Rice's record-setting duo has given a stagnant program new life

Chase Clement has passed for more than 3,000 yards for the second straight season. Aaron M. Sprecher/Icon SMI Cory McCartney's Mailbag Have questions or feedback? E-mail Cory McCartney. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

In their five years together at Rice, Chase Clement and Jarett Dillard have developed a chemistry that borders on ESP. The quarterback and receiver seem to anticipate exactly what the other is going to do, before they do it.

"They're checking routes at the line without even signaling, it's just a nod like 'Hey, do you see what I see?' 'Yeah, I see what you see,' " Owls offensive coordinator Tom Herman said.

That connection, forged through countless hours spent throwing the ball outside of practice and back home in San Antonio during breaks, has helped this pair of fifth-year seniors rewrite school, conference and national records. Dillard owns the NCAA's career mark for touchdown receptions (57) and together they have the most touchdown connections for a quarterback-receiver tandem in Division I-A history (48).

But there is something these two still can't get on the same page when it comes to one thing: their first meeting eight years ago.

The way Clement remembers it, he led his Alamo Heights High School (San Antonio) freshman team on a 75-yard, game-winning drive against Sam Houston H.S. "I threw a Hail Mary and we got tackled at the three and the clock stopped and they moved the chains and all that and we were able to run one play," Clement said.

But Dillard, who stood watching on the opposing sideline, remembers it far differently.

"We didn't have a play clock on the freshman field, so the clock was by the ref's wrist watch, so we don't know how we kept the time," he said. "I don't know if you can drive down the field 75 yards in 15 seconds, I just don't know if that's possible."

"I have video proof," Clement said laughing. "That's what I always tell him."

There's no debating that Clement and Dillard have done pretty well for themselves at Rice, especially when you consider that they were recruited to run the triple-option.

"You don't come into school thinking you're going to do what you're going to do," said Dillard. "You have your hopes and dreams, but what we've both accomplished is just phenomenal."

Despite productive high school careers, Clement and Dillard didn't draw much interest from Division I-A schools. The only full scholarship offer either received came from Rice and coach Ken Hatfield, who featured an offense that ran the ball 85 percent of the time. That lack of attention has been a point of motivation for the duo.

"Every team I play against my whole life in college I walk around with a chip on my shoulder, you know, 'This is what you missed out on,' " Dillard said. "[Clement and I] walk around with that chip and that gives us our driving force to play even better."

They initially began taking out those frustrations on their own teammates. Clement and Dillard enrolled at Rice in 2004 and played on the scout team during a redshirt season. They often ran offenses that played to their strengths -- and they proved it by continually dominating the first-team defense.

"We'll run Hawaii's offense or teams like that that throw the ball and we had opportunities to throw the ball a lot, so [Dillard] and I, they would be furious with us because they would always tell us, 'Hey, build up the defense's confidence. Throw an interception. Drop the ball,' " Clement said. "Of course, J.D. and I, our mentality is, 'If they're going to pick me off, they're going to have to earn it. If they're going to knock a pass away, they're going to have to play good defense.' "