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2008 Rice Owls football team

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American college football season

2008 Rice Owls football
C-USA West Division co-champion
Texas Bowl champion
Texas Bowl, W 38–14 vs. Western Michigan
ConferenceConference USA
DivisionWest
Record10–3 (7–1 C-USA)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorTom Herman (2nd season)
Offensive schemeSpread
Defensive coordinatorChuck Driesbach (2nd season)
Co-defensive coordinatorCraig Naivar (2nd season)
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumRice Stadium
Seasons← 20072009 →
2008 Conference USA football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
East Carolina x$   6 – 2     9 – 5  
Memphis   4 – 4     6 – 7  
Southern Miss   4 – 4     7 – 6  
UAB   3 – 5     4 – 8  
UCF   3 – 5     4 – 8  
Marshall   3 – 5     4 – 8  
West Division
Tulsa xy   7 – 1     11 – 3  
Rice x   7 – 1     10 – 3  
Houston   6 – 2     8 – 5  
UTEP   4 – 4     5 – 7  
Tulane   1 – 7     2 – 10  
SMU   0 – 8     1 – 11  
Championship: East Carolina 27, Tulsa 24
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2008 Rice Owls football team represented Rice University in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Owls played six home games at Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas The Owls finished the season with an overall record of 10–3 and a conference record of 7–1 in David Bailiff's second season.

Personnel

Coaching staff

2008 Rice Owls coaching staff

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

  • Tom Herman - Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks
  • Blake Miller - Running game coordinator/offensive line
  • Dan Hammerschmidt - Wide receivers
  • Rick LaFavers - Tight ends
  • Darrell Patterson - Running backs
  • Tom Keresztury - Offensive graduate assistant

Defensive coaches

  • Chuck Driesbach - Assistant head coach/co-defensive Coord.
  • Craig Naivar - Co-defensive coordinator/safeties
  • Darin Eliot - Defensive line
  • Jason Washington - Cornerbacks
  • Michael Slater - Graduate Assistant
  

Special teams

  • Special teams coordinator - Rick LaFavers

Administrative staff

  • Athletic Director (AD) - Chris DelConte
  • Yancy McKnight - Assistant AD/Performance Enhancement
  • Jerry Pickle - Assistant AD/Football Operations
  • Recruiting coordinator - Darin Eliot

Roster

Regular season

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
August 297:00 pmSMUESPNW 56–2723,164
September 67:00 pmat MemphisCBSCSW 42–3528,351
September 136:05 pmat Vanderbilt*L 21–3837,370
September 202:30 pmat No. 7 Texas*FSNL 10–5297,201
September 274:30 pmNorth Texas*
  • Rice Stadium
  • Houston, TX
KTXAW 77–2016,885
October 47:00 pmat TulsaCBSCSL 28–6324,926
October 182:00 pmSouthern Miss
  • Rice Stadium
  • Houston, TX
W 45–4011,117
October 252:05 pmat TulaneW 42–1717,841
November 18:05 pmat UTEPW 49–4430,702
November 82:00 pmArmy*
  • Rice Stadium
  • Houston, TX
W 38–3119,243
November 222:30 pmMarshall
  • Rice Stadium
  • Houston, TX
CBSCSW 35–1015,131
November 282:30 pmHoustonCBSCSW 56–4235,534
December 307:05 pmvs. Western Michigan*NFL NetworkW 38–1458,880
  • *Non-conference game
  • Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Central time

Game summaries

SMU

1 2 3 4 Total
Mustangs 13 0 7 7 27
Owls 14 14 28 0 56

The game kicked off Rice's 97th season of football. Rice began down 13–0, but two scores, both Chase Clement touchdown passes, within 52 seconds put the Owls up by one point to close the first quarter. Clement threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter as well, to Jarett Dillard (21 yards) and Corbin Smiter (12 yards), to take a 28–13 lead into halftime. After a Mustang touchdown pass, Rice exploded for four scores, two Clement passes, a James Casey run, and an interception returned 55 yards for a score by Andrew Sendejo. Logan Turner would throw a touchdown for SMU with 2:10 remaining in the contest.

Clement's six touchdown passes and Dillard's three receiving TDs both tied career highs in Rice's highest offensive output in a season opener in their history.

Memphis

1 2 3 4 Total
Owls 3 0 10 29 42
Tigers 0 14 7 14 35

The Owls were behind the Tigers by fifteen, 35–20, with 8:33 to play. The comeback began when James Casey snared a 41-yard pass from Chase Clement, setting up a 5-yard hook-up with Jarett Dillard on the ensuing play, cutting the Memphis lead to 35–27 with 6:22 remaining. Rice began their comeback. After a quick stop, the Owls were looking to score again, taking over at their own six. Clement would sprint in from the nine four plays later. Casey would haul in the two-point conversion that knotted the game at 35–35.

Memphis would drive to the Rice 38, until the third-and-one slant was intercepted by Chris Jammer, who broke a tackle and scored with eleven seconds left, giving Rice the 42–35 win.

Dillard became the all-time leader in total points and touchdowns during the game, with Clement passing Tommy Kramer on the Rice all-time passing list. James Casey set career highs with 11 receptions and 208 yards, which passed David Houser for the Owl's single-game receiving yardage record.

Vanderbilt

See also: 2008 Vanderbilt Commodores football team
1 2 3 4 Total
Owls 14 7 0 0 21
Commodores 7 14 10 7 38

The Vanderbilt game marked the first time the Owls traveled to Nashville to play the Commodores, although the two programs had met three times before.

