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'08 Texas Bowl
Ask Sgt. Clemente (Clem) Torres, who's thrilled enough
with the Rice Owls' Texas Bowl appearance that he not only wrote to the team this week but
also displayed his passion for all to see in Balad, Iraq, where he's stationed with the
U.S. Army's Delta Company 3-159th Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. HOUSTON (Dec. 15) -- The epic journey in a single year from a 3-9 record to a 9-3 season has got to belie sea changes in attitudes, beliefs, and even basic relationships among the players, coaches and supporters of a major college football program. It's a journey that rarely takes place in college football, and is singularly unheard of at places such as Rice, with its perceived impediments to easy success on the gridiron. But that voyage took place this year under the steady guide of head coach David Bailiff at the helm, who now sails his team into Rice's second bowl game in three years in a following sea and a fair wind. Coach Bailiff tried to convince those who would listen during the dog days of August that he and his crew were about to sail into new waters this season. To all hands, it was clear, last year, that a feeling of command just wasn't there yet among the new Rice mentor, his staff and his players. That came as no surprise, given the turbulent nature of his predecessor's stormy departure. But beyond that, suddenly in charge of a Division 1A program for the first time, David Bailiff was obviously feeling his way along the bottom, and uneasily as he went. Some Rice insiders were even questioning the wisdom of his hire. Flash forward a year, then. Wait, just flash forward, say, nine months, to the most recent preseason August two-a-days -- to Media Day, to be precise. It was a different man who took the podium to address gathered news media as the Owl players checked in and drew their equipment. Gone was any apparent sense of ill ease. The wind was in this man's sails, and he spoke with a newly-found self-confidence and enthusiasm. "What a difference a year makes!" he began by extolling. "Rice feels like home. This team feels like mine. And that's exciting. I like this football team. We have tremendous senior leadership. The seniors now realize that they can influence an entire football team -- and they've done that." The cant of the second-year Rice head coach was pretty much dismissed at the time as being the inevitable forced enthusiasm of an early-season campaign speech. But as the football season unfolded, and this Rice team unveiled win after win, it became clear that David Bailiff indeed had something special going on as far back as early August, that he knew his own mind and the mind of his players from the very onset of the '08 season and before. That change in view began with a sense of accomplishment, relatively speaking, over the inaugural '07 campaign. "I was proud of that football team a year ago, when we were three and nine," Coach Bailiff said. "We onside-kicked five times, you know, it wasn't like we were out of the games we played. But when you go through spring training with 50 players -- I knew what the reality of it was." He knew, too, it turned out, that immediate improvement on the ledger was a necessary thing. But he wasn't particularly concerned about that eventuality, he insisted. "I played for a guy named Coach Wacker," he said. "All he ever taught us to do, was to do your best. Don't sweat the rest and winning will take care of itself." "As a coach, I have to improve every year, too. There are situations that we were in last year, I know where we were on offense and defense that we just couldn't do a year ago. I brought in a lot of traditional thinking that I have held for 45 years as a player and a coach. And those things sometimes just don't apply." "Against Baylor, for instance, we ran out two tight ends and two backs, and we found out that that just wasn't what we did well." Record clearly showed different approach was in order Coach Bailiff dead-panned that the necessity of a mid-course correction after the '07 season was made evident "by carefully examining the statistics" -- statistics such as a 42-17 loss to Big 12 doormat Baylor, and a 16-14 loss to 1AA Nichols State in the season opener. "We knew (last year) we were not going in the right direction. So I knew what not to do this year. For every little situation, you know what Chase's comfort level is, and JD and Brian Raines -- and know what they can do and know what they can't do. And the whole staff is aware of that." The Rice coach said that a basic shift in approach -- call it "depth of view" -- was dictated from the start of the '08 campaign. "We started talking to them as soon as last season was over," he said, "about 'one game at a time,' 'one play at a time.' And we've got a jillion great coaching cliches that we've used from that point." "But all of a sudden, they're listening. They want to be coached; they want to excel; they want to win. They want to achieve something of significance this year." Another sail was raised in January, when Coach and the missus invited Owl seniors over to the house for dinner one frigid evening. "We talked," Coach B recalled. "We set our goals and set them high. We shared our vision of what this season could be. We came up with what we thought we could accomplish. We talked about how you have to do things one thing at a time." When spring drills rolled around, it was a new day. The first obvious difference from the previous campaign lay in the fact that the Owls had 85 warm bodies, instead of only 50, present, willing and able to butt heads with each other. But there was something else. With a newfound sense of comfort and belonging, the Rice coaching staff set about to change some very basic approaches. These were Rice students, after all, not Division 1AA prop 48s. "We had to change the way that we approached things," Coach recalled. "I tried to give them ownership at times. We had them build a practice; I let them check curfew instead of the coaches.. We let them know that this coaching staff is here for them, that they were not here