The smallest university in
Division 1A football, and
arguably the finest --
embodying the ideal
of the Student Athlete.
X A look at the Rice Owls,
both '02 and prior years:
the coaches, the players,
records and stats . Your center for Rice and
NCAA football links on
the web, both inside and
outside the hedges. Notes, comments and correspondence from the editor's
desk.
A walk back through the
years: some Rice
traditions, foibles and
personalities.
HOUSTON (Dec. 3) -- "It was the bowl that we wanted."
That unequivocal comment of Rice head coach David Bailiff rang through the R Room
during Wednesday afternoon’s press conference wherein university Athletic Director
Chris DelConte and Texas Bowl officials jointly announced Rice's participation in the
upcoming third annual version of the City of Houston's own hometown bowl game.
"We are absolutely thrilled to be able to invite Rice to play in the Texas
Bowl," said Texas Bowl manager Heather Houston. "Rice has had an amazing season
and is one of the most exciting teams in the country. It will be a treat for football fans
in Houston to see the Owls cap off this tremendous run right here at home."
With the choice, Rice officials clearly chose to emphasize building the fan base
by way of playing before a large local audience of non-Rice-affiliated attendees.
"It's another opportunity for the people of Houston to come and see
us," Coach Bailiff told a about 40 local press representatives gathered in the R
Room, video cameras on. "It's a chance for Jarett and Chase to hook up one more time
at home. There are nothing but positives." Story continues....Matt Musil-CDC
interview....
Bayou Bucket video highlights
x (videos including all eight of Rice's TD drives, Brian
Raines' interception, goal- line stand, defensive stops)
Could hardly wait for us to get the
ball back again
A scene that wears well -- who'd ever get tired of
looking at it (except the Coogs)? (PTH photo)
by Joyce Pounds Hardy
Class of '45 BA '67
x
HOUSTON (Dec. 1) -- Front page news...
RICE BULLDOZES HOUSTON
OWLS OUTSMART COUGARS
COUGARS LEFT SCRATCHING THEIR HEADS
Of course, those are my headlines. However the Chronicle did
put us on the real front page, in color, headlines "BAYOU RUNS BLUE" which was
the nicest sight since the scoreboard read Rice 56, Houston 42.
Joyce's on Cloud Nine From the Distaff End of the Bench
The Chronicle sports page also gave us top billing: OWLS
TAKE OFFENSE, both with photos to die for, huge color celebrations of the team with each
other and with the beautiful Bayou Bucket, which is now home with us.
A super effort by every lineman, every end, every back,
every coach. I have never been so proud of a team for what it showed the world Saturday:
Smart offense, devastating defense, perfect execution, and a game plan that bamboozled
Houston all afternoon. I have never seen our men tackle and block with such fierce
resolve, their hits were crisp, hard, sure stoppers. And they were still going strong at
the last tick of the clock. Continues....
Rice 56, U of H 42 Offense nearly perfect as Cougars fall with a
thud Chase surgical in his precision; Thor breaks Coog hearts with five-TD, 172-yard
performance; Brian Raines rocks UH with game-changing interception Whose house? Whose Bucket? Whose
town? Rice receiver Toren Dixon answers
all three of those questions emphatically as he raises hand in elation while
crossing goal to put Owls up, 49-28 with 5:43 left in third quarter (Mark Anderson
photos)
James Casey takes flight to congratulate Toren Dixon
after TD's game-clinching TD reception (PTH photo)
HOUSTON (Nov. 30) – Leave it to good- old- boy UH quarterback
and part-time magician Case Keenum to put the capper on Rice’s dramatic 56-42 win
over the Cougars Saturday.
"Rice came out, and they played perfect on offense and didn't turn the ball
over," he said afterwards. "And when Rice plays perfect on offense, you can't
get behind like that. You have to capitalize every chance you get. Every time you get the
ball, you need to score, but there were three or four series there where we didn't."
"And that showed up on the scoreboard."
Indeed it did, as the Owls penetrated the UH red zone six times in the game and
came up with six touchdowns to show for it. Rice scored touchdowns eight out of the first
ten times it touched the football this day. The rest is details.
Meanwhile, the much-maligned Rice defense, while giving up a passel of yardage
(though a good part of it in garbage time), turned surprisingly stingy once backed up near
its own goal. Although the Coogs punted only three times in the game, in all seven UH
possessions went for nought, which meant the Owl defenders were busy making goal line
stands, sacking Mr. Keenum, forcing ill-executed field goal attempts, getting
turnovers, and forcing the ball over on downs -- all afternoon.
It was a day for big plays and small plays for the Rice team, on both sides of
the ball; for big successes and little successes. All of it added up to produce an
inspiring -- and just-the-ticket -- effort by the Owl defense, and a perfect, oh well,
let’s say, damn near perfect, outing by the Flock offense. Net result: a
thorough whipping of a speedy, prolific, confident UH team that belied the mere
two-touchdown difference shown on the scoreboard at game’s end. Story continues....Complete box
score, game stats....Flashback:
'We own this town'...
HOUSTON (Nov. 28) – Owl fans understandably might be
expected to be on pins and needles, tinterhooks, whatever else feels prickly, as the clock
ticks down to the 34th Bayou Bucket game between Rice University and the University of
Houston Cougars, kickoff at Rice Stadium 2:30 p.m. Saturday (CBS-CS TV).
Owlook
After all, the Owls are currently sporting an 8-3 season record, and are
tied for first place in the Conference USA Western division standings, with their 6-1
record being the equal of Tulsa’s and these same Cougars.’
There are, in fact, some huge cake-icing factors which may be brought to bear by a Rice
victory Saturday. Such event would bring about a nine-win season for the Feathered Flock,
which simply would be the first time since 1953 that such a lofty won-loss height was
scaled on South Main.
And that, coupled with a not-very-likely Marshall win over the University of
Tulsa Saturday, would propel Rice into the championship game of Conference USA, in line
for a Liberty Bowl berth. And the last time the Owls played in a league championship
bowl game was the 1958 Cotton Bow Continues....Flashback: Rice 10, Houston 7 (Sept. 6, 2004)...
x
Rice-Marshall
video highlights
x (videos including Corbin Smiter's 45-yard TD
pass-and-run, big early stop and first TD drive, other TD drives)
Quite a story
'They will leave a legacy of winning'
On Joyce's Christmas List: Just one, what the heck,
three more magnificent performances by this guy (PTH photo)
by Joyce Pounds Hardy
Class of '45 BA '67
HOUSTON (Nov. 24) --
Number Eight and counting. Great Day in the Morning, we have done it, EIGHT! How sweet it
is and will be even sweeter when we beat the U. of Who on Saturday.
