This weekend the undefeated Rice Owls travel down the road to Austin to face UT. Many football pundits are predicing a blow-out win for the Horns. In fact the line is hovering between 30 and 31 points. Despite this, I think Rice should keep it to within a respectable margin. One thing that I am encouraged by is the predicted path of the now tropical storm Ivan. It's supposed to dump rain on Austin on Friday and Saturday. Rice will pack 8 men in the box and force Vince to throw it deep - in the rain, hopefully. Let's not forget what happened the last time rain entered the picture for a matchup between these two teams. Allow me to take you back to the year 1994.... OWLS SHOCK HORNS ESPN audience witness to miracle: Rice sheds 28-year hex, slides into driver's seat for Cotton. By Mark Wangrin, American-Statesman staff HOUSTON -- Just when it appeared a revitalized Texas football program was ready to reach successfully back into its fabled past, it reached too far. Instead of the glory days, it got the gory days. Texas' ride up the national polls got bogged down in a Rice paddy Sunday, as the Owls ended the nation's second-longest series winning streak with a 19-17 win over the Longhorns in front of a ESPN national audience and 34,700 in a rainy and wind-whipped Rice Stadium. Texas had won 28 straight against the Owls, dating back to a 20-17 loss to Rice in 1965. Rice sealed the epochal win when Phil Dawson's onside kick took a high bounce over the Texas coverage team and into Ed Howard's hands at the Texas 46-yard line with 1 minute, 24 seconds left. With Texas bereft of timeouts, Rice ran out the clock. As the stadium clock hit 11 seconds, the Rice student section -- buoyed by the Owls' first win over the Horns in Houston since a 7-0 victory in 1960 -- spilled over the wall and onto the field. Even though they were out of practice, having not torn down the goal posts since a 22-21 win over Southwestern Louisiana ended a 15-game losing streak in 1983, the students leveled the south goal post in less than a minute. The north goal post followed 30 seconds later. [inside headline: No more Mr. Rice guy] "I felt like we had won the national championship," Rice cornerback Bobby Dixon said. "So many people were coming up to me and hugging me. The goal posts were coming down... it was amazing." The Owls were equally adept at bringing down the Longhorns. Rice held the Longhorns to only 179 yards total offense -- 16 on 22 carries on the ground -- the Horns' lowest offensive output in at least two seasons. Seven Longhorns were suspended, but only wide receiver Lovell Pinkney and outside linebacker Dwight Kirkpatrick had been expected to make significant contributions. "They shut us down," said Texas center Dan Neil, a redshirt sophomore from nearby Cypress Creek. "Everything we tried to do they stopped. It was one person missing a block every time, and that's all it took for them." "We didn't play our best football," Texas coach John Mackovic said. "That's obvious." Rice also beat up the Longhorns. Cornerback Bryant Westbrook probably is lost for the season with an early diagnosis of torn knee ligaments. Outside linebacker Robert Reed -- playing the same position as the indefinitely suspended Kirkpatrick -- will miss two to four weeks with an elbow injury. Texas' hopes for a comeback took a deadly blow when freshman Phil Dawson was wide right on a 47-yard field goal attempt with 6:02 remaining and Rice holding a 19-10 lead. The Longhorns got the ball back with 4:14 left and drove to the Rice 9, where Larry Izzo sacked Shea Morenz on third and five. On fourth and 11, the Horns' hopes were revived when Morenz hit Matt Davis on a slant pattern for a 14-yard touchdown. Dawson kicked the PAT and Texas trailed 19-17 with 1:27 left, but Howard's recovery touched off the Owls' celebration and sent the stunned Longhorn faithful sloshing for the exits. Rice scored what proved to be the winning points when, on second and goal at the Texas 7, Josh LaRocca rolled right and hit George flaring out of the backfield for the touchdown. Huelsman's PAT put Rice up 19-10 with 8:30 left in the game. At least Texas' Southwest Conference Championship hopes are still salvageable. With co-favorite Baylor (5-2, 2-1) being dealt a 41-21 loss by ineligible Texas A&M on Saturday, the Longhorns (4-2, 1-1) stay even, although they still must play A&M on Nov. 5 and Baylor on Thanksgiving Day. The 2-0 Owls (3-2 overall) remain the only unbeaten team in the SWC. "Rice is in the driver's seat," said Mackovic, uttering six seemingly impossible words. By the Longhorns's design, this was to be their showcase game, played to a national ESPN television audience that would have had its appetite for football whetted by an afternoon feast of NFL games. It was a chance to impress a national audience -- including those in the media who had earlier that day dropped the