for us." Throughout all the drudgery of the off-season spring drills, team meetings, weight sessions, study halls -- there was a feeling building among the coaches and players. It was a feeling that spread to Rice's die-hard supporters, once the season got underway. That feeling was "trust." "I think until coaches trust players and players trust coaches, it's hard to win," Coach Baliff said. By contrast, there was evident a careful, one could even say suspicious jockeying around by players and coaches that lasted throughout the '07 campaign. David Bailiff by nature a cautious individual Perhaps it was inevitable, given the experience of Todd Graham's tumultous coming and sudden going. Even so, it was exacerbated by David Bailiff's essential nature. He is, after all, a cautious man. One might even say there is a suspicious streak in his personality. But as for his staff and his team, that proclivity was overcome and gotten past, some time in the dark winter days after the disappointing 3-9, '07 season. With mutual familiarity came a comfort zone, a feeling of knowing one's own boundaries and the proclivities and tendencies of one's counterparts, coaches and players. "I know that these young men now know that I've kept my word to them -- ever since the day I got here," the Rice coach said. "I know they trust me. I know they trust this staff. And to win those fourth- and- ones, you've got to trust each other." "When you start getting indications that everybody is listening and everybody is doing once asked of them were making a major step in this program. We're building something great." Too, there came the realization to David Bailiff of the value of the product he was, in essence, selling. Previous coaching regimes considered Rice's academic rigors a major stumbling block to on-field success. David Bailiff took one look, and turned that formula inside-out. "When you get in and you see how Rice can change a young man's life; when you think about what kind of a job a Rice graduate can expect right out of college, Rice becomes an easy sell," Coach Bailiff insisted. "We go into living rooms now and tell the players and the parents after five years, we expect you to be the boss. After 10 years, we expect you to pay your scholarship back. After 30 years, we expect you to have a building named after you. And right there's the proof. It's not just a sales pitch. It's what happens at Rice." The Rice head man said that the culture was to embrace Rice's strong academic tradition. He pointed out that his football team had a higher GPA last year that it's ever had on record. "We expect our guys to do well in school, just as we expect them to do well on the football field," he said. "Those expectations are not going to change." This lemons-to-lemonade approach appeared immediately to result in a fine harvest in the recruiting fields, and that, in turn, improved outlook and attitudes among the crew at hand. David Bailiff's still-cautious nature, it turns out, never encroaches upon self-doubt. Throughout the benighted '07 campaign, the Rice mentor insists, he never lost faith in his own ability to turn things around. "I've been through many football campaigns, and I have a tremendous belief in myself," he insisted. "I have a tremendous belief in my coaching staff, and I have a tremendous belief in this football team. And it's not like there has been a tremendous history. That is something that we are building." "I'm thrilled to be the head coach here. I've got a great boss and a great president, who are working to make this a better place every day." "I don't doubt myself. I had great coaches, growing up. I've been around great program builders. Things in football don't happen fast." "You still experience all the emotions of playing without the bruising. You wake up in the morning, and you can't wait to get to work." "It's an exciting time to be here at Rice." David Bailiff, it is clear, has settled into what he considers a comfort zone. And that sense of comfort has spread around to everyone who has been a part of this magical 2008 Rice football season. --PTH 'I've heard they're
located up in western Michigan'
HOUSTON (Dec. 8) – It seems Notre Dame’s Texas Bowl no-show registered scarcely a blip on the radar screen for the home town contestants in that game – or so insisted Rice head coach David Bailiff and two of his key players here Monday. Instead, the attitude is "business as usual" for this Rice team, which has the opportunity to earn a 10-win season for the first time in over 50 years as a representative of Rice’s football fortunes. That, in and of itself, is more than enough incentive to keep one’s eyes on the prize, Coach Bailiff and his players unanimously agreed. "First off, we are absolutely thrilled to be staying at home and going to the Texas Bowl, the Rice head man insisted. "It will be a bowl that our players can cherish because of all the different events that the bowl gives – this is truly an elite bowl for our guys and they will absolutely love it." First comes the bonuses incumbent with any bowl berth – the ability to work in several more weeks of practice, the chance to get back to fundamentals. "With our having this amount of time to get ready," Rice junior DB Andrew Sendejo said, "we will be able to go back and do some fundamental stuff; we will be able to break down some of the things that we did wrong in the UH game and we will be able to fix all those little things. And that’s going to help us be ready to play against Western Michigan." Rice senior quarterback Chase Clement also said the travel issue is much ado about nothing – in fact, the circumstances, if anything, play in the Owls’ favor. " I don’t think it’s that big of a deal," he said. "With the team that we’re going to play, being that they’re from Michigan, it looks like we’re going to have more of a home field crowd and that will work to our advantage. But I don’t think that means a whole lot. The way the bowl set you up, it’s going to feel like we’re not at home anyway. They give you so many things to do to keep you occupied and entertained." Notre who? Too, there’s no disappointment over