Football win breeds optimism for season

Eric Jean

Sunday’s football game at Reliant Stadium gave the football team a chance to make a statement. Most pundits predicted the Owls would lose the game, but this Owl team shocked the critics and the Cougars, stating that it will be a force to be reckoned with this season. I was very nervous about the game based on past years’ results. Two years ago, Rice lost in its home stadium to a UH team that hadn’t won a single game the year before. Then last year was the 48-14 loss — a painful game to watch. I didn’t know if I could stand a third consecutive defeat. So I walked into Reliant Stadium Sunday hoping that Rice would win, but not knowing quite what to expect. I walked out of Reliant Stadium absolutely ecstatic. Rice dominated the Houston team. The score was not entirely indicative of this dominance, but I think any spectator who attended the game will agree Rice was the better team. The defensive line pushed around the Cougar offensive line as if they were straw dummies. The offense had a few problems finishing drives but still controlled the tempo of the game, and in the end scored enough points to win. Most importantly, Rice was the team celebrating with the Bayou Bucket at the center of the field when the game was over. Watching the shocked Cougar fans quietly exit the stands is something I will relish for a long time. Now, the question is where the football team will go from here. I am not going to go so far as to say that it is going to win the national championship, but I will say that the team has a good chance of winning the Western Athletic Conference championship this season. I hope that other Rice students adopt this attitude. It frustrates me to hear people around campus talking about the football team as if Rice was winless last season. A lot of people just assume the football team ‘sucks’ without knowing the facts. Yes, the team only won five games last season, but it finished the season on a roll, winning four of its last five games while scoring an average of 43 points in those games. Plus, the team’s 692 rushing yards in the final game versus Louisiana Tech is a statistic that should amaze even the casual fan. While the team’s trademark option attack can seem boring and stagnant at times, when it works, it is a thing of beauty to behold. It is fitting that a school that has a lot of pride in its uniqueness has a football team that runs an unconventional offense. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of students that came out to the game and cheered for the Owls. Despite some confusion about the distribution of student tickets for the game, the students filled up most of our section. The members of the football team seemed to appreciate the student effort to cheer them on. I loved that they ran over in front of our section for the alma mater and celebrated the victory with us, and hopefully they will continue to do so for the rest of the season. There are certainly many more games to be played, but any fan of Rice football has to be happy right now. After a spring of discontent, it could not get much sweeter than a season-opening victory against a crosstown rival. Finally the Bayou Bucket is back where it belongs — and hopefully it will stay here for years to come.

Eric Jean is a Will Rice College senior and co-President of the Rowdy Owls.

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