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The Rice Thresher
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Jose Luis Cubria Thresher managing editor The question is very simple. The answer isn't. What the heck has happened to the football team? They told us that this season would be different. After so many near-misses, this was the year they would win the Western Athletic Conference and play in Rice's first bowl game since 1961. And we believed them. Well, at least I did. I mean, with so much talent and so much promise, how could they go wrong? And now this. A 1-5 record, an 0-3 start in the WAC and not much light at the end of the tunnel. For all intents and purposes, they're out of contention for the WAC championship, and a bowl game is nothing more than a pipe dream. And that's all before a road date with a TCU team that will likely be in the top 10 when the Owls come calling. So what in the name of Dicky Maegle and Trevor Cobb is going on? I wish I knew. If I did, our Owls would be on their way to a bowl game and I'd have a cushy office in Rice Stadium and a six-figure salary. But I do have some ideas. If nothing else, at least getting them off my chest will help ease my frustration. To understand my reasoning, you have to accept one premise - the Owls are in fact a good team. You know all that talent and experience and heart they told us about before the season? It's all still there, and it has been all along. The problem is that Rice hasn't had the chance to put it all together. Injuries - both nagging and season-ending - have plagued the Owls since two-a-days, and they've paid the price. Center Aaron Sandoval, a preseason pick for all-WAC honors, had his season end because of a knee injury before he made his first start. Safety Jason Hebert, an all-WAC performer last year, made four starts before two different groin injuries conspired to end his campaign. The list goes on. B.J. Forguson, Jarret Erwin and Willie Merritt - three of the team's top five defensive linemen entering the season - have already missed significant time. Forguson's knee injury is probably season-ending, and Merritt has had personal problems that will keep him away from the team until at least next year. Freshman Jeremy Hurd, the opening day starter at quarterback, missed four games with a broken finger. Nagging injuries have slowed blue-chip wideout Gavin Boothe. There have been others, but you get the point. The obvious result of these injuries is that an already short-handed and undersized squad has had to go to battle at less than full strength. You don't need me telling you that's not a good thing. The other result, while not as obvious, has been arguably just as disastrous. With so many players shuffling in and out of the lineup, the Owls have been unable to develop a key component of their attack: chemistry. Sure, every team needs chemistry, but a team that relies so heavily on an offense like the spread option - and a team that values intelligence, ball control and decision-making highly - depends on it. Head coach Ken Hatfield has admitted on a number of occasions that his team has yet to find that chemistry. Whether that's because the players don't like each other or because they simply haven't played together often enough is debatable, but I'll take the latter. If nothing else, Hatfield's guys always play hard, even when it seems they can't get a break. Maybe I'm giving him too much credit, but after all Hatfield has accomplished, he deserves the benefit of the doubt. There have been other factors, too, like a tough schedule, poor special teams play and a lot of bad luck. Put it all together and you can see why the season has been so frustrating. No, it's not over, and I think it's very possible for the Owls to finish with a flourish (whipping TCU for a fifth straight year wouldn't be a bad starting point). But it won't be easy. Hatfield often admits that to compete on a weekly basis, his team must be close to perfect. Unfortunately, the Owls have been far from it. And to make any kind of serious late-season run, things will have to change. Here's hoping they do, if only for the seniors who are down to their last shot. JosI Luis CubrOa is managing editor and a Sid Richardson College senior.
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