the failure to show by Notre Dame as a much anticipated Rice opponent – well, perhaps a tinge of regret over a missed opportunity to kick a storied, but overrated and arrogant program right between the teeth. But not even that, Coach Bailiff insisted. "I don’t care about any of that," Coach B said. "Just tell me who, show me where, and we’ll go to work. It’s a bowl game is the second bowl game in three years at Rice. So we can quit talking about that, quote ‘the first bowl game in 45 years’ stuff from now on." "We’re going to our second bowl game in three years. I’m not disappointed in anything. I’m getting goose bumps already. I can promise you this will be this team will be refocused and refreshed. There isn’t any disappointment." Chase Clement said the opportunity factor was the thing that hit him and his teammates in the face. "I think that we’ve gotten a great opportunity, because of the chance to go to 10 wins – which is an opportunity both teams have. It’s an exciting prospect, and I know that the people associated Rice would agree with that. It will be a great opportunity to accomplish a lot." Andrew Sendejo shrugged off all the media ballyhoo of the previous week. Doesn’t have anything to do with his world, he said. "I’m kind of old school," he dead-panned. "It was completely out of my control. So I don’t worry about it. I just enjoyed my week off and tried to get healthy and just let things run their course. You can’t control it, so you can’t worry about things like that area." "It really doesn’t matter to me who we’re playing. I’m going to go out there with the same attitude that I do every week." Bailiff impressed with WMU prowess Coach Bailiff said he hadn’t yet begun to study films of Western Michigan, although he knew from the onset that the Kalamazoo, Mich.,- based school was a potential bowl foe. "This was a team that (AD) Chris (DelConte) had mentioned we could easily be having as an opponent, the first time I talked to him, so it wasn’t surprising." Coach Bailiff said he has an enormous amount of respect for his opponent (of course, that’s requisite Coach-Speak but one senses his sincerity in the event.) "Western Michigan, you know, they are nine and three. They have a top 10 passing offense. It’s a game we are really, really going to have to prepare for to have a chance to win." WMU is ranked 57th in the BCS standings, and a win over the Broncos, if other games break right, might be enough to propel the Owls into a season-finale Top-25 spot, Coach B pointed out. "There are a lot of opportunities out there for us. On some of the polls, were already up as far as 28th. We are playing possibly for a top 25 spot. When you get an opponent like Western Michigan, with a record if they are having, it gives you an opportunity to move up." "The guys are fired up about this Texas bowl, and they’re fired up about their opponent. I’m sure that when they first heard (about the Notre Dame defection) there was some disappointment, but if you sit back and reflect, and you see what’s coming, it makes you ready to go to work. Andrew Sendejo there’s a realization waiting around the bend to hit the Owls in the face. "The feeling is going to settle in here soon, realizing that we have a real chance to win 10 games and be bowl champions, and in that way, to make our mark on rice football history. That’s going to help motivate the guys throughout the next couple of weeks of practice." Andrew got a big chuckle out of gathered scribes when asked what he knew about Western Michigan. "Well, I’ve heard they’re located up in western Michigan," he dead-panned. "That’s all I know, I don’t really know about them that much." "But I’ll be finding out here really soon." --P. T. H. Yes, Rice has bowl
history! HOUSTON (Dec. 27) -- Tuesday's Texas Bowl game between Rice and Western Michigan is a contest many long-in-the-tooth Owl fans frankly had never expected to see, ere they passed from this orb. Ironically, at the same time, it's a game that every Owl fan has come to anticipate with more than a tinge of regret and nostalgia -- a game that they knew had to come along eventually, but wished that it somehow, some way, might be pushed off just a bit more into the indefinite future. For when the Owls and the Broncos tee it up at Reliant Stadium 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, the game will mark the last time ever that Rice's Dynamic Duo, quarterback Chase Clement and wide receiver Jarett Dillard, will evermore don the Blue and the Gray. It might well be the swan song as well, for iron man James Casey, who, if he elects to turn to the spring NFL draft as many expect him to do, will depart South Main in much the same way Clark Kent departed Gotham City for the last time, cape, tights, "S" on the chest and all. A bittersweet moment, in the event, for Owl fans, new and old -- especially since a coveted bowl win over their MAC opponent would give the Feathered Flock a ten-win season for only the second time in the 91-odd years that Institute Boys have taken to the gridiron. It would also mark Rice’s first bowl victory since the 1954 Cotton Bowl produced a 28-6 win over Alabama. A bit of irony lies in that 54 year drought. For the first four times the Owls played in bowl games, they were victorious each and every time. Although Rice won its first Southwest conference championship in 1934, their first bowl trip ever didn’t occur until four years later, when they played in the 1938 Cotton Bowl. The opponent was Colorado, led by future Supreme Court justice Byron "Whizzer" White. The Owls came away with a 28-14 victory in that one, limiting the University of Colorado to only 95 yards total offense. Quarterback Ernie Lain was the star of this game, throwing for three touchdowns and running for another. Rice’s most celebrated bowl win of all, perhaps, came in its first post-war bowl effort, a 1947 victory over Tennessee in the Orange bowl. By then, legendary Rice coach Jess Neely was firmly in command, and let’s just say he wasn’t one to run up the score. After the Owls took an 8-0 lead early in the second quarter, Coach Neely fairly well let the air out of a