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The Rice Thresher
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by Jose Luis Cubria thresher editorial staff
They've been mathematically eliminated from the WAC race, and they're guaranteed a third straight losing season. They've lost six of their last seven games and nine of their last 11 dating back to last year. But don't think the Owls have given up on the rest of the 2000 season. In fact, they've got plenty of reasons to do just the opposite, beginning with tomorrow's Homecoming game against Southern Methodist University. One of the main things the Owls want to accomplish this season is to do something they haven't done in years - finish strongly. "That's one of our real goals," head coach Ken Hatfield said. "In the past, we have not done that. ... It's important to us. We have three games left, and if we can win all three, we will have won four of our last five. That would be the best ending that we've had. That's our goal. "People will remember how you finished more than how you started, and it will give us something to build on for next year." A win against SMU appears to be within the Owls' grasp. The Mustangs have struggled to a 2-6 record, and both teams Rice has defeated this year, the University of Houston and the University of Hawaii, have scored wins over the Mustangs this season. With three games left, it may be too early to start looking towards next year. But the Owls, who will likely start no more than five seniors tomorrow, realize their best days are ahead of them. "We're a very young team," redshirt freshman quarterback Jeremy Hurd said. "We have a lot of young guys playing right now who are going to get experience that will help them and carry us next season and the years after that. It's getting us ready to play some big games in the future." Hurd will be in the middle of it all for the next few years, and now is his chance to prove he's up to the task. He was the Owls' starting quarterback when the year began, but a finger injury forced him to miss four games. Since his return, Hurd has split time with junior Corey Evans and senior Ben Wulf. But when Evans went down with a season-ending knee injury last week, the job became Hurd's again. "I have to step up and fulfill my role as quarterback," Hurd said. "I have to play my heart out and step up, just like Corey did when I got hurt. He stepped in remarkably, and I have to do the same thing." The revolving door at quarterback has made it hard for the Owls to find offensive consistency. But Hatfield said Hurd should benefit from this opportunity. "A lot of times, it seemed like we've had to start all over again to try to gain some experience at quarterback," Hatfield said. "Jeremy started the first game, then all of a sudden the next two weeks we're playing with Corey Evans and Ben Wulf. We've started three different quarterbacks. "The only way to learn is just to play. You can practice all you want, but you just have to play. The speed of the game is important, and Jeremy will learn from that." With less than four full games under his belt, Hurd admits he has a long way to go. "I think I've had a typical redshirt freshman year," Hurd said. "I've made some good plays, I've made some not-so-good plays. I've learned from my mistakes. I'm learning when to do things, when not to do things. It's been a big learning experience." Tomorrow will be another step in the process, a step that will take much more than just one game to complete. But Hurd said beating SMU is still very important, especially for the seniors who will be playing their final game at Rice Stadium. "[The seniors] want to let themselves know that they didn't just give up, that they fought hard all the way through," Hurd said. "We want to make their last game at Rice special. "And we want to let the fans know that we are a real good football team. Things didn't go our way this year, but we want to play our best to show the fans that there's more to come with Rice football."
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