Football stumbles against another Big 12 foe

By Meghan Hall     9/24/09 7:00pm

If you wanted to, you could say that the football team's game last weekend looked no different from the previous two. The Owls (0-3, 0-1 Conference USA) fell to 16th-ranked Oklahoma State University 41-24, their third-straight double-digit loss to run their season into an early hole. But the score was misleading, because the feeling of the game was vastly different than the previous exasperating losses against the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Texas Tech University.

This was Rice's third straight game on the road and second consecutive game against a formidable Big 12 opponent. Against Texas Tech (2-1) two weeks ago, the Owls kept it close through halftime but were outscored 41-7 in the second half.

In last Saturday's game, however, Rice found itself on top in the second half, up 21-20 with 12:24 left in the third quarter. A large part of that improvement was due to a stepped-up effort by the defense. The unit surrendered over 40 points for the third consecutive week, but a newfound resolve prevented the precipitous collapse that had defined the previous two contests.

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"The past two games were really tough on the defense," junior defensive end Cheta Ozougwu said. "We really took that to heart. [Defensive Line] Coach [Darin Eliot] has been grinding it in our hearts. We had that sour taste in our mouths and we wanted to get it out. Even though we were down, we told ourselves, 'We can play with these guys.' Just because they're Big 12, just because they have Oklahoma State across their chest, that doesn't mean anything. They put on their socks the same way we put on our socks. They're human like us. We approach it as 'Hey, even though we're down, we're going to give 110-percent effort and let things take care of itself.'"

Thanks in part to four first-time starters, the refreshed defense looked ready to play. They held the Cowboys (2-1) to 351 yards, a strong improvement from the 560 yards they gave up to the Red Raiders the weekend before. And Oklahoma State notched only 18 first downs, 10 fewer than Texas Tech did.

"I was extremely proud of our defensive effort," Head Coach David Bailiff said. "I thought they played one of their better games since I've been here, and it's been three years [since I arrived]. Playing with passion, running the football and being fundamentally sound and at the same time taking some risks to be great."

Bailiff was quick to praise Ozougwu, who led the team with a career-high eight tackles.

"Cheta had eight tackles and he ran all over that field," Bailiff said. "That was the best game Cheta has ever played at Rice and now we know what to expect from him weekly. I was so proud of him and that remarkable effort."

More remarkable efforts came at the hands of the offense, which had its most consistent game of the season. Although Rice has won the possession-time battle in each of its three games, the offense has struggled to finish drives and put points on the board. Offensive success often starts with the quarterback, and it did last week with sophomore Nick Fanuzzi.

Fanuzzi amassed new career highs with 16 of 28 passes completed for 182 yards. He led the Owls deep down the field three times in the second half close enough for freshman running back Charles Ross to take the ball in for a touchdown each time.

"Offensively, I was so proud of Nick Fanuzzi and the performance he had where he led us three scoring drives in a row," Bailiff said. "We've got to build on that. We've got to keep improving."

Redshirt senior John Thomas Shepherd got some playing time in as well, completing 12 passes for 119 yards. The two quarterbacks combined for 301 passing yards, Rice's highest total of the season.

The receiving duties were once again spread wide among seven different receivers, with senior Toren Dixon collecting his first 100-yard game of the season with 120 yards on nine catches. Senior Jeramy Goodson made his first career start for the Owls, leading the rushing attack with 55 yards. Ross only netted seven rushing yards but accounted for 21 of Rice's points.

"Just to see the end [of the drive] result with scoring I think is just huge for us, because in the previous two games we were making some good drives but we couldn't punch it in and get six," Fanuzzi said. "I think it was just big for our team. It also just showed the defense, 'Hey, we're going to go out here and score.' It kind of lifts up both sides of the football. . It's unfortunate how the game ended, but nonetheless it was a lot of fun and was great to be out there and play some football."

Fanuzzi was not the only one enjoying himself, as Ozougwu credited the experience as a game-changer.

"The most important thing that we did differently from the past two games is that we actually had fun," Ozougwu said. "We went out there and we decided we were going to be accountable. There have been many times where we've been in the right position, we've been having great game plans for the past two games and we've just got to make the plays. The most important thing to strive for is being accountable to the brothers next to you."

Oklahoma State came out of the gate running, no doubt thanks to its surprise loss against the University of Houston the week before. The Cowboys managed two touchdowns in the first 16 minutes of play, the second off a fumble recovery that ended in a 51-yard score. And although Rice came back admirably after halftime, it was not enough to overcome the early deficit.

"We got momentum going and you could tell the whole attitude on the sideline and on the field was very positive," Fanuzzi said. "We were in the game. It was a good ball game and things were going our way. I definitely felt like there was a change in attitude. Coming from, 'Okay, we can hang with these guys,' to, 'We can pull this one out.' It's a great feeling. Now we just have to look forward to continuing that into this next week."

Tomorrow the Owls return to Rice Stadium for the first time all season as they host Vanderbilt University at 7 p.m. in the home opener. So far this season Vanderbilt has yet to defeat any Football Bowl Subdivision school. Rice lost a tight contest against the Commodores last year on the road, so the team is ready to avenge one of its few 2008 defeats.

"We are learning lessons from losing, and I want to start learning some from winning," Bailiff said. "Even though we've improved as a football team, we still make mistakes that we're going to have to eliminate. . If we get our best players out on the field, I think we can compete with them, and if we eliminate those mistakes I'm talking about, and we continue to improve, we'll have our chances.

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