Tweet
Rice Owls -3
This is a call a lot of people will disagree with because Rice hasn't played in almost two weeks and Louisiana Tech is coming off a blowout loss to Boise State last weekend. Which would you rather? Both teams are graduating quite a few players and this will be Senior's Night at Reliant Staidum. The Rice Owls won this matchup last year by a score of 49-14 and are 3-0 ATS against Louisiana Tech.
The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs have played well against several teams this season but they have always had problems containing Rice's running game. The Bulldogs will only win if they score a lot themselves. They are currently averaging 367.7 total yards per game and are up against a Rice defense that has been more solid than some would think. Outstanding Running Back Ryan Moats is not a Senior and does not have any more records to shatter at LTech. He leads a running game that averages 196.5 rushing yards per game on 4.9 yards per carry. Rice is used to playing against teams that run the ball and is currently ranked 56th in the Country in Run-Defense. They are allowing 140.8 rushing yards per game on only 4.1 yards per carry. In the air, the Bulldogs are averaging 180.3 passing yards per game on 6.9 yards per pass attempt, but are allowing 3.0 sacks per game. The Owls are not going to sit back and watch Moats run...they are also going to come after the QB. Louisiana Tech is currently fumbling the ball 2.4 tims per game and averaging 6.9 penalties per game. They are They gave up 672 rushing yards in the game against Rice last year and are 0-6 ATS in their last six season finales. That tells me how much Jack Bricknell III cares about this game. Sure it means a non-losing season if they win here but there is no way they can stop Rice's running game.
The Rice Owls are going to have a losing record no matter what happens tonight but this doesn't mean that this squad is going to roll over and hand Louisiana Tech a win. QB Greg Henderson, RB's Joe Moore and Ed Bailey are only a few of the several Seniors playing their last game in Houston. The Owls are #1 in the Nation in rushing yards per game as they average 311.5 total rushing yards per game on an incredible 5.0 yards per carry. Hatfield loves to run the triple option and it got them 672 rushing yards last year against Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs have talked all week about using a 3-4 system to stop the Owls but do you really think Hatfield hasn't seen that before? The trickery Rice runs is too much for Louisiana Tech who is ranked almost dead last in every single defensive category in this Country. QB Greg Henderson only attempt 12.3 passes per game and although he rarely completes any of them, he should be able to take advantage of an LTech defense that allows 7.3 yards per pass attempt. Henderson is very mobile and hard to catch. The Owls are allowing only 1.7 sacks per game this year and with the 3-4 in place, I expect some good things from Henderson. The Owls also average only 5.8 penalties per game for only 51.6 penalty yards. This is one last chance for the Seniors to show what they can do before the teams move to CUSA next in 2005. Chicken Fried Rice please!
This is a call a lot of people will disagree with because Rice hasn't played in almost two weeks and Louisiana Tech is coming off a blowout loss to Boise State last weekend. Which would you rather? Both teams are graduating quite a few players and this will be Senior's Night at Reliant Staidum. The Rice Owls won this matchup last year by a score of 49-14 and are 3-0 ATS against Louisiana Tech.
The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs have played well against several teams this season but they have always had problems containing Rice's running game. The Bulldogs will only win if they score a lot themselves. They are currently averaging 367.7 total yards per game and are up against a Rice defense that has been more solid than some would think. Outstanding Running Back Ryan Moats is not a Senior and does not have any more records to shatter at LTech. He leads a running game that averages 196.5 rushing yards per game on 4.9 yards per carry. Rice is used to playing against teams that run the ball and is currently ranked 56th in the Country in Run-Defense. They are allowing 140.8 rushing yards per game on only 4.1 yards per carry. In the air, the Bulldogs are averaging 180.3 passing yards per game on 6.9 yards per pass attempt, but are allowing 3.0 sacks per game. The Owls are not going to sit back and watch Moats run...they are also going to come after the QB. Louisiana Tech is currently fumbling the ball 2.4 tims per game and averaging 6.9 penalties per game. They are They gave up 672 rushing yards in the game against Rice last year and are 0-6 ATS in their last six season finales. That tells me how much Jack Bricknell III cares about this game. Sure it means a non-losing season if they win here but there is no way they can stop Rice's running game.
The Rice Owls are going to have a losing record no matter what happens tonight but this doesn't mean that this squad is going to roll over and hand Louisiana Tech a win. QB Greg Henderson, RB's Joe Moore and Ed Bailey are only a few of the several Seniors playing their last game in Houston. The Owls are #1 in the Nation in rushing yards per game as they average 311.5 total rushing yards per game on an incredible 5.0 yards per carry. Hatfield loves to run the triple option and it got them 672 rushing yards last year against Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs have talked all week about using a 3-4 system to stop the Owls but do you really think Hatfield hasn't seen that before? The trickery Rice runs is too much for Louisiana Tech who is ranked almost dead last in every single defensive category in this Country. QB Greg Henderson only attempt 12.3 passes per game and although he rarely completes any of them, he should be able to take advantage of an LTech defense that allows 7.3 yards per pass attempt. Henderson is very mobile and hard to catch. The Owls are allowing only 1.7 sacks per game this year and with the 3-4 in place, I expect some good things from Henderson. The Owls also average only 5.8 penalties per game for only 51.6 penalty yards. This is one last chance for the Seniors to show what they can do before the teams move to CUSA next in 2005. Chicken Fried Rice please!
Comment