Owls fall short despite resurgent offense
With a little more than 90 seconds remaining in the game, Rice’s offense found itself in an unfamiliar position.
A team that has been on the receiving end of blowouts for most of this season trailed Southern Mississippi by nine points. Close to midfield, the Owls faced fourth-and-9.
Quarterback Miklo Smalls took the snap, rolled right and scanned the field, but he took too long to make his decision, allowing Golden Eagles linebacker Paxton Schrimsher to hunt him down for the sack.
It was another disappointing outcome for Rice, which lost 43-34 on Saturday at Rice Stadium.
“We’re not happy with where we are (or) the record,” said Owls coach David Bailiff, whose team fell to 1-9 overall and 1-5 in Conference USA.
“We’ve got to get guys in the right places and try to get a couple more (victories) before we run out of time.” 4 TDs for Ellerbe
Southern Miss (6-4, 4-2) looked strong early. Its front seven overwhelmed Rice in the trenches and helped the Golden Eagles take a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.
But Rice fought back in the second quarter.
The Owls held Southern Miss to field goal, again averting a touchdown following another promising drive. They trailed 13-0.
The Golden Eagles struggled to slow a revitalized Rice offense. Their following drive, Smalls marched the Owls downfield and receiver Austin Walter took a sweep 18 yards to the end zone to cap off the drive.
Running back Ito Smith responded on the Golden Eagles’ next drive, though, punching it in for a 2-yard score for a 19-7 Southern Miss lead.
But a Rice team that has been blown out by 35 points in the first half four times this season refused to fade away.
Running back Nahshon Ellerbe ran for a 7-yard touchdown, although the Owls couldn’t stop Southern Miss from driving for a late 51-yard field goal. Rice went into the half down 2214.
The second-quarter scoring frenzy continued in the third when Ellerbe scored again, this time from 12 yards out. Despite two attempts, the Owlsy failed to convert the twopoint conversion when Smalls’ pass to Aaron Cephus was broken up.
“You could tell their defensive line was getting frustrated by all the penalties and that was created by our offensive line playing physical,” Ellerbe said. “As the offense starts to roll, you feel that momentum and that’s when the game becomes fun.”
Southern Miss then orchestrated a five-minute scoring drive to pad its lead from two to nine points at 29-20.
With 2:30 left in the third quarter, Ellerbe ran it in from 17 yards out. He finished with 153 yards and four touchdowns.
A Rice defense that had been making considerable strides about halfway through the season, evaporated when the Golden Eagles got the ball back. Southern Miss pulled ahead 36-27 on a 47-yard strike from quarterback Kwadra Griggs to receiver Korey Robertson.
“There’s no doubt it’s been frustrating, but obviously we have a lot of injuries,” Rice safety Houston Robert said. “The big thing today that we were talking about as a defense was that we need to go in there and get a turnover, we needed to make a game-changing play.
“Unfortunately, we never did make that big turnover or game-changing play.” Smalls turns it around
The Owls’ offense has finally started to find its footing in recent weeks, arguably turning in its best performance of the season on Saturday.
Players looked more spirited as the game wore on. Through a steady blend of quick perimeter plays and tough running up the middle, the Owls finally proved they could be a productive unit.
Smalls, who had been stripped twice, sacked three times and completed four passes for just 10 yards in the first half, was productive in the second. He facilitated a fluid attack, helping Rice keep pace with the Golden Eagles.
He wound up completing 10 of 15 passes for 127 yards, adding 42 rushing yards.
Rice surrendered 517 yards on defense, although linebacker Emmanuel Ellerbee led both teams with 17 tackles. Robert recorded 15 stops.