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The Rice Thresher
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University officials move game to Thursday night after terrorist attacks by Jason Gershman thresher editorial staff
The last Rice football team to start the season 2-0 was the 1991 squad, which finished the season 4-7. Before that, we have to go back to the 1972 Owls, who began the year 2-0 but finished 5-5-1. The lesson? While starting the season with two wins is nice, it's not a guarantee of future success. But how about the last Owl team to start with three straight victories? The answer is the 1953 Owls, perhaps the most famous team in school history. Led by head coach Jess Neely, that team opened the year with wins over the University of Florida, Cornell University and Hardin-Simmons College. The Owls ended the year with a 28-6 win in the Cotton Bowl over the University of Alabama, finishing the season 9-2 and ranking sixth in the final Associated Press poll. Certainly no one in the program is ready to declare that this 2001 team is destined to travel down a similar path to greatness. But speculation could run wild - legitimately - if the Owls emerge 3-0 after Thursday's game at the University of Nebraska, which begins at 6:30 p.m. and is expected to be nationally televised on Fox Sports Net. The game was originally scheduled for tomorrow night, but officials at both schools agreed to move the game to Thursday after Rice Athletics Director Bobby May, President Malcolm Gillis and Owl head coaches decided to cancel or postpone all of this weekend's events as a result of Tuesday's terrorist attack on the United States (See Story, Page 1). "We did not think it was right for our players, in our situation, to play this weekend," head coach Ken Hatfield said. "We do have some people who were affected by it. We're praying for them because they're a part of our family." For Thursday, the Owls couldn't have asked for a much tougher challenge than the "Big Red Machine." The Cornhuskers, who won three national championships during the 1990s, are ranked fourth nationally and have a record of 3-0. They began the year with a 21-7 win over Texas Christian University before handling Division I-AA opponent Troy State University 42-14. Last Saturday, the Cornhuskers played their best game of the year against 17th-ranked University of Notre Dame in a 27-10 win. The Huskers dominated the Fighting Irish on both ends of the ball. "The biggest thing is that they are playing their best football right now," Hatfield said. "They did not start off the season quite as strong. In the TCU game, they were probably trying to do too much. They were all geared up for the Notre Dame game. You see the complete domination in the Notre Dame game. "Notre Dame didn't score against the Nebraska defense. They get a touchdown off a blocked kick and another score after driving about four yards. Before Notre Dame snapped the ball, it was already 14-0 against them. Obviously, Nebraska is playing their best ball." During their first three games, Nebraska's defense was amazing. The Huskers have held opponents to a total of 74 rushing yards on 93 attempts on the season. On average, they've more than doubled opposing teams in total yardage, racking up an average of 345 yards per game and yielding just 171. The numbers are imposing, but the Owls are not about to roll over and concede defeat. "What bothers me is that people sit in a room before the season and decide who the best teams are and who the worst teams are," senior linebacker Dan Dawson said. "Everybody's counting us out. But they don't come lift weights with us and they don't practice with us," Dawson said. "We'd love to go out there against Nebraska and win and make everyone eat some crow." Facing one of the premier teams in the nation is nothing new for most of the Owls. Last season, after starting the season 1-2, the Owls held their own for almost three quarters against eventual national champion University of Oklahoma, trailing just 21-14 before falling 42-14. "We know what we need to do," sophomore wide receiver Gavin Boothe said. "We have the kind of team that will rise up to the occasion. Our defense is awesome. I think they are ready for Nebraska. We just have to fight hard and execute our offense." While beating the Cornhuskers would be huge, the Owls are keeping in mind the big picture and their goals of winning the Western Athletic Conference title and playing in Rice's first bowl game in 40 years. "The challenge is for us to play to make improvement," Hatfield said. "We have to play smart. All these early games are to set us up for our conference play. Knowing how well Nebraska plays, the biggest things are the exposure we get for our league and our team and how much we can improve from last week."
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