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The Rice Thresher
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by Jose Luis Cubria thresher editorial staff
Dawson returned two interceptions for 113 yards and a touchdown to spark the Owls to a 43-14 stampede of Southern Methodist University at Rice Stadium on Saturday. The game was the final home appearance for the 11 Rice seniors who have battled through a disappointing final season. But Saturday's win went a long way toward easing their frustration. "It's been a rough season for us, so it was just a great win for our seniors," senior halfback Anthony Griffin said. "Our team motto is 'Finish the task.' It's the last time we'll play in this stadium, and we're just happy we came away with a win." Griffin scored two touchdowns to help lead Rice to its highest scoring game all season. But there's no doubt the story of the game was Dawson, the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks. Dawson's first pick of the day, which came with under three minutes remaining in the first half, easily ranks as one of the most memorable highlight-reel plays in recent history. With the Owls leading 17-7, SMU quarterback David Page rolled out of the pocket and toward the right sideline. With Dawson baiting him just across the line of scrimmage, Page tried to dump the ball off to a running back. But Dawson had dropped back a couple of steps, and he managed to pick the ball out of the air with one hand. After pausing to survey the situation, Dawson took off for the far sideline, eluding a couple of tacklers on the way. He slowed down to wait for a few blockers when he reached the opposite sideline, then slowly but surely made his way toward the end zone. Dawson broke at least three tackles on his own, and his teammates blocked several more before Mustang wide receiver Chris Cunningham finally brought him down at the Mustangs' 9-yard line. By then, 68 yards and at least 30 seconds later, Dawson had brought the Owls to their feet and completely demoralized SMU. Three plays later, Griffin ran into the end zone from four yards out, and the rout was on. "I couldn't believe it," Griffin said. "It was demoralizing to their whole team. It was just a great play by a great athlete, and it set us up for our next touchdown." Dawson, who described the return as "chaos," said not making it into the end zone turned out to be a blessing in disguise. "I had one more move to make, but if I'd made it, I think I would've just fallen down. I didn't have anything left. It was fun. ... Luckily I didn't score, really, because [the defense] would've had to go right back out there, and I don't think I could've done that." But Dawson wasn't done. With less than five minutes left in the third quarter, he stepped in front of a pass intended for a receiver in the flat. Forty-five yards later, Dawson had coasted into the end zone untouched to extend Rice's lead to 31-7. The two interceptions give Dawson seven on the year, tying the school single-season record set in 1972. Additionally, his 113 return yards set school records for both a season (206) and a career (236). Finally, the second interception gave Dawson a touchdown return in each of his three seasons at Rice. He had an NCAA-record-tying 100-yard fumble return for a score against the University of Nevada at Las Vegas as a freshman. He then added a game-changing 30-yard interception return for a touchdown against Texas Christian University last year. In a way, the game was sweet redemption for Dawson, who suffered a season-ending leg injury against the Mustangs last year. But Dawson said he was more concerned about playing well for his senior teammates. "Some guys were joking about it, telling me I owed [SMU] something," he said. "But the motivation was the seniors and their last home game. I grew up with these guys. I really played hard for them. To get them the win was the most important thing."
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