Did any team want to keep playing more than Rice did last year? Following a lousy 1-6 start, the Owls won four of their last five games as everything clicked on both sides of the ball. The running game was dominant, the defense actually started coming up with some good stops, and the team was playing with as much confidence as any Ken Hatfield Rice team ever had. So how did it happen, and how can the team bottle up the momentum and use it in 2004? It's simple ... more experience.
Our of the roughly 81 players on the team, 51 are underclassmen with redshirt freshmen and sophomores playing key roles at almost every position. This was a problem last year as mistakes were made that ridiculously young teams are supposed to make. After a little bit of time, they got the hang of things and the wins started coming.
The 2004 team might not be good enough to win the WAC title, but there's no reason it can't be a player in the race with 16 returning starters and the triple option looking as deadly as ever. If nothing else, there will be few teams more fun to watch with home-run hitters like RB Thomas Lott and WR Marcus Battle cranking off yards in chunks. Fun isn't what Hatfield and the team want to be after two straight losing seasons; they want to get to the post-season.
The Schedule: Rice can't ask for much more than this when it comes to the conference schedule getting Hawaii and Fresno State at home while missing Boise State. An interesting three-game road stretch in the middle of the year will make or break the season. There can't be any home slip-ups if the Owls want to go bowling.
Best Offensive Player: Junior RB Thomas Lott. The son of the former Oklahoma star quarterback of the same name, Lott has made a name for himself at Rice as the sort of shifty speed back that is deadly in the open field. He averaged a whopping 7.3 yards per carry last year.
Best Defensive Player: Senior Rover Terry Holley. The leader of the defense, Holley made 92 tackles last year to go along with four broken up passes, three sacks and five tackles for loss. He's a little of everything starting out his career as a quarterback before moving to linebacker before becoming a star safety.
Key player to a successful season: Rice returns starting experience everywhere but linebacker. While the Owl D only uses two, they're still vital in the system. Omeke Alikor on the strongside and Adam Herrin on the weakside have experience, and now they have to flourish for the defense to improve.
The season will be a success if ...Rice wins seven games. It'll take seven wins to get consideration for a bowl game, but this team should be good enough to do it. The schedule isn't that tough with only the road game at Texas the only absolute loss. A veteran team like this should be able to win more than its share of WAC road games.
Key game: Oct. 16 at Nevada. This is the start of a tough stretch of four road dates in five games and a necessary win for any dreams of competing for the WAC title. Nevada is good, and a win would show that Rice is a team worth taking seriously.
2003 Fun Stats:
- Rice by quarter scoring: 1st 93, 2nd 90, 3rd, 70, 4th 90
- Punt return average: Opponents 15.5 - Rice 7.0
- Rushing attempts/fumbles: Rice 687 attempts, 22 fumbles (13 lost) - Opponents 498 attempts, 28 fumbles (12 lost)
Our of the roughly 81 players on the team, 51 are underclassmen with redshirt freshmen and sophomores playing key roles at almost every position. This was a problem last year as mistakes were made that ridiculously young teams are supposed to make. After a little bit of time, they got the hang of things and the wins started coming.
The 2004 team might not be good enough to win the WAC title, but there's no reason it can't be a player in the race with 16 returning starters and the triple option looking as deadly as ever. If nothing else, there will be few teams more fun to watch with home-run hitters like RB Thomas Lott and WR Marcus Battle cranking off yards in chunks. Fun isn't what Hatfield and the team want to be after two straight losing seasons; they want to get to the post-season.
The Schedule: Rice can't ask for much more than this when it comes to the conference schedule getting Hawaii and Fresno State at home while missing Boise State. An interesting three-game road stretch in the middle of the year will make or break the season. There can't be any home slip-ups if the Owls want to go bowling.
Best Offensive Player: Junior RB Thomas Lott. The son of the former Oklahoma star quarterback of the same name, Lott has made a name for himself at Rice as the sort of shifty speed back that is deadly in the open field. He averaged a whopping 7.3 yards per carry last year.
Best Defensive Player: Senior Rover Terry Holley. The leader of the defense, Holley made 92 tackles last year to go along with four broken up passes, three sacks and five tackles for loss. He's a little of everything starting out his career as a quarterback before moving to linebacker before becoming a star safety.
Key player to a successful season: Rice returns starting experience everywhere but linebacker. While the Owl D only uses two, they're still vital in the system. Omeke Alikor on the strongside and Adam Herrin on the weakside have experience, and now they have to flourish for the defense to improve.
The season will be a success if ...Rice wins seven games. It'll take seven wins to get consideration for a bowl game, but this team should be good enough to do it. The schedule isn't that tough with only the road game at Texas the only absolute loss. A veteran team like this should be able to win more than its share of WAC road games.
Key game: Oct. 16 at Nevada. This is the start of a tough stretch of four road dates in five games and a necessary win for any dreams of competing for the WAC title. Nevada is good, and a win would show that Rice is a team worth taking seriously.
2003 Fun Stats:
- Rice by quarter scoring: 1st 93, 2nd 90, 3rd, 70, 4th 90
- Punt return average: Opponents 15.5 - Rice 7.0
- Rushing attempts/fumbles: Rice 687 attempts, 22 fumbles (13 lost) - Opponents 498 attempts, 28 fumbles (12 lost)
