2006 Rice Owls

2006 Rice Owls Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews

 
Dec. 22
2006 New Orleans Bowl
Troy 41 ... Rice 17
Troy dominated from the start with a 21 point first quarter thanks to to of Omar Haugabook's four touchdown passes and a two-yard scoring run. Haugabook connected with Gary Banks on a three-yard strike off an interception, and answered a Rice touchdown drive with a 56-yard scoring pass to Mykeal Terry. A seven-yard pass to Andrew Davis in the third and a five-yard pass to Toris Rutledge in the fourth put the game away. The Owls managed two Joel Armstrong touchdown passes including a late one-yard throw to Jarett Dillard keeping alive a streak of 15 straight games with a scoring grab. Armstrong threw five interceptions, with two picked off by Elbert Mack, who was playing with a heavy heart after losing his father earlier in the week.
Player of the game ... Troy QB Omar Haugabook completed 14 of 28 passes for 217 yards with four touchdowns and an interception and ran 14 times for 92 yards and a score.
Stat Leaders: Troy - Passing: Omar Haugabook, 14-28, 217 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Omar Haugabook, 14-92, 1 TD  Receiving: Mykeal Terry, 2-96 1 TD
Rice - Passing: Joel Armstrong, 35-54, 305 yds, 2 TD, 5 INT
Rushing: Joel Armstrong, 16-35  Receiving: Jarett Dillard, 9-71, 1 TD
Notes and Thoughts ... Rice head coach Todd Graham had a fantastic first season, but he got his pants coached off by Larry Blakeney and the Troy staff. The Owl defense couldn't tackle, the offense completely ignored the running game even when the game was still competitive in the first half, and mistakes were made late with no pace to allow for any comeback attempt and a big error not going for two to try to get the score to 16 with five minutes to play. ... This was a huge win for the Sun Belt. By not just winning, but blowing out Rice, Troy showed that teams in the league can play. The defense, especially the secondary, was hitting from the start setting the tone for the game while the run defense was terrific. Troy seemed to play with more energy keyed by the defense along with the play of QB Omar Haugabook, who made every key throw and fought through cramping problems to keep the offense moving with his legs as well as his arm. ... Rice's Joel Armstrong isn't the type of quarterback who should be throwing 54 times. His throws have no zip and telegraphed his passes against the Trojans.

2006 Schedule 2005 Record: 7-6
9/2	Houston L 31-30
9/9	at UCLA L 26-16
9/16	Texas L 52-7
9/23	at Florida State L 55-7
9/30	at Army W 48-14
10/7	at Tulane L 38-24
10/14	UAB W 34-33
10/21	at UCF W 40-29
11/4	at UTEP W 37-31
11/11	at Tulsa W 41-38 2OT
11/18	East Carolina W 18-17
11/25	SMU W 31-27
12/22	New Orleans Bowl Troy L 41-17

2005 Schedule CFN Prediction: 4-7 2005 Record: 1-10 Preview 2005 predicted wins
9/10	at UCLA L 63-21
9/17	at Texas L 51-10
10/1	at UAB L 45-26
10/8	at East Carolina L 41-28
10/15	Tulsa L 41-21
10/22	Navy L 41-9
10/29	UTEP L 38-31
11/5	at SMU L 27-7
11/12	Tulane W 42-34
10/19	UCF L 31-28
11/26	at Houston L 35-18