ball, attempting only four passes in the game, and playing field position to beat the band. Rice earned an that 8-0 shutout against the Volunteers, but it is said that Orange Bowl officials was were so disgusted with the boredom level of Rice’s style of play that they vowed never again to invite the Institute back to their little bowl game. Rice’s next win came in the 1950 cotton bowl, where the 1949 Southwest Conference champions downed North Carolina 27-13. This was a game dominated by the Owls, who held a 27-0 lead in the fourth quarter, courtesy quarterback Tobin Rote’s precision passing, All-American end Froggy Williams’ receiving, and Billy Burkhalter’s powerful running. This too was the only yearin school history in which Rice finished with a 10 win record, going 10 and one, with the only loss coming early in the season, 14-7, to bitter rival LSU. '54 Cotton Bowl mostly memorable for one play The Owls had one more bowl win up their bag of tricks, and it came in the 1954 Cotton Bowl game, which was the scene of certainly the most famous play in Rice football history, and perhaps one of the greatest of them all. That, as most Rice fans at least of a certain age will know, came in the infamous off the bench tackled by Alabama’s Tommy Lewis, as Dickie Moegle was en route to a 95- yard touchdown run. The referees did award Dickie a touchdown, although game films show oncoming Alabama defenders who perhaps might’ve caught him before he crossed the goal line. But Dickie was mighty fast. In 1957, the Owls captured their fifth Southwest conference crown with an improbable late-season run, capped by what perhaps reigns as the greatest win in Rice football history – a 7-6 triumph over a then-number one in the nation Texas A&M team coached by Bear Bryant. That early-November win effectively gave the Owls the inside track to the conference championship, knocked A&M off its number one perch, and launched bear Bryant firmly toward Tuscaloosa, where he reigned as the king southeastern college football for the next 25 years. That game also served to launch a 10-year losing skein for the Aggies, who did not post another winning season until 1967. But the momentum generated by the Owls’ win over A&M did not carry over to Dallas for the Cotton Bowl gameTherein, the Owls faced a highly ranked Naval Academy team, and the Middies promptly jumped to three touchdown lead early in the game. In those days of methodical offense, it was difficult to play catch-up, and despite the exciting quarterback duo of King Hill and Frank Ryan, the Owls could post but a single TD in winding up on the short end of a 28-6 loss. Five Rice fumbles in the game didn’t help matters either. Despite the loss, the Owls finished the season ranked eighth in the AP poll, a distinction which would evade them ever since. The game, in fact, marked the end of Rice’s glory days in college football, for thereafter there commenced a gradual decline in which carried over consistently through the late 1980s. A couple more bowl appearances were in the offing in the early 60s, however. Suffice it to say Jess Neely still had a couple of good seasons left in him, and those took place in 1960 and 1961. In ‘60, the Owls finished the regular season 7-3, tied for second in the conference, but the Southwest Conference was so stout in those days, that such a position was good enough to earn a spot in the Ssugar Bowl, of those which were condsiered the Big Four: The Orange, the Sugar, the Cotton, and the Rose Bowls. In old Tulane Stadium, the Owls fought a defensive struggle against the University of Mississippi, featuring star quarterback Jake Gibbs. Mississippi penetrated the Rice 20 only twice, but scored touchdowns both times, while the Owls entered the Ole Miss red zone five times, but managed to score only once. Thwe result: a 14-6 Rice loss. The inaugural Bluebonnet bowl was played the next year. Well, actually it wasn’t played the next year, it was played in December of the same year, thus giving the Owls the distinction of having been the only team to play two bowl games in one year since the 1948 Hardin-Simmons Cowboys. Hasn’t happened since, either. First Bluebonnet Bowl held at Rice, with Rice This first Bluebonnet Bowl, held the 29th of December in Rice Stadium, pitted the Owls against John Hadl’s Kansas Jayhawks. Rice led the game late in the second quarter, 7-6, but ironically, a mishandled punt snap forced Hadl to scramble for a first down, and the Jayhawks eventually scored to take a 12-7 lead into halftime locker room. They poured on three more touchdowns in the second half to win going away 33-7, and that was it; that was all she wrote for Rice bowl exploits for many a year. The Owls came oh so close to the ‘95 cotton bowl when they finished in a four-way tie for the 1994 Southwest Conference championship. Texas A&M had the best record that year, but the Aggies were on probation and bowl ineligible. It was clear that the Owls had fielded a stout team, as they managed to lose only 7-0 to A&M in a hard-fought battle on the turf at Kyle Field in mid-October. A win over Baylor to close out the season would have given the Owls an outright crown, and, down two oints late in the game at Rice Stadium, the Owls were knocking at the door. Rice fell short, however, 16-14, and thus had to share the crown with three other teams. As it turned out, the Cotton Bowl prize went to the team that had longest been absent from the Cotton Bowl – and Texas Tech had never been at all. So the Raiders went, and the Owls stayed home, despite a Rice victory over Tech earlier in the season.. During Rice’s Western athletic conference era, the Owls fielded three teams that had both the record and the capabilities to fare reasonably well in a second-tier bowl game. Rice posted consecutive seven win seasons in 1996 and 1997, under the leadership of quarterback Chad Nelson and a passel of talented running backs. But no bowl invites came. In 1998, the 5-5 Owls went up to Colorado Springs, where a season-ending victory over the Air Force Academy would have earned them a WAC division championship and a likely bowl berth. Rice led for most of the