Football opens season at UCLA
The Rice football team begins its 2005 season Saturday night at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. against the University of California-Los Angeles.
The two schools have played only twice before, with UCLA (1-0) winning both contests, most recently in 1966. The trip is Rice’s first to UCLA since 1952 and Saturday’s game will be the first time the Owls have ever played at the Rose Bowl. The game will also mark the first time since 1998 that Rice has not opened its season against the University of Houston.
“It’s motivation for me [because UCLA is] a powerhouse school,” senior linebacker Adam Herrin said. “We’re going to be challenged and we’re going to see what we need to do as far as getting ready for conference [play]. It’s definitely going to be different going into a non-rival game the very first game.”
The Owls historically have been awful in games on the west coast. Despite playing nine years in the Western Athletic Conference, Rice has not won a game in the Pacific Time Zone since 1958. Despite this record, senior defensive end John Syptak is looking forward to the trip.
“We like to travel,” Syptak said. “It’s fun, especially going to the Rose Bowl. My family will have a chance to go there, my teammates will have a chance to go there, and I think that will be a plus for us.”
UCLA opened its season last Saturday with a 44-21 rout of San Diego State. The stars for the Bruins carried the team. Running back Maurice Drew ran for 114 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries while adding a 72-yard punt return for a touchdown. Tight end Marcedes Lewis had seven receptions for 131 yards.
“I was really impressed with their offensive line and their tight end Lewis,” junior rover Matt Ginn said. “He’s a great athlete, and he should be a really big challenge for us. If we stop the run and stop [Lewis] then we should have a good shot at winning the game.”
UCLA’s run defense was porous last season, which could help the Owls given their recent success in the running game. The Bruin linebacker corps, however, is one of the strongest in the country, headed by Spencer Havner, who had 13 tackles — three for a loss — and an interception against the Aztecs.
“The linebackers are the strength and the heart and soul of their defense, so it’s going to be a challenge right away,” head coach Ken Hatfield said.
Rice has the advantage of having been able to study footage from UCLA’s win last week, while the Bruins had to go back to last season to find footage on the Owls.
“We have a little better idea on what UCLA is going to do since they’ve already played a game and they were on TV,” Hatfield said. “We saw what they’re doing, the great running backs they’ve got … and that their receivers are really good and big. [We know] their special teams will be a challenge this week, because they made three big plays [last week] which turned the game around. San Diego State [would be] getting a little lifeblood, and then UCLA would break one of those big plays.”
UCLA is favored by more than three touchdowns, but Syptak recalled that Rice’s best defensive effort last season came in its first game, a 10-7 win over Houston.
“Looking back to last year, our best game was the first game,” Syptak said. “We’ll be a lot more excited coming into this game. I go on the field [expecting] to beat the person I line up against. … The reality is they’re a good team, but I think you have to look past that and be a competitor. … I expect that from my teammates as well.”
After an offseason of anticipation, the Owls will finally unveil their spread option offense. While this offense will likely feature more passing plays, sophomore quarterback Joel Armstrong said the playcalling will be determined by the game.
“It depends on how we’re doing during the game,” Armstrong said. “If we’re getting 10 yards a carry, then I’m pretty sure we’re going to run the whole game. If it comes down to passing, then it just depends on how well we complete the ball.”
Armstrong will start, but Hatfield said redshirt freshman Chase Clement will make his debut.
“Chase will be in the game, but I don’t have any preconceived time-frame,” Hatfield said. “A lot depends on what UCLA is doing.”
Hatfield said that the extra week off before beginning the season has made his team more enthusiastic.
“They are eager to play,” Hatfield said. “It’s been a long time since they’ve played someone else. Like I told them the other day, all the practice and everything you do in the off-season is just for the enjoyment of playing the games, and winning. This is the opportunity you want, and the time is here.”
Other sports stories
- Defense returns eight starters from porous 2004 unit
- Men's cross country wins at A&M relays
- Owls look to open up passing game with spread offense
- Rice plays four of first five on road
- Searle, Haerle hope to go out with C-USA crown
- Soccer breezes past Jaguars, Bobcats
- Volleyball streak ends at 19
- Yoder, Reeve lap competition at A&M
News
- About 100 Tulane students expected Monday
- Houston Mayor Bill White discusses relief, activism
- Leebron: Enrollment to increase
- Off-campus students worry about safety, change routines
- Political Science professor to study social behavior of evacuees
- Rice EMTs treat victims at Astrodome
- Sid begins search for RA
- Students volunteer at dome, food bank
Arts & Entertainment
- Provocative 'Persuasion' faulters on darkly comic tone
- Staind's flat new album offers nothing but heartache
- Tori sparks would-be hipster's dilemma
- Uneven 'Edukators' offers stimulating social critique