Rice University
7-5 , 6-2
SMU
6-6 , 4-4
A Bowl For Rice
11/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 25, 2006
In the joyous din in the visitor's locker room at Michie Stadium, as Todd Graham and his Rice Owls celebrated their first win together, 48-14 over Army, the rookie head coach told his team that the winning had just begun, and despite their 1-4 start, this team was going to a bowl game.
What only a few outside the team itself might have truly believed that day in early October came to pass on a sunny Saturday in late November as Graham's scrappy Owls (7-5, 6-2 Conference USA) once again battled back to claim a 31-27 victory over SMU and clinch the school's first bowl bid since 1961.
Official bowl bids will not be extended for several days, but thanks to reaching seven wins, the Owls are assured of receiving one of C-USA's five bowl bids.
 Joel Armstrong threw for a career-high 205 yards and three touchdowns  | |
Joel Armstrong, who stepped in at quarterback for the injured Chase Clement, threw for a career-high 205 yards and three touchdowns, all to Jarett Dillard, and the Owls scrappy defense recovered from a 24-point SMU blitz in the second quarter to hold the Ponies to just three points in the second half to give the Owls their first six-game winning streak since 1949.
Dillard's three scores marked the fourth time this season he has hauled in three touchdown passes in a game and ran his season total to 20. His first score, a 46-yarder from Armstrong in the first quarter, allowed him to tie an NCAA record for consecutive games with a TD pass in a season (12) and extend his overall streak for touchdown catches to 14, the second longest streak in NCAA history. On the day, he caught six passes for 145 yards, his sixth 100-yard game of the year, and ran his season total to 82 catches to set a school record.
The Owls took advantage of SMU miscues early in the game to jump out to a 17-0 lead after one quarter. But the Mustangs deflated any premature bowl celebrations by taking advantage of a pair of Rice turnovers to score 24 straight points in the second quarter to take a 24-17 lead at the half.
Dillard tied the game up with a leaping, 20-yard scoring strike from Armstrong with 10:10 remaining in the quarter. DeMyron James of SMU then appeared headed for a touchdown to retake the lead, but Brian Raines chased him down after 64 yards at the Rice 1. The Owls then held SMU on three plays and the Mustangs had to settle for a 25-yard field goal by Thomas Morstead to take a 27-24 lead with 6:01 left in the third.
 Brian Raines's touchdown saving play in the third quarter put the Owls in position to win the game | |
James' run accounted for almost half of SMU's output in the second half, as the Owls held them to just 130 yards in the second half, while the Rice offense piled up 202 yards after halftime.
Rice took over with 7:50 left in the fourth and the bowl hopes hanging in the balance. Quinton Smith, who had scored the game's first touchdown, but had been somewhat silent since, took over. He rushed six times for 35 yards in the drive to move the ball to the SMU 25. Armstrong then looked for Dillard one more time, and the sophomore from San Antonio delivered, grabbing a 25-yarder to put the Owls ahead to stay.
Smith finished the day with 79 yards rushing to move into the second spot on the Owls career rushing list with 2,501 yards.
SMU had one last chance to earn a bowl bid its own, and drove to the Rice 45 in the final two minutes. But a sack of Mustang QB Justin Willis by George Chukwu on second down put SMU in long yardage, and Marcus Rucker flushed Willis out of the pocket on third down for a short gain. On 4th down, Willis went for the end zone, but Bencil Smith intercepted to give the Owls the chance to run out the clock and start the celebration.
The Owls will go bowling for the first time since they met Kansas in the 1961 Bluebonnet Bowl.
Now, everyone can believe it.
Team Stats
SMU 0, RICE 7
RICE - SMITH, Quinton 7 yd run (FANGMEIER, C. kick), 5 plays, 51 yards, TOP 1:50
SMU 0, RICE 14
RICE - DILLARD, Jarett 46 yd pass from ARMSTRONG, Joel (FANGMEIER, C. kick) 1 plays, 46 yards, TOP 0:12
SMU 0, RICE 17
RICE - FANGMEIER, C. 38 yd field goal 4 plays, 2 yards, TOP 1:11
SMU 7, RICE 17
SMU - GIVENS, C. 33 yd pass from WILLIS, Justin (MORSTEAD, T. kick) 4 plays, 66 yards, TOP 1:06
SMU 14, RICE 17
SMU - DORSEY, Cedrick 5 yd run (MORSTEAD, T. kick), 1 plays, 5 yards, TOP 0:26
SMU 21, RICE 17
SMU - BONDS, Brandon 0 yd fumble recovery (MORSTEAD, T. kick)
SMU 24, RICE 17
SMU - MORSTEAD, T. 33 yd field goal 10 plays, 27 yards, TOP 3:16
SMU 24, RICE 24
RICE - DILLARD, Jarett 20 yd pass from ARMSTRONG, Joel (FANGMEIER, C. kick) 10 plays, 83 yards, TOP 4:50
SMU 27, RICE 24
SMU - MORSTEAD, T. 25 yd field goal 7 plays, 76 yards, TOP 3:56
SMU 27, RICE 31
RICE - DILLARD, Jarett 25 yd pass from ARMSTRONG, Joel (FANGMEIER, C. kick) 8 plays, 67 yards, TOP 3:45