Nov. 25
Rice 31 ... SMU 27
Jarett Dillard caught his third touchdown of the game on a 25-yard play to give Rice the lead with just over four minutes to play, and then Bencil Smith snuffed out SMU's final shot picking off Justin Willis deep. Rice got up 17-0 in the first quarter highlighted by a 46-yard Dillard touchdown catch, but SMU roared back with a 26-point second quarter helped by a 33-yard Willis touchdown pass to Columbus Givens and a fumble recovery for a core from Brandon Bonds. Dillard tied it up with a 20-yard score in the third, but SMU game back to take the lead on Thomas Morstead's second field goal of the game. The two teams combined for seven turnovers.
Player of the game ... Rice WR Jarett Dillard caught six passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Rice - Passing: Joel Armstrong, 13-21, 205 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Quinton Smith, 15-79, 1 TD  Receiving: Jarett Dillard, 6-145, 3 TD
SMU - Passing: Justin Willis, 8-19, 137 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: DeMyron Martin, 15-101  Receiving: Columbus Givens, 2-39, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The great season just keeps on rolling. Thanks to yet another brilliant day from Jarett Dillard, Rice held off SMU. While the star receiver will get all the headlines, Joel Armstrong deserves recognition for stepping in for an injured Chase Clement and had a fantastic day. Of course, having Dillard to throw to helps, but considering where the team was a year ago, and how rapidly the change in offense and overall philosophy had to come, Armstrong was unbelievable. Wake Forest isn't the only great story this year. Rice is off to a bowl game on a six-game winning streak.

Nov. 18
Rice 18 ... East Carolina 17
Rice got a seven-yard Joel Armstrong touchdown run with just under three minutes to play, and after forcing an ECU three-and-out, went 54 yards in nine plays to get a 40-yard Clark Fangmeier field goal to win the game with three seconds to play. Armstrong was in for an injured Chase Clement, who threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Jarett Dillard in the second quarter. East Carolina got in the end zone on a Davon Drew five-yard scoring grab and a 43-yar Chris Johnson touchdown run. Rice outgained ECU 458 yards to 301.
Player of the game ... Rice K Clark Fangmeier kicked a career-best 40-yard field goal with three seconds left in the game to give the Owls the victory.
Stat Leaders: East Carolina - Passing: James Pinkney, 10-17, 83 yds, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing: Brandon Fractious, 10-83  Receiving: Aundrae Allison, 6-39
Rice - Passing: Chase Clement, 17-29, 182 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Quinton Smith, 21-115  Receiving: Jarrett Dillard, 5-73, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... No matter how it works out with a bowl and next week’s game against SMU, Rice is one of the biggest stories of the 2006 season with a team and a coaching staff that found a way to become bowl eligible. Never dismiss how much confidence plays a part when analyzing college players; this team believes it should win close games. To come through clutch week after week on a five-game winning streak is amazing. To get nine points in 2:37 to beat a good team like East Carolina is even more incredible.

Nov. 11
Rice 41 ... Tulsa 38 2OT
Rice answered a 39-yard Jarod Tracy field goal in the second overtime with a 25-yard touchdown catch from Jarrett Dillard for the win. Dillard caught an 11-yard touchdown pass to start the scoring in the first overtime, but Tulsa came back with a one-yard Paul Smith touchdown run on fourth and goal. Down 20-7 in the fourth quarter after a 65-yard Dillard touchdown catch, Tulsa got two rushing touchdowns from Courtney Tennial, and then answered a nine-yard Chase Clement scoring run with a three-yard Smith run to force overtime. Tulsa outgained Rice 568 yards to 356 but lost four turnovers.
Player of the game ... Rice WR Jarrett Dillard caught eight passes for 137 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Tulsa - Passing: Paul Smith, 17-29, 308 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Tarrion Adams, 15-116  Receiving: Ryan Bugg, 7-145
Rice - Passing: Chase Clement, 14-36, 209 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Chase Clement, 20-69, 1 TD  Receiving: Jarrett Dillard, 8-137, 3 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Talk about being the shocker of the season, Rice has won four straight including road victories over UTEP and Tulsa over the last few weeks. With wins over East Carolina and SMU to close out, a bowl bid might even be possible. How is this happening? It hasn't been with the defense, although it's been solid at forcing turnovers. The opportunistic, balanced offense has been fantastic getting big games from someone new each week. Now the D has to figure out how to come up with an early stop after giving up points in each game this year on the opening drive.

