Rice lets one get away
Rice quarterback Driphus Jackson can’t handle a high snap during Friday night’s Conference USA game against UTEP at El Paso. Driphus and the Owls lost 24-21.
EL PASO — Miscues in the second half, including a blocked field goal with a chance to take a fourthquarter lead, doomed Rice in a 24-21 loss to UTEP on Friday in front of 23,031 fans at the Sun Bowl.
“Tonight, I think we played really inconsistent football,” Rice nose tackle Ross Winship said. “We left a lot of plays on the field defensively and offensively.”
The Owls managed 96 yards on the ground on 30 carries; Driphus Jackson finished 14-of-26 passing for 230 yards and two touchdowns.
“They were getting off blocks,” Rice coach David Bailiff said of UTEP slowing the Rice run attack. “We weren’t moving people at the line of scrimmage very well.”
UTEP outgained Rice 392-326 and was an efficient 7-of-15 on the third downs.
Owls strike first
Rice took advantage of a UTEP fumble late in the first quarter to get on the board first. Six plays after the turnover, Luke Turner cashed in on a direct snap off left tackle from 3 yards out to give the Owls a 7-0 lead.
Jackson started the next Rice scoring drive by finding a streaking Dennis Parks for a 36-yard gain to move the Owls past-midfield. On third-and-16, Jackson found Zach Wright in single coverage for a 36-yard touchdown pass to put the Owls back on top 14-7 with 5:35 left until halftime.
The Miners drove 92 yards to a 2-yard Jaquan White touchdown catch with 29 seconds left totie the game at 14-14 at the half.
UTEP opened the second half with a 13-play, 76-yard drive that ended in a2-yard run by Laufasa to put the Miners up 21-14 with 8:24 left in the third quarter.
‘A big drive’
“They went on that 76-yard drive to start the third quarter; that was a big drive,” Bailiff said. “I think we had 22 plays in the second half. We were having trouble defensively stopping them. We’ve got to take advantage when we had the ball; we just didn’t make the plays to do it.”
Still, Jackson hooked up with Luke Turner for a 23yard score to tie things up at 21 with two seconds left the third quarter, finishing off a nine-play, 58-yard drive.
With a chance to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter, Rice was foiled when UTEP’s Nick Usher blocked a 38-yard field goal try by Hayden Tobola.
UTEP followed up the blocked kick with a 13play, 76-yard drive to a 24yard field goal by Jay Mattox with 48 seconds left.
But the Owls still weren’t done.
Jackson moved Rice to the UTEP 45-yard line in just five plays, with seven seconds left to give the Owls one last gasp. Jackson fired up a prayer to the right side of the end zone, but UTEP’s Kelvin Fisher batted down the heave to seal the win.
“You get the ball back with 45 seconds and no timeouts, your play calls are pretty limited,” Jackson said. “We got the ball up the field and had a shot at the end; we just couldn’t come down with it.”
‘It falls on me’
Rice, 4-5 on the season and 2-3 in C-USA play, returns home Saturday to face Southern Mississippi.
“As a senior, I don’t know what’s going on and why we’re so inconsistent,” Jackson said. “It falls on me, but it also falls on all of us seniors. We have to figure out what’s going on.”