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The Rice Thresher
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by Jason Gershman thresher editorial staff
Rice took control on the first snap of the game, when senior free safety Jason Hebert intercepted a pass by UH quarterback Kelly Robertson on the game's first play. "I was in the right place at the right time," Hebert said. "Their player got a bit behind me, but fortunately I got in the way of the passing ball. It fell right into my hands. I was pretty fortunate." While the turnover didn't lead to any points for the Owls, the play set the tone for the Owls' defensive domination. The Cougars had only 199 yards of offense for the game, and 192 of them were in the air. Their total of seven yards rushing on 21 carries is the third-lowest rushing yardage for an Owl opponent in school history and the lowest since the Cougars ran for just three yards against the Owls 10 years ago. "We shut down most of their running," head coach Ken Hatfield said. "Houston kept fighting and they stayed in the game, but our guys fought the whole way also. I thought we did a great job, one of the best defensive performances I've ever seen." Senior defensive tackle Brandon Green led an experienced defensive line that pressured Robertson all evening. Green had nine tackles and three of the six Owl sacks, including a key sack on UH's final drive as the Cougars tried to tie the game. For his efforts, Green was named Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week. "Brandon Green had one of his best games ever as an Owl," Hatfield said. "He had three big sacks but none bigger than the last Houston drive when they had no time-outs. It pushed them back and killed some clock. But our entire defense did a great job. [Senior linebacker] Joe Bob Thompson did a great job making tackles on special teams. Jason Hebert did a great job in the secondary." The Owls' offense was equally impressive. Rice ran for 354 yards, more than the Owls managed in any game last year. Sophomore quarterback Kyle Herm led all rushers with 119 yards, flawlessly executing the no-huddle offense that mixed new shotgun formations into the triple-option attack. Herm also completed four out of eight passes and made almost no mistakes. Two years ago, in Rice's last visit to Robertson Stadium, a handful of turnovers sentenced Rice to a lopsided loss. This time around, the Owls were turnover-free. "One of the keys to our win was that we had no turnovers," Herm said. "We executed our offense well. I was just doing my job. My first collegiate start was just what I expected it to be." Herm was not the only young quarterback who starred for the Owls. With five minutes and 42 seconds left in the first half and the score tied at zero, Herm left the game with heat exhaustion while the Owls were driving the ball. Freshman Greg Henderson entered the game and completed the drive all the way to the end zone. His 13-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Gavin Boothe gave the Owls a 7-0 lead they would not relinquish. "It was a great feeling to play my first game as an Owl," Henderson said. "I had a lot of nerves going into the drive. Kyle was running the offense great and I had to step up. I couldn't describe it. My mind was blank but I went out and did my job. It hit me later on that it was the first [touchdown] of my career and of the season for Rice." In the backfield, sophomore fullback Robbie Beck and senior Jamie Tyler ran for 47 and 45 yards, respectively, with Beck rushing for Rice's third touchdown of the game. Junior halfbacks Sean White and Vincent Hawkins also each ran for 30 yards or more. But, in the midst of all this, it was redshirt freshman Clint Hatfield who stole the show. Clint Hatfield, who isn't related to head coach Ken Hatfield although teammates affectionately call him "Junior," gained 68 yards on six carries, including a 25-yard touchdown run in which he broke through three tackles. "The line did a good job blocking and I was trying to do my best," Clint Hatfield said. "Beating cross-town rivals is always big and I did my part to help us win." While Clint Hatfield was modest about his efforts, teammates and coaches heaped praise on him. Herm called Hatfield's touchdown run "one of the most spectacular runs I ever seen." His coaches agreed. "As for Clint Hatfield, I don't think I've seen a more exciting run - or three more exciting runs - than he had in this ball game," Ken Hatfield said. "He got hit about three times head-on and went on in for the score. That was a back-breaker for Houston, a play from which they never fully recovered." The only area in which the Owls struggled was their kicking game. Senior place-kicker Derek Crabtree, the Owls' all-time leader in field goal percentage, missed the game and is listed as day-to-day with a strained hip flexor. Sophomore kicker Brandon Skeen, who normally handles kickoffs and long field goals, handled all the kicking duties Saturday. He missed all three field goals he attempted on the wet grass from distances of 32, 33 and 50 yards. "Derek's in all our record books but he's been hurt," Ken Hatfield said. "We didn't want to take a chance now. As for Brandon, one of the field goals he missed was caused by a bad snap - the ball was on the ground. One other just barely missed - it looked good from where I was. I think he kicked well and he'll be an excellent kicker." In addition to the missed field goals, junior punter Travis Hale averaged just 35.8 yards per punt. "I think we have potential for great kicking teams but we didn't kick the ball in field goals, kickoffs and punts like we needed to," Ken Hatfield said. "We'll work on that a lot this week."
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