SMU @ Rice

CUSA-fans.com has a new staff of team correspondents this fall to help bring you, the fan, more detailed Conference USA football coverage. Today, our SMU Correspondent, Rick Atkinson, gives you a preview of the SMU Week #13 game @ Rice.

SMU @ Rice Game Info

Date: Saturday, November 25, 2006 @ 2:00 p.m.

Location: Rice Stadium, Houston, Texas (70,000)

No Television

Season Records: SMU 6-5, 4-3, Rice 6-5, 5-2

Last SMU Bowl Appearance: 1984 Aloha Bowl - SMU 27, Notre Dame 20

Last Rice Bowl Appearance: 1961 Bluebonnet Bowl - Kansas 33, Rice 7

All-Time Series: SMU leads, 45-37-1, and won last year, 27-7, in Dallas.

Injury/Personnel Report
SMU:
WR Emmanuel Sanders, probable
DT Adrian Haywood, questionable
RB Jesse Henderson, questionable

Rice:
QB Chase Clement, questionable

SMU @ Rice Overview

Don’t rub your eyes: SMU and Rice are playing for a bowl. The winner’s in, the loser - most likely out. And the schools couldn’t be hungrier.

The Mustangs are looking for their first bowl invite in 22 years. But, holy cow, Rice hasn’t been in 45 years!! (Only New Mexico State has gone longer, but just by a year. If the Owls were playing anybody but SMU, I’d pull for ‘em.)

These are heady times for both programs. An Owls’ win gives them their first six-game winning streak since 1949, when they finished 10-1 and were ranked fifth in the nation.

SMU has six wins for the first time since 1997 and seven would be its most since a 10-2 finish in 1984.

“I know that we have not played our best game yet,” said SMU head coach Phil Bennett on Tuesday. “And what a time it would be to put a top-notch performance together over this Thanksgiving weekend.”

Indeed. But the Mustangs have lost eight straight at Rice Stadium, their last win coming in 1986.

Last week: SMU rallied from 17 down at the half to dump Tulsa, 34-24. Rice booted ECU, 18-17, with a last-second field goal.

Bennett’s record in his fifth year at SMU is 17-40.

Todd Graham, in his first year at Rice, is 6-5.

SMU Offense versus Rice Defense

Advantage: SMU

The Owls are dead last in total defense in C-USA, giving up 430 yards per game. So, how do they win? Being first in the conference in turnover margin helps.

Rice is also third in sacks with 26. (SMU is second with 27.)

Senior DE Courtney Gordon has 13 tackles for loss, with seven sacks, and leads Rice in each category. LB Brian Raines is the Owls’ top tackler with 99.

Chad Price leads C-USA in fumble recoveries (4).

SMU QB Justin Willis leads C-USA in passing efficiency (162.92) and owns several school records, including touchdown passes in a season (25). He has a shot at the NCAA freshman record for touchdown passes in a season (29) and completion percentage (66.2).

“He is an unbelievable competitor,” Bennett said of Willis.

Against Tulsa, he threw for 190 yards, with two touchdown passes and no picks, and also had success rushing, with 93 yards on 17 carries.

Will he run at Rice?

“We’re gonna do what it takes,” Bennett said. “If it means Justin running the ball, we’ll do it. We’re gonna pull all stops out to get this done.”

Bennett said Willis is “good”, not “great.”

“We win Saturday and I’ll anoint him,” said Bennett.

Leading receiver Emmanuel Sanders should be back to full speed. He leads the team with 45 catches this season, and his nine TD catches are an SMU freshman record.

RB DeMyron Martin should see running room against the Owls.

Rice Offense versus SMU Defense

Advantage: Rice

Tulsa started out last week having its way with SMU, scoring on each possession of the first half.

At halftime, with the Mustangs trailing, 24-7, and bowl hopes fading, senior DE Brandon Bonds made an impassioned speech to the team.

“We just had to step up and fight against history,” Bonds said he told teammates. “If we wanted to take this program to the next level, this was going to be our last chance to really prove where this team is really headed in the future.”

“We came out and scored 27 unanswered points, so I felt the message got across,” he said.

Bonds plays on with the effects of a dislocated knee cap from the Houston game.

“It’s something I’m gonna have to deal with when the season is over,” he said. “But I love this team so whatever it takes to get us where we need to go, I’m down for it.”

SMU still leads C-USA in rushing defense (110 yards per game) and tackles for loss (7 per game), but the pass defense has been vulnerable, allowing nearly 250 yards per game.

The Mustangs will again likely be without standout DT Adrian Haywood, (shoulder).

Rice ranks eighth in total offense in C-USA, but that’s deceiving. Using conference games only, the Owls move up to third. (Rice’s non-conference schedule included Texas, UCLA and Florida State.)

During its current winning streak, Rice is rushing for over 200 yards per game.

In former Texas QB Major Applewhite’s first year as Offensive Coordinator, the Owls, for the first time ever, have a 1000-yard rusher, passer and receiver in the same season – QB Chase Clement, 1,707 yards passing; RB Quinton Smith, 1,013 yards rushing; and WR Jarett Dillard, 1,031 yards receiving.

Dillard’s 17 touchdown catches are a school season record and he owns a nation-leading streak of 13 games with a touchdown catch. Clement’s 21 TD passes ties Rice’s season record.

If Clement’s unable to go, Joel Armstrong and John Sheperd will likely alternate as they did last week. Each led a scoring drive in the final three minutes for the win over ECU.

Special Teams

Advantage: SMU

Rice freshman walk-on kicker Clark Fangmeier kicked a 40-yard field goal beat ECU last week. SMU’s Thomas Morstead booted two (35, 47) against Tulsa to begin the Mustangs’ comeback.

Morstead leads C-USA in punting with a 43.6-yard average. Jared Scruggs’ 41.5 yard career average is a Rice record. He’s averaging 34.6 this year.

SMU kick return specialist Jesse Henderson will play.

Intangibles

Advantage: Rice

Houston may really turn out for its perennially-underdog Owls. After all, a bowl for the first time since JFK was prez is a big deal.

Certainly, emotions will be high on both sides - but especially for Rice. SMU must take control early or it could be a long bus ride home.

Final Prediction

This will be a barnburner with both offenses operating almost at will.

Rice has played several nail-biters of late and won them all. The string ends, Sammy.

SMU 35 - Rice 33