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September 29, 2006 > Sports > Reeling from death of Lloyd football heads to West Point

Reeling from death of Lloyd football heads to West Point

By Nathan Bledsoe | Thresher Editorial Staff

Mourning the sudden death of freshman defensive back Dale Lloyd, the football team attempts to move forward this week in preparation for its final non-conference game of the year. Rice (0-4, 0-1 Conference USA) will travel to West Point, N.Y. tomorrow to face Army (2-2) at 2:30 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPNU.

The team met with grief counselors Monday, but practice resumed Tuesday — the standard day for the week’s practices to begin. Lloyd, a native of Houston and graduate of Lamar High School, had not seen game action since week one against Houston; the team was planning to redshirt him.

The players will add the number 39 — Lloyd’s number —to their helmets between the wings of the Owl, and the team will carry Lloyd’s jersey to all remaining games before presenting it to his family at the end of the season. Additionally, the Dale Lloyd II Memorial Scholarship has been set up in his honor to benefit a future student-athlete.

Ordinarily, the Owls would be setting their sights on rebounding from another rough loss — No. 17 Florida State defeated Rice 55-7 last Saturday in Tallahassee, Fla. — but this week, the players and coaches have instead found themselves focused on the sudden loss of Lloyd. However, the Owls still must prepare themselves for this week against the Black Knights, a team they should fare much better against than their previous two opponents, both of which were ranked in the Associated Press top 25.

“We know the best thing we can do is press on,” head coach Todd Graham said. “And in everything we do, we’ll honor [Lloyd] and how he represented himself and his team every day. Our team decided we’ll play the rest of the year and not only play, but win, win everyday.”

Army comes into tomorrow’s game fresh off a 27-20 overtime win over Baylor University in Waco. Interestingly, Rice will mark the Black Knights’ third consecutive opponent from the state of Texas — they lost 28-24 to Texas A&M University two weeks ago at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

The Black Knights run an offense that is balanced, yet only puts up average numbers. Quarterback David Pevoto has only a 55.2 percent completion percentage and an 82.9 quarterback rating, and the team’s 141.5 rushing yards per game ranks 55th in the nation. While at times Rice’s defense has greatly confused its opponents, it has struggled mightily against the run this season, and this week presents an opportunity to improve.

Injuries continue to plague the Owls, with senior running back Mike Falco, sophomore defensive end/linebacker Dietrich Davis and others joining sophomore Chase Clement on the list of players on the sidelines against Florida State. Clement and Falco are unlikely to play Saturday, according to sources close to the team.

Against teams of talent similar to Army’s, the primary key for Rice is keeping its undersized, depleted defense off the field by sustaining each of its offensive drives. The Owls are currently ranked 8th in C-USA in time of possession and 11th in offensive first downs. Furthermore, the Owls must capitalize on turnovers, something they have not done well this season — they rank 8th in C-USA in turnover margin.

Turnovers did not play a major role in the Owls’ loss to Florida State, as two of Rice’s three turnovers came after the Seminoles had built a 40-7 lead. Rather, it was an inability to stop the run that plagued Rice. Florida State ran for 287 yards, marking the third straight week the Owls allowed more than 250 yards on the ground.

The biggest bright spot for the Owls against the Seminoles was the play of sophomore wide receiver Jarrett Dillard, who caught seven passes for 113 yards and a touchdown early in the first quarter that temporarily tied the game at 7. Dillard has now caught a touchdown in six consecutive games. Senior running back Quinton Smith also played well after being kept in check for two weeks, running for 104 yards on 16 carries.

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