'10 Northwestern
week
Northwestern 30, Rice 13
Turnovers, special teams failures leave Rice scant chance to keep up with solid,
methodical Wildcats
(Mark Anderson photo)
Sam McGuffie vaults for extra yardage after reception (MA
photo) |
HOUSTON (Sept. 19)—The Rice Owls took
their script for victory over Northwestern, turned it inside out and went and did just the
opposite here Saturday night, sustaining a 30-13 defeat at the hands of the Wildcats that
really wasn’t as close a game as the score indicated.
Hoping to ride an opportunistic,
head-hunting defense to a net-plus in turnovers, and expecting fully to maintain an edge
in special teams categories, the Owls instead turned the ball over four times and got
basically no return game to help them with field position, while the Rice defense
struggled manfully as it was gradually being worn down by the methodical, precise,
well-modulated Northwestern offensive scheme.
The Owls lacked the offensive efficacy (or whatever’s the
opposite of ineptitude) they displayed in the Texas game, and failed to match the ability
to finish they showed in overcoming a late deficit to defeat North Texas on the road, but
those two factors alone weren’t enough to explain the deficit between the
homestanding Owls and their visiting Big 10 entry.
The Rice offense at times moved with proficiency, but more often
was its own worst enemy as Nick Fanuzzi and Taylor Cook took turns at the helm. Key
turnovers thwarted nascent drives and set up NU with good field position often enough to
threaten to turn the game into a runaway by midway in the third quarter.
Despite all that, the Owls were very much in the game as the
first-half clock wound down, trailing only by a pair of field goals and thereby hanging
around in a way that bode well for their second-half chances.
Unfortunately, with the Rice offense backed up inside its own 10
yard line, quarterback Taylor Cook floated a pass in the flat that never should have been
thrown that way, and it was picked off by NU’s Quentin Davie, who had to traverse
only 11 yards to score the pick-six that put the Owls down, 13-0.
Take that away, and the Owls could’ve gone into the
halftime locker room with a sense of satisfaction, the defense having taken every punch
that the Northwestern offensive machine could throw at it, while the offense, though
sputtering, showing, in its last-ditch field goal drive, the potential to establish
itself.
Owls did manage a
three-spot just before halftime
Three Owl defenders combine to put pressure on NU quarterback Persa (MA photo) |
As it was, the Owls trailed at halftime, 13-3, after Nick
Fanuzzi, starting at his own 19 yard line with 1:40 left, drove Rice 68 yards in 11 plays
before finally running out of clock at the Wildcat 13 and having to settle for a 31-yard
Chris Boswell field goal.
Down 3-0 earlier in the second quarter, the Owls were driving
and had a chance to take the lead when they set up shop with good field position one of
the few times in the contest.
That position was set up by a 45-yard Kyle Martens punt which
was downed at the NU one-yard line. From there, the Owl defense forced a three-and-out
with Travis Bradshaw stopping Arby Fields for no gain and then breaking up a pass.
When the Owls took over at the NU 44, they started to move the
ball behind Taylor Cook when the Eagle Lake sophomore hit freshman Andy Erickson for eight
yards and a first down at the Wildcat 32.
Stop the action there, and take a poll of Owl fans in the
stands, and one likely would have concluded that the Flock was in good shape to take the
game to the wire, perhaps even pull it out.
The defense, after all, had played Northwestern basically to a
standstill, NU’s two field goals comprising the sum total of its offensive
production. Taylor Cook seemed comfortable and in command coming off the bench at
quarterback.
But then a handoff in the backfield was greeted by an unblocked
NU defender Corbin Bryant, and Tyler Smith gave up the football at the Northwestern 37.
(Tyler finished with three carries for minus-six yards on the day.)
From there, the ‘Cats ground out a 13-play, 53-yard drive
that was thwarted by a Phillip Gaines sack of Northwestern quarterback Persa for a loss of
14. A 16-yard completion to Arby Fields couldn’t make up the yardage necessary for a
first down but did put NU’s field goal kicker, Stefan Demos, in range for a 28-yard
chip shot.
But that was it for Northwestern in the first half – two
puny field goals and that totally off-the-wall 11- yard pick six.
"The defense did a great job tonight of keeping us in this
ballgame when, really, it could have been worse than it was," Nick Fanuzzi said
post-game. "The offense, we were struggling to get some points on the board early in
the game, and they did a tremendous job of keeping us in the ball game."
Owls still
in the thick of things, going into second half kickoff
Davon Allen blocks out while NU rusher appears to make
entreaty to Powers That Be (MA photo) |
With Rice scheduled to take the second half kickoff, one
would have surmised that the defense had done just that, and that the Owls were still
within the ‘hang-around’ phase of their game, well within striking distance.
But Andy Erickson’s kickoff return uncharacteristically
came out only as far as the 10 yard line. From there, on first down, Nick Fanuzzi was
caught in the backfield for a loss of three, and then failed to connect with Donte Moore
twice in a row.