game, backed by a career performance from quarterback Chad Richardson, but a late game pick- six for the Cadets provided an agonizing ending, and once again, the Owls stayed home over the holidays. The year 2001 produced an eight- win season for the Owls, but at that time, WAC fathers had arranged for scant few bowl slots for the league, and it wasn’t even a certainty that a nine-win Rice season would have guaranteed them a bowl that year. Perhaps partly because of that, the Rice team was listless when it took the field at SMU the last game of the season. Things broke reasonably well for the Owls the first half, and they took a 20-7 lead into the halftime locker room. But in the second half, it was all SMU, as the Mustangs gave their just fired coach an emotional sendoff. Rice’s final season slate of eight and four was not sufficient to earn a bowl date, and once again, the Owls stayed home. In 2006, in Rice’s single-season under the tutelage of Todd Graham, when the Owls opened the season with four straight losses, it certainly didn’t appear that a bowl game was in the offing for this Rice team, either. But a 48-14 romp over Army on the road showed the players that they were capable of producing big offensive numbers while playing credible defense, and they took that suggestion to heart for the rest of the season, losing only one more game, en route to a 7-5 season mark. Although Rice quarterback Chase Clement suffered a cracked collarbone in an important 18- 17 late-season win over East Carolina, the Owls managed to cobble together a 34-27 win over SMU at Rice Stadium, the last game of the season, and thus earn a berth in the New Orleans bowl, their first since the 1961 Bluebonnet bowl. But with Chase on the sideline, and soon to depart coach Todd Graham busily consorting with Tulsa representatives, and frankly not caring much about the game at all, Rice fell 41-17 to an athletic, but little heralded ,Troy State team. The loss left a bittersweet taste in the mouths of fans, made even more disagreeable by the circumstances surrounding Graham’s departure for dustier soil in Tulsa scarcely two weeks later. The Rice players who remained from that 2006 New Orleans bowl team have insisted, virtually to a man, that they were too distracted with the very notion of playing in a bowl game in ‘06, and added to that, they received little coaching instruction or encouragement during the weeks leading up to the contest from their then-coach, soon to depart to Tulsa. With the 2007 radar blip having been overcome, and those sophomore and those players who were sophomores in 2006 now playing as seniors in 2008, the stage was set for this years impressive run, culminating in a nine win season and a berth in the Texas bowl. As might be noted from this brief historical sketch, Rice’s bowl fortunes generally break down into three chronological phases: success in the 30s through early 50s; frustration in the 50s and early six late 50s and early 60s, and then, after a long, total drought, a series of near misses in the last 15 years. Add those three phases together, and one may expect to see a determined at Rice football team, not happy only to be in a bowl game, but bound and determined to win it, once the field once the Owls take the field against Western Michigan this Tuesday evening. With Jarett Dillard and Chase Clement (and quite possible James Casey) having the stage set for one more opportunity to show while they’ll surely be considered Rice sports heroes for all time, this may not be an opportune time to bet against the Boys from South Main. --P.T.H.
'We're all thinking on the same page here' HOUSTON (Dec. 27) – Going into the 2008 season, Chris Ptaszek was challenged by his coaches to contribute more than ever before to his team. And the senior three-letterman from Tomball, moved from the offense to defense just prior to commencing his senior year, rose to the challenge presented by that move, easily having his best year in an Owl uniform. Chris Ptaszek doesn’t need any reminders that next Tuesday night will be the last time he puts on an Owl uniform. When he steps off the field, it will be the last time for him, as well as twenty-one other seniors. "It’s not like I’ll be going onto next season or next year," Chris acknowledged Friday in a brief interview before practice. Chris Ptaszek is not exactly known as a talker. But he said something Friday that definitely was attention-getting. "I feel like we have a better opportunity in this one than we had two years ago with Graham," Ptaszek remarked. That piqued our curiosity, to say the least, so we asked what was different this year than going into the New Orleans Bowl in 2006. "We have a better record for one," Ptaszek told us. But one thing is the same—the excitement of being a part of a bowl game. That excitement helps Ptaszek not think about the Texas Bowl being the last time he will step foot on a football field as a part of the Rice Owl team. "It’s a bowl game, the second of my college career," Chris said.. "I feel like we have a better opportunity in this one than we had two years ago with Graham. I’m excited about this, so I can’t think about the fact it’s my last one." Another reason that Ptaszek believes this team has a better chance than in 2006 is because of the leadership of the seniors on the team. "We’re a pretty big group this year. It’s the first time that we had a group of seniors this large to lead the team, and we get along very well," observed Ptaszek. "We all seem to have the same mindset going into this. We’re all thinking on the same page here. I feel we’re able to pull this team together because we do have the right mindset." --Mark Anderson This communique from Rice Alumni re Texas Bowl pre- and post-game events... To Rice
alumni, parents, and friends: Official
Rice Events for Rice Alumni, Fans, and Friends Tuesday,
December 30, 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday,
December 31, 3 p.m. Bowl-Bound
Email Listserv Game
