Rice 38, Army 31: What We Learned

[caption id="attachment_19186" align="alignright" width="300"]Photo by Richard Badillo Photo by Richard Badillo[/caption] The fast start. You don’t win the game in the first quarter, but your chances improve when you get off to the start that Rice did today. Everything went right for the Owls in the opening minutes. The team’s first two drives resulted in touchdowns, and the defense forced turnovers on its first two appearances. The Owls forced a fumble and a stop on a fake field goal attempt. Rice is now 3-1 when it scores first this season, and continued the trend with its 14-0 lead by the game’s third minute. Third Quarter Flaws. The third quarter has been a struggle all season. Prior to today’s game, the Owls were outscored 61-35. That deficit increased today. The Owls fumbled on their second drive, and Army started its drive in Rice Territory. The Black Knights executed a fourth down conversion after two failed attempts earlier in the game, and found the end zone a few plays later. The onside kick was recovered by the kicking team, but the Owls limited the damage. Bouncing back like a pro. The Rice defense gave up big running plays throughout the game, so the Owls’ lead disappeared. A.J. Schurr’s 71-yard run, and Aaron Kemper’s 69-yard run set up Army’s first two scores, and both finished the game as 100-yard rushers. The Owls allowed 354 rushing yards by day’s end. Luckily for them, they bounced back from every punch and prevailed. The most successful attempt came in the fourth quarter, after Army scored 10 consecutive points in a three-and-a-half minute span. Rice’s two biggest stars stepped up on the game-winning drive. Driphus Jackson found Temi Alaka and Luke Turner for 17 and 11 yard completions, and Darik Dillard added 20 and 12 yard runs before Zach Wright’s touchdown reception.