Baylor 30, Rice 13

Comedy of errors as Owls predictably fall to Bears

DOWN BUT NOT OUT -- Phillip Gaines hangs on to make shoestring tackle on big Baylor running back  Ganaway despite finding himself in a relatively inadvantageous position to do so (MA photo)

By Bob Reinhold

HOUSTON (Sept. 26) -- It all started so promising. Two former SWC foes playing before a spirited crowd of 23,395; Rice displaying an imaginative and varied offense to begin the game; keeping the ball for 6 1/2 minutes against the wind; then Chris Boswell knocking through a 42 yard field goal for an early 3-0 lead.

Finally, it appeared, Rice Owls were in position to play a complete game, and maybe even knock off a BCS foe for the first time in many a moon. 

Attitudes remained high, then, even though the Bears managed to score late in the first quarter to take a 7-3 lead after one period. Three minutes deep into the 2nd quarter the Owls had Baylor backed up to their own 20, going into the wind.

Then it happened.

Lightning, followed by thunder, more lightning, heavy rain and the game was halted for one hour and seven minutes.

Into their dressing rooms went both the Rice and Baylor teams, to wait out the inclement weathter. The Rice coaches sent their position groups through their paces.

"We were in there on the countdown," a glum Rice head coach David Bailiff said afterwareds "We met positionally. We went over everything to try and start fast and pick up where we left off. The defense got a three and out, and we're thinking, ‘ ok here we go. It's going to be alright,’ -- and we immediately throw an interception on a screen. We can't have those kinds of mistakes. " 

That’s when the wheels really came off. On a 3rd and 16 Kendall Wright, one of the fastest Bears, got matched up with an Owl linebacker. The result was predictable. Robert Griffin lofted  a perfect pass, and xx yards later, Rice was now down 14-3.

Next up was a botched punt attempt when an Owl blocker moved just enough to deflect the deep snap away from the punter. As the ball lay on the ground the Rice punter kicked it anyway – a perfectly sensible quick reaction, but it invoked a penalty for illegal touchding. The defense rose up for a stop, but the Bears were able to nail a short field goal. 

It appeared Baylor was going to let the clock run out for the half, but with under a minute left Griffin completed another long pass to the lip of the cup. The Owls prevented another TD, but Baylor tacked on another FG as time expired.

The second half was a 10-10 tie with Baylor's only touchdown coming on another 46 yard pass. Chris Boswell continued his excellent field goal kicking with a 43 yarder  early in the second half. That narrowed the gap to 20-6, and at that point, the most optimistic Owl fans hoped for a two touchdown swing.

Of course it never happened. The Bears entered the game converting on just 29 per cent of their third downs, but a soft, conservative Owl defense rarely rushed more than four, giving Griffin ample time to find an open receiver. Rice's defense held many times on first and second, setting up third and long, but couldn't get off the field.

Baylor head coach Art Briles dissected the events after the game.

 "We hit a couple of big plays in the first half and one in the second," he said. "I know Kendall (Wright) caught one and Josh (Gordon) caught one. We were trying to be methodical throughout the night. We knew Rice would be very intelligent defensively and have a good scheme on offense, which they did and they’re well coached. We knew we had to fight for everything we got. We just happened to hit a couple of big plays that helped us."

On the offensive end of things, the Owls’ first drive was well-scripted, but the second and third quarters saw a reversion back to very predictable calls. Finally in the fourth quarter Rice went to a hurry-up offense, throwing the ball all over the place, even completing passes to wide receivers over the middle.

Sam McGuffie got loose for a beautiful 11 yard TD scamper in the 4th quarter. Sam ran 14 times for 64 yards, and caught seven passes for 33 yards, mostly on swings and screens.

Rice had 10 receivers with at least one catch, but without any real long gainers. In fact, for a long time a 10 yarder was the Owls’ longest gainer of the night. 

Once again there – and most frustratingly – there appeared occasional flashes of brilliance on the home side of the filed. Once again, too, there were some bad mistakes. And once again there were some mysterious coaching decisions.

Alex Francis returned a kickoff, was hit hard, and suffered a leg injury. He was carted off the field and his status as of Sunday is still unknown. Too, Jared Williams left the game before halftime, and there is no word yet on his injury. 

