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Loss to UTSA snaps three year bowl streak

By Anket Tolpadi     11/24/15 6:18am

Despite impressive offensive performances from redshirt senior quarterback Driphus Jackson, redshirt junior running back Darik Dillard, and redshirt sophomore receiver Nate German, the Rice University football team was unable to overcome three turnovers against the University of Texas, San Antonio, losing the contest 34-24. The loss dropped the Owls to 4-7 (2-5) on the season, ensuring a streak of three consecutive bowl game appearances will be snapped.

The Owls got the ball to start the game and struck first with a 45-yard field goal from freshman kicker Hayden Tobola to take a 3-0 lead. They would widen the lead to 10-0 on their following drive, when Jackson connected with German for a 58-yard touchdown. The Roadrunners did get on track offensively and defensively, however, initiating a back-and-forth affair of which neither team was able to take control until midway through the second quarter.

With the Owls leading 17-14, junior UTSA running back Jarveon Williams ran for a 78-yard touchdown that appeared to be the early knockout punch in the game. The Owls never recovered from the huge touchdown run, failing to retake the lead for the remainder of the game.



In so many ways, the matchup against UTSA represented a microcosm of Rice’s entire season. There was the fast start, as the Owls marched out to a 10-0 lead. There was also an offense that was capable controlling the clock, yet plagued by turnovers and untimely penalties. The Owls held the ball for 34:31 of the game but turned the ball over five times with two interceptions, two failed fourth-down conversions, and one fumble. The Owls also committed seven penalties.

Consistent with more recent games, there was a rushing attack unable to establish its presence, as the Owls averaged just three and a half yards per carry. Defensively, there were flashes of strong play overshadowed by a propensity to give up big plays and an inability to get off the field on third down. Williams’ touchdown run undoubtedly changed the course of the game, and the Owls’ allowed seven of 13 third downs to be converted. All in all, consistency in all three phases of the game has evaded the team all season, and this matchup proved to be no different.

Head Coach David Bailiff was predictably disappointed after the game, and said  his seniors missed out on the chance to be Rice’s first senior class to qualify for four bowl games.

“My heart goes out to those seniors who have worked so hard to try and go to a fourth consecutive bowl game,” Bailiff said. “We know now that we’re not going to be able to do that. I’m sick to my stomach for them because more than anything we wanted to get this senior class out with a four-bowl-game legacy.”

Considering where the team stood in the preseason, its failure to even qualify for a bowl game must be viewed as a disappointment. Coming off an impressive 30-7 victory over Fresno State University in the Hawaii Bowl and motivated by a disheartening 76-31 loss to Louisiana Tech University with a trip to the Conference USA title game on the line, the Owls figured to have both the momentum and the motivation to have a special season. Additionally, they maintained continuity at quarterback and among the coaching staff, despite being young in areas such as the offensive line and the secondary. Ultimately, however, they were done in by inconsistency in various areas—tackling, ball control, and rushing attack, to name a few—ensuring that there will be no postseason play for the first time in four years.

Despite the disappointment of not being able to play in a bowl game, Bailiff said the importance of turning the page to deliver a strong performance against the University of North Carolina, Charlotte cannot be understated

“I’ve already told them how much I love them and I apologized to them that I couldn’t get them to that fourth bowl game,” Bailiff said. “Next week we play for our fifth win. Next week, that’s what it’s about now, to go out as winners.”

The UNC-Charlotte 49ers come into the season finale with a 2-9 (0-7) record. They feature a 1000-yard rusher in junior running back Kalif Phillips, but have seen three different quarterbacks see significant playing time amidst a nine-game losing streak.

The Owls will look to close the season with a win on Nov. 28 at 2:30 p.m. at Rice Stadium.



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