in a few years. He wants to be the second African-American quarterback to win a Super Bowl, because he was born on the day, Jan. 31, 1998, that Washington's Doug Williams became the first. Then he wanted to become the first African-American president, but Barack Obama beat him to it, so he'll settle for second there, too.