Nov. 4
Rice 37 ... UTEP 31
Rice jumped out to a 30-10 halftime lead and then hung on for deal life as Jordan Palmer bombed away for threw second half touchdowns with two going to Daniel Robinson. Just when UTEP got hot, Rice controlled the ball going on a 7:30 drive to close out the game after a 26-yard pass to Robinson got the Miners within six. Quinton Smith scored twice in the second quarter and ran for a 21-yard score in the third for the Owls, while Chase Clement threw three touchdown passes including a 34-yarder to Jerrett Dillard.
Player of the game ... Rice RB Quinton Smith ran 31 times for 171 yards and two touchdowns and caught four passes for 72 yards and a score.
Stat Leaders: Rice - Passing: Chase Clement, 19-26, 233 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Quinton Smith, 31-171, 2 TD  Receiving: Tommy Henderson, 6-51, 1 TD
UTEP - Passing: Jordan Palmer, 16-33, 315 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Marcus Thomas, 11-77  Receiving: Daniel Robinson, 4-97, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... With three wins in a row, the Owls are all of a sudden in range for bowl eligibility. Quinton Smith is on fire over the last few weeks doing a wonderful job whenever he has the ball on the move as either a runner or a receiver, while QB Chase Clement ha been ultra-efficient. The defense struggled to slow down UTEP in the second half, but the offense saved the day by controlling the clock to keep Jordan Palmer and the Miner attack off the field. As long as the mistakes are kept to a minimum, Rice can compete with anyone in the conference at the moment.

Oct. 21
Rice 40 ... UCF 29
Rice got three second half touchdown runs from Quinton Smith highlighted by a 69-yard sash, and Chase Clemens threw two touchdown passes to hold off UCF in a shootout. The Golden Knights got 327 passing yards out of Kyle Israel, 155 rushing yards from Kevin Smith, and 13 catches and a 20-yard score from Mike Walker, but three drives turned into Michael Torres field goals while Rice was rumbling for touchdowns.
Player of the game ... Rice RB Quinton Smith ran 21 times for 183 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Rice - Passing: Chase Clement, 16-29, 170 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Quinton Smith, 21-183, 3 TD  Receiving: Jarrett Dillard, 7-86, 1 TD
UCF - Passing: Kyle Israel, 27-42, 327 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kevin Smith, 24-155  Receiving: Mike Walker, 13-169, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Rice might be more about offensive balance now, but its running game, thanks to Quinton Smith, got the job done against UCF. The defense couldn't handle anything the Golden Knights wanted to do, and did a good job of keeping points off the board early, but things have to be far tighter over the next two showdowns at UTEP and at Tulsa. It might be asking a lot to win those two games, but the trips will show just where the program stands among the best in the conference.

Oct. 14
Rice 34 ... UAB 33
Rice got a nine-yard touchdown pass to Jarrett Dillard with three seconds to play for a thrilling win. UAB took the lead with less than four minutes to play on a 49-yard Steven Brown touchdown catch, but Rice drove back getting in a position to win the game only to apparently blow it when Kris Guyton intercepted a Chase Clement pass with 23 seconds remaining, but he fumbled the ball on the return and the Owls recovered on the UAB 19 with 28 seconds to play. Chris Williams threw four touchdown passes for the Blazers in the see-saw game, but Rice always had an answer as Clement ran for two scores and threw for three to Dillard.
Player of the game ... Rice QB Chase Clement completed 21 of 33 passes for 191 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions and ran 17 times for 141 yards and two touchdowns..
Stat Leaders: Rice - Passing: Chase Clement, 21-33, 191 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Chase Clement, 17-141, 2 TD. Receiving: Jarett Dillard, 9-111, 3 TD
UAB - Passing: Chris Williams, 15-28, 288, 4 TD
Rushing: Dan Burks, 18-121, 1 TD  Receiving: Willie Edwards, 4-112, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... It's just as important to be lucky as it is to be good. Rice shouldn't have its final drive against UAB stopped by an interception, but the recovered fumble for a second chance saved the day. Give Rice credit for making the plays when it had to in the win, and give credit to Chase Clement, who came up with best game of the year. Jarett Dillard continues to play like an All-Conference USA performer, and Quinton Smith ran relatively well. Getting wins isn't always going to be easy for Rice, so it has to be nearly perfect to get through the next three games all on the road.