So now, the 1-3 Owls open CUSA play against SMU. The Mustangs put a lot into their game against TCU this week so it will be interesting to see how high the Ponies will be.

There seem to be less than cryptic indications from the Rice coaching staff that part of the Flock’s game plan have been withheld during this frustrating, four-game non-conference skein. It seems Rice has been pointing toward the conference slate. Could this be the week to get back on the victory track?

David Bailiff points toward the little things, the failure to address meaning the difference between victory and defeat.

"The little things, we’ve got to get better doing. We have to get an accumulation of those little ones to get the big thing. That's what I have been talking about. When we start that game, we get a rhythm offensively."

We get a fourteen play drive, but we get in the red zone and come away with a field goal again. We have got to get touchdowns when we are getting those field goals. We don't have that margin of error when we get down there to continue to kick field goals. We need to come out of there with touchdowns."

"We have the delay from the lightning, and come back and it looks like we have lost all focus and can't do anything right. That is mental toughness and that's me. I have to continue to grow these young men up and do a better job."

When did this happen before? Well, go back to David Bailiff’s very first game as Rice head coach, an excruciating 16-14 loss to BCS entry Nicholls State in September, 2007. That game was marred by a weather delay as well.

Rice went on to win three games that season. Sometimes they played hard, sometimes less so. But then, like now, how intelligently this Rice team played is open to inquiry by die-hard, and long-suffering, Owl supporters.

"I thought the football team played extremely hard," Coach Bailiff said of Saturday’s abortive effort. "We’ve got to continue to work to get better and eliminate those mistakes. We’ve got a lot of people playing extremely hard in all phases of the game. We're just not getting the win."

Quo vadis, forward or backward?
Ten positives from Northwestern game

Hungry Owl defenders (R-L) Chris Jones, Justin Hill, Michael Smith regard held-up Northwestern ball carrier like a piece of rare steak, and it's chow time (PTH photo)

By Mark Anderson

HOUSTON (Sept. 20) -- Many would agree that it seems as if Rice took a step back in the 30-13 loss to Northwestern here at Rice Stadium last weekend. And it is times like this where one looks at what is going on and asks, "Is this glass half-full or half-empty?"

Owl fans, don’t despair— thy cup is not only half-full, but Saturday showed signs of being closer to full than empty -- if you looked carefully.

We’ve come up with ten things that Rice fans can be encouraged about from the game with Northwestern. Here they are:

The emergence of Donte Moore: When Donte Moore came to Rice last year, everyone recognized this young man’s potential. Last fall, he was open on just about every deep route he ran—and dropped just about every pass on those deep routes. That earned him some time to watch, learn, and get adjusted to the college game. Last night was evidence that Donte Moore has made those adjustments. His 32- yard catch last night was remarkable—especially when viewed from the sidelines. Those four catches for 66 yards last night may indeed signal that Donte has the potential to become the "go-to" wide receiver.

On a team looking for that "go-to" receiver, Rice got a glimpse of what this young man can do. And wearing that number 81 jersey makes it just a little sweeter. Don’t think he doesn’t realize the significance of that. When we spoke to him last year, he acknowledged that in wearing that jersey, it meant he would have to step up. It should be fun for the rest of the season to see whether this indeed takes place. If it does, the offense will gain an identity it has been lacking at wide receiver.

Two words: Kyle Martens: During Kyle’s first two years at Rice, it seemed that he did not live up to the hype. In his first fall camp, this writer witnessed a punt of his that went 72 yards in the air. However, his first two years were challenging for him as well as, Rice fans know, because he did not seem to handle the pressure very well. As it turns out, it had nothing to do with handling the pressure. As it turned out, Martens was quietly handling the pain of a hip injury. He had surgery on it this past off-seas0n, and now Martens is pain-free at last. In the opener against Texas, he boomed a 71 yard punt. Against Northwestern, he boomed a 65 yard punt. And remember folks—you should add at least ten more yards to each of these, because 71 yards and 65 yards is from the line of scrimmage—not where he actually kicked it. As of this writing, he is the fifth-ranked punter in all of Division I College football. Kyle Martins is a key to making sure every opponent starts with poor field position. So far this year, he is doing exactly that.

