(09-09-2018 10:43 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote: (09-09-2018 10:27 AM)Antarius Wrote: The bad news: Rice is 1-2 and ranked 127 in Massey.
The good news: Save for WF and LSU our schedule is awful.
Southern Miss : 114
UTSA : 118
UAB : 122
FIU : 108
UNT : 98
UTEP : 130 (LAST)
LaTech : 86
ODU : 128
Any of these games are in play. ODU,UTEP, UAB, USM and UTSA are ranked right around us. FIU, UNT, LaTech are slightly ahead. UNT is an unknown.. they are 2-0 but played some pretty terrible teams thus far.
No way we're a 127 ranked team with the way we've played the last two weeks against quality opponents (arguably both Top 50 caliber). Is Wake really better than UH or Hawaii? I doubt it, and they don't play as wide open a passing game, which plays into our favor.
Couple Comments on Schedule and Players
I think Wake is underrated and a bit off-the-grid in terms of credibility. Clawson has done a great job there. Did not play great against Tulane in first game but they beat A&M in their bowl game, had a bunch of quality W's in the ACC and IMO are much better team than Hawaii and would probably favored to win against UH. I see us playing them within 10 points on-the-road as a moral victory. Our chance is that Wake is playing Rice sandwiched in between Clemson and Notre Dame also at home so could be ripe for a trap game as their minds are elsewhere. But other than that, this could be a season similar to 2006 where this team sneaks in the backdoor in November into a bowl game w their 6th victory.
Players
Big thing so far is health. I can't remember going into game four and ever being able to say that injuries are not a factor. Every year, we seem to have a MASH unit by this point in the season that opens-up big holes. This year things seem much better.
On Walters twins, I do disagree w/ the DB criticism. They were highly regarded/recruited kids with high expectations. Unfortunately, both of them have been banged-up in their time at Rice and were either injured on sidelines or playing < 100%. Now finally healthy, we are seeing the potential becoming real. Kudos to new staff finding ways to get them touches but them being hurt and not getting to see current performance in past was not DB's fault.
On Cephus, would love to see him get more touches and if we had CC throwing to him vs. current guys, he could/should/would put up Dillard type #'s. Unfortunately, we don't have that. At best, we have a game manager at QB, not a play maker that can make throws, scramble, etc. and find him. But the Cehpus is a competitor and his presence alone has opened-up the short passing game for Trammel and others as other team has to account for where he is during passing situations. Trammel is the biggest beneficiary from the ground/pound and Cephus deep threat.
And finally, hats off to Bloom for breathing life back into things. Amazing what moral victories do for hope. Beating FIU, UTEP, etc. and then getting blown-out by Coogs, La Tech, So Miss, in name your score games just demoralized/destroyed hope from all stakeholders around the program. Even Bloom commented in his presser about expectations of winning compared to last year with the players. Just wish it would have been years earlier. Imagine what he could have done with the talent of the 2013 or 2008 teams. Do agree w earlier post about open question on how Bloom will do against the bottom feeder games vs. the bigger underdog games given how team played w/ lead against PV.
