The Daily Toreador - Student Newspaper of Texas Tech

Issue date: 9/14/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Kelly Matherly

After allowing 215 rushing yards by UTEP Saturday, the Texas Tech football team (2-0) faces a different issue against Rice (0-2).

The Red Raider defense faces a Rice offense that features receiver Jarett Dillard and quarterback Chase Clement. Rice's offense enters the weekend's game averaging 15.5 points per game. Despite ranking 11th in scoring in Conference USA, Dillard is the Owls' leading receiver with 21 touchdown catches in 2006.

Dillard is coming off a season in which he broke an NCAA record maintained by current NFL receiver Randy Moss when he caught touchdowns in 15 consecutive games. Moss previously owned the record with 13 consecutive games with a touchdown in 1997 while at Marshall.

Dillard had at least two touchdowns in each of the 24 games he played in before this season. He finished 2006 with 91 catches for 1,247 yards. In 2007, Dillard has yet to find the end zone.

"They're a good team," Tech coach Mike Leach said of Rice. "Kind of emerging - working around a new coaching staff. Run around well … offensively, sort of like West Virginia maybe. Get the quarterback involved in the run game some. They're an impressive team, and they do some good stuff."

The Red Raider defense enters the Rice game allowing an 88 percent success rate in the red zone. Tech's defense also is allowing 20 points per game and has given up 330 rushing yards with 77 attempts. The Red Raiders currently rank eighth in the Big 12 in total defense.

"I just felt like our defense panicked a little bit," Tech safety Joe Garcia said regarding the defense's performance against UTEP. "They (were) trying to make a little bit too much plays instead of doing their job, and everybody was a little frustrated."

The Red Raiders defense will face Rice quarterback Chase Clement, who is 31-of-53 with 308 yards. C.J. Ugokwe leads the Owls in rushing with 97 yards. Clement and tight end James Casey account for the four touchdowns the Owls have had so far in 2007. In a 42-17 loss to Baylor Saturday, Clement went 20-of-25 for 207 yards. He is yet to throw a touchdown in the young season.

In a press conference Monday, Rice coach David Bailiff said despite their loss to Baylor, the Owls will continue to refine their offense against Tech.

"I think you saw an offense that was working hard every snap and wanting to improve," Bailiff said. "Really the only bad thing Chase did was throw the ball across the field when it got intercepted. Other than that he made great decisions all night long ... Even though we failed, sometimes we're failing forward."

Garcia said the difficulty the defense faced against UTEP was a stepping stone for preparing for the games to come.

"I think we needed that as a defense, as a team, because we really haven't been adverse this season," he said, "and coming off the second half, I think we really took care of that, and it really showed. I felt that it was really needed, we needed that little adversity and we overcame it and it shows what kind of team we practice to be on and the team chemistry is there."

Tech is scheduled to play Rice 2 p.m. Saturday at Rice Stadium in Houston.

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