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September 10, 2004 > Sports > Defense propels football to Bayou Bucket

Defense propels football to Bayou Bucket

By Adam Tabakin | Thresher staff

What a difference a year makes. The football team defeated the University of Houston 10-7 Sunday at Reliant Stadium to capture the Administaff Bayou Bucket in a defensive effort hardly reminiscent of last season’s 34-point loss to the Cougars. ‘It was unbelievable,’ junior defensive end John Syptak said. ‘Everything clicked, and we came out strong.’ The game began promisingly, with sophomore cornerback Lance Byrd recovering a Houston fumble on the opening kickoff. In the entire first quarter, the ball never left Houston’s half of the field. Only miscues on offense and special teams — an interception in the end zone and two missed field goals — kept the game scoreless. ‘Our defense stepped it up really big tonight and that kept us going offensively because when we struggled for a little bit, our defense would stop them and give us good field position again,’ senior quarterback Greg Henderson said. ‘We just fed off the defense.’ The Owls finally struck with 8:02 remaining in the first half, when senior fullback Ed Bailey’s two-yard run capped a nine-play, 67-yard drive. All nine plays were rushes by either Bailey or Henderson, highlighted by a 25-yard run by Bailey midway through the drive, the longest rush of his career. Junior placekicker Brennan Landry added the extra point, and the Owls went to the locker room with a 7-0 lead. The Rice defense held the Cougars to 59 total yards in the first half, and Owl special teams wreaked havoc on the Cougars as well. Sophomore fullback Andrew Cates blocked a punt, and sophomore defensive lineman DaJuan Cooper deflected a field goal attempt in the first half. The Rice defensive line dominated UH’s offensive line, consistently applying pressure to UH quarterback Kevin Kolb. The Owls held Kolb, who threw for more than 240 yards per game as a freshman in 2003, to 50 first-half passing yards. Rice’s nine sacks are the most since the Owls had same number three years ago, also against UH. ‘The key was the front four guys that allowed us to keep Kolb moving around, because last year he was a very deadly thrower,’ defensive coordinator Roger Hinshaw said. The Rice defense was in the Cougar backfield throughout the game, sacking Kolb nine times and recording 14 tackles for a loss. The Owl momentum continued into the second half, as sophomore free safety Andray Downs returned the kickoff 49 yards to midfield. Henderson fumbled on the first play from scrimmage, however, turning the ball back over to UH. The Owl defense again prevented the Cougars from mounting a sustained drive, and an errant Kolb pass on fourth-and-eight gave Rice possession again. The Owls scored again before the end of the third quarter, moving 42 yards in 10 plays before Landry booted a 28-yard field goal. It was all the offense Rice needed, as UH’s only points came on a touchdown with nine seconds remaining. Kolb’s well-executed 33-yard pass on an out route to wide receiver Vincent Marshall ended the Owls’ hopes for their first shutout in nine years. ‘This is as fine a defensive effort as we’ve ever been a part of anywhere,’ head coach Ken Hatfield said. ‘The challenge was before us, and the coaches and the players bought into what we were planning to do, and it was just fun on the sideline to watch them execute.’ Although the Cougars outgained Rice 212-191 in total offense, 99 of those yards came on their final drive, when the game was all but out of reach. ‘We didn’t score as many points as we’d like, but we got just enough to win, and that’s all that matters,’ Henderson said. Already without junior halfback Thomas Lott, last year’s leading rusher, and junior wideout Marcus Battle, last year’s leading receiver, the Owls also lost senior guard Micah Meador and senior center Ross Huebel to injuries during their first drive, which accounted for some of the Owls’ ineffectiveness in converting possessions. Rice drove inside the UH 30-yard line five times but managed only 10 points. Henderson led Rice on the ground, rushing for 74 yards on 27 carries, and added 28 yards through the air on 3-of-7 passing with an interception. Senior wide receiver Ben Wiggins had two catches for 21 yards. The Owls limited Houston to just eight rushing yards on 32 carries, the fifth-lowest total allowed in Rice history. Syptak and junior linebacker Adam Herrin led the defense with nine tackles apiece, while Syptak, junior defensive end Thadis Pegues and freshman linebacker Buck Casson each had two of Rice’s nine sacks. Senior rover Terry Holley intercepted a Kolb pass and co-led the Owls with seven solo tackles. Hinshaw said stopping the running game was important in keeping the Cougar passing attack in check. ‘We felt that the running game would be something that if we could keep those guys from breaking the line of scrimmage like they did on us last year, then we obviously have safety in numbers,’ Hinshaw said. The Owls regained the Administaff Bayou Bucket after two consecutive losses. ‘I’m so tickled to death for our 18 seniors,’ Hatfield said. ‘Forever their name will go down on the Bayou Bucket. Whenever they come back and see it, that score will be down there 10-7 — they’ve earned it.’ Henderson said the thrill of beating an intracity rival was sweetened by the Owls’ building on their momentum from last season. ‘The last couple years we kind of stuttered the first couple games, but this year we came out hot, and we’re 1-0, which we haven’t been the last two years, so that’s definitely the spark we need,’ Henderson said. ‘Everybody’s in the clouds right now — it’s really exciting to beat U of H because we see them everywhere. The last two years they’ve had the bragging rights, but we’ve got [them] this year.’ The Owls now have a week off to enjoy the victory and heal lingering injuries before returning to Rice Stadium to face the University of Hawaii and its high-powered offense, led by quarterback Timmy Chang, Sept. 18. ‘There’s nothing that anybody can put on the field that will test our rules like Houston does,’ Hinshaw said. ‘It’s like going from tight fairways to a wide-open fairway from now on.’

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