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The Rice Thresher
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by Jose Luis Cubria thresher editorial staff
This is the year the Rice football team finally does it. This is the season when the Owls at last win a conference championship and go to a bowl game. This is when ... Heard enough? The boys in blue and gray sure have. For three straight years, they heard - and said - the same thing. It was supposed to happen in 1997. Same thing in '98. Ditto for '99. It's happening again this fall. But the Owls know living up to the hype is never easy. "Everybody looks at it that way every year," junior linebacker Dan Dawson said. "Everybody in the country right now, heck, they're the national champions. Every year is your year. But the difference between the good and the bad teams is that they do it instead of just talking about it." To hear the Owls tell it, this really is the year when they win the Western Athletic Conference championship and go to a bowl game. For the past four years they've been good, but not quite good enough. Now, heading into tomorrow's 2000 season opener, they think they've got all the pieces in place. Is there any reason we should we believe them? Head coach Ken Hatfield says there are quite a few. Start with a solid, if not spectacular defense that returns nearly intact from last year's formidable unit. Pencil in the always-reliable, always-effective spread option offense. Factor in key returnees on the offensive line, at halfback, fullback and special teams. Throw in a favorable schedule - by Rice's recent standards, at least - that includes five games in the extra-friendly confines of Rice Stadium and an open date. Then there's the experience factor, with 21 of 22 projected starters being either juniors or seniors. Add to that the ongoing effects of Hatfield's freshman redshirt system, which gives the team five fifth-year seniors this year and could produce as many as 15 next year. Put it all together, and you get a rare combination of talent, depth, experience and various intangibles that should put Rice in position to make a serious run at the WAC championship. "The main thing you can do is compete hard and do what you can with each situation," Hatfield said. "But I think all those little things make a big difference once you get to competing." Naturally, there are question marks. As always, the Owls will be undersized, especially against national powers such as the University of Michigan and the University of Oklahoma. There are also injury concerns. Senior center Aaron Sandoval and junior fullback Jamie Tyler - both returning starters who are being counted on to have good years - are hobbled and will likely miss tomorrow's opener. Additionally, a couple of key WAC contests, especially the Oct. 28 showdown with preseason favorite Texas Christian University, will take place on the road. And then there's the most important question of all, which centers around the man under center, redshirt freshman quarterback Jeremy Hurd. The departure of Chad Richardson, who ended his stellar career as Rice's fourth all-time leading rusher, left an opening for a new signal-caller. Hurd has won a tight battle with junior Corey Evans and freshman Kyle Herm. The fact that Hurd has never seen game action brings many questions about whether he can run the spread option as well as his predecessor. Way back in the spring, even Hurd had his doubts. But now he's ready to take charge. "In the beginning, the freshman thing was kind of running around in my brain, making me real nervous," Hurd said. "But then I just sat back and talked to Coach [Hatfield]. He got all three of the quarterbacks really stressing the fundamentals, and that's made a difference. It helped calm us down. We're more down to earth, cool, laid back. We're ready to go." The first chance to see Hurd lead the Owls into battle will come in tomorrow night's season opener, when Rice hosts the University of Houston at Rice Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. Last year, the cross-town rivals faced off in their season opener, with the host Cougars taking a 28-3 decision. It was a painful start to the season for the Owls, mainly because all of UH's points came off of Rice turnovers. The Owls aren't heading into tomorrow's game specifically looking for payback, but you can be sure they remember last year's final score. "It's going to be a grudge match," junior running back Leroy Bradley said. "I'm ready to play. I'm not even from Texas, but we have a rivalry with all the Texas schools, like Houston and TCU. We plan to have some fun at our place and get a different outcome." While tomorrow's result won't count toward Rice's quest for a WAC title, a win would get the Owls off on the right foot as they seek to qualify for the school's first bowl game since 1961. "That's on everybody's mind," Hurd said. "Everybody is looking at the prize: a WAC championship and a bowl game. Not only a bowl game, but winning it. We want to break through and put Rice back on the map. It's time to put Rice back to where it used to be. This team is capable of doing it."
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