Joyce's ready ...ready to suit out and play linebacker!
Once again our offense showed diversity; Chase back there
pointing his finger (I don't know what he is pointing at but then neither does the other
team), checking the defense, checking the sideline, checking his offensive line, checking
to see where Jarett and James are, 5-4-3-2 good Heavens, snap the ball! I can see going
down to 1 when you're killing time, but most of the time you're just killing me.
Then a veritable plethora of receivers spray out like a
shower head waiting for the bullet to come their way. It's a sight to see. Watching the
game over again on CBS CS, the camera zeroed in on Chase's eyes inside that helmet, and it
was spooky. He was concentrating so hard, his eyes staring out of that hole, that I felt
as if he were looking right through me. Also, before the snap, there is a sort of
fascinating rhythm to the turning of all the backs and receivers in sync toward the
sideline before each play, while the line never moves. Continues....
Rice 35, Marshall 10 Rice defense corrals Herd attack from start to finish,
while offense gets cranked up for 28-3 second-half run; the win moves Owls to 8-3, 6-1 in
C-USA play
Table set for showdown with UH
Willie Garley (L) sets the defensive pace for Owls on the
opening kickoff of Rice's 35-10 win over Marshall, as the Rice 'D' kept the
Thundering Herd behind the fences all day, giving the offense breathing room to work
out early kinks and run roughshod in second half(PTH photo)
Toren Dixon cradles TD catch to provide Owls with
second-half insurance runs (PTH photo)
HOUSTON (Nov. 23) – You bifocal-wearing Old- Grad types
probably didn’t notice it, but it seems the problems the Rice Owl offense had in
getting untracked the first half Saturday against the Marshall Thundering Herd defense lay
in those sunglasses they were sporting beneath their helmets.
When the first half ended with Rice in a 7-7 stalemate with the visitors from West
Virginia, head coach David Bailiff gathered his entire team in a knot around the 50-yard
line, and even from a distance, one could see that his jaw was getting some exercise in
the event. The lecture, Coach Bailiff admitted later, continued in the halftime locker
room, and when the Owls came out to line up for the second-half kickoff, they brought with
them a whole new attitude.
What kind of line did the resurgent Rice head man lay on his Institute Boys, then,
anyway?
Rice student section exhults as Jarett Dillard crosses
goal line for yet another record-breaking score; this one put the Owls up to stay early in
the third quarter (PTH photo)
Sammy's got plans for the boys from
West Virginny
Owls get reminder of Cadets' no- quit demeanor every 50 years or so, whether
they need it or not
James A. "Froggy" Williams has settled into the role of unofficial
Historian of Rice Football in recent years, having undertaken a well-received series of
articles and memoirs for the Rice Historical Society. Mr. Williams has agreed to regale
our readers, from time to time, with reminiscences of Rice's gridiron glory days, and can
he ever tell the tale. This, folks, comes directly from the horse's mouth. After all, he
was there for the peak of it, having been a consensus All-American end on the greatest Owl
team ever, its 1950
Cotton Bowl champion, earning membership in the College Football Hall of Fame in
1965. Last week's Army game brought back pointed memories to Froggy. Here, he
tells his story of a Rice-Army game that took place 50 years earlier -- to the day. --PTH
THERE WAS A TIME... By Froggy Williams
HOUSTON -- Did I ever tell you about the time the Lonesome End came
to town? I am sure I have not done so, but after last Saturday’s Rice-Army game, I
really feel like I should tell you this story.
Pete Dawkins was an All-American running back for the '58
Army team; the "Lonesome End"? A fellow named Bill
Carpenter
Obviously, the Owls’ win over the West Point Cadets served as a
reminder of that day, exactly 50 years ago. Since this story is unique, I am ashamed to
say I have missed telling this after making maybe three or four presentations on an era
that should have included it. The date of this occurrence happened to be November 8, 1958.
The date, though obviously coincidental, is entirely without any merit. But now let me set
the stage for you. You may want to relate this story to your grandchildren.
Earl "Red" Blaik was the
coach of the West Point Cadets. He had been there a long time and had great success.
Incidentally, no other coach has approached Blaik's long record at West Point. Anyway,
these Army boys were ranked number three in the nation going into that ’58 game with
Rice.
Now I've gotta tell you something. There was almost nothing that could cause
Jess Neely to prepare for a game more, than when he had a chance to knock off a high
flying group from a prominent school. About the only thing approaching this situation was
when Rice played Tennessee in the Orange Bowl January 1, 1947, after a winning season and
a 1946 Southwest Conference Title. But I digress, as that is another whole story. Story continues....
Not exactly a happy camper
Former Rice head man Todd Graham prowls the sideline at
Robertson Stadium Saturday as his Tulsa team fell to the University of Houston, 70-30; the
loss dropped the Golden Hurricane into a three-way tie for the C-USA Western Division
lead, with UH and, guess who -- the Rice Owls (Mark Anderson photo)x
Rice-Army
video highlights
x (videos including Chase's 61-yard TD run to make it 10-7;
JD's 80-yarder; Corbin Smiter's 54-yard TD reception; defensive stops, more...)
Chase Clement is undoubtedly the captain of the Rice
football ship, and he's set sail on a challenging voyage this, his senior year (PTH
photo)
by Joyce Pounds Hardy
Class of '45 BA '67
HOUSTON (Nov. 11) -- Chase Clement was
quoted in the Chronicle as saying “We’ve done so much, we’ve come so far,
that just winning isn’t enough.”Whoa, Chase, speak for
yourself. There’s no such thing as “just winning.” When you have been
around as long as I have and can count Rice’s winning seasons on ten fingers, believe
me, a win is a win is a win. You may not be proud of that last game, but we are.
Joyce's back.. ..and she's darned proud of the Owls' win over Army
Some of the adjectives describing our team
puzzled me. Of course, Pollyanna here, didn’t notice their being “lethargic,
hollow, fizzled, uninspiring, unfulfilled.” Coach keeps saying “We play one game
at a time,” but there’s nothing wrong with some wild celebrating when that one
game puts a W in the win column.
As for coming out flat after halftime, I
guess I’ll have to start giving out those red Hot Tamales between halves since they
always put a little fire in their bellies and a smile on their faces. Who’s the
leader of this team? Sendejo? Raines? Clement? Dillard? I can’t
remember who the captains are but your work is cut out for you against Marshall and
Houston. We are not going to fade. Continues....
Rice 38, Army 31
Owls surge to 31-7 lead; make it stand up as defense
holds off fourth-quarter Army rally COME TO PAPA! -- Rice's Corbin
Smiter hauls in 54-yard third-quarter touchdown bomb from Chase Clement to put Owls up,
38-17 (PTH photo)
FIRST DOWN? Rice's James Casey,
Army defenders look toward down marker to see whether Cadets have held on fourth and one.
