Rice University Athletics
Football: Practice Report #29
10/24/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
"They are a tough challenge to get ready for because Tomlinson is such a great runner," Owls coach Ken Hatfield said following Tuesday's workout. "The hardest thing is to simulate that during practice. He does such a great job running the ball, and we have to be in the right place all the time."
Tomlinson is averaging 182.2 yards per game this year to lead the nation, pushing the Horned Frogs to their 6-0 start. As a team, TCU ranks third nationally in rushing while the Owls come in with the 11th-best ground attack in the country.
"Both defenses have played the option before, so when you get back to defending it you have some experience when you've played against it all spring," said Hatfield.
Playing the run will nonetheless be a new experience for the Owls this fall. Opponents have averaged almost 36 passing attempts against Rice in seven games. "Everybody's been throwing it a lot and running it just a little," said Hatfield. "Our defense has to really be flexible and adjust to a lot of things."
Game time at TCU's Amon Carter Stadium will be 2:05 pm CDT.