Texas

See also: 2008 Texas Longhorns football team
1 2 3 4 Total
Owls 3 0 7 0 10
#7 Longhorns 7 17 14 14 52

Rice began the game with a Clark Fangmeier field goal, but it would be all Texas after that. Colt McCoy would run in a score before tossing two touchdowns to Jordan Shipley. Texas also added a field goal to their lead, making it 24–3. The lone Owls touchdown came in the third quarter, a Clement-to-Dillard hook-up of fifteen yards. McCoy would strike again, with a 46-yard completion to Chris Ogbonnaya for a score. Back-up Longhorn signal-caller John Chiles added a rushing touchdown, as did Cody Johnson, to put the final at 52–10.

Colt McCoy of Texas threw four touchdown passes, and led the Longhorns in rushing, as Texas rolled over Rice. McCoy also took the all-time passing touchdown record at Texas. Andrew Sendejo recorded 13+ tackles for the third consecutive game. His 17 stops against the Longhorns also fell one short of a career mark. Jarett Dillard had 158 yards receiving to lead the Owls. Clement also had his second career punt downed inside the twenty.

North Texas

1 2 3 4 Total
Mean Green 13 7 0 0 20
Owls 21 35 21 0 77

Rice set a record for most points by a Rice team since 1916, when the Owls defeated SMU 146–3. Quarterback Chase Clement and receiver Jarett Dillard combined to set a record, becoming the most productive duo in NCAA history, eclipsing Tim Rattay and Troy Edwards at Louisiana Tech. Rice took advantage of North Texas mistakes, recovering three muffed punts, picking off three passes (two returned for touchdowns), and blocking a pair of kicks.

Rice opened the scoring with a 50-yard pass from Chase Clement to Toren Dixon. The Mean Green responded with a 71-yard drive capped with a one-yard score by Cam Montgomery, but the extra point was blocked. Clement came back with a touchdown pass to Jarett Dillard, giving the Owls a 14–6 lead. Rice would score another touchdown before the close of the first quarter, a 25-yard scamper by Clement. Cam Montgomery again scored in the first period for North Texas. Rice's Jeramy Goodson threw a touchdown pass to Dillard, and North Texas replied with a Giovanni Vizza passing touchdown to push the score to 28–20. Chase Clement then added a rushing touchdown, followed by a Marcus Knox rushing score to give the Owls a 22-point lead. Dillard and Clement hooked up for two scores within four minutes, giving the Owls a 56–20 lead and the two players a place in history.

After halftime, Clement would hit Patrick Randolph for a six-yard touchdown, and two North Texas interceptions would be returned for touchdowns by Rice, first by Arnaud Gascon-Nadon, then by Christopher Douglas. Neither team would score in the fourth quarter, leaving the Owls a 77–20 victory. Clark Fangmeier set a school record by converting eleven extra points in the contest.

Tulsa

See also: 2008 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team
1 2 3 4 Total
Owls 7 7 7 7 28
Golden Hurricane 7 14 21 21 63

Southern Miss

1 2 3 4 Total
Golden Eagles 6 6 7 21 40
Owls 7 10 14 14 45

Tulane

1 2 3 4 Total
Owls 21 14 7 0 42
Green Wave 0 0 10 7 17

UTEP

1 2 3 4 Total
Owls 14 14 7 14 49
Miners 17 3 10 14 44

Army, Homecoming

1 2 3 4 Total
Black Knights 7 3 7 14 31
Owls 10 21 7 0 38

Marshall

1 2 3 4 Total
Thundering Herd 0 7 3 0 10
Owls 7 0 14 14 35

Houston

1 2 3 4 Total
Cougars 7 14 7 14 42
Owls 14 21 14 7 56

Western Michigan, Texas Bowl

1 2 3 4 Total
Broncos 0 0 0 14 14
Owls 10 14 7 7 38

References

  1. ^ "SMU vs Rice (August 29, 2008)." Game Summary. Rice official athletic site. Retrieved on January 3, 2008.
  2. ^ "Rice vs Memphis (September 6, 2008)." Game Summary. Rice official athletic site. Retrieved on January 3, 2009.
  3. "Rice vs Vanderbilt (September 13, 2008)." Game Summary. Rice official athletic site. Retrieved on January 3, 2009.
  4. ^ "Rice vs Texas (September 20, 2008)." Game Summary. Rice official athletic site. Retrieved on January 3, 2009.
  5. ^ "Rice vs North Texas (September 27, 2008)." Game Summary. Rice official athletic site. Retrieved on January 3, 2009.
  6. "Rice vs Tulsa (October 4, 2008)." Game Summary. Rice official athletic site. Retrieved on January 3, 2009.
  7. "Rice vs Southern Miss (October 18, 2008)." Game Summary. Rice official athletic site. Retrieved on January 3, 2009.
  8. "Rice vs Tulane (October 25, 2008)." Game Summary. Rice official athletic site. Retrieved on January 3, 2009.
  9. "Rice vs UTEP (November 1, 2008)." Game Summary. Rice official athletic site. Retrieved on January 3, 2009.
  10. "Rice vs Army (November 8, 2008)." Game Summary. Rice official athletic site. Retrieved on January 3, 2009.
  11. "Rice vs Marshall (November 22, 2008)." Game Summary. Rice official athletic site. Retrieved on January 3, 2009.
  12. "Rice vs Houston (November 29, 2008)." Game Summary. Rice official athletic site. Retrieved on January 3, 2009.
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