| 2008Rice Owls football | |
|---|---|
 | |
C-USA West Division co-champion Texas Bowl champion | |
Texas Bowl, W 38–14 vs.Western Michigan | |
| Conference | Conference USA |
| Division | West |
| Record | 10–3 (7–1 C-USA) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Tom Herman (2nd season) |
| Offensive scheme | Spread |
| Defensive coordinator | Chuck Driesbach (2nd season) |
| Co-defensive coordinator | Craig Naivar (2nd season) |
| Base defense | 4–3 |
| Home stadium | Rice Stadium |
Seasons | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Carolina x$ | 6 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Memphis | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Miss | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UAB | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCF | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marshall | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulsa xy | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rice x | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Houston | 6 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UTEP | 4 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulane | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SMU | 0 | – | 8 | 1 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship:East Carolina 27, Tulsa 24 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The2008 Rice Owls football team representedRice University in the2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Owls played six home games atRice Stadium inHouston, Texas The Owls finished the season with an overall record of 10–3 and a conference record of 7–1 inDavid Bailiff's second season.
| 2008 Rice Owls coaching staff | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
Defensive coaches
| Special teams
Administrative staff
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| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 29 | 7:00 pm | SMU |
| ESPN | W 56–27 | 23,164 |
| September 6 | 7:00 pm | atMemphis | CBSCS | W 42–35 | 28,351 | |
| September 13 | 6:05 pm | atVanderbilt* | L 21–38 | 37,370 | ||
| September 20 | 2:30 pm | at No. 7Texas* | FSN | L 10–52 | 97,201 | |
| September 27 | 4:30 pm | North Texas* |
| KTXA | W 77–20 | 16,885 |
| October 4 | 7:00 pm | atTulsa | CBSCS | L 28–63 | 24,926 | |
| October 18 | 2:00 pm | Southern Miss |
| W 45–40 | 11,117 | |
| October 25 | 2:05 pm | atTulane | W 42–17 | 17,841 | ||
| November 1 | 8:05 pm | atUTEP | W 49–44 | 30,702 | ||
| November 8 | 2:00 pm | Army* |
| W 38–31 | 19,243 | |
| November 22 | 2:30 pm | Marshall |
| CBSCS | W 35–10 | 15,131 |
| November 28 | 2:30 pm | Houston |
| CBSCS | W 56–42 | 35,534 |
| December 30 | 7:05 pm | vs.Western Michigan* | NFL Network | W 38–14 | 58,880 | |
| ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mustangs | 13 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Owls | 14 | 14 | 28 | 0 | 56 |
The game kicked off Rice's 97th season of football.[1] Rice began down 13–0, but two scores, bothChase Clement touchdown passes, within 52 seconds put the Owls up by one point to close the first quarter.[1] Clement threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter as well, toJarett Dillard (21 yards) and Corbin Smiter (12 yards), to take a 28–13 lead into halftime.[1] After a Mustang touchdown pass, Rice exploded for four scores, two Clement passes, aJames Casey run, and an interception returned 55 yards for a score byAndrew Sendejo.[1] Logan Turner would throw a touchdown for SMU with 2:10 remaining in the contest.