They had, but it turned out to be of no consequence (PTH photo)
HOUSTON (Nov. 9) – On the first play of the fourth quarter of
Saturday’s game between Rice and the U.S. Military Academy, with the Owls ahead by a
seemingly comfortable mark of 38-17, deep in Army territory, Rice strong man James Casey
took a short pass over the middle from Chase Clement and began his inimitable,
body-busting ramble downfield.
At that point, prospects for a Rice rout of the Cadets looked somewhere between
"good" and "certain," as the Rice offense, for all practical purposes,
had not been stopped since early in the second period.
But the always-by-the-book Mr. Casey, with eyes on a 40-plus yard, broken-field
touchdown ramble, just for a moment disregarded one of the bywords of the Rice offensive
attack this season – that expression, "ball security."
As Thor stretched downfield for even more yardage, the pigskin was tucked
between his fingertips and wrist, just at a point where Army defender Mario Hill could
take a poke at it.
Poke, he did, and for the first time all season, James Casey lost a fumble,
giving the Cadets new life at their own 30, with some 14 minutes left in the game. Story continues....Complete
stats, game summary....
HUFFIN' AND PUFFIN' -- Chase Clement
seals the deal on his 61-yard first-quarter touchdown run that put Owls up to stay
-- but not before a few Rice last-minute defensive heroics (PTH photo)
Army invades Rice Stadium Saturday;
Sammy's ready (Cartoon
from 1958 Rice-Army game program cover; game held at Rice Stadium)
Call him Captain Comeback II:
In the shadow of greatness x By
Mark Anderson
x HOUSTON (Nov. 5) -- It was fitting that one of Chase Clement's
comeback victories during his Rice career was against SMU in Dallas last season. Chase
grew up in the shadow of someone you may have heard of who had a few victories just like
Chase's years before -- the famous quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, Roger Staubach,
a/k/a "Captain Comeback."
Chase's family had the privilege - and still does - of having a relationship with
Roger. Chase's grandfather is in the same business - commercial real estate - as the
former Navy All-American is in, and developed a close relationship over the years. Chase
told this writer, "It's been several years since I have seen him, but growing up with
my grandfather and his brother, we'd go hang out at his house and play basketball."
Chase told us that Roger would "play ping pong, throw a baseball, and do all sorts of
things."
But for Chase, perhaps the most vivid memory of Roger was not something that
happened in Dallas, but a golf tournament in Austin. It was the last time Chase saw Roger
as he caddied for Roger, Tom Landry, and his grandfather. "I was fortunate enough to
go and caddy for him," Chase said. "I caddied for all three of those guys, so I
got to be around some good people." Story continues...
Rice-UTEP
video highlights
x (videos of Rice offensive series including Chase's td run
to make it 21-17; Thor's td run to make it 35-20; Casey's four-yard td reception;
more...)
Rice 49, UTEP 44 Casey, Clement lead Owls to another nail-biter win
Rice now bowl-eligible at 6-3, 5-1 ROOKIE STILL AT IT --
Rice walk-on redshirt Travis Bradshaw got some bench time with the return of Andrew
Sendejo against UTEP, but when Trav was on the field, he made the most of it (PTH
photo)
OH, FER CRYIN' OUT LOUD -- Rice's James
Casey appears to be riding UTEP defender like a unicycle on this broken-field pass and run
(PTH photo)
EL PASO (Nov. 2) – Let’s talk "Bowl eligibility"
(now that we’re free to do so).
The Rice Owl offense showed Saturday night, in its execution, precision, maturity
and skill, that, far from being a mere worthy bowl participant, it is a serious league
championship contender and a formidable foe for any bowl opponent, BCS-level or not.
But then there’s that Rice defense and special teams – ah, those defenders
and special teamers.
Rice had better pick an afternoon bowl game to play in this season because, from
what they showed on the floor of the Sun Bowl against the University of Texas-El Paso, the
aforementioned two departments are clearly not ready for prime time.
UTEP quarterback Trevor Vittatoe evaded Rice rushers and tossed four touchdown
passes in the first 20 minutes of the game here Saturday, a contest which saw the Owls
rally from an early deficit and gamely hold on for a 49-44 win by just being damned sure
they kept on scoring at least one touchdown more than the other guys. Story continues....Rice-UTEP
statistics, game summary....
MAILMAN DELIVERS --
Rice all-everything James Casey leaves UTEP defender in his dust as he crosses the goal
line for first of his four touchdowns against the Miners (PTH photo)
It's Sammy vs. the Miners at the
Dust Bowl
Rice-Tulane
video highlights
x (videos of Owl first touchdown drive, second TD drive, TD
pass to go up 21-0, blocked punt returned for TD, defensive stops...)
Makes getting up early on Sunday morn
joyful thing
Joyce Hardy From the Distaff End of the Bench
HOUSTON (Oct. 29) --
RICE ROCKS TULANE42-17
OWLS HOLD VAUNTED GREEN WAVE RUNNING
ATTACK TO SEASON LOW 34 YARDS
QB CHASE CLEMENT ACCOUNTS FOR FOUR
TD’S TO HELP RACK UP 35-0 HALFTIME LEAD
RICE’S OFFENSE NOT JUST A 2-MAN SHOW
Now those are praises to die for. Is this
our Houston Chronicle giving half-page photos and four inch headlines to our Rice Owls?
What will they give us when we win number 6 and go bowling? I can hardly wait to see. It
surely makes getting up early on a Sunday morning a joyful thing. Continues....
The Odyssey of C.J. Ugokwe With 100-yard-plus rushing game against Tulane,
the junior from Plano finally comes into his own
The hard-running C. J. Ugokwe also picked up his first
touchdown of the season against Tulane (PTH photo)
By Mark Anderson
x HOUSTON (Oct. 28) -- The dictionary defines the word odyssey as, "a
long, wandering, and eventful journey." Perhaps no player among the Feathered Flock
can lay claim to an odyssey of a career at Rice more than running back C. J. Ugokwe.
Ugokwe
The 5-11, 215-pound junior from Plano achieved a personal best Saturday with
111 key rushing yards in Rice's 42-17 victory over Tulane -- the first 100-yard-plus game
of his career.
C.J. came to Rice in the recruiting class of 2005. He was recruited from Plano East
High School by then-coach Ken Hatfield and his staff. His freshman year, he watched as
Quinton Smith seized control of the running back position while C.J. wore a redshirt.
