This is UH’s 32nd win over Rice and the 30th win since the Bayou Bucket was introduced in 1974. The current six-game win streak matches the longest in series history (UH – 1987-1992).
Give credit to Clayton Tune for a nice bounce-back. He needed a good week and Dana decided to get him longer throws early. There are still issues with holding onto the ball (he fumbled twice but didn’t lose possession on either) and handling pressure. But he was efficient early in the game and in situations with time to throw.
Alton McCaskill getting the bulk of the work tonight was a pleasant surprise. He ran a great route on the wheel and got the payoff with the TD. He’s got to get more consistent (2.7 ypc) but tonight was an important step.
And how bout that defense? I thought they played well last week except for some late 4th quarter mistakes. This week, they played lights out the entire day.
But don’t kid yourself – this is not a good Rice squad. They’ve been flat-out awful for three halves in a row. Their only score Saturday came in an odd drive just before the half where McCaffrey made two goofy, almost Houdini-like throws just before falling down (he was clearly down on the one above). They were also the beneficiary of a 50/50 PI call.
Marcus Jones had two carries and 8 targets. It’s a cool story but I’m not sure if you want to risk such an important part of your defense and special teams this way. UH also has to find more receivers it can depend on – time to get them some touches in the next two weeks against FCS Grambling and a bad-looking Navy team.
The personal fouls were out of control. I think the two given on the Herslow TD were ridiculous. But most of the others? Just poor discipline.
Outside of the TD drive, Rice had 131 yards on the day. Much of the time, there was no urgency in their play. You don’t see a team in a ‘rivalry’ game put forth that kind of effort.
Rice Fight! Never Die! More like Not Tonight, Didn’t Try.
Mario Puente got great pics of Alton McCaskill and Jake Herslow with their first-ever UH touchdowns.
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