Rice Football 2008 Preview

By Yan Digilov     8/21/08 7:00pm

The Rice University campus is abuzz as the football team prepares for its home opener against Southern Methodist University on Aug. 29. After a disappointing 3-9 season, all indicators suggest that the Owls will be stronger as long as the team can avoid last year's cascade of injuries.A large crowd is expected for the nationally televised rematch of last year's shootout. The 43-42 win in 2007 featured a striking but telling juxtaposition of the team's explosive offense and its struggling defense.

A win in that game would be a crucial start to the 2008 schedule. The Owls will have to be very competitive in their non-conference games against Vanderbilt University, the University of North Texas and Army if they will have any hope of making it to a bowl game. Coach Bailiff also needs the team to perform well against the University of Texas on Sept. 20.

The Owls' toughest conference competition will be against rival Tulsa University on Oct. 4 and in the Bayou Bucket game against the University of Houston on Nov. 29, the final scheduled game of the season.

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The greatest advantage the Owls have this year is not on the field, but rather on the sideline. For the first time in the NCAA careers of any current Owl, the team reported to summer camp with a familiar coach and a familiar system.

Head coach David Bailiff is the first coach since Ken Hatfield left in 2005 to be able to spend an entire year recruiting a new class, and the results should show when the Owls take the field next Friday.

Among the most anticipated recruits is freshman running back Shane Turner. Coming from Cypress Falls High School in Houston, Turner was the 28th-ranked all-purpose back in the nation.

The addition of a high-profile true freshman will add competition to the running back slot. After battling a knee injury throughout the 2007 sea-son, junior running back C.J. Ugokwe is healthy again and looking to improve the already stellar offense with a solid running game.

With sophomore Justin Hill working behind Ugokwe, Bailiff will be watching Turner closely throughout the summer to see if at 5 feet 9 inches, 175 pounds, the speedy back is ready to play as a true freshman.

Last year, the majority of the running game came from senior quarter-back Chase Clement. After breaking 18 school records, Clement is returning for his final season and his final chance to connect with top receiver, senior Jarett Dillard.

With NFL teams knocking on his doorstep, Dillard will have one last season to showcase his skills. He has 40 career receiving touch-downs and is only 10 short of the NCAA career record. If the team performs well offensively like they did last year, half that battle will have been won.

With all the offensive positions stocked, sophomore phenom James Casey will be free to see more time at wide receiver, rather than filling in with spot appearances at mul-tiple positions. He and junior Toren Dixon will force teams to think twice about placing Dillard under double coverage.

Rice's offense scored 31.4 points per game in 2007, and with the new and returning talent, it is expect to produce the same results in 2008. The biggest questions, therefore, are aimed at the defensive side of the ball, where the Owls gave up 42.9 points per game in 2007.

"That was the problem last year," Baliff said. "We scored every minute, but we gave one up every 55 seconds."

While the team showed little signs of improvement over the course of last season, there is only one direction the Owls can go after hitting rock bottom.

"Last year, at times we had six freshman starting defensively," Bai-liff said. "The great news is that if that injury bug hits, those guys will be six sophomores."

In the second year of a familiar defensive system, the Owls' defense has looked considerably better during summer workouts.

Senior captain Brian Raines is healthy and returning to the linebacker spot, and he should take on an important leadership role. Junior linebacker Terrance Garmon is also returning from injury, along with senior Vernon James.

One of the few high points on defense in 2007 was the play of junior Andrew Sendejo, who led the team with 107 tackles and five interceptions after being moved to free safety to fill in for injured senior Bencil Smith. Sendejo will remain at free safety this year and Smith will return as the cornerback, Sendejo's former position, for his final season with the Owls.

Asking players to fill in at unfamiliar posts was a necessity last year due to injury and a depleted depth chart. With a healthy squad this season, the defense is expected to perform at a much higher level.

Nowhere is the improvement more evident than in the Owls' defensive backfield. Senior cornerback Brandon King is coming off a quality season; he led Conference USA with 16 pass breakups and 19 passes defended in 2007.

A strong group of freshmen cornerbacks will make sure that the depth charts are filled and will keep the starters on their toes. Jarrett Ben and Chris Jammer come in as two freshmen with more than enough speed to keep up with receivers, and they should compete for playig time all year. Baliff said the depth is a crucial element in the players' improvement.

"The competition is what makes it all work," Bailiff said. "As long as you have someone behind you, you'll get better every day you come to practice."

Aside from physical improvements, the Owls are approaching the 2008 campaign with a solid core of senior leaders. The team has had the same three captains for three years in a row (Dillard, Clement, Raines), and only one of the touchdowns scored last season is unaccounted for by players on this season's roster.

"Something we need to really do is come together as a team," Clement said. "It is really important for us to come together and start trusting each other. Having the same coaching staff for two seasons is huge."

Senior nose tackle Chris Ptaszek said that the team's cohesiveness has spread and seems to be impacting the performance of the defensive line.

"One thing we have had is some unity problems on the line," he said. "I feel we are all responding as a whole, rather than individuals."

If the Owls can take advantage of their numerous offensive weapons and stay out of the trainer's office on the defensive end, they are sure to better last year's poor performance. They will be looking to repeat the success of the 2006 season and ensure that the game against UH is not their last.

"We all know what we want to achieve," Bailiff said. "We want to go to a bowl game.

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