This is where C.J's odyssey took its first turn. Ken Hatfield resigned as head
coach of Rice in November of 2005, and on New Year's Day, as new coach Todd Graham was
named to replace Hatfield. Story continues....
Rice 42, Tulane 17 SMACKDOWN -- Rice defensive line goes
high to block Tulane field goal attempt as first half clock expires; the Owls' Chris Jones
grabbed the blocked try and sprinted 55 yards for the touchdown, adding exclamation point
to the Flock's best half of football in a long, long time (PTH photo)
x
Owls ride big-play defense, precision offense, special teams thunder in storming to 35-0
halftime lead; then take foot off the gas and coast to 5-3, 4-1 in league
C. J. Ugokwe gets a slew of his 111 yards rushing on the
day on this play; it was the first career century-mark day for the Owl running back (PTH
photo)
NEW ORLEANS (Oct. 25) – The Rice Owls' charter plane likely
didn't need to use an ounce of jet fuel to fly the team back home to Houston tonight. The
momentum the Owls developed in storming to a 35-0 halftime lead over the Tulane Green Wave
here Saturday afternoon surely should've been enough to get the Institute Boys safely back
to Hobby sans engines.
So overwhelming was the Flock's first-half dominance over the Greenies, that
Rice had coasted to a 28-0, early second-quarter lead before their unfortunate opponents
had been able to garner more than a single first down..
But injury was added to insult when, on the final play of the first half,
the whole center of the Rice defensive line rose up to block a Ross Thevenot field goal
attempt (Scott Solomon got the spike), whereupon Chris Jones grabbed the caroming ball,
wide open in the flat, and raced 55 yards for a touchdown after the clock had expired.
If there were precious few Tulane fans in the cavernous Superdome for
the opening kickoff, there remained even fewer when a noticeable number of them began to
file out of the stadium in disgust at the score, as the visiting MOB took the field. Story continues....
More photos, highlight video to come....
Rice-USM
video highlights
x (videos of two Jarett Dillard touchdown receptions,
another by Toren Dixon, James Casey, a sack by Todd Mohr, Bradshaw, Leary, other big
plays...)
Beautiful game, beautiful stadium,
beautiful day x
HOUSTON (Oct. 21) -- Hey all of you couch potatoes sitting indoors watching your TV
games, you missed a great opportunity to experience what college football is all about
Saturday afternoon. It was beautiful.
Back on track Joyce Hardy wonders where the rest of you were
Of course, Rice beating Southern
Mississippi, 45-40, in a nip and tuck battle of the air balls certainly made it more
exciting. This was another one of those jumping games where I get all my exercise for the
week in 4 hours.
Not only did I jump up six times for Rice
touchdowns plus a field goal, but for some unbelievable receptions for first downs, runs
for tough yardage, a knock-the- ball-out-of-our-
receiver’s-hands-fumble-bounce-catch-run- touchdown, and a
grab-the–ball-out-of-the-opponent’s-hands- recovery for a Rice first down, but
also an onside kick by Southern Miss in the last seconds of the game which was caught by a
flying Casey, who was promptly flipped for a 360 in the air, to end the game.Who
needs 24 Hour Fitness? Continues....
Rice 45, Southern Miss 40 GIFT HORSE -- Rice's James Casey swoops
up ball on the first bounce after downfield fumble by receiver Patrick Randolph; it's
smooth sailing ahead for Thor as he heads for paydirt (PTH photo)
x Owls outpace USM, hang on for narrow victory that
would'a, could'a, should'a been a blowout Chase throws for 6 TDs, 3 to JD
By the way, here's the end of James Casey's TD fumble
recovery and TD run which started in the pic above -- "Bizarre" was Thor's
reaction (PTH photo)
HOUSTON (Oct. 18) -- What looked to be a knee-slapper turned out to
be a heart-stopper, as the Rice Owls managed to stave off three, fourth-quarter Southern
Missisippi touchdowns and escape with a 45-40 victory before an announced crowd of 11, 179
here Saturday afternoon, in so doing extending their league record to 3-1 and remaining in
the thick of the division title race and the quest for a bowl game this season.
The Owls twice held three-touchdown leads in the second half, only to see them
dwindle to five-point margins both times, thanks to some determined play by the USM
offense, some frustratingly inconsistent Rice defensive play, and some rather bizarre
calls by the fellows in the striped shirts.
In the end, it took a James Casey recovery of an onsides kick with 15 seconds left in
the game to finally seal the deal, a play which capped a huge day for the Terrific Trio of
quarterback Chase Clement, wide receiver Jarett Dillard, and do-it-all utility man Casey.
On the day, the stat sheet looked gaudy for all three Rice offensive standouts
as Chase and Jarett padded their ongoing NCAA pitch-and-catch record while JD also
continued to rewrite league record books with his three touchdown receptions. Chase threw
for a total 444 yards and six touchdowns, including the three to Jarrett.
Besides recovering that game-sealing onsider, Thor, meanwhile, also added a
downfield fumble recovery and 26-yard touchdown sprint in the fourth, along with a
leaping, twisting, touchdown catch-and-run in the second quarter. His athletic moves,
typical for the Owl utility man, left USM fans shaking their heads as they filed sullenly
out of Rice Stadium. After all, it was the second year in a row that the Golden Eagles had
struck out against the Mighty Casey. Story continues....First photos....Final
stats.....
A mere 50 years ago
this season.... Buddy Dial
and company led the Owls to a 34-7 victory over the University of Texas before a packed
house of 72,000 at Rice Stadium. For the City of Houston, it was the athletic, and
social, event of the season. Were you there? (Rice Campanile) Fleeting moment
in Texas game brought back flood of memories to one Owl
Ricefootball.net welcomes a new contributor to its pages, someone who quite
neatly fits into the category of "Living Legend." James A.
"Froggy" Williams has settled into the role of unofficial Historian of Rice
Football in recent years, having undertaken a well-received series of articles and memoirs
for the Rice Historical Society. Mr. Williams has agreed to regale our readers, from time
to time, with reminiscences of Rice's gridiron glory days, and can he ever tell the tale.
This, folks, comes directly from the horse's mouth. After all, he was there for the peak
of it, having been a consensus All-American end on the greatest Owl team ever, its 1949
Orange Bowl champion, earning membership in the College Football Hall of Fame in
1965. The old pass-catcher leads off with his recollections emanating from this
year's 91st clash between Rice and the University of Texas. --PTH
THERE WAS A TIME... By Froggy Williams
There really has been a rather outstanding longtime rivalry between
Texas University and Rice University. Oh yes, I know that Rice has not won a game with UT
in many years. It was in 1994 that this last happened, when the Owls won by 19-17.
