Owls To Honor Football Seniors Saturday
11/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
The Rice Owls will honor the 13 seniors whose leadership has placed the team in position to earn the school's first bid to a bowl game since 1961 in a special pre-game ceremony at Rice Stadium prior to the Owls game with SMU on Saturday.
Fans who participate in the Rice Stadium tradition of forming spirit lines on the field when the Owls enter the stadium are asked to remain in place after the team takes the field in order to honor each senior, who will then be introduced individually before joining his parents at midfield.
Kickoff is set for 2:00 on Saturday. The winner of the game will reach seven wins and be guaranteed one of Conference USA's five bowl bids. Tickets are on sale at the Rice Ticket Office (713-522-OWLS) or online.
The 13 seniors who will make their final appearance at Rice Stadium on Saturday are:
#2 Andray Downs: Safety from Garland, TX who is second on the team with 78 tackles and heads into Saturday's game needing just two tackles to crack into the Owls top 10 in career tackles. Saturday's game will mark his 40th consecutive start for Rice.
#4 Marcus Rucker: Linebacker from Magnolia, AR who has started every game this season at linebacker after making the switch from running back in the spring. Fourth on the team with 53 tackles, including a career-best 13 in the double-overtime win at Tulsa.
#5 Omeke Alikor: Linebacker from Tulsa, OK who has made three starts this season, including a triumphant return to his hometown two weeks ago as the Owls downed Tulsa 41-28 in double overtime when he was credited with five tackles.
#8 Lance Byrd: Cornerback from Madisonville, TX who has made a total of 18 career starts in the Owls defensive backfield, including a pair this year. He was in on a season-high six stops in the win over Tulsa.
#21 Chad Price: Bandit from Bay City, TX who will make his 41st consecutive start for the Owls on Saturday. He is third on the team with 62 tackles and lead Conference USA with four fumble recoveries.
#22 Mike Falco: Running Back from Scottsdale, AZ who has battled back from an early season injury to rejoin the offensive rotation. He caught three passes in each of the first three games and has caught seven more in the last three.
#44 Quinton Smith: Running Back from Cedar Park, TX who became the sixth Owl to rush for 1,000 yards in a season with his 115 yards against East Carolina. He needs 76 yards against SMU to become the second-leading rusher in school history.
#50 Rolf Krueger: Offensive Tackle from Sealy, TX who fought off a leg injury earlier in the year to return to anchor the left tackle spot on the Owls offensive line. Will make his 24th career start for the Owls on Saturday.
#64 Drew Clardy: Deep Snapper from Moss Point, MS who has been a steady performer throughout his four years at Rice.
#85 Jared Scruggs: Punter from Hutto, TX who will leave Rice as the career record holder for punting average. He carries a 41.5 career mark into Saturday's game with SMU, nearly half a yard better than the old record.
#92 DeJaun Cooper: Nose Guard from Sugarland, TX who has been an anchor in the middle of the Owls defensive front line and has pair of sacks and two fumble recoveries to go along with his 15 tackles.
#97 William Wood: Nose Guard from Garrison, TX who has started three games in the middle of the Owls defensive line and has five tackles for loss among his 16 stops this year.
#98 Courtney Gordon: Defensive End from Gladewater, TX who leads the team in sacks and tackles for loss while recording at least one tackle for loss in each of the last 10 games. He leads the down linemen with a career-high 39 tackles.
