2011 Rice Owls Football Preview

The Rice Owls may well be ready for a break-even season and an escape from the past few losing campaigns. After finishing the season at 4-8 in 2010, the 2011 Owls return nine starters on offense and eight starters on defense. A pair of solid running backs will help the offense score points, and that’s notable because Rice learned how to put the ball in the end zone in 2010. Last year, Rice actually didn’t perform all that poorly, relative to its combination of talent and experience. The Owls were able to get off the deck and score a season-making win over in-city rival Houston. The Houston-Rice series used to be a bigger deal on a national level when both schools resided in the old Southwest Conference, but the Owls had been outgunned by the Cougars in recent years. The 34-31 win over UH made 2010 as satisfying a season as one can possibly conceive of in the absence of a bowl bid. Rice also rang up 62 points in a late-November win over East Carolina, snagging one more impressive conference conquest before the end of the season. The Owls learned how to work together on offense, and now, with their accumulated reps, they might be able to make noise on a more consistent basis in 2011.

Rice’s scoring punch – found last November – is so important because offensive potency is a prerequisite for being competitive in C-USA. Teams have to light up the scoreboard in a conference which is known for its superabundance of shootouts each and every autumn. In looking at a few of the standouts on the Rice offense, Sam McGuffie was just one of three running backs in the country to produce at least 880 yards rushing and 380 yards receiving last season. His backfield teammate Jeremy Eddington led Rice with 10 rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Taylor McHargu was impressive in the final two games of the 2010 season, both victories, and he will be asked to take over the squad this year.

The key to winning in Conference USA is, of course, found in the ability to play just enough defense to make a difference on gameday. There is no shortage of potent offenses in the league, but if the defense can perform at a high level in fourth quarters and tipping-point third-quarter drives, Rice has a real shot at competing for a bowl bid. It definitely has to be said that when a defense is porous – Rice regularly gave up 30 or more points per game throughout the duration of the 2010 season – it’s not an automatic blessing that eight starters return. However, even a modest amount of improvement could catapult this team to greater heights. Timely defense is the real secret to C-USA success, and if the Owls find that, they could be on their way to a .500 record.

The Owls play four BCS opponents in their non-league schedule. Three of the four, Texas, Northwestern, and Baylor, defeated the Owls last season. The other, Purdue, comes to Houston in week two.

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