Clement's six touchdown passes and Dillard's three receiving TDs both tied career highs in Rice's highest offensive output in a season opener in their history.[1]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owls | 3 | 0 | 10 | 29 | 42 |
| Tigers | 0 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
The Owls were behind the Tigers by fifteen, 35–20, with 8:33 to play.[2] The comeback began when James Casey snared a 41-yard pass from Chase Clement, setting up a 5-yard hook-up with Jarett Dillard on the ensuing play, cutting the Memphis lead to 35–27 with 6:22 remaining.[2] Rice began their comeback. After a quick stop, the Owls were looking to score again, taking over at their own six. Clement would sprint in from the nine four plays later. Casey would haul in thetwo-point conversion that knotted the game at 35–35.[2]
Memphis would drive to the Rice 38, until the third-and-one slant was intercepted by Chris Jammer, who broke a tackle and scored with eleven seconds left, giving Rice the 42–35 win.[2]
Dillard became the all-time leader in total points and touchdowns during the game, with Clement passingTommy Kramer on the Rice all-time passing list.[2] James Casey set career highs with 11 receptions and 208 yards, which passed David Houser for the Owl's single-game receiving yardage record.[2]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owls | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Commodores | 7 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 38 |
The Vanderbilt game marked the first time the Owls traveled toNashville to play the Commodores, although the two programs had met three times before.[3]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owls | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| #7 Longhorns | 7 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 52 |
Rice began the game with a Clark Fangmeierfield goal, but it would be all Texas after that.Colt McCoy would run in a score before tossing two touchdowns toJordan Shipley. Texas also added a field goal to their lead, making it 24–3.[4] The lone Owls touchdown came in the third quarter, a Clement-to-Dillard hook-up of fifteen yards.[4] McCoy would strike again, with a 46-yard completion toChris Ogbonnaya for a score. Back-up Longhorn signal-caller John Chiles added a rushing touchdown, as did Cody Johnson, to put the final at 52–10.[4]
Colt McCoy of Texas threw four touchdown passes, and led the Longhorns in rushing, as Texas rolled over Rice. McCoy also took the all-time passing touchdown record at Texas.[4] Andrew Sendejo recorded 13+ tackles for the third consecutive game.[4] His 17 stops against the Longhorns also fell one short of a career mark.[4] Jarett Dillard had 158 yards receiving to lead the Owls. Clement also had his second careerpunt downed inside the twenty.[4]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean Green | 13 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Owls | 21 | 35 | 21 | 0 | 77 |
Rice set a record for most points by a Rice team since 1916, when the Owlsdefeated SMU 146–3.[5] Quarterback Chase Clement and receiver Jarett Dillard combined to set a record, becoming the most productive duo in NCAA history, eclipsingTim Rattay andTroy Edwards atLouisiana Tech.[5] Rice took advantage of North Texas mistakes, recovering three muffed punts, picking off three passes (two returned for touchdowns), and blocking a pair of kicks.[5]
Rice opened the scoring with a 50-yard pass from Chase Clement to Toren Dixon. TheMean Green responded with a 71-yard drive capped with a one-yard score by Cam Montgomery, but theextra point was blocked. Clement came back with a touchdown pass to Jarett Dillard, giving the Owls a 14–6 lead. Rice would score another touchdown before the close of the first quarter, a 25-yard scamper by Clement. Cam Montgomery again scored in the first period for North Texas. Rice's Jeramy Goodson threw a touchdown pass to Dillard, and North Texas replied with a Giovanni Vizza passing touchdown to push the score to 28–20. Chase Clement then added a rushing touchdown, followed by a Marcus Knox rushing score to give the Owls a 22-point lead. Dillard and Clement hooked up for two scores within four minutes, giving the Owls a 56–20 lead and the two players a place in history.[5]
After halftime, Clement would hit Patrick Randolph for a six-yard touchdown, and two North Texas interceptions would be returned for touchdowns by Rice, first by Arnaud Gascon-Nadon, then by Christopher Douglas. Neither team would score in the fourth quarter, leaving the Owls a 77–20 victory.[5] Clark Fangmeier set a school record by converting eleven extra points in the contest.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owls | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Golden Hurricane | 7 | 14 | 21 | 21 | 63 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Eagles | 6 | 6 | 7 | 21 | 40 |
| Owls | 7 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 45 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owls | 21 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 42 |
| Green Wave | 0 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 17 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owls | 14 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 49 |
| Miners | 17 | 3 | 10 | 14 | 44 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Knights | 7 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
| Owls | 10 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 38 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thundering Herd | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Owls | 7 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 35 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cougars | 7 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 42 |
| Owls | 14 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 56 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Owls | 10 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 38 |