2013-14 Football Previews – (CUSA) – Owls
The Rice Owls have had a very strange last few seasons. Rice went 10-3 in 2008 and it seemed like David Bailiff had the program going in the right direction. The team turned around and went 2-10 in 2009 and 4-8 in both 2010 and 2011. In 2012, the team went 7-6 and went to a bowl game again.
Can they take the next step in 2013?
Conference USA 2013 College Football Previews: Rice Owls
Head Coach: David Bailiff
2012 Record: 7-6
Rice Gambling Odds to win BCS Championship: +2,000 (Part of Field)
Rice Gambling Odds to win Conference USA West Division: +300
Rice Gambling Odds to win Conference USA: +650
Rice actually won their final five games in 2013. The team gained a ton of confidence from that run, and they return 19 starters from last year’s team. The Owls return 10 defensive starters and nine offensive starters.
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This team is looking for more than just a postseason berth. They are looking to win the Conference USA West division.
Team Strengths:
Rice has a couple huge stars on the defensive side of the ball. Cameron Nwosu is arguably the most talented linebacker in Conference USA. Nwosu has a tremendous combination of speed and strength. Phillip Gaines has turned into an elite cornerback. Gaines earned first-team Conference USA honors a year ago, and I expect even more out of him in his senior season this year.
Taylor McHargue is a real play maker at the quarterback spot. He isn’t the most accurate passer in the world, but he has gotten much better as a passer over the years. He has always been a terrific scrambler, and he has turned into a great leader for this offense. Charles Ross is the leader at the running back spot, and Rice has lots of depth at tailback spot. There is no shortage of play makers on this roster.
The Owls have the two best kickers in the conference. If the game comes down to field position, Rice is going to be a very tough team to beat. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Team Weaknesses:
Rice has had trouble stopping the run for several years in a row. The Owls will have to get better at this if they are going to unseat Tulsa as the Conference USA West team to beat. The defensive front has been dominated by good offenses for several years in a row, and that is going to have to stop.
The Owls struggled in a big way in the red zone last year. Rice scored touchdowns on only 57.4% of their trips into the red zone last year. That was certainly the difference in several of their close losses. On the other side, the Owls opponents were able to get into the end zone 72.3% of the time in 2012, which was among the worst in the nation. Rice must get better on both sides of the ball in the red zone.
2013-2014 Rice Football Prediction: 10-3
Rice should be one of the most improved teams in the country this year. I fully expect the Owls to be in contention for the Conference USA West division this season. The Owls defense should be much improved, and the offense has play makers all over the field. They’ll probably have a tough time winning at Tulsa, but a favorable schedule after that game should help Rice finish very strong. Keep your eye on this team in 2013.
2013 Owls Schedule
8/31/13 1:00 PM ET @TXAM
9/14/13 7:30 PM ET KANS
9/21/13 3:00 PM ET HOU
9/28/13 7:00 PM ET FLATL
10/5/13 3:30 PM ET @TULSA
10/12/13 4:00 PM ET @TXSA
10/19/13 8:00 PM ET @NMXST
10/26/13 TBD UTEP
10/31/13 7:30 PM ET @NOTEX
11/16/13 7:00 PM ET LTECH
11/21/13 7:30 PM ET @UAB
11/30/13 3:00 PM ET TULNE