Oct. 7
Tulane 38 ... Rice 24
Lester Ricard threw four touchdown passes to four different receivers and Matt Forte ran for 178 yards and scored twice in the team's most complete performance of the season. Rice got two Chase Clement touchdown passes and a three-yard scoring run, but he couldn't handle the Tulane secondary that broke up 13 passes with CB Israel Route knocking away five. The Green Wave never trailed, but wasn't able to pull away until an eight-yard Forte run early in the fourth.
Player of the game ... Tulane QB Lester Ricard completed 21 of 40 passes for 344 yards and four touchdowns with an interception.
Stat Leaders: Rice - Passing: Chase Clement, 25-47, 271 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Quinton Smith, 19-86. Receiving: Jarett Dillard, 6-61, 1 TD
Tulane - Passing: Lester Ricard, 21-40, 344 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Matt Forte, 19-178, 1 TD  Receiving: Jeremy Williams, 5-96, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The offense isn't polished quite yet, but it was good enough to come up with 400 yards against Tulane and stay in a shootout. The defense couldn't handle the Green Wave offensive balance getting hit for way too many big plays, especially against the pass. On the plus side, Chase Clement is growing into a fantastic passer doing a good job of spreading his throws around. The home date with UAB becomes critical next week with three straight away games to follow. Clement will have to be fantastic to get by the Mustangs.

Sept. 30
Rice 48 ... Army 14
Playing an inspired game after the passing of teammate Dale Lloyd this week, Rice cranked out 457 yards of total offense overcoming an early 7-0 deficit on a two-yard David Pevoto touchdown run to reel off 31 straight points with three Chase Clement touchdown passes and a 72-yard interception return for a score from Andray Downs. Pevoto connected with Jeremy Trimble for a 32-yard touchdown pass with :33 left in the half, but the Owls owns the second half with two more Clemens touchdown passes Jarett Dillard.
Player of the game ... Rice QB Chase Clement was 29-of-39 for 299 yards and five touchdowns and led the Owls in rushing with 64 yards on 11 carries.  
Stat Leaders: Rice - Passing: Chase Clement, 29-39, 299 yds, 5 TDs
Rushing: Chase Clement, 11-64  Receiving: Jarett Dillard, 11-173, 3 TD
Army - Passing: David Pevoto, 12-22, 140 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Wesley McMahand, 12-90  Receiving: Jeremy Trimble, 6-73, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... It's not quite right to trivialize the death of a player to assume Rice played at another level against Army, but this was the most focused, best all-around effort the team showed this season. Chase Clement proved that he's the one to run the passing attack with a brilliant day, and Jarrett Dillard has established himself as a bona fide number one receiver. To win, Rice has to take advantage of every opportunity, and it did that against Army capitalizing on four turnovers. Now all the momentum has to carry over into a winnable game next week at Tulane.

Sept. 23
Florida State 55 ... Rice 7
Florida State found a running game rumbling for 287 yards on the ground with two touchdown runs from Joe Surratt and two from Antone Smith. Rice answered the first Surratt score with a 32-yard touchdown catch from Jarrett Dillard, and the the Noles went on a run scoring 48 unanswered points highlighted by touchdown catches from 18 and 57 yards out from Greg Carr.
Player of the game ... Florida State RB Antone Smith ran 12 times for 137 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Rice - Passing: Joel Armstrong, 9-24, 128 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Quinton Smith, 16-104. Receiving: Jarett Dillard, 7-113, 1 TD
Florida State - Passing: Xavier Lee, 5-11, 111 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Antone Smith, 12-137, 2 TD. Receiving: Greg Carr, 5-107, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... After playing well in the first two games, Rice simply didn't have the talent or athleticism to hang with Texas or Florida State over the last two weeks. Now the team plays teams its own size in Army and Tulane and has to start getting the offense to click. The defense is going to struggle all season long, so Joel Armstrong has to find a way to get the passing game moving. On the plus side, Quinton Smith ran very well.