A healthy Nick Fanuzzi: For the first time since he was injured against Oklahoma State, you could see signs that Nick Fanuzzi is healthy. Against Oklahoma State last year, Nick knew when it was "time to get out of Dodge" and did so—until the wall separated his shoulder. Nick came back against Navy four weeks later, but it was not the same Nick that was setting Oklahoma State on fire. Saturday, Fanuzzi not only made good decisions in the pocket—he also knew when to get out of it. Yes, he was sacked twice, but in fairness to Nick here, one of those sacks had four offensive linemen looking back and watching. Nick "got out of Dodge" several times, and was not pussy-footing it, either. On one of those runs Nick was not looking to slide—he was looking to score. There were several others when Nick took off and did not slide feet first. That is a good sign for this Rice offense, because now that he has the confidence to run again, a missed block will not automatically become a sack.

Taylor Cook: Yes, Taylor threw two TDs playing against Northwestern, and one of them counted for the other team. But if you hung around to the end of the game, you also saw Cook take over at the three yard line with time dwindling and marched the Owls 97 yards for their lone TD of the evening. The fact that Cook could re-enter the game after making such a costly mistake, and doing something like that, ought to speak volumes about this kid.

Now for all the folks complaining about Coach Bailiff not being able to make a decision on a quarterback—your words, not mine—I want to give you three names to think about before you say that again: George Blanda, Don Strock, and Earl Morrall. All of these were back-up quarterbacks at one point in their career who came off the bench to ignite the offense. Earl Morrall was greatly responsible for the Dolphins undefeated season in 1972.

If you followed the Houston AFL franchise back in the 1960s, you will recall Blanda played in this very city and brought the AFL its’ first championship here. In 1967, he was in Oakland as the back-up to Darryl Lamonica. In 1970, he pulled out 5 consecutive wins where the Raiders trailed. In the first game of that streak, he was 7 of 12 for 148 yards and 3 TDs against Pittsburgh; the next week 7 of 12 again, for 108 yards and a TD; and the following week he threw yet another TD pass to win the game. He kicked field goals in games 4 and 5.

The point is this: Taylor Cook may develop into this kind of quarterback this year. Heck, Nick Fanuzzi may turn out to be that quarterback. Oakland loved George Blanda for what he did. Rice fans may have the opportunity to have another emigrated quarterback step in and create a spark for the team. Remember football history—it often repeats itself—and just may right here at Rice with Taylor Cook this season.

Sam McGuffie: In McGuffie’s first two games, he had such a big bullseye on his back it was amazing he got any yardage at all. Against Northwestern, however, we saw glimpses of what can be in Sam McGuffie. He averaged 6.9 yards on 7 catches, and 5.0 yards on 6 carries. Count on that production to go up. McGuffie came within an eyeblink several times of breaking the big play. It is only a matter of time before he does. Be patient, Owl fans, as Coach Beaty figures out how to get this young man some room with the ball.

Luke Willson: Luke Willson is stepping up after the injury to tight end Vance McDonald. He is quietly gaining the respect and confidence of whoever is under center for Rice at that particular moment. Wilson caught five passes for 37 yards, and was reminiscent of another former tight-end from recent memory, James Casey, as he destroyed some tacklers after the catch. Luke is not a loud kid off the field, but on it, he is letting his numbers speak for themselves. It will be even more interesting when McDonald gets back to see if Beaty begins employing a two tight-end formation to help not only with receiving, but blocking. Luke’s development could force that, and get both McDonald—already a favorite target—on the field at the same time as Wilson.

Not being over-matched physically: Anyone who recalls the 2006 season will also recall a four game stretch at the beginning of the year in which Rice was totally over-matched physically. One recalls being behind Joel Armstrong during the Texas game when Rice was backed up to their end zone. Armstrong got the snap, and one thousand one, one thou—that’s the amount of time he had to get rid of the ball at that point. Rice has not been physically out-matched in any game—including against a powerhouse Big Ten school like Northwestern. If Rice can keep being the physical team they have become, this bodes well for this season.

