Who: Rice Owls 1-0 Vs. Texas Longhorns 0-1
When: Saturday September 12, 2015 at 7 PM central
Where: Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (Austin TX)
Odds: Texas -16
The Good: Rice started off the season with a 56-16 beating of FCS opponent Wagner. Rice’s victory came on the strength of a rushing attack that saw four players rush for over 70 yards en route to 543 total yards and 401 yards rushing. Austin Walter led the team in rushing yards, while Darik Dillard added two touchdowns on the ground. Senior quarterback Driphus Jackson threw for 123 yards and a touchdown while adding another touchdown on the ground and 79 yards rushing. The Owl’s defense grinded on their overmatched opponent and shut them down in the running game as the Wagner Seahawks tried to counter with their own ground attack. Rice also won the third down battle on both sides of the ball as they went 11-15 on offense, and limited Wagner to 2-12 on defense.
The Bad: Rice struggled in the passing game, but the overwhelming success of their rushing attack rendered that issue moot. Jackson and company were only able to complete 12-21 for 142 yards with a 1/1 touchdown to interception ratio. The passing attack totaled 142 yards for a paltry 5.7 yards per play. Rice also turned the ball over twice and showed some issues with pass defense.
The Uncertain: In what is a very rare event, in this matchup the uncertainty lies with the opponents. Texas is coming off a season opening blowout which continued to damage faith in the program and make fans question the direction things are taking. Texas should over match Rice on paper, but even Vegas sees nothing is certain as their -16 betting odds are the lowest in the history of the series between these two teams.
What’s at stake: For Rice, they have the opportunity to steal a big win over a young team that is reeling and on the ropes after their South Bend trip. No matter how bad this Texas team is, a Rice victory over them is season defining. Texas will probably look to play more of their youth who seemed to be the only ones who looked like they cared on Saturday night. Players like Jerrod Heard and Kris Boyd should get a more extended look in this weekend’s action, and Texas badly needs a blowout to regain some confidence.