As Rice partisans know, Texas usually scores about fifty some-odd points. Rice
will vary from one to maybe three touchdowns. In this year's game, eventually won by
Texas in Austin, 52-10, it was the first time in many years that Rice actually led
Texas at any point in a game. Texas did finally score the usual 50-plus points, but
what a heady feeling to know Rice was really in the lead in the early going. It is
doubtful that any Rice partisan really thought the Owls would win. There may well be some
younger Owls who have never seen the Owls lead the Longhorns!
Look, up in the sky...it's a bird...it's a plane
Rice's James Casey provided several highlights against
Tulsa, passing for, running for and catching a touchdown pass for the Owls; here
he's seen hurtling downfield in 29-yard pass-and-run over, around and through half of
Tulsa defense (Mark Anderson photo)
Though painful, Owl mis-step needs to be put
in perspective c by Joyce Pounds Hardy
Class of '45 BA '67
x GALVESTON (Oct. 6) -- I was so upset Sunday that I couldn’t write about the
game. Boy, that one hurt.
No tragedy in loss to Tulsa
Joyce Hardy visits post-Ike Galveston
I knew that we weren’t bulletproof,
but I thought we were past shooting our- selves in the foot, not once not twice but five
times. And on TV--again. I hope CBS-C paid us something for that public humiliation.
Whatever it was, it wasn’t enough.
However, today, Monday, I forgot about
our misfortune, I forgot about our loss, I forgot about the ill wind that blew, and the
surge of the Golden Hurricanes that sunk our dreams, I forgot about my pain over a
football game. Today, I spent seven hours in Galveston. Continues....
Tulsa
63, Rice 28 Tulsa, Graham have their fun as Rice effort falters
14-14 second-quarter tie turns into blowout runaway as Owls are overwhelmed by their
own gaffes, thin defensive ranks, Tulsa offensive slickness
STOCK PORTFOLIO WORRIES? Tulsa head
coach Todd Graham seems pre-occupied as he emerges from the halftime locker room during
Saturday's Rice-Tulsa game; as it turned out, his concerns were soon met by two quick
Tulsa scores which put the game out of reach (Mark Anderson photo)
TULSA (Oct. 5) – Well, alright, we think we
have the words to the Tulsa fight song pretty much down pat by now.
The couple hundred or so Rice fans who braved their way to the Oklahoma Hills to
see their Owls take on arch-nemesis Todd Graham and his Tulsa Golden Hurricane this fine
evening got to hear that fight song over and over and over again, as the finely-tuned and
slickly-executing Tulsa offense -- with the help of a couple major SNAFUs by the Owl
special teams and the occasional curious Rice offensive play call -- found the end
zone often enough to pile up 63 points against the boys from South Main, while the good
guys, alas, could come up with only 28.
The game was a nail biter in the first half, as Rice matched Tulsa score for score
until the last moments of the second quarter. Then, with the score tied at 14 all, the
Tulsans managed to return a squib kick to their own 43, and from there it took them only
six plays to barrel the ball downfield for a score that gave the Golden Hurricane a 21-14
halftime lead.
There was no major cause for alarm among the Rice faithful at that time,
however. The Owls as of halftime had matched Tulsa blow for blow, and had equaled them on
the stat sheet as well. Rice quarterback Chase Clement’s passing touch appeared to be
a little bit off his usual pinpoint precision, but even so, under his direction the Owls
had cranked up two long drives for their 14 first-half points.
Rice-UNT video highlights
x (videos of Arnaud's quick pick-six, another record-breaking TD
catch by Jarett Dillard, Chase's 26-yard TD run, and other big plays from Rice's 77-20 win
over North Texas)
Sammy's ready....
Enough to make me want to go to Tulsa -- almost
A romp in the park
Joyce Hardy revels in UNT victory
by Joyce Pounds Hardy
Class of '45 BA '67
HOUSTON (Sept. 30) -- I wanted more!! I was loving
this. I didn't even know our scoreboard could go as high as 77.
Our box, full of screaming, joyful Rice Owls (except for my guest
who was from North Texas) was jumping up and down as we were on a trampoline, high fiving,
and making sure that we didn't miss the replay of another amazing touchdown. The fun was
non-stop.
Clement to Dillard, Clement to Dillard, Clement to Dillard. They wanted all the
hoopla to be "over with," but I would have been happy to see hoopla #42, #43,
and #44. I am so proud of those two guys for breaking the NCAA record, especially in Rice
Stadium where we could all bask in the glory of their accomplishment. And just think there
are more games to play. It makes me want to go to Tulsa. Almost.
There were so many fine plays on this sunshiny, breezy autumn day, I didn't want it to
end. Continues....
Rice 77, North Texas 20 Owl offense runs wild, Rice scores most points since
1916 in runaway victory over UNT; Chase, JD set NCAA TD reception record; defense
gets two more pick-sixes
Owl receivers hauled in five touchdown passes against UNT
Saturday -- four from quarterback Chase Clement and one from halfback Jeramy Goodson
(Mark Anderson photo)
x
By Bob Reinhold
x HOUSTON(Sept. 28) – Wow! Trap game? What trap game? Some Rice fans were worried that after
four tough games -- and with Tulsa looming next week -- the Owls might be looking past
North Texas. After all, UNT was winless and not a big "name" school.
But with great leadership from Chase Clement, Jarett Dillard, David
Berken, James Casey, et al., the Owls were anything but flat as they stormed past the Mean
Green, 77-20, here Saturday.
On a beautiful, albeit warm, Saturday afternoon at Rice
Stadium the Rice offense put on a precision performance not before
offered by the blue and gray since before World War I. Consider this: 10
first half possessions, and the final one was with only 1.8 seconds left in the half and
we took a knee. The result of those 10 possessions? Eight Rice touchdowns.
Rice scored on its first six possessions -- and on the
seventh UNT fumbled a punt whereupon the Owls scored three plays later. On its next
possession Chase Clement and Jarett Dillard combined for their 41st TD combo to up the
lead to 56-20 at the half.
Owl parade of touchdowns started early, kept on
coming against UNT (Mark Anderson photo)
When news eventually reached, wasn't
positive "Beer good. Game bad. Thanks." x by Joyce Pounds Hardy
Class of '45 BA '67 (you figure it out)
x HOUSTON (Sept. 23) -- Hurricane Ike, Vanderbilt, and Texas.
None out of three is no fun
Joyce Hardy mulls the storm, Vandy, and Texas
Three pretty bad storms for Rice to have to weather in
one week. The football team was faring about as well as their fans back in Houston, who
were without power, too. The team took off for Tennessee just before the monster, who was
swirling like a giant whirlpool covering the entire Gulf of Mexico, came ashore. So long
Rice Owls, so long Galveston, so long Bolivar, so long Crystal Beach, so long Gilcrest, so
long Houston.
