Rice @ Texas preview
Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
Last Meeting ( Sep 4, 2010 ) Texas 34, Rice 17
THE STORY: No. 24 Texas had posted nine straight double-digit victory seasons and 12 consecutive winning seasons before last year’s 5-7 debacle. The Longhorns’ sloppy 34-17 victory over Rice in the season opener last proved to be a sign of things to come, as Texas dropped seven of its final nine games. David Bailiff went 10-3 and won a bowl game in 2008 in his second season as Rice coach, but the Owls haven’t won more than four games in any of Bailiff’s other three seasons.
TV: Longhorn Network. LINE: Texas by 24
ABOUT RICE (4-8 in 2010): Redshirt sophomore Taylor McHargue is a dual-threat quarterback who draws comparisons to former Rice standout Chase Clement. McHargue sat out eight games with a shoulder injury in 2010, but led the Owls to a pair of upset victories over East Carolina and Alabama-Birmingham to close the season. Running back Sam McGuffie, who transferred from Michigan in 2009, should also help on offense, but Rice must fix a defense that ranked next-to-last nationally in passing yards allowed.
ABOUT TEXAS (5-7 in 2010): The Longhorns’ offense dropped from 39.3 points per game in 2009 to 23.8 in 2010, so coach Mack Brown cleaned house. He replaced five assistant coaches and brought in Boise State’s Bryan Harsin to help fix the offense. Junior quarterback Garrett Gilbert is the starter - at least for now. If Gilbert gets off to a slow start, Case McCoy or David Ash could challenge him for playing time. Another quarterback - Connor Wood - may transfer to Colorado. Case McCoy is the younger brother of former Longhorns standout Colt McCoy.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Rice hasn’t won in Austin since 1965 - its 21 straight losses have come by an average score of 42-13.
2. Texas has beaten Rice in 39 of the last 40 matchups.
3. The Owls are 4-15 in true road openers since 1992, with all the wins against non-BCS schools.
PREDICTION: Texas 45, Rice 21 - The Owls should get some points on a Texas defense breaking in a new coordinator, but their lack of defense will prevent them from staying in the game.