Rice Owls @ Texas Longhorns Football Preview

Some teams hold above their heads the failure of teams before them. On saturday, look for the Texas Longhorns to be perhaps the most dangerous team with a grudge against...losing. Last year's 5-7 record was the Longhorns' first losing season under headcoach Mack Brown, with 5 of their 7 losses coming at home, in front of a notoriously scrutinizing fanbase that has become overly accustomed to regular wins over the last 10 seasons.

Leading the Longhorns against Rice on Saturday will be Garrett Gilbert at quarterback. Last year's starter has come under fire in his career for being careless with the football, having an unimpressive 17 interceptions last season, but many players and coaches seem to be optimistic for their quarterback this year. Guard David Snow has been quoted saying that he has a renewed confidence in Gilbert and that he has "improved dramatically" since last year. 

Obviously, someone saw something still alive in the junior quarterback as he beat out three other contenders for the job this year including Colt McCoy's younger brother, Case. The improved Gilbert will undoubtedly be looking to take advantage of the recent vacancy in the Rice secondary, left by an unfortunate, career-ending injury to Travis Bradshaw, last year's team MVP.

With a new Offensive Coordinator in Bryan Harsin, the Longhorns look to give Gilbert more run support, the lack of which is thought to have been the culprit for his many interceptions last year. Saturday might see true freshman Malcolm Brown at running back, steered by Harsin, the former Boise State O-Coordinator and QB coach.

But Rice head coach David Bailiff is confident that his team has what it takes to match up to their usually mighty opponent, even on the road. Bailiff promised a competitive game, a boast backed by Rice's 10 returning offensive starters and 8 returning defensive starters. 

Expect any coach with a skill for motivation to coach his players to expect an opponent hungry for a chance to prove themselves. Everyone should expect a begrudged Texas team to take the field on Saturday, but they will be met by a seasoned, skilled Rice team.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Taylor McHargue has faced Texas before and has said that he has confidence in his wide receivers to find the gaps through the Texas secondary. Rice wide receivers Mario Hull and Donte Moore have both had productive and impressive summer camps and senior Randy Kitchens is totally healthy for the first time in his previous four years, perhaps giving McHargue more confidence as he comes up against Texas' safeties Blake Gideon and Kenny Vaccaro. Texas senior safety Christian Scott is suspended for the first three games of the season, giving McHargue a potential backfield weakness to exploit. Bailiff will most likely look to his durable running back Sam McGuffle to give his young quarterback some support on the ground.

Saturday's showdown in Texas will feature two unproven quarterbacks, one steering a team with something to prove, the other looking to continue the woes of the team in burnt orange. Last year's meeting between the two saw fifth-ranked Texas winning 34-17 after a fairly competitive game. Expect this year's opener to be another exciting meeting between two teams looking to start off hopeful seasons.