 "Photo: Associated Press")
This ain’t your daddy’s Rice football team. At least that’s the message Mack Brown is trying to send to the players.
The Owls are 2-1 and racking up big offensive numbers in their high-powered spread offense led by senior quarterback Chase Clement and receiver Jarrett Dillard.
“You start looking at their stats, they’ve been phenomenal,” Brown said. “They’re averaging 40 points per game, 356 yards per game, and they’re ninth in the country in third-down efficiency at 55 percent. They have the fewest penalties of anybody in the country. We’ve got to be prepared, because they’re coming ready to play.”
But with the way Texas has obliterated Rice over the last 10 years, the question is whether the No. 7 Longhorns will believe Mack’s message this Saturday at Darrell K Royal-Texas Stadium.
“I know it’s not the same Rice team that’s been coming here the past few years,” said junior linebacker Roddrick Muckelroy. “Their offense has improved, so it is going to be a challenge for us, and we can’t lose focus.”
The biggest story for the Owls is the combination of Clement and Dillard. The duo from San Antonio is just three completions away from breaking the national touchdown record of 39. In three games this season, Clement and Dillard have hooked up 22 times for 260 yards and five touchdowns.
“It seems like they’ve been there for 13 years, and part of the reason that they are so good is that they’ve been playing so long together,” Brown said. “Chase is really special because he can run and throw and Jarrett is really explosive. I’m impressed by what they’ve been able to do.”
Six-foot-5-inch tight end James Casey gives the team an added dimension. He will line up at tight end or receiver or line up as a quarterback and run the ball.
“He can do everything,” said senior Texas defensive lineman Roy Miller. “He’s going to be hard for us to defend.”
Seeing Rice’s spread offense will benefit the Longhorns come Big 12 play. Defensive coordinator Will Muschamp said every team on Texas’ Big 12 schedule runs the spread aside from Oklahoma and Texas A&M. The three new starters in the secondary, including true freshman Blake Gideon and redshirt freshman Earl Thomas, will get a big test.
Defending Casey will get the team prepped for Missouri tight end Chase Kaufman.
“They remind me some of Missouri,” Miller said. “We’re going to see a lot of this later, so it’s good preparation.”
Having Rice and Arkansas back to back is to Texas’ advantage because their defenses are similar. Both run a 4-3 defense that can change to an eight-man front, and both are more traditional blitzing teams that send heat 35-40 percent of the time.
“They play the same type of structure as Arkansas, so last week’s preparation will almost be the same for [Rice],” quarterback Colt McCoy said.
Part of the reason for Rice’s early season success is head coach David Bailiff. Bailiff led Texas State to the Division 1-AA semifinals before taking over at Rice last season. The Owls hit rock bottom in 2005 when they went 1-10. But another reason for the change in fortune is the increasing parity in college football. Rice’s only loss is to Vanderbilt on the road last week, a game in which they were tied 21-21 at the half. Before that, Vanderbilt beat South Carolina, a team many view as an SEC powerhouse.
“Anybody can beat anybody now because there are a lot fewer scholarships to give out,” said senior cornerback Ryan Palmer.
“This could be the toughest game for us so far.”
As Rice’s offensive coordinator in 2006, when they went a surprising 6-6, and as Alabama’s offensive coordinator in 2007, Texas running backs coach Major Applewhite knows all too well about what underdogs can do.
“They all want to tell stories to their grandkids at the fireplace about how they upset Texas,” Applewhite said. “You’re seeing these upsets more and more.”
In past years, the Texas running backs have had big games against Rice. No back rushed more than 100 yards in Texas’ first two games, so that is one area the team will work on in the Rice game.
“We’re not concerned about the statistics as much as we are with holding onto the football and protecting,” Applewhite said. “When our protection allowed Colt to make a 49- or 50-yard completion to Quan on the skinny post, it was the same to us as breaking out a 40- to 50-yard run.”
Redshirt freshman Fozzy Whittaker led the team in rushing against UTEP with 12 carries for 76 yards. Whittaker has battled a knee injury and sophomore running back Vondrell McGee has had problems with his knee and ankle. McGee wore a knee brace in the UTEP game, rushing for just 20 yards on six carries.
Even if the Owls come off the field as big losers yet again, there’s a moral victory in the sense that Rice is taking the football field one week after Hurricane Ike ravaged their hometown of Houston. Texas also has some players affected by the storm.
“I know the Rice kids and coaches are dealing with a lot,” Brown said. “Football is a great distraction from everyday
problems.”
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