On Saturday, when I realized that I had survived, exhausted from running from window to
window for 24 hours with a flashlight, I had one consolation, as I lit candles all over
the house (I no longer think that candles are romantic.) My freshly battery-loaded
transistor radio, that $100 one that is powerful enough to pick up 97.5 FM, was ready for
the Rice-Vanderbilt game. I clung to that little radio knowing that at 6pm I could at
least let my mind settle on something else besides 120 mile an hour winds, more rain,
downed trees, and no electricity.
Wrong. All I could get was whiny music. I checked to make sure that I had not
mistakenly tuned to KTRU, but no it was the correct number. Same music, different station.
With no computer, no newspaper, I didn't know who won the game for three days; until Buck
was sawing giant limbs which covered my front yard and he discovered the Chronicle buried
there under what used to be my Chinese Tallow tree. We lost. Continues....
Texas 52, Rice 10 Beef on beef, Owls
'good' but UT 'prime' Another exercise in futility for Owls, who are over- whelmed by Texas’
athleticism, not to mention
98,000 fans and inconsistent play of their own
x
Rice's Andrew Sendejo had 17 tackles in the Texas game;
here he corrals UT quarterback John Chiles (Mark Anderson photo)
AUSTIN (Sept. 21) – About all that needs to be written about this
91st meeting between the University of Texas Longhorns and the Rice Owls can be summarized
in a couple of paragraphs describing how the Owls failed to score in 11 plays inside the
Texas five yard line, after having driven the length of the field down 21-3 in the second
quarter.
Those Rice fans and alums who resent AD Chris Del Conte’s exhortations to
chip in an extra grand apiece for prime basketball seats as, candidly, a quid pro quo
for not having to participate in games like this should be subjected to the Ludovico
Treatment, like Malcom MacDowell having their eyelids pried open and drops put in, then
having to watch the video sequence of
the Flock’s ill-fated goal-line assault over and over and over again.
Certainly, that goal line series was the most disheartening vignette for
the long-suffering Institute Boys in this series, at least since when, in '91, the refs
disallowed a Rice two-point play that would have given a much-deserved victory to the
Owls, 32-31, instead of the 31-30 loss that went down in the books. But we digress.
The sordid scene was thus: Texas had just gone out in front, 21-3, courtesy of a
99-yard, 12-play drive and then a 60-yard flea-flicker pass play from Colt McCoy to Jordan
Shipley. On the ensuing kickoff, a touchback, naturally, the Owls started at their 20,
with 7:22 remaining in the first half. Story continues.... Box
score, statistics....
Rice quarterback Chase Clement spent most of the evening
running for his life, and a few times he even managed to escape for a bit (Mark
Anderson photo)
Why-does-Rice-play-Texas
Week
Vanderbilt 38, Rice 21 Too little, too soon Injury-plagued defense,
vanishing-act offense, no-show special teams play all add up to doom effort against Vandy
Chase Clement skips across goal line with relative ease
as Owls pile on the total offense in first half against Vanderbilt (PTH photo)
NASHVILLE (Sept. 14) -- One of the oldest saws in the book has it that
there are three aspects to the game of football – offense, defense and special teams.
And to be in a position to win any given football game, a team has to win two out of three
of those.
Perhaps the most frustrating thing about Rice’s 38-21 loss to Vanderbilt
Saturday was the fact that a superior performance in at least one of those
categories might have been enough to sway the day, despite Vanderbilt’s ability to
move the ball on the ground with little interdiction.
The Rice defense, which, after Brandon King went out with a career-ending injury in the
second quarter, was playing without five of its best 11, still managed to hang on
valiantly for a half before wearing down in the face of superior athleticism.
"We were missing some players tonight," Rice head coach David Bailiff
said afterwards, in what has to be the understatement of this young season. Not even
mentioning two injured senior linebackers, Brian Raines and Vernon James, who stand as the
heart of the Owl defense, the Rice mentor pointed out, "Our starting defensive ends
didn't even make the trip."
She's back! And even MORE pumped up!
Joyce Hardy celebrates the
Memphis win
HOUSTON (Sept. 9) -- Forget the Zantac!
Buck had to get the defib- rillator; his mother was fibrillating. I'm wacky enough
without you all banging on my heart. However, I'll just keep the jumper nearby for all the
games and raise the decibels as I happily yell "GO RICE GO!"
In the breathtaking final seconds of the game, when Jammer (I love
that name) intercepted that pass and took off running, Buck and I were up on our feet
jumping up and down whooping like banshees, hollering "GO GO GO..."
when the phone rang. I picked it up and yelled hello, still screaming "GO
GO..."
It was my son, Larry, calling from the hospital to
celebrate with us. "What game are you watching?" as the noise hit a massive
crescendo and Jammer (I love that name) crossed the goal line. "Rice, of course, we
just made a touchdown to go ahead of Memphis with 11 seconds left on the clock." Continues....
Rice 42, Memphis 35
Chris Jammer gives every ounce of his energy, straining
as he crosses the goal line, after completing a 69-yard interception return that capped a
29-point fourth quarter rally against Memphis -- 22 of those coming in the last 6:28 of
the game (PTH photo) Wow! Jammer's walk-off Pick Six
puts capper on stunning Owl comeback
Chase Clement scrambles for key yardage starting at his
own 6 yard line, first play of a 94-yard, game-tying touchdown drive (MA photo)
MEMPHIS (Sept. 7) – Even the most die-hard Rice Owl fan would
have to be forgiven for exhibiting at least a slight bit of skepticism when the University
of Memphis’wide receiver Maurice Jones moon-walked his way into the end zone for a
35-20 UM lead with just over eight minutes left in the game here Saturday night.
The 39-yard TD reception re-energized the home crowd of 28,351 and put what
appeared to be a killing lance in the side of the Owls, who had battled back from a
previous 15-point deficit and hung around long enough to have a chance in the contest.
After all, when your team’s vaunted offense is held to 90 total first-half yards
and only five first downs in the first two quarters – and the best receiver in your
school’s history drops a sure-fire touchdown bomb during that stanza – you have
the right to conclude that it’s simply not your night, and pack up the equipment for
next week.