The speedy redshirt freshman led all Owl receivers with 66 yards
in only four receptions, and showed promise of good things to come.
"We went to Donte a few times tonight. It's great
when we get the ball to him," Nick Fanuzzi noted. "He's got a lot of athletic
ability and he played well tonight. That shows and I'm sure that we continue to get the
ball to him in the future."
But not on this drive.
To boot, Rice punt coverage broke down and allowed NU’s
Hunter Bates to return the ball 33 yards to the Rice 27.
First play, Dan Persa hit a wide-open Jeremy Ebert for the
touchdown, and the Owls were now down 20-3.
Rice came back with a 61-yard drive behind Nick Fanuzzi that set
up the Flock with first and goal from the NU 9 yard line. But once again, the Rice offense
lacked touchdown scoring punch inside the ten, and after two incompletions in the end
zone, one of them very catchable, the Owls had to settle for another Chris Boswell short
field goal.
Northwestern responded with a 12-play, 74-yard drive that was
culminated with quarterback Dan Persa’s 18-yard touchdown scramble on third and five.
That was the only sustained touchdown drive of the day put together by the Wildcats,
despite 450 yards of total offense.
The ‘Cats added another field goal for a 30-6 lead midway
in the fourth quarter, after setting up shop at midfield. Cheta Ozougwu made a couple of
key stops to shut down the drive after NU had set up with first and goal from the Owl nine
yard line.
Owls closed out game with
97-yard TD drive
Cheta Ozougwu draws a bead on NU quarterback (MA
photo) |
It was to their credit that the Owls persevered even after
the game was out of reach, driving the ball 97 yards in 11 plays the last 2:29 of the
game. On third down and four at the Northwestern 10, and with only a few ticks left on the
scoreboard clock, Turner Peterson took the inside handoff from Taylor Cook and dashed
across the goal.
That Taylor Cook-led drive resulted in the first touchdown
scored against the Northwestern defense in eight quarters of play. Granted, it was
against NU’s second-team defense, but Coach Pat Fitzgerald does tout his team’s
defensive depth. And another thing: all of Taylor’s six pass completions on that
drive went to backup receivers, including rookies Michael Patterson, Trevor Gillette,
Turner Peterson and Klein Kubiak.
It seemed that, in effect, after the pressure was off, even the
greenhorns on the Rice offensive side performed with aplomb. But that came too late. Until
that final drive, it was stammer, stutter, as the Rice offense had 12 plays in all
resulting in negative yardage for 40 yards to the rear, march – and that, of course,
in addition to their four turnovers.
"We just can't get a
rhythm," Coach Bailiff lamented afterwards. "When we hit a rhythm, all of a
sudden we drop a ball or get a penalty. Every time I've felt like we've achieved
something, all the sudden we've thrown an interception, we got a holding penalty. I think
we are extremely close to hitting the rhythm we need. We are just inches away on some of
those big plays. I think that is an encouraging sign that we are that close."
Still and all, going into this week's home
non-conference tilt with Baylor, as many, if not more, questions loom about Rice's
offensive scheme and personnel as they did on opening day of fall practice, some seven
weeks ago. The outcome of this game answered no questions about Rice's starting
quarterback position, nor its running game, nor the less-than-satisfactory performance of
it's experienced, but often outmanned, offensive line.
Challenges await.
--P.T.H.
'We left the pill on
the floor 8 times'
Owls will be looking to take advantage
of breaks against solid Wildcat squad
HOUSTON (Sept. 16) -- Owl fans of a certain vintage may think it to have been
only yesterday when the Northwestern University eleven last graced the playing field at
Rice Stadium. In fact, it's been 12 years since the Wildcats, then in the midst of a
highly successful coaching term by Gary Barnett, pulled out every trick play in the book
to eke out a 23-14 victory over the Owls, in direct retribution for an excruciating,
last-minute loss to that self-same Rice team in Evanston the year before.
With their most recent 40-34 win in 1997, and the payback
loss in 1998, Rice brings into Saturday’s contest with the Wildcats a 4-1 all-time
record against Northwestern -- a surprising statistic, considering that Northwestern is a
BCS team and has been a member of the Big Ten for decades, though hardly a consistent
football juggernaut over the years.
Owlook
 |
Rice won in a photo finish at Ryan Field in Evanston back
in 1997, in a game where Rice’s starting quarterback, Chad Nelson, hampered by
injury, alternated with his backup, Jeremy Bates, the both of them taking turns captaining
the Owl wishbone to victory.
This writer was present in Evanston for the game, and with
"the usual suspects," repaired to Gary Barnett's namesake sports bar afterwards
to relish the win and sip a little brew. Lo and behold, about 90 minutes after the game
was over, who came into the sports bar but the proprietaire himself, one Gary
Barnett.
The Northwestern coach, only one year removed from a nine-win
season and a Big Ten co-championship, but just having swallowed a bitter pill in the loss
to the Owls, immediately spotted the four nerds in Rice caps and gear and made a beeline
for their table.
