Louisiana Tech 42, Rice 17: What We Learned

[caption id="attachment_18793" align="alignright" width="300"]Photo by Richard Badillo Photo by Richard Badillo[/caption] Actually, it does matter how you start. And unfortunately for Rice, it didn’t start this game well at all. The Owls gave up 14 quick points in the first quarter and then made a few good stops, but fell apart just before halftime to go into the locker room trailing 28-7. The second half wasn’t any better. The Bulldogs scored a touchdown in the opening minutes of the third and had their way with Rice’s offense and defense to cruise to an easy victory. Louisiana Tech is now in really good position to fight for the Conference USA West Division title, while Rice’s chances are slim-to-none. What’s Rice’s kryptonite? The pass defense. The Owls’ secondary has been an issue all season and Louisiana Tech took advantage of that. Bulldog quarterback Jeff Driskel tore apart the defense, throwing four touchdowns in the process. Additionally, Louisiana Tech’s 320 passing yards were more than the total yards of offense Rice managed in the game. But you can’t put all the blame on the secondary. Rice gave up 135 rushing yards and left lanes wide open in the red zone for the Bulldogs. Give credit to Louisiana Tech because they’re a very good football team and did everything right, but Rice’s defense needs to find some balance to salvage the season. The Owls desperately need more offensive playmakers. Rice had its chances to get back in the game but couldn’t take advantage of them. The offense was inconsistent and didn’t look like it was on the same page. Quarterback Driphus Jackson had a nice game and further proved his leadership by battling in the face of the deficit, leading a scoring drive late in the fourth, but he didn’t have any help. His offensive line allowed too many Bulldog defenders to pressure him and no one stepped up to block when he tried to scramble. Rice accumulated 281 yards of offense, its usually solid running game only recorded 101 yards and it struggled tremendously to sustain drives, finishing 4-of-12 on third downs. To make matters worse, Rice committed eight penalties for 62 yards. Someone’s going to have to step up and help Jackson offensively if Rice is going to find success in its last four games.