Sept. 16
Texas 52 ... Rice 7
Texas ran all over Rice 330 rushing yards to -12 with Selvin Young and Jamaal Charles combining for 210 yards and two touchdowns. The defense and special teams got in the act with a fumble recovery for a score from Tim Crowder and a 46-yard punt return for a touchdown by Aaron Ross to blow the game wide open. Colt McCoy was razor-sharp throwing two touchdown passes before giving way to Jevan Sneed for most of the second half. Rice's only points came with just over three minutes to play on a six-yard Jarett Dillard touchdown grab.
Player of the game ... Texas RBs Jamaal Charles and Selvin Young combined for 210 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries
Stat Leaders: Texas - Passing: Colt McCoy, 7-8, 124 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Jamaal Charles, 8-109, 1 TD. Receiving: Jermichael Finley, 2-39
Rice - Passing: Joel Armstrong, 18-29, 180 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jarrett Dillard, 1-2. Receiving: Jarrett Dillard, 9-91, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The penalties will not stop. After committing ten in the loss to UCLA, the Owls got nailed for 13 for 91 yards against Texas. There was no way they were going to beat the Longhorns even with a flawless performance, but the errors will be costly down the road in winnable games against several Conference USA teams. All things considered, Joel Armstrong threw relatively well in the blowout loss. Rice will win a few games if Armstrong can throw for 180 yards and complete 18 of 29 passes.

Sept. 9
UCLA 26 ... Rice 16
Chris Markey ran for 208 yards and Justin Medlock kicked four field goals for a tougher-than-expected win. Medlock connected from 32, 37, 51 and 34 to help the Bruins get out to a 26-10 lead late into the fourth quarter, but Rice wouldn't give up as Quinton Smith tore off a 48-yard touchdown run with 5:38 to play. UCLA was able to use the running game to close things out. Ben Olson threw two touchdown passes hitting Junior Taylor for a nine-yard score and Brandon Breazell for an 18-yard touchdown.
Player of the game ... UCLA RB Chris Markey ran 23 times for 208 yards
Stat Leaders: Rice - Passing: John Shepherd, 6-10, 66 yds
Rushing: Quinton Smith, 14-76, 1 TD. Receiving: Jarrett Dillard, 7-102, 1 TD
UCLA - Passing: Ben Olson, 13-19, 124 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Chris Markey, 23-208  Receiving: Michael Pitre, 4-43
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Losing to UCLA, like the loss to Houston last week, is nothing to be happy about, but Rice proved once again that it can hang around and play with the mid-range teams. Under new head coach Todd Graham, this team plays extremely hard and never gives up. The run defense will be a problem all year long and the passing game will never be explosive, but eventually, the breaks will go its way. However, it needs to be far better on third downs, going two of 13 against UCLA, and the penalties have to stop after committing ten for 90 yards.

Sept. 2
Houston 31 ... Rice 30
Houston overcame a 30-14 deficit with 17 unanswered points on two eight-yard touchdown passes from Kevin Kolb and a 20-yard field goal from T.J. Lawrence. In a game of runs, Houston scored the first 14, Rice scored the next 30, and Houston closed out with its binge. Rice showed good offensive balance with Quinton Smith scoring three straight times in the second quarter with an 80-yard catch-and run to tie it at 14 and then scored two short touchdowns. Rice had one final chance, but Chase Clement got picked off by Ernest Miller.
Player of the game ... Houston QB Kevin Kolb completed 22 of 35 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Houston - Passing: Kevin Kolb, 22-35, 233 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Jackie Battle, 14-74, 1 TD. Receiving: Donnie Avery, 6-66
Rice - Passing: Chase Clement, 12-26, 152 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Quinton Smith, 18-108, 2 TD. Receiving: Jarett Dillard, 4-34, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... How can Rice respond from the devastating loss to Houston? Certainly the offense was far better than it was last year and the team should be far more competitive now under head coach Todd Graham, but it could close when up big in the second half. It's going to be a process to keep the offensive balance going and Chase Clament has to be a more efficient passer, but this was a great first step back to respectability.

2006 Rice Preview

Rice Preview | Offense | Defense | Depth Chart | Further Analysis

Yes, you can win at Rice. It has been done before.