James Casey rambles for 41 of his 120 fourth-quarter
receiving yards; Thor had 11 receptions for 208 yards on the night (MA photo)
Latest
edition of JD's NYT diary.... Rice's
Dynamic Duo talk Owl football on ESPN.... Owls go for second straight league win
Rice 56, SMU 27 Rice's Andrew Sendejo (R) celebrates
with Kramer Lucio after interception return for touchdown, one of two scores off turnovers
turned in by Andrew in the third quarter (Mark Anderson photo) Big-play defense tees up Rice offense for big
night
Chase throws six TD passes, the first four to four different receivers; JD gets three
HOUSTON (Aug. 29) -- The oft-maligned Rice defense rose to new heights
here Saturday night, fairly blowing a befuddled SMU Mustang team out of Rice Stadium,
turning one of two recovered fumbles and three interceptions into touchdowns as the Owls
cruised to a 56-27 win over the Ponies.
Chase Clement led the Rice offense to 30 first downs and 466 total offense on the
evening, but that latter figure was deceptive, because, after the defense scored two TDs
and set up two more chip-shot scores in the third quarter, it was "game over,"
and the offense went into shut-down mode the rest of the evening. Story continues....Box
score, statistics....
Just a hop, skip and a jump to paydirt
Rice quarterback Chase Clement just won't be denied as he contorts forward for extra
yardage to get to the lip of the cup (Mark Anderson photo)
Jarett: "This is my senior year, and this is how we’re going to do
it" (MA photo)
HOUSTON (Aug.28) — When the word "senioritis" comes
to mind, one generally thinks of a fellow who is thinking "D"—as in
"diploma." More often than not, when assignments are done, it’s usually on
the "good enough for government work" theory. Senioritis is often associated
with just counting the days until Graduation Day, when the next step in life begins.
That generalization, however, would not apply to the seniors on this Rice Owl
football team.
This 2008 version of the Feathered Flock has three senior captains: Chase Clement,
Jarett Dillard, and Brian Raines. These three young men could be said to embody
Senioritis—The Rice (Right) Way.
To get a grip on the current attitude of the Rice Owls, and the captains of the
team in particular, one must go back to their arrival on Main Street and the changes that
have happened since. While Brian Raines was from the Houston area (Ft. Bend Willowridge),
Chase Clement and Jarett Dillard both hail from San Antonio. Story continues.... Does anybody ever read this thing?
Reader interest appears to mirror
success of team – or lack thereof Indicates average just under 3 million home page hits a year
HOUSTON (Aug. 25) -- In
its eleven-odd years of existence, this publication has never announced readership figures
of any kind. To begin with, the thought was that the highest possible circulation number
was not an appropriate goal; rather, the idea was to provide a resource for the Rice
football-adhering community, be it large or be it minuscule, to resort to in good times or
bad, thick media coverage or thin.
And admittedly, there have been more of the latter than the former over the past
decade. Too, with the relatively demure size of Rice’s cozy cadre of hardcore
football fans, we never expected to break any kind of records for total readership.
Still, the questions occasionally come: Do you people have ANY readers at all?
Wouldn’t you have more if you went "legitimate"?
Starting at the beginning of the’06 season, we endeavored to keep more than
casual track of our readership, and so signed up for site-statistic provisions optionally
afforded us by our web host. Story continues....Why we keep pushing that rock....
Coach Bailiff's Monday
press conference "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....I can't wait to get to work every morning..." Part 1.... Part 2 (q&a)....
David Berken
'We're just excited so many can come out and watch us...'
Rice-Houston
Postgame interviews
Coach Bailiff 'I am absolutely so proud of this football team'
Chase Clement 'It was so awesome to be able to bring this victory home'
James Casey 'That’s what it was all about — sending the seniors out
on top'
Scott Solomon 'We' had a swagger about ourselves...we were ready...'
Brian Raines 'I couldn’t catch one with two arms, but I catch one with one'
Rice-UH
week
Monday press luncheon
Coach Bailiff
"It's a tribute to the seniors...all they've done
is worked hard and done what we've asked them, since we've been here"
Chase Clement
"With so much riding on it, we definitely want to
come and out and have the best week of practice we've ever had..."
Jarett Dillard
"We're going to have to come in this week and play
a full game... because U of H is a good team; they've proved it the past two years"
David Berken
"We started our first year in '04 against Houston
and now we're ending it...it's going to be a lot of fun"
Ja'Corey Shepherd
"The excitement we had winning the Bayou Bucket
our freshman year -- we'd like to bring it back again"
Rice-Marshall
Postgame interviews
Coach Bailiff
"Our best defensive effort from start to finish
this season...proud of those young men, proud of this staff...we did a lot of the little
things..."
Chase Clement
"It was good to see our guys say, 'Forget about next week; we're
worrried about this week..."
James Casey
"Like Coach was saying, we had our sunglasses on at first...but we kind of put them
on their heels a little bit the second half"
Jarett Dillard
"When we came out the second half, we knew exactly
what they were doing, so we were able to pick them apart"
Travis Bradshaw
"It definitely helps us with our confidence, going
into the Houston game"
Chance Talbert
"We came out today just wanting to make them throw
the ball...we did alright today"
Marshall
week
Monday press luncheon
Coach Bailiff 'It's great to have the last two games at home. But also, the
single most important thing is for us to be 1-0 this week. We can't look ahead'
Chase Clement 'The bye week helped ...Marshall has a good defense; we've seen how
they've shut down their opponents'
Jarett Dillard 'I loved the time off; I loved just sitting at home watching the
games... until Saturday night; then I was ready to play'
Andrew Sendejo 'It feels good just knowing that we get some guys back; we can
rotate them in and have some fresh legs and make plays'
Coach Bailiff
"It's about four quarters, and you have to play
hard..."
Chase Clement
"We shot ourselves in the foot when we got across
the 50"
Corbin Smiter
"It was my opportunity to step up and make a
couple plays"
Joseph Leary
"We worked on flying around and finishing ever
play"
Jarett Dillard
"I saw single coverage; I got so happy I jumped
offsides"
Army
week
Monday press luncheon
Coach
Bailiff 'The offense just tightens their own chin strap and buttons it up
and they go and score 49 points. That's a tribute to the senior leadership...'
Chase
Clement
'Once we got to the second half we were able to do a lot better job getting down their
alignments...we were able to settle down and just play our offense'
Jarett
Dillard
''I'm not frustrated at all; I'm just looking for a way to get open in double coverage...
it's not how you start, it's how you finish in this game'
Andrew
Sendejo
'Coach always tells us that the most important play is the next play, and that's the
mentality that we try to have on defense'
Coach
Bailiff
'I thought it was an absolutely great football game for
us...(but) we've still got a lot of improvement to do... we're just trying to be 1 and 0
this week...'
Chase
Clement
'It definitely was a good win for us, though we didn't do it in the conventional way,
running for 220 yards... C.J. was awesome...'
C.
J. Ugokwe
'It seemed like each play, I saw a huge hole... our
offensive line has definitely improved on its run blocking... we know what we're capable
of..."
