Rice loses to Midshipmen in battle of option offenses
Turnovers, poor defense doom Owls to Division I-leading 12th consecutive loss, dating back to October 2004
The football team’s disappointing season continued Saturday with a 41-9 loss to the United States Naval Academy at Rice Stadium.
Rice (0-6, 0-3 Conference USA) started six freshmen on offense, including quarterback Chase Clement, who made his first collegiate start. The inexperience showed as the Owls failed to reach double digits in points for the first time since 2003, when they lost to Navy 38-6.
“I was a little bit [nervous], but … I’ve played against UCLA and Texas and … great competition in Conference USA [this season], so it was just another football game,” Clement said.
Sophomore quarterback Joel Armstrong injured his shoulder Oct. 15 against Tulsa and played only sparingly against Navy.
The Midshipmen struck first midway through the first quarter on a 31-yard touchdown run by fullback Matt Hall, who had 91 yards on just 6 carries. After a Navy field goal, Rice got on the board with 1:15 remaining in the first half on a 53-yard field goal when sophomore kicker Luke Juist’s first attempt of the season hit the crossbar before bouncing through the uprights. Juist’s field goal was the fourth-longest in Rice history. The attempt was Juist’s first on the season.
“It was a great feeling,” Juist said. “It felt great [to get] another opportunity and be able to pull through and give the team some points. You could tell by the way the team reacted [that] it definitely gave them a little more spirit, and that was what we needed.”
The momentum was short-lived, however. Juist’s ensuing kickoff sailed out of bounds, giving Navy good field position at its own 35-yard-line and plenty of time to tack on another field goal before the half to make the score 13-3. The 13 first-half points were the fewest Rice has allowed this season.
“We came out [with] a good game plan,” senior linebacker Adam Herrin said. “In the first half, I think we held them great. [But] we were just out on the field way too much as a defense.”
Navy stormed out of the half with a 52-yard kickoff return and found the end zone 40 seconds into the third quarter. Armstrong fumbled on the Owls’ next drive, and the Midshipmen scored another touchdown with 13:17 left in the third quarter.
“The first five minutes of the second half usually determine the outcome of what’s happening, and they stuck it right down our throats,” head coach Ken Hatfield said.
The 27-3 deficit proved too much to overcome. Rice was able to muster only one more score, a 15-yard touchdown pass from Clement to freshman receiver Jarrett Dillard that completed a 13-play drive late in the third quarter.
Junior running back Quinton Smith turned in another stellar performance, rushing for 124 yards on 19 carries to bring his season total to a team-leading 443 yards. His 6.5 yards-per-carry average is second in C-USA, trailing only NCAA Division-I rushing leader DeAngelo Williams of Memphis.
“[Smith] can make a lot of things happen,” Hatfield said. “He can make a lot of extra yardage after he’s hit, and it’s really good to see him stay on the field.”
The Owls’ 105 penalty yards on 11 penalties were their most ever in 12 seasons under Hatfield.
Hatfield said he bears some responsibility for the penalties.
“[Mental mistakes] are things a good team just can’t do, and we’re obviously not very good right now — that’s a reflection of me and the coaching,” Hatfield said. “We played hard, [but] I don’t think we played well. I think there’s a big difference [between] playing hard and playing well.”
With so many underclassmen seeing playing time for the Owls, Hatfield said the team’s growing pains are inevitable.
“Adam [Herrin] and [defensive end] John Syptak are the only two seniors playing for us now,” Hatfield said. “Everybody else is young, everybody else is trying to learn how to play [and] how to win, and they’re playing a lot. When a lot of freshmen are playing for you, you’re always going to have some problems.”
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