Last year, when Rice rolled into the Rose Bowl, it was an option
team facing off against a UCLA squad that was fresh off a
comfortable victory over a Mountain West team, San Diego State.
This year, Rice has a spread offense, but the rest remains the
same. And if the 63-21 UCLA blowout last year is any indication,
the Owls will have their work cut out for them to even cover the
26-point spread. The Bruins are coming off a 31-10 victory over
Utah, the cream of the Mountain West conference, while the Owls
lost to the University of Houston last weekend.
Rice won one game last year. The Bruins won 10. And there is no
real indication that the gap between the two teams has been closed
at all.
All the same, however, the Bruins are looking to avoid any
lapses in concentration against the Owls. A game like this, against
a very inferior opponent, can be a losing proposition for the
favored team no matter the outcome: If they win, they were supposed
to win, and if they lose, it�s a travesty.
�We want to dominate,�
linebacker Christian Taylor said.
�That�s our outlook. We prepare
for them the way we prepare for any other teams. They are a bunch
of athletes just like we are.
�We�re the heavy favorites
but, you know, there are teams that are heavy favorites that lose.
If we don�t come out, if we don�t
play hard, we�ll lose.�
Last year�s game was a blowout from start to
finish, with UCLA�s superior talent and game plan
generally dominating Rice. The one area where the Owls had success,
the running game, is not expected to be as strong as last year
against a revamped UCLA defense.
A season ago, the Owls ran for 192 yards and three touchdowns on
a true option offense, but this year they will have more of a
spread offense, which should lead to less rushes than the 49 they
had last year.
The Bruins, who cruised to victory last week against a similar
spread offense, feel they are well prepared to deal with anything
the Owls throw at them offensively.
�We can use some of the same basic rules that
we used for Utah,� Taylor said.
�We have this kind of offense already in our
heads. It definitely helps to play these teams back to
back.�
With Arizona State having its hands full against Northern
Arizona last week, and Colorado losing to Division 1-AA Montana
State, the early college football season has appeared ripe for
upsets. If the Bruins needed any further reason not to overlook the
Owls, they�ve got it.
�It�s David versus Goliath;
they have everything to gain, and we have everything to
lose,� wide receivers coach D.J. McCarthy said.
�They are playing for their pride, and you better
believe they will come out fighting.