Football: Practice Report #27

10/18/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football

HOUSTON -- Rice will have had 16 days between games when the Owls tee it up Saturday afternoon against Hawaii in Rice Stadium, the longest mid-season break in school history. Getting back to speed has been an early prerequisite for this week's practices.

"We need to get back to hitting somebody," head coach Ken Hatfield said after Tuesday's workout in the Stadium. "We started off with a couple of good 'bull-in-the-ring' type sessions, and I think we got the tempo back."

The Owls practiced in shorts on Monday, their first work after a long weekend off. Tuesday, Hatfield had his team in full pads for the first time in a week.

The Owls are 1-5 and bring a five-game losing streak into Saturday's game (2:37 pm, Fox Sports Net-Southwest). Hawaii (1-4) won for the first time last Saturday, a 30-15 victory over SMU in Honolulu.