"Let me buy you fellas a beer," he said. "But I
have to tell you," he added, sidling up to the bar table, "The only reason why
you guys won today is because we left the pill on the floor eight times."
The weathered stat sheet shows that the ‘Cats did lose four
fumbles that day, but it was the Owls’ ability to run the Wildcat defense to
distraction which did in Barnett’s crew. Rice had over 300 yards rushing in that
game.
The previous Rice wins in this truncated series were for the
most part beyond such excuse-making, as a 36-7 Wildcat defeat in 1991, also in Evanston,
was in the bag early when Trevor Cobb broke for an 80 yard touchdown run midway in the
first quarter.
Similarly, the penultimate time that Northwestern visited
Houston for a friendly little game of football, the Institute slapped a 50-6 beating on
them. That was back in 1967, during perhaps the nadir of Northwestern’s football
fortunes -- but the ’67 win marks the most one-sided victory ever by Rice against a
Big 10 school.
With the teams’ renewal of said rivalry after the 12 -year
hiatus, a better than decent sized crowd is expected to show up for the 6:00 p.m. start
time at Rice Stadium.
Current NU coach Pat Fitzgerald must have been taking speech
lessons from Lou Holtz, as in his Monday media conference, he waxed elegiac about this
Rice Owl football team.
"It's going to be a great challenge for us," he said.
"We were average on the road at Vanderbilt. We're going to have to learn from that
experience, learn how we improved against ISU and then have a great week of practice to
prepare. It will take great focus and discipline to go down there and play against a great
football team."
Rice head coach David Bailiff was similarly complimentary about
the 2-0 Wildcats. "They’re a top 30 program every year and on the rise," he
said.
Coach Bailiff clearly had an eye on the weather forecast when he
intimated that Rice’s style of play Saturday will be designed to wear down the
bigger, rangier NU squad.
"We’re going to have to be able to play fast," he
said. "We’re going to have to get to the line of scrimmage and get the ball off
quickly.
"We’ll try and use our up tempo offense," Rice
offensive coordinator David Beaty added. "We’ll work at a tempo that will try to
make it hard on them."
Hard on them, as in make their tongues literally hang out in the
intense heat and humidity that are expected to be present on the floor of Rice Stadium
late Saturday afternoon.
In response, Northwestern will like try and control the
possession game with a measured, even tempo. That works in favor of the Wildcats’
greater physicality, but it also makes much less likely a 50-, or even a 40-point, track
meet.
And that, in turn, once again works in the Owls’ favor. The
strategy: hang around, hang around, hang around until the fourth quarter, when those
big galoots from the upper Midwest have had about enough of the balmy Houston weather, and
then blast some holes in them.
NU has the weapon to control the game, however, in Dan Persa, a
redshirt junior from Chicagoland’s Liberty High. The Wildcat quarterback is off to
one of the best starts nationally among college quarterbacks, leading the Big Ten and the
nation in pass efficiency with a 212.06 rating. He has completed 86 percent of his passes
(38 of 44) for 462 yards and five touchdowns in opening wins at Vanderbilt (23-21) and at
home against Illinois State (37-3).
Persa was only 19 of 21 passing in the opener against Vanderbilt
and 19 of 23 against Illinois State.
"He's always been a playmaker," Northwestern coach Pat
Fitzgerald said. "Last year he threw the ball well, and we're pleased with the way he
improved this offseason. He's off to a pretty fast start."
"There's only one throw he'd like to have back, and that's
impressive," Coach Fitz said, adding that even that pass was a completion.
Behind the junior quarterback, last week Northwestern rolled to
a 30-3 halftime advantage against Illinois State, and then coasted the remainder of the
game for a 34-point win, NU’s largest margin of victory in nearly five years.
Another thing: this Northwestern bunch are serious road
warriors, having posted an 8-3 record away from Ryan Field since the start of the 2008
season – and that’s playing a Big 10 schedule, folks.
They are not going to be utterly without support Saturday,
either, as there are likely to be up to a couple thousand NU fans cheering on their team
in Rice Stadium. The Northwestern alumni association reports a sellout for its
pre-game function and high demand for tickets.
All in all, the game Saturday presents a difficult, but not
impossible, task for the Owls. Certainly Northwestern, though big and talented, is not
bigger nor as talented, frankly, as the Orangebloods from Texas, whom the Owls played on
more-than-respectable terms in their season opening 34-17 loss.
This one, too, is in Rice Stadium, David’s lair where more
than a few Goliaths have been slain over the years. With Rice’s outstanding special
teams performance in its first two games, there lies the prospect that receipt of a couple
of early breaks could put the Owls in the midst of an even game, with special teams play
keeping them there.
Certainly, Rice fans are looking for the prospect of a little
karmic benefit to come their way, after last year’s forgettable two-win season,
basically devoid of an even break. Perhaps, they think, things could be different this
year, starting with this Rice Stadium opener.
Like maybe NU could, dunno, maybe leave the pill on the floor
eight times, or something.
--P.T.H.
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