5 Thoughts ...
2008 Texas Bowl
Rice 38 ... Western Michigan 14
GAME NOTES:
Rice & Clement rip up the Broncos
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2008
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2008 Texas Bowl
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1. No offense to Rice, but how
is David Bailiff still the head
coach there? This is Rice ...
Rice. You know, Northwestern
and Wake Forest, but smaller,
yet the program was able to grow
into something special under
Bailiff's tenure. Of course, the
team is known for its offense,
but it was the defense that
dominated early on to let the
offense use its variety of trick
plays and innovative formations
to make what was supposed to be
a fun shootout a Rice blowout.
Remember, Rice used to be a
triple-option team. Players like
Chase Clement and Jarett Dillard
never thought they'd be used as
part of a high-octane passing
game, yet they grew into the
most prolific pitch-catch
combination in D-I history under
Bailiff and now-Tulsa head man
Todd Graham. Now the trick will
be to keep the momentum going
without Clement and Dillard. And
eventually, maybe in 2010,
without Bailiff. -
Pete
Fiutak
2. Alright MAC, show us why you
should ever get a bowl bid ever
again. The 2008/2009 bowl season
hasn't started out well with
Central Michigan losing the
equivalent of a home game
against Florida Atlantic,
Northern Illinois losing the
Louisiana Tech, and now, Western
Michigan going into the tank
against Rice, who hadn't stopped
anyone all year ... until now.
Western Michigan has never won a
bowl game, and neither has Ball
State, who's up in a few days
against Ball State, and Buffalo
is overmatched against
Connecticut in the International
Bowl. The Broncos were supposed
to come into the Texas Bowl and
make it a shootout. Instead, the
offense couldn't handle the
aggressive Rice defense, and the
Bronco D that struggled all
season long, despite being
loaded with experience, wasn't
even close early on. The MAC can
play, WMU did beat Illinois this
year, but the program and the
league need to start pulling off
bowl wins to get more respect
and more national coverage. -
Pete
Fiutak
3.
While I expected big things from
Chase Clement and the Rice
offense, where was this energy
and effort from the defense all
year? The Owls, among the
nation’s worst units throughout
the season, came within a few
minutes of their first shutout
in more than a decade. They flew
around the field, batted down
balls, and generally had their
way with a Western Michigan
offense that entered the game
No. 10 nationally in passing and
averaging 30 points a game. The
end result was the program’s
first bowl win since the 1953
season and arguably one of the
its most complete and profound
performances in school history. -
Richard Cirminiello
4. When he’s ready, there’s a
place in the NFL for Rice
receiver James Casey, who had a
team-high seven grabs for 112
yards and a touchdown. While
just a sophomore in terms of
eligibility, and he's considered
a tight end, at least in theory,
he’s actually a 24-year old
former professional baseball
player, who has flourished since
arriving in Houston. At 6-4 and
235 pounds, he looks like he was
built in some H-back factory,
complete with great hands, an
ability to stretch a defense,
and the upper body strength
needed to block downfield. A Big
12-type talent in Conference
USA, he fell into the Owls’ laps
a few years ago, and has been
producing ever since. However,
with the prospect of a second
pro career beginning to loom
large, there’s no guarantee
he’ll be back on campus again in
2009.
-
Richard Cirminiello
5. Western Michigan might be
loaded with experience, but Rice
had seniors in the key spots to
handle the bowl spotlight
better. Jarett Dillard, Chase
Clement, the interior of the
offensive line, and LB Brian
Raines are all seniors, and
while most of the team is
returning, the veteran core is
what made this a special season.
Clement is irreplaceable,
leading the team in rushing
against the Broncos while
throwing for 307 yards and three
touchdowns, while Dillard close
out his tremendous career with
yet another big performance,
including a touchdown pass to
Clement. When in doubt, always
take the bowl team with the
senior quarterback. Clement
showed why, he showed what a
great leader can do to elevate
everyone around him. -
Pete
Fiutak