Terrance
Garmon
'I got a better under- standing of what's going on,
with this extra year in the same defense...I can help the other guys out...'
Coach
Bailiff
"We've just got to keep working and playing hard.
We're playing with great effort, and we're playing with passion. We just a have to tech-
nically improve..."
Travis Bradshaw
"I'm happy with some of my plays, but the ones
that stick in my head are the missed tackles... but it's fixable"
Scott Solomon"We missed too many
opportunies, we missed too many tackles, but we're just excited to have the win"
Chase Clement"It's only going to get a lot
tougher; Tulane has one of the best defenses in the confer- ence ...they're able to play
to our schemes..."
Toren Dixon
"We're building a winning mentality; it's
something that comes with time, and the guys buying in to it -- and we're expecting to win
this year"
Rice-Southern
Miss
postgame interviews
Coach Bailiff "That was a wild ride out there; it was
unbelievable from start to finish..."
James Casey
"As always, bad things happen in football games,
but we persevered..."
Jarett Dillard
"I went to Chase and said, 'hey, that's probably
the ugliest pass you've thrown in your life...'"
Todd
Mohr
"The first sack I made, it felt really good, but
the second, it was like, let's move on to the next play"
Toren Dixon
"You want to move the chains, you've got to make
plays..."
Terrance
Garmon
"When your number's called, you've got to do what
you're supposed to"
Southern Miss
week --
Monday press luncheon
Coach Bailiff 'It is what it is and we just need to focus on Southern Miss and
get this thing started right again after the break'
Brian Raines 'I don't think the bye week could have come at a better time. It
gave guys a chance to get away, reevaluate some things...'
James Casey 'We feel like everything is in front of us ... We can still do all
of the things that we talked about early in the season'
Austin Wilkinson 'We're in the second year of this offense; not having to think
about technique and knowing our assignments are big advantages'
Cheta Ozougwu 'You're almost never 100 percent in the game of football, but this
week really helped me out on the injury aspect...'
Tulsa
week --
Monday press luncheon
Coach Bailiff 'We had 20 missed tackles on the day. And that's something that we
have to continue to stress and continue to work on ...'
Jarett
Dillard 'We are excited about our win, but we're more
excited about next week... we'll see what they can do to stop us'
Chase Clement 'As fun as those games are, you've only got 24
hours to enjoy them...it's on to Tulsa, and we've got a big task ahead of us'
Terrance Garmon 'This game will will be all about execution...
if we execute our assignments, if we play every play like it's the last snap, we'll be
fine...'
Coach Bailiff "That's two weeks in a row where we've had opportunities and
not taken advantage of them..."
Chase Clement "There are those one or two plays that will stop each drive...
you've got to just get rid of that... we just didn't execute..."
Jarettt Dillard "Texas is a great team... but us dropping the ball in the end
zone...me getting a penalty -- that's just Rice beating Rice"
Scott Solomon "We've just got to make those plays... it's inexcusable...
there were a lot of missed tackles that we should have been making..."
Rice-Vanderbilt
postgame interviews
Coach
Bailiff "You give a team like Vanderbilt the short field; they took
advantage every time we did it."
Andrew
Sendejo
"For the first three quarters, we had the passion;
we just let it get away..."
Bencil
Smith
"We were in the right places at the right times...
we were good enough, coming into this game, to get a win..."
Chase Clement "We didn't take advantage when we had the chance... it's just
a matter of making plays"
Memphis
postgame interviews
Chris Jammer "You didn't even start the game." "No, sir, I
didn't." "But you ended the game." "Yes, sir, I did..."
JD, Chase "We just told ourselves to take a deep breath, and put it
behind us..."
Coach Bailiff
"These seniors never believe that they can't win.
We just keep plugging away...there's 10 guaranteed opportunities left..."
Vanderbilt
week -
Monday press luncheon
Coach Bailiff "One of the most remarkable football games I've ever been a
part of. To score 29 points in the fourth quarter is amazing"
Chase Clement "I love it. I love being in the fourth quarter. I love the
two-minute drill. I think that's where our offense is most successful. It's where we enjoy
being"
Chris Ptaszek "You can't dwell too long on the past whether it's win or
lose. We can be excited right now, but we've already taken the big step forward to go
ahead and focus on Vanderbilt"
Memphis week
-
Monday press luncheon
Coach Bailiff
"I'm proud of this football team...I thought we played absolutely
passionate football for four quarters -- and that's what it's going to take"
James Casey "We're all focused on Memphis; we're excited about SMU, but
you can't get too low or too high -- we're just focused on Memphis now"
David
Berken "A capability that we didn't have last year, to be able to
just run the ball down the field -- that's what we were able to do against SMU..."
SMU Post-game
videos
Chase Clement "We didn't panic -- we came back to the sidelines, took a deep
breath and said, 'Let's just go out and run our offense..."
Jarett
Dillard "That was the first time, actually, since I've been at Rice,
where we really played a full game...we shut them down and finished"
Andrew
Sendejo "We made the big plays and prevented the big plays...we proved
we can shut down an apparently high- powered offense...
Brandon
King
"I was trying hard...I should've dove in -- but I"m glad I at
least got the team in a position to score..."
Coach Bailiff
"I'm so proud of this football team because of the way we
started...instead of pushing the panic button, we shifted gears..."
SMU Week --
Monday press luncheon
Brian
Raines "We're better now that we were at any point last year,
defensively... the important thing we have to do right now is to focus on SMU..."
Jarett Dillard "I think I've played the game in my head a hun- dred times...
I'm excited about what we're going to see -- defensive and offensively
Chase Clement "I think this is the most talented team we've had...there's
more enthusiasm, a better attitude, than I've ever seen...:
Next
game:
(12/7)
HOUSTON (Nov. 28) – Owl fans understandably might be
expected to be on pins and needles, tinterhooks, whatever else feels prickly, as the clock
ticks down to the 34th Bayou Bucket game between Rice University and the University of
Houston Cougars, kickoff at Rice Stadium 2:30 p.m. Saturday (CBS-CS TV).
(Cartoon
from 1958 Rice-Army game program cover; game held at Rice Stadium)
By
Mark Anderson
Why-does-Rice-play-Texas
Week
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![Caseyafterthecatch471[1].JPG (157338 bytes)](Caseyafterthecatch4711.JPG)
HOUSTON (Aug. 25) -- In
its eleven-odd years of existence, this publication has never announced readership figures
of any kind. To begin with, the thought was that the highest possible circulation number
was not an appropriate goal; rather, the idea was to provide a resource for the Rice
football-adhering community, be it large or be it minuscule, to resort to in good times or
bad, thick media coverage or thin.
Coach Bailiff's Monday
press conference