Tickets and Rally Towels Saturday, December 27, 2008 (Transcribed by Zac Emmons) Rice University head coach David Bailiff (opening statement) "First off, Texas Bowl, thank you very much for all the hard work that y'all have put into preparing for us. The hotel has been unbelievable. What Best Buy has done setting up that players lounge, I mean, that's an incredible sight, except that now my own twins want a room that looks just like that. But it has, the hospitality, the organization; it's an amazing event to this point. We just appreciate all the effort that y'all have put into it. "I think this is going to be an unbelievable football game. The fact that you have two 9-3 football teams is going to be a great indicator of two teams that are going to go toe to toe and try to get that tenth win. For us to get 10 wins at Rice, it hasn't happened since 1949. It's a chance for us to just continue the momentum that this football team and its seniors have been building all year. Our practices yesterday, when we gave them a Christmas break, they came back yesterday refreshed and focused. We had one of our best practices of the season. And I do, I think you see the team that (Western Michigan head coach) Bill (Cubit) puts out there, they're passionate about what they do, they're very well-coached offensive and defensively; and it has all the makings of an absolutely great football game. I'm looking forward to it." Western Michigan head coach Bill Cubit (opening statement) "Also, I'd like to thank the Texas Bowl. This has been an unbelievable experience for our kids, and probably one that a conference like us, the MAC, may never happen again. So we appreciate all the effort you've done for us, and our accommodations are good also. I went up into the players' hospitality room and handed out ice cream and everybody thought I was a great guy; they didn't realize it was free. They thought I was being a good guy about it! "But we had a little bit of an issue coming from Kalamazoo to Lansing (Mich.). We had a little bit of an ice storm. We're happy we're not in that anymore. We got a great practice in yesterday, our guys were all excited. And again, going against a team, we couldn't be happier. I had other opportunities, but to be able to play a Rice team that's 9-3 and to see what they do, knowing what they have to go through in their conference, too, I think coach (Rice head coach David Bailiff) has done probably as good a coaching job as there is in the country this year. We're looking forward to it. Not looking forward to facing, of course, that offense or defense, but it'll be exciting for our kids and a great, great opportunity." Coach Bailiff (on where the Rice program was when he took over) "Yeah, you know, it was unbelievable. It was 7-5 and had just gone to its first bowl game in 45 years and I led them to 3-9 the next year. It was the worst year of my life (laughing). No, we took over a program two years ago that these young men had been hurt. They had really worked hard for the previous coach. I think in two years, we've really come together as a team. We're a team with great chemistry, great attitude. I think we're building something that can last, year-in, year-out. I don't know if we can win nine every year, but it's a program where we expect these young men to win championships and graduate and do it the right way. So it's been a very humbling experience this year and it's all because we've got great senior leaders." Coach Bailiff (on his approach when he took over the Rice program after the way the previous coach left) "Well, the amazing thing is the program I took over before was the exact same situation. So you know going into it that the first thing you have to do is to establish trust and whatever you say you're going to do, you have to do to get them to trust you because they've heard it all before. And I think that was one of the first things that talking to the staff that we were going to do: whatever we said, we were going to back it up with action." Coach Cubit (on what the significance of winning 10 games would be for Western Michigan) "Well I think when we first got in, similar to what coach (Bailiff) went through, they had had four straight losing seasons. They were 1-10 the year before we got there, and that one win was against a I-AA team. I don't think I'm allowed to say that anymore; I may get banned by the college coaches. But we took over a program and we had a bunch of young guys that you'll see back there trusted us coming in here, and then we had some guys left over that were redshirt freshmen that decided that they wanted to do what we asked them to do and went 7-4 and went to the bowl game, and then we had a bump in the road, too. We went 5-7 and I think everybody in Kalamazoo thought we were going to be a pretty good football team. We were, but the fine line between winning and losing was, I think we lost four games in the last minute and a half. This year we got nine wins, and coach was mentioning about Rice hasn't had it since, what was it? 1945? (Bailiff "'49.") '49. We haven't had it since they invented football. Never had one. So I think it would be huge for either one of our programs, because watching what's going on between Rice and watching what's going on with us, this is what college football is all about." (on showing that the program is continuing to move forward) "For me it doesn't. We go out there and we play as hard as we can. If we win, we win; if we lose, we weren't good enough. I get a lot more validation from watching these guys here graduate, and we had one of the highest APR's in the country last year. We just broke the school GPA for the third time since we've been there. They are the kind of things that I get great satisfaction out of. I know our kids will play hard just like coach's guys will play hard; and just because one team will not come out as a winner, they've done a great job, both teams." Coach Bailiff (on the similarities between the teams making for an interesting matchup) "Absolutely. That was one of the things that I was really proud of our director of athletics, Chris Del Conte, for making this matchup become a reality, because of the fact of, you look at the history of Western, and I know when Bill (Cubit) took that program over, what kind of shape that