Because of the small enrollment and the tough academic restrictions, Rice might be seen as an impossible rebuilding project on the scale of what Turner Gill has to do at Buffalo and Al Golden has in front of him at Temple, but new head man Todd Graham at least has a little bit of history on his side with an 8-4 record as recently as 2001. However, for Rice to win, it needs to do something a bit quirky since it doesn't get the top players that other schools can get.

Navy has proved that you can win with an option offense, and under former head coach Ken Hatfield, this was the type of quirky team that always caught averaged defenses off guard. Now, Graham will try to win with the spread offense, and it's going to take time.

To give Owl fans hope that the program can potentially be a player, look to Northwestern, a great academic institution that has the same issues as Rice. The Wildcats have not only thrived with a version of the spread, they've been successful in the Big Ten. However, they need everything to break the right way to come up with winning seasons, and Rice will eventually need the same sort of luck.

For this year, it's all about just getting from phase one to phase two and getting the team in line with what the coaching staff wants to do. The previous regime made a passing nod to throwing it more when it tried to implement a bit of a spread offense in an effort to save a sinking ship, but Rice still finished dead last in the nation in passing. Graham has to make the square pegs fit into the round holes and hope for quarterback Chase Clement to use the next three years to grow into the type of all-around playmaker needed to run the spread. Running backs and former quarterbacks have been turned into receivers to fill the positions, but the spread is about running the ball, as well. Fortunately, Quinton Smith is one of the league's most explosive backs.

The defense has experience, but not a whole bunch of talent. Getting into the backfield will be job one after struggling to generate sacks and tackles for loss despite having the talents of all-star John Syptak up front. He's gone, and now the defense has to use its speed and quickness to be more disruptive.

No, Rice isn't going to win the Conference USA title this season, and it's probably not even going to crack the three win mark. It'll be about improving from wee to week and getting everything in place for the future.

The Schedule: It's not like Rice needs more problems, but it has three, three game road stretches that would test any team. The UCF, UTEP and Tulsa tilt should especially try the team's toughness, but on the plus side, the season ends with home games against East Carolina and SMU. The non-conference schedule has a painful three game stretch of at UCLA, Texas and at Florida State before going to Army for what has to be a must-win. Even the home opener isn't really a true home game playing in-town Houston.

Best Offensive Player: Senior RB Quinton Smith. The team's best running back last season is a big play threat and will be the main man in the offense until the passing game starts to click. He's deadly when he gets a little room to run, so the idea will be to get the ball to him on the move as much as possible.

Best Defensive Player: Senior S Chad Price. Part safety and part linebacker, Price joins Andray Downs to give Rice one of Conference USA's most experienced safety pairs. Price is great at getting into the backfield and is a sure tackler, but he has to starting picking off passes.

Key player to a successful season: Sophomore QB Chase Clement. The new spread offense won't work unless Clement is a steady decision maker and improves his passing. He struggled as a freshman finishing with a passer rating of 85.8 and only completed 43% of his throws. With the running skills and the smarts to run the attack, he should turn out to be a great fit ... eventually.

The season will be a success if ... Rice comes up with three wins. It came close to beating UCF and UTEP over the second half of last season and it beat Tulane, but it's going to take big upsets to come close to winning more than a few games. It'll be a shock if the Owls are favored in any game this year.

Key game: Nov. 25 vs. SMU. The new coaching staff is going to need at least a year to get everything in place and for the team to figure out what it's doing. No one will say it's all about playing for the future, but the season finale against SMU will be important to see where the team is at and what needs working on for 2007.

2005 Fun Stats: 
- Fumbles: Rice 34, lost 16 - Opponents 11, lost 5
- Penalties: Opponents 91 for 860 yards - Rice 54 for 486 yards
- Third down conversions: Opponents 65 of 138 (47%) - Rice 63 of 169 ((34%)

The Last Time Rice…
…played in a bowl game…1961 (Bluebonnet Bowl vs. Kansas)
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…1995 (UNLV)
…was shutout…2000 (TCU)
…scored 50 points…2004 (San Jose State)
…went undefeated…never
…won a conference title…1994 (share, SWC)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…1976 (Tommy Kramer)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2004 (Ed Bailey)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…never
…had a first-round draft choice…1980 (RB Earl Cooper)