2011 Prediction & Game Story
Week 10, UTEP at Rice
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Nov. 5 at Rice 41 … UTEP 37
CFN Analysis: COMING
(AP) HOUSTON -- Nick Fanuzzi was 30 of 43 for 405 yards and three touchdowns passing to lead Rice to a 41-37 win over UTEP Saturday.
Vance McDonald caught eight passes for 157 yards and a touchdown, and Tyler Smith caught eight catches for 74 yards for the Owls (3-6, 2-4 Conference USA), who ended a three-game losing streak.
Nick Lamaison was 16 of 29 for 294 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Miners (4-5, 1-4). Mike Edwards had seven catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns.
Fanuzzi put Rice on top 34-31 with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Taylor with 7:59 remaining. After Bryce Callahan intercepted Lamaison for a second time, Fanuzzi found Randy Kitchens for a 23-yard TD pass with 2:58 to play.
Lamaison threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Leslie with 42 seconds left, but McDonald recovered the onside kick.
Rice finished with 671 yards of offense, third-most in school history. The Miners controlled time of possession by nearly 17 minutes, but had 392 yards on 50 plays, while Rice ran 93 plays.
UTEP got on the board first with a 74-yard pass from Lamaison to Edwards on the third play from scrimmage, but Rice responded with a 44-yard touchdown run by Petersen with 12:15 left in the first quarter.
Jeremy Eddington put Rice ahead 14-7 with a 7-yard touchdown run.
Rice's Chris Boswell connected on field goals of 37 and 23 yards in the second quarter, and Dakota Warren made a 33-yard field goal for UTEP as the Owls took a 20-10 lead.
Leilyon Myers cut the lead to three with a 1-yard touchdown run with 4:11 left in the second quarter, and Myers gave the Miners a 24-20 advantage with another 1-yard touchdown run with a minute left in the second quarter.
Rice retook the lead 27-24 on a 25-yard touchdown from Fanuzzi to McDonald with 6:39 remaining in third quarter, but the Miners answered with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Lamaison to Edwards with 1:13 left in the third.
UTEP (4-4) at Rice (2-6) Nov. 5, 3:30, FSN
Here’s The Deal … With four regular season games remaining, UTEP needs to win a pair in order to have any hope of playing in a bowl game for the second straight year. To be safe, three out of four would help head coach Mike Price and his staff sleep a little better at the end of November. The Miners saw their three-game losing streak snapped by Southern Miss last week, running out of gas in the second half of a close game.
Rice, on the other hand, doesn’t figure to have any travel plans in December. Losers of three consecutive games, the Owls are only mathematically alive for the postseason, needing a minor miracle to reach the necessary six wins. They put a scare into unbeaten rival Houston for about 20 minutes last Thursday evening before getting trampled by record-setting QB Case Keenum and the Cougars, 73-34.
Why UTEP Might Win: Not only can the Miners move the ball on the ground, but they’ve also got the stouter of the two defenses in this game. They’ve been tough against the pass, Rice’s preferred mode of transportation, giving up just eight touchdown passes all year. Plus, star S Travaun Nixon is expected to return from a knee injury to join secondary playmakers DeShawn Grayson and Antwon Blake. The offense will be fueled by a ground game that went for at least 250 yards in the three games leading up to the Southern Miss loss. Joe Banyard, Vernon Frazier and Leilyon Myers give the coaches an eclectic mix to choose from on each series.
Why Rice Might Win: As long as UTEP continues to be sloppy with the ball, it’s going to be vulnerable every Saturday of November. The Miners rank 110th nationally in turnover margin, and are ninth in the league in giveaways. With short-field opportunities, the Owls should be able to keep drives going now that they’ve settled on Nick Fanuzzi at quarterback, and are getting production out of the running game. Somewhat lost in the lopsided defeat to Houston was the fact that backs Turner Petersen and Tyler Smith spearheaded a ground game that churned out 359 yards, while occasionally using the Wild Owl formation.
What To Watch Out For: A leaky UTEP offensive line is going to have a tough time controlling Rice’s top pass rusher, veteran DE Scott Solomon. The senior has a team-high 9.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, often occupying multiple blockers to help his fellow Owls become more effective. One of first-year Miners QB Nick Lamaison’s biggest hurdles this season has been checking down when defenders are consistently in his face. He’s flashed a live arm, but only when he’s been given the time needed to properly survey the field.
What Will Happen: UTEP has a little more talent than Rice, particularly on defense, and a lot more at stake in November. While both teams will run the ball effectively, the Miners have a better chance of making connections through the air. It’s not so much that Lamaison is an ace hurler just yet, but the Owls will struggle to navigate the UTEP secondary. The Miners will survive in an exciting game that seesaws back and forth, with the offenses combining for 500 yards on the ground.
CFN Prediction: UTEP 35 … Rice 30
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Click For Latest Line From ATS: UTEP -1 O/U: 56.5
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