was in and the great job he's done rebuilding and gaining momentum, and that's exactly what we're trying to do at Rice. We have got to continue to recruit well. You do that by winning. You have got to continue to build building blocks in these programs, and that's what a 9-3 has done. And I'm the same way with these young men. 9-3, we've accomplished a lot, and I think win or lose, we've had a great season and you're not going to take that away from what these young men have accomplished." (on the difference between preparing for a bowl game and the FCS playoffs, which he coached in at Texas State) "Well, it's not a month off. We're still recruiting; we're still practicing. The difference is you're able to study your opponent with much more detail because of the time between games. At Texas State, it was every Saturday, you had to be ready to go again, so this has been a much more enjoyable experience for a football team to enjoy the bowl than just everything's about preparation at home and trying to travel. So it has been enjoyable from that stance. It allows you to continue recruiting, which you couldn't do trying to get ready for a playoff game. The 'off' doesn't happen, but it's wonderful, both. I've enjoyed the playoffs; I enjoy this bowl." (on what changed with his team during its six-game win streak to end the season) "You know, I tell you, and I mean this as a tribute. We have remarkable seniors. Our seniors, (QB) Chase (Clement) and (WR) Jarret (Dillard) right there, they've been elected captains of this football team since they were sophomores. And Brian Raines, who's not in this room, was also elected captain as a sophomore. These seniors drew a line in the sand. They negotiated us around every obstacle. We had tremendous chemistry and attitude. We did not have a bad day; we did not have one bad practice this season, and it's because of what these young men wanted to accomplish. We sat down last January, we charted out what their goals were, and there's still opportunities out there for us to finish the type of year that these seniors want to have. And that's really what it was. We lost the Tulsa game; we didn't play as well as we could, and we just decided no more bad days, and that's exactly what we did." Rice TE James Casey (on what coach Bailiff has done with the Rice program in his two years there) "I think he's done an amazing job. He kind of touched on it earlier that the players kind of lost a little trust in the coaching staff just from coaches leaving; they didn't really know what to believe because when a coach leaves like that, it's kind of 'Who can we really trust? How do we know you're saying the truth and you're not just going to leave us?' So he really came in and established the trust is the main thing. Everyone believes in him and I think everybody on the team knows that he cares about his players, and that's the one thing I can say about coach Bailiff more than anything, what I think of coach Bailiff, is that he really does care about his players off the field, he wants them to do well, and he takes care of his players. You know, my first year, we didn't do too well, but we had a lot of things happen that year, but I think this year is really showing what type of coach he is and being able to bring all the players together, I think he's just done a great job. With that one year, last year, now getting to know him, getting to know the schemes on offense and defense, I think we've done a really good job." (on what he's looking forward to about the game) "It should be an exciting game. I'm excited to get the game underway. We've had some time off; we haven't played a game in a while, so we're kind of anxious to get on the field. Hopefully we're not going to try to do too much, just stick to the plan and stick to what we've been doing. I know their offense, I haven't seen any of their offense on film, but just from the statistics and what people have been saying, their passing offense is tenth in the nation and we're fifth in the nation, so it should be a very exciting game and I know their defense is really good, too, so it should be fun to watch how the matchups come out and how well we do against them." Rice Post-Practice Quotes (on practice) "The unusual thing about today's practice was we had a little fall, a little spring, a little summer. It's amazing how many times the weather changed on us today, we had to go a little earlier, the storms are moving in, so we altered our schedule. But we handled the changing practice times very well and it takes a mature football team to do that. I thought we came out and practiced very well." (on the bowl game mentality) "We've had great practices since August 1st. These men started a mission all the way back in January, and it's not complete yet. I think you'll see us play at our very best, because that's what these guys have tried to do all year. With the senior class that we have, having a bad day is unacceptable." (on preparation for the Rodeo Bowl) "We're fired up. It's another chance to complete. The offensive line has been working on their dance. I think we have a pretty strong stick horse team that we've put together. I'm not sure how we're going to do in pulling the ribbon off the calf's neck. I'm a little worried about that, we don't have many great footed athletes in that event, but I think overall we'll do well." (on any lapses in concentration, question asked by SID) "We have the greatest sports information director in college football, and he has prepared us with such a detailed itinerary that we haven't had any surprises. It's amazing what a good sports information director can do for a program." Rice OG Jimmy Miller (on the end of practice "big kick" tradition) "It's just something that we do to put a little pressure on the kicker. He can sit there and kick field goals all day when there's no one rushing and no one around him, so we create a little tunnel, talk a lot of mess, and make a lot of noise to put the pressure on him like a game situation." (on being offered a scholarship to Western Michigan) "I actually talked to Coach Cubit this morning at the FCA breakfast, he