Familiar mishaps plague Owls in opener
Rice senior linebacker Alex Lyons did the quick math.
Eleven games yield many more practices, and those yield ample chances for the Owls to prove Thursday’s 46-14 dud at Western Kentucky wasn’t the real version of 2016’s outfit.
“There is a lot of room for improvement,” Lyons said. “Those guys are obviously one of the best teams we’ll play this year, one of the best in the conference.”
“We have the ability to fix this. It’s not something that can’t be fixed.”
That’s the message the senior is spreading across the locker room after a season opener where a lot didn’t go the Owls’ way.
Some of the biggest offenses were some of the same pitfalls that have long ailed this team: giving up the big play, drops, lack of turnovers for the defense and penalties.
And the running backs, thought to be one of the team’s strengths heading into the season, never got revved up aside from Jowan Davis’ touchdown run early in the second quarter.
As starting quarterback Tyler Stehling noted: “We just kept shooting ourselves in the foot. We just kept hurting ourselves. Just have to be more consistent.”
That, combined with a Western Kentucky team
that scores at will, wasn’t a good mix.
Western Kentucky quarterback Mike White carved up the Rice defense for 517 yards. His 87-yard touchdown pass to Nicholas Norris near the end of the first quarter embodied Rice’s proneness to giving up the big play. The Owls are without starting cornerback Justin Bickham, who was lost to an ACL injury before Thursday’s opener.
But Rice coach David Bailiff said the Owls’ inability to handle the Hilltoppers’ max protection led to the explosive plays. He said his coaches will adjust and help put the defensive backs in better position to defend the big play moving forward.
Meanwhile, Rice (0-1, 0-1 Conference USA) has tried to pick out the positives from the film.
Stehling was productive, completing 22 of 37 passes for 183 yards with two interceptions while leading the team in rushing with 85 yards and a score on 11 carries. The fifth-year senior, who had attempted just 67 passes in his career entering the season, is getting his first crack at being the Owls’ starter.
Overshadowed in Thursday’s rout is the fact that Stehling wasn’t sacked once.
“Our line played great the entire game,” Stehling said. “As Coach said, we had a few drops. I had two picks. We can’t have those. I think I played well for my first start, but I think we need to just be more consistent throughout the game the entire time.”
Allowing no sacks might be a little more difficult to repeat moving forward. Rice already has to do some shuffling.
Starting left guard Connor Patterson is out of the rest of the season with a leg injury, Bailiff confirmed Monday.
At left guard on the two deep for Saturday’ s game at Army is sophomore Cory Klingler, and behind him is true freshman Joseph Dill, who Bailiff spoke highly of during fall camp.
Rice will see a few offenses like Western Kentucky’s down the road. The Owls, however, won’t see another like Army’s triple option.
Bailiff said the team is dealing with the drastic switch between preparing for the Hilltoppers’ highoctane offense and Army’s triple option.
“They’re running the triple option, then all of a sudden it’s the midline, where it’s a totally different offensive play and scheme coming at you,” Bailiff said.