Red Zone Efficiency: Rice was 3-3 inside the red zone against Northwestern. Yes, one of those three was in the waning moments of the game—but they scored the touchdown. If Wilson and Moore become regular contributors, and McGuffie as well, expect this number to tilt to 21 points instead of 13.

Andy Erickson: Why is Andy Erickson mentioned here when he had such an iffy game against the Wildcats? It is obvious that the Wildcats had done their homework on him, and made the decision NOT to let Andy make a difference on kickoffs or punts. Give the Wildcats credit—they contained him. That is not going to happen in every game, however. Andy Erickson is going to do two things for Rice this season returning punts and kickoffs: give Rice good field position and score on a return.

The Passing Game: Rice compared very favorably with the Wildcats on total passing yards. The Wildcats had 307—but Rice was only 16 yards behind them at 291. With all the receivers Rice used last week, several of them began to "move to the front of the class".

Is that ten already? Never mind, let’s keep going.

Up until now, we’ve focused on the offense, because of the obvious disappointment of many Owl fans. We also like to point out the positives that can come out of the Northwestern game on the other side of the ball.

Chris Jones: Chris Jones visited with the us on Media Day this year. We brought up the 2007 Rice-UH game, which must have given Jones nightmares for weeks to come afterwards. It seemed every time UH was throwing a TD pass in that game, the one guilty of blowing his assignment was Jones. But not anymore.

It could be suggested that Jones has quietly made his presence known—but that’s not possible. If you could have heard the hit Jones put on the punt returner from our vantage point Chris applied to the poor fellow, it was anything but quiet. Jones has become a sure tackler, and a very physical one at that. He has become a sure presence on the defense. He is a part of the reason the Owls have become so physical on defense.

Travis Bradshaw: Pound for pound, perhaps the most vicious hitter on the Rice defense right now. The writer was less than 10 yards away from Bradshaw in 2008 when he hit UH’s return man—and both were knocked out cold. That’s the kind of player Bradshaw is. He brings everything he has when he hits an opponent. He is also a great cover man in the secondary. Undoubtedly the leader of the defense by example, Bradshaw sells out on every single play.

Philip Gaines: Philip Gaines has continued to improve his already steady play to a point that defenses are starting to look to Chris Jammer’s side instead. That alone tells you a lot about how Gaines has played this year. It is only a matter of time before he gets a pick-six. But Phillip has already demonstrated the ability to be a "lock-down cornerback," meaning you want to throw anywhere else but his direction.

Corey Frazier: Corey Frazier is becoming a force to be reckoned with on the Owl defense. He, along with Philip Gaines and Travis Bradshaw have almost become a three-headed monster of sorts in the secondary, not only in covering receivers, but in tackling. Corey has demonstrated a nose for the football.

The Defensive Line: When Scott Solomon went own, nobody could have imagined how well the defensive line would be. But an assortment of defensive linemen, mixed and matched together, have created chaos for Owl opponents, including Northwestern. Michael Smith has played tremendously well. John Gioffre has shown why Bailiff had such faith in him. Cheta Ozougwu has done exactly what he said he would do on Media Day—sell out 100% on every play. And who could have imagined the impact of Hosam Shahin, whom one might dub "The Disrupter" because of his style of disrupting the offense and going after quarterbacks? Kramer Lucio cannot be forgotten here either, as he has applied a lot of pressure to opposing quarterbacks. This defensive line has played with intensity, with heart, and has become more physical than anticipated.

More Than Half-Full

Despite the loss to the Wildcats last Saturday, if you were there and really paying attention, you may indeed agree that the glass is more than half-full when it comes to this team. Take away three plays—the interception for a TD, the first TD of the second half by the Wildcats, and then the ball that was knocked from Persa’s hands that eluded a Rice defender because he tried to scoop and run with just over five minutes in the first half—this game could have had a completely different outcome. Rice lost this game—but they beat themselves on three plays that made the difference. If those kinds of mistakes can be eliminated, Rice’s cup will not be half-empty, nor will it be half-full—it will be overflowing with W’s in the win column.

(Return to main page)