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Rice Owls (2000: 3-8) The following team preview is provided by Blue Ribbon. For the nation's most comprehensive look at this and all Division I-A teams, be sure to order the 2001 Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, on sale now at 1-800-775-2518.
Coach and programKen Hatfield has been around. If there’s something to see, the Rice head coach, in his eighth year in Houston and 23rd overall, has probably seen it.Last season, though, Hatfield had to throw his hands in the air and admit he may not have ever experienced a year as strange. The injury bug was more like the injury monster. The Owls started three different quarterbacks and used four. Offensive lineman Aaron Sandoval, expected to be an anchor on an already solid offense line, went down with a knee injury before the year started. Noseguard B.J. Forguson missed six games. Even kicker Derek Crabtree missed a game with an injury. Things got so desperate that Hatfield, known for his spread-option attack, had to actually throw the ball. The Owls still averaged less than 82 yards passing per game, but even throwing a few times shows Rice was willing to try almost anything. “Strange probably sums it up,” Hatfield said. “I’d say that’s a pretty fair assessment to say the least.” The injuries forced the Owls to go deeper than Hatfield would have liked. It added up to Rice having its worst year, 3-8, since the 1995 team went 2-8-1 in Hatfield’s second year, the last in the Southwest Conference. Hatfield is one of those coaches who believes the lumps pay off the next season, especially when almost the whole team returns. Rice lost only 11 players from the 2000 team. On offense, 18 players return who started at least one game last season. On defense 19 return. The most important number is 50 total lettermen, all of whom have grown up in a system that gets a lot out of what is mostly limited talent. Hatfield’s option offense keeps his normally undermanned team in games. And athletic director Bobby May isn’t shy about scheduling his Big Ten buddies to get Rice a payday and the Big Ten team a win. Nebraska is the payday this season. After the Cornhuskers, though, the Owls can win any game. As long as the injuries don’t return, Hatfield’s program should hover around the seven- to eight win mark like it has seemed to do most of Hatfield’s years.
OffenseThe starting job is between sophomore Jeremy Hurd (5-10, 170) and senior Corey Evans (5-11, 170). Hatfield wants Hurd, the better athlete of the two, to start as long as he can avoid the injury bug. Hurd missed half of last season with a broken finger and knee injury. He began the year as the starter and then broke a finger on his passing hand. Just after he returned from that injury, he hurt his knee. Hurd ended up carrying only 63 times for 280 yards and no touchdowns. He completed only 8-of-25 passes and didn’t throw a touchdown pass.Rice normally finishes in the top five in the country in rushing offense and features a couple of players scattered among the national leaders. That didn’t happen last season. Part of the reason was injuries on the offensive line. The rest was the development of a stable of running backs who all return this season. Senior Jamie Tyler (5-11, 200) and sophomore Robbie Beck (5-11, 212) are the 1-2 punch, but as many as four halfbacks will get carries in the spread option offense. The threat at receiver and the main reason for Hatfield’s optimism is sophomore Gavin Boothe (6-2, 185), a tall, speedy receiver who, as a true freshman, had 18 catches for 313 yards, 110 of which came against WAC co-champion UTEP. As is normally the case under Hatfield, the Owls have good size up front. Senior left guard Heath Fowler (6-2, 275) and senior right tackle Billy Harvin (6-4, 270) both started every game last year. Senior right guard Ryan Smith (6-2, 300) started nine. Senior Anthony Mowry (6-4, 260) slides into Beavan’s spot, giving the Owls an all-senior starting lineup.
Defense and special teamsThe front four should be improved simply because, like the offensive line, it is an experienced unit. The best of the bunch are senior tackles Larry Brown (6-2, 309) and Forguson (6-3, 290). The two were the reason teams had a hard time running against the Owls in 2000. The unit finished second in the league behind TCU and 40th nationally with a 133.9-yard average.Rice tries to compensate for a lack of size up front with speedy linebackers and a hard-hitting secondary. The linebacker corps, led by senior Dan Dawson (6-2, 200), one of the WAC’s top defensive players, returns intact. The outside linebacker, who sat out 1999 with a broken leg, made 88 tackles and picked off a conference-high seven passes, which he returned for a school-record 206 yards. The secondary is experienced, but will miss enforcer Travis Ortega. Senior free safety Jason Hebert (6-0, 192) is an all-conference type. But, there is no head hunter in a secondary that is grossly undersized, with only Hebert weighing more than 190 pounds. The kicking game is in great shape, but Rice has to find someone to make plays in the return game. The Owls ranked last in the league and 113th in the nation last year in kick returns with a 14.9-yard average
Bottom lineThe Owls’ scheme will always keep them in games. This season, their experience should help win some of those close ones. Rice’s spread option is still one of the toughest offenses to prepare for on short notice. And with 50 returning lettermen, the Owls finally have players who know it well.If the defense can keep teams from jumping on the Owls early, which forces a time-consuming offensive to play catch up, this team has a chance to reverse its record from last year’s injury-plagued nightmare. |
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