TEXAS BOWL PREVIEW
December 28th, 2008 by Daniel Freer
You want offense…you got offense in the Texas Bowl (December 30th, 8 PM, NFL Network) as the Rice Owls face the Western Michigan Broncos at Reliant Stadium in Houston.
This will be a pseudo-home game for Rice, whose campus (and its home-field Rice Stadium) is just a few miles northeast of Reliant Stadium…and the Owls have played a number of games on the home field of the NFL’s Houston Texans since the stadium opened earlier this decade.
And, possibly the best QB in the city of Houston…regardless of level, just may be Chase Clement (photo, thanks IconSMI)…the Owls gunslinger who will finish his collegiate career with a number of school, conference, and NCAA records.
However, do not shed a tear for Western Michigan, as their wide-open offense has the ability to match the Owls score for score
RICE OWLS (Head Coach: David Ratliff)
The Owls (9-3 overall, 7-1 CUSA) finished the 2008 season tied for the CUSA West title with Tulsa…but lost to the Golden Hurricane during the season. Their 7-1 conference record actually was the best in CUSA, based on percentage.
Rice was one of the top offensive teams in the nation, finishing 10th in total offense and 5th in passing offense…mainly due to senior QB Chase Clement, who threw for over 3800 yards and 41 TDs in 2008. Clement also is a threat to run, and had 11 rushing TDs this season…his total of 52 TDs passing-rushing tied for best in the nation with Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell.
Clement’s favorite target is WR Jarett Dillard, who had over 1200 yards receiving and 19 TD catches. His 59 career TD receptions is the best all-time in NCAA history, and the Clement-Dillard hook-up is also an NCAA all-time best. But, it is not all Dillard…WR/TE James Casey emerged this season as a big play threat, with over 1200 yards receiving and 12 TD receptions. Casey, also, will often line-up at QB in the Wildcat formation and run with the ball…scoring 5 rushing TDs in 2008
Although a lot of the rushing yardage accumulated by Rice are from Clement and Casey, RB C.J. Ugokwe is a productive back who can cause trouble for defenses who key too much on the passing game.
Defensively…well, this is not a Rice strong suit. The Mullins BlitzIndex is not kind to either Rice or Western Michigan BlitzIndex Breakdown: Offense and defense efficiency ratings | Fantasy College Blitz
In fact, in two of its wins this season, Rice gave up over 40 points to the opposition.
WESTERN MICHIGAN BRONCOS (Head Coach: Bill Cubit)
The Broncos (9-3 overall, 6-2 MAC) kind of flew under the radar this season…with Ball State having their regular-season run and upstart Buffalo winning the MAC Championship. However, WMU had a fine season in the tougher MAC West division.
Led by QB Tim Hiller, who threw for over 3500 yards and 34 TDs in 2008, WMU has one the top passing games in the nation. Hiller, who has started since his freshman year, has a long-standing regular target…as good as the Rice tandem…in WR Jamarko Simmons. Simmons had nearly 1200 yards receiving and 7 TD grabs.
One advantage the Broncos will have over Rice is that they have a more productive, more traditional-style backfield. RB Brandon West rushed for nearly 1000 yards in 2008 and scored 8 rushing TDs. If the game is close towards the end, West could be the difference-maker if tough yardage and first downs are needed.
Defensively…well, this is not a WMU strong suit (deja vu all over again!). The Mullins BlitzIndex is not kind to the Broncos, either. In fact, WMU is ranked 96th nationally in pass defense…ouch.
INTERESTING:
Rice, although one of the early members of the old Southwest Conference, does not have an extensive bowl history. This is only the second bowl-trip for the Owls since 1961…and a victory in the Texas Bowl would be their first bowl-win since 1954.
Meanwhile, Western Michigan has never won a bowl game in its history….going 0-3 all-time in post-season bowls. The 2008 Broncos could be the first in history to bring back a bowl trophy to their Kalamazoo, MI campus.
Whoever wins the 2008 Texas Bowl…will be experiencing something their predecessors did not see too much of.
IN SUMMATION:
Sit back and enjoy this one. There will be a lot of points scored, a lot of passes completed, and not a lot of punting. Rice has the obvious advantage with playing in Houston, as their fans will only have to travel a few miles to attend the bowl game. Western Michigan has the offense to get into a shoot-out with the Owls, so do not channel-surf if one or the other gets into a big early lead…defense will be at a premium in this bowl game. The Texas Bowl could truly be one of the more entertaining bowl games this season, and will give a national spotlight to the great skill-position players on both teams.
PREDICTION:
Rice 52 Western Michigan 41
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