Longhorns from No. 12 to unlucky No. 13 in the nation -- and cement the Longhorns' position among the national elite. Rice had other plans. The Owls hogged the airtime in the first quarter, baffling Texas with counter plays and recovering a pooch kick to take a 9-0 lead before the Longhorns' offense even made its first cameo appearance. Rice, using a first-half running game that rolled up 125 yards against the nation's 76th-ranked rushing defense, controlled the clock for all but 7:47. The Longhorns' defense, meanwhile, was baffled by the Owls' counter play in the early going, and their offense was confounded by Rice's eight-man fronts all during the first half. The Longhorns were unable to get the ball outside on the Owls' defense, gaining only 8 yards on nine carries. Texas' passing was not up to the challenge either. The Longhorns missed suspended wideout Pinkney, and his fellow receivers dropped seven passes. Morenz's 40-yard touchdown bomb to Eric Jackson, who seemed to have pushed off on Rice defender Warrick Franklin at the Rice 5, accounted for more than half of the Longhorns' 73 first-half yards. The Owls' 12-10 halftime advantage was the first time they've led Texas after two quarters since 1989, when they led 17-10. Texas, behind a disputed fourth-down touchdown run by Peter Garder, rallied for 31-30 win.
I remember this game. I think Josh Larocca (sp?) maybe have been qbing it for Rice. I remember them showing that game, cause the baseball players were on Strike, so they went ahead and showed this game. I was cheering for Rice to kick UTs ass in this game. will history repeat itself? not a chance.
Man, I really hope it rains, it will neutralize UT's size and speed advantage. Rice needs every edge possible just to keep this close, although this is a much better Rice team than last year. Some little known factoids: Rice currently has the #1 rush defense in the country, giving up a scant 7.5 ypg. (after having played two passing offenses, but nonetheless that is a strong number) I believe Rice is the NCAA leader in sacks after two games with 14.
Indeed. Josh LaRocca was the qb for Rice that day. ND Kalu was our star defensive player along with Bobby Dixon (who I used to lift weights with at Rice).
yeah, it can rain buckets - but it won't really affect the size and speed advantage Texas has. Our offensive line is better now than it was last year, and they destroyed the Rice d-line last year. Texas will dominate.
It would be nice if we could pull it off again. I'm encouraged by what I see of this Rice team, though they need to cut down on turnovers. You never know... Anyone remember the '94 game? I was a student then (think you guys weren't quite there yet) and it seemed to be the highlight of my entire college career. It was during fall break, but everyone who was still there went absolutely nuts. The next morning, my roommate and I woke up randomly around 8:00 and looked at each other and started screaming "we won! we won!" all over again. Then we called our parents. There was a "skip day" declared in which we would skip our classes; I participated in that. (The professors didn't. I wish I could go back and do that one over again; wouldn't make that mistake.) Everyone was hoping we would beat A&M the next weekend. We didn't, but we held it close. Things seemed to be going so well for a while there... nobody was able to concentrate on studying... good times.
Anyone know how many 'turnovers' Texas has this year? What constitutes a turnover? Is it interceptions and fumbles only, or does it include turnover on downs, missed field goal, etc? Is there anywhere to find that 'turnover' stat? Thanks.
I hope we put 60 on them. I was a recent alum in the stands calling for John Mack's head that night, more angry than embarrassed. Texas really never stopped Rice's running game for which they should have been embarrassed for. Rice did a brilliant fake punt play where the guy threw the ball like a 40 yard punt aiming to land inside the 10 yard line and the dumbass (Texas) return guy never made a play on the ball thinking it was a punt I guess and the Rice gunner caught it. If I recall that is what put Rice up by 9. Never seen that play tried again by anyone, I still think it might work in the right situation.
i too am waiting for the 'horns yearly inevitable and inexplicable loss. however, it ain't gonna happen vs. the owls.
I'd love to see the Horns undefeated before playing OU. I think the Owls have just a slightly better chance of winning this game, than U of H does of pulling the upset over Miami tonight.
I remember that game very clearly. One of my very best friends, Jereymy Thigpen, was on that Rice Team and we still talk about that game a couple times a year. It was the only UT loss that I was glad to see. This year Texas will be up by 4 td's by the second half and the backups will get in. 49-21 Horns, rice covers.
