Rice 56, Wagner 16: What We Learned

The Owls cruised to a decisive 56-16 win against Wagner. What did we learn from the game? TexasFootball.com brings you four takeaways from the game.Rice’s ground game is dominant. A good number of Rice’s important offensive pieces from last season returned and their new players performed well. Running backs Darik Dillard and Austin Walter showed their speed, rushing for a combined 200 yards and three touchdowns. Nate German added a 66-yard touchdown, the longest rushing score for the Owls since 2011. Seven of Rice’s eight scores came on the ground, which means their young offensive line can create running lanes. However, the line does need to work on protecting their quarterback if they hope to build on this win, especially since they’ll be facing a better Texas defense next week. Their quarterback play is solid. Senior quarterback Driphus Jackson completed 10 of 19 passes for 123 yards and looked very confident and comfortable running the Owls offense. Rice had just one passing touchdown (their wide receiver corps isn’t very deep), but they made the routine catches and a couple tricky ones, perhaps telling us that with time, the Owls will take to the air more often. But when your quarterbacks can run as well as Jackson and Nate German, the passing game isn’t your top priority. The Owls can make stops. Rice held Wagner to just 86 yards rushing and 199 in the air. They were strong up front, didn’t miss many tackles and contained well. They tallied two sacks and were led defensively by linebacker Alex Lyons, who notched seven tackles. Rice’s special teams play was solid and didn’t allow any big returns but did create a few of their own, led by Walter averaging 28.3 yards per kick return. Rice isn’t too sloppy. The Owls committed just four penalties all game, which means their young squad is much more disciplined than could be expected in the first game of the season. They committed two turnovers behind one interception and one lost fumble (three fumbles total), but reacted well after the miscues and their defense got them the ball back quickly. Overall, the Owls looked efficient in their season opener. They’re agile, productive and look pretty comfortable under the lights. They’ll be tested by the Longhorns next week, but if they play improve on Saturday's performance, they’ll keep up just fine.