came up and found me. The two schools I was choosing between were Western Michigan and Rice. I didn't know if he'd remember me or not but he came and found me, so we got to talk for a little bit. My parents went to Michigan, so I actually went up to a Michigan camp and I wasn't good enough to play for Michigan, but a Western Michigan coach was there and they offered me a scholarship on the spot. I went up for a visit, I had a great time and they have a great program up there. It was a tough decision." (on watching Western Michigan's offensive line) "I did turn on a little film of the offense to see what they do, they do a lot of similar things that we do and I would fit in the same way that I have here." (on practicing at home before a bowl game) "It's definitely a lot more comfortable. In the New Orleans Bowl a couple years ago we practiced at Tulane so it felt like being on the road the whole time. This just feels like a normal practice, the routine is the same. You get in and out faster, it's just nice to be at home. In comfortable surroundings there's less distractions, you'd think there would be more being at home, but there's actually less since this is normal for us." Rice OT Scott Mitchell (on preparing from home in Canada) "It's a lot different to be at home, especially this year preparing for the bowl game. We had a lot of snow so doing the workouts I'd have to go to a facility that would have an indoor track and field and there's nothing really close to my house. Coming back here, today it was really hot, a couple day ago it was -40 with the wind chill, and today it seemed like summer." (on near 80 degree weather in December) "I didn't think it would be this hot. Last year I came out in August right before two a days and it was torture. I'd have to pour water on my head, constantly use an ice towel. Everyone said it would start to cool down after October towards November and then it never did. I could be in shorts and flip-flops year round." (on being familiar with the rodeo bowl) "I know about it because western part of Canada in Calgary they have the Calgary Stampede which is a big rodeo. Everyone goes up there when it's going on. You watch people do some crazy stuff, and ride some amusement rides. I'm from out east, so I don't know anything about roping a calf, but if I get thrown in the there I'll have to go with it, but I'm hoping I don't." Western Michigan Post-Practice Quotes (on how Texas has been) "Oh, man. I love it out here. The weather is beautiful. We just came from like eight feet of snow it seems like down here to this beautiful weather. So, I love it out here, it's really nice. I used to live in Plainview. It's nice out here, I like it a lot." (on how practice has been leading up to the game) "Practice is going well. Like I said, we have good weather. It's good to be on a grass field. Everything is going well. We're just out here working hard getting ready for the game." (on what challenges Rice's offense gives their defense) "They do a lot of things and have a lot of great athletes. They throw the ball all over the place. They have a lot of great athletes; the quarterback is great. So, we have to be on our Ps and Qs, we have to handle our business fundamentally because scheme-wise they do a lot of things. So, we have to be sound fundamentally." (on if they are doing anything specific to prepare for the game) "No, just handle our fundamentals and make sure we play sound, fundamental ball and tackle the man with the ball." (on what it has been like to practice at the Texans facilities) "Oh, gorgeous. That stadium, reliant stadium, it's amazing. So, it's been a dream. Come here, hopefully I'll be out here on one of these fields someday soon. So, it's been a dream for everybody to be able to practice like the pros practice." Broncos QB Tim Hiller (on how it is to be practicing outside in December) "It's nice compared to Michigan weather. (We've) been buried in snow right now. So, it's nice to be down here enjoying the weather and all of the activities, too." (on practicing at the Texans facilities) "It's been great. We appreciate their (Texans) hospitality. It's been really nice. These are great facilities great fields to practice on and an opportunity to come be near the stadium, too. So, yeah, it's been good." (on how is practice going so far leading up the game) "It's going well. Guys are staying really focused. It's easy to get distracted at a game like this, but we're realizing that it's a business trip, too and guys are staying focused. I thought we were really sharp the last two days." (on what type of problems the Rice defense poses) "They're a really good group. They're well coached. They don't make many mistakes. They're in the right place at the right time. You can tell they're very fundamentally sound on film. So, we've got our work cut out for us and I think it will be important that we just try to stay ahead of the sticks and keep the ball moving. But, they're a good defense." (on if he is looking forward to the Texans game tomorrow) "Yeah, definitely. It's a big game tomorrow. The Texans want to play spoiler and it's a big game for the Bears. It should be fun. I'm looking forward to going to a game at Reliant Stadium." Broncos DT Nick Varcadipane (on how Texas has been) "The weather is beautiful coming from Michigan. You can't complain. All the people in Texas are showing us a great time out here. It's really a pleasure to be here." (on how practice has been leading up to the game) "It's been tough but we've been playing through it, just like all year." (on what kind of challenges Rice's offense poses to their defense) "You know, they're a big throwing team. Other than that, I can't say much about their schemes, you know. They're a good offense though." (on if they have been doing anything specific to prepare for Rice) "Same thing as we always do. Watch a lot of film and game plan and take it from there." (on practicing at the Texans facilities) "They are great facilities. The turf is perfect. It's really nice. Coming from Michigan, this is a lot better than that."
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