Owls are 1-0 in C-USA as they head to Tulsa

By Dan Elledge     9/30/13 7:00pm

The Rice University football team opened up their 2013 Conference USA campaign last Saturday against Florida Atlantic University. The Owls, who were favored, struggled on offense, scoring only six points through the first 55 minutes of play.

Down 14-6, the Owls' defense stepped up with a fumble recovery for a touchdown courtesy of redshirt senior defensive end Cody Bauer. Redshirt senior quarterback Taylor McHargue could not complete  the two-point conversion, leaving FAU up 14-12. On the next possession, redshirt junior cornerback Bryce Callahan picked off a pass to give the Owls a chance to win the game. After the turnover, redshirt freshman running back Darik Dillard ran into the end zone to put the Owls on top for good, 18-14.

Head Coach David Bailiff said the team struggled for the majority of the game, but he said he was satisfied when everything came together. Bailiff said he was extremely happy with the performance of the Rice defense, which forced four turnovers. 

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"We did it the hard way," Bailiff said. "We did it playing great defense, and I am so proud of how our defense played. The defensive front had their absolute best game and best production."

Junior cornerback Malcolm Hill said this team never quits until the game is over. Hill said for the Owls, the game isn't over until the referee blows his final whistle.

"Everybody says it's never done until it's done, but after this week, you have to believe," Hill said. "It doesn't matter how bad it seems or how much adversity you go through, but until that clock says 0:00, then it's never done and we are a living testament to that."

This Saturday, the Owls are back on the road against the University of Tulsa; this will be the Owls' first away game since playing Texas A&M University on opening weekend. Even with a 1-3 record, the preseason C-USA coaches' poll projected that Tulsa would win the C-USA western division. A year ago, the Golden Hurricane edged out Rice 28-24. Even though the loss brought the Owls to 2-6, that win fueled them to go on a five-game winning streak to end the season. Bailiff said that even with its 1-3 record, Tulsa is still a dynamic team on both sides of the ball. He said he sees both teams as equally matched.

 "We had an outstanding game against them a year ago," Bailiff said. "Right now, they are playing really solid defensively. They are like us offensively. They are really great at times and play sporadically at other times, but they are really well-coached."

Redshirt senior running back Turner Petersen said he has extra incentive when he plays Tulsa. Petersen said Tulsa's proximity to his hometown of Oklahoma City is a great opportunity to play in front of familiar faces.

 "It's always fun ... getting a little closer to home and playing in front of some friends and family," Petersen said. "It's always special when people come to support me."

Petersen acknowledged that Tulsa had given the Owls trouble in the past and said Rice would not be scared on Saturday.

 "Usually, we have been going through Tulsa in the western division, but I don't believe it adds any extra pressure," Peterson said. "It's another game for us, one that we can just go out and attack and have a better mindset going into it."

Hill agreed with Petersen. He said  the team is confident going in and will be ready to fight,  as this game is crucial in determining the champion of the western division.

 "Tulsa is a great team," Hill said. "It doesn't matter who they played; this is conference play. They are picked to win the conference, and I know they know that. The confidence over here is high as well, and as a defense, we need to take the ball away. If we can get turnovers and provide more opportunities for the offense, then that gives us a better chance to win the game."

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