2009 Rice Owls College Football Predictions

2009 Rice Owls Predictions
2008 Record: (10-3, 7-1)
Coach: Dave Bailiff, 3rd year (13-12 overall)
Off. Coordinator: Ed Zaunbrecher (1st year)
Def. Coordinator: Chuck Dreisbach (3rd0 year) and Craig Naivar (3rd year)
Returning Starters: 14 (4 offense, 8 defense, kicker, punter)
Ret. Starting Quarterback: No

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Offense: The Owls return just four starters from a dynamic offense that produced 41.3ppg and 470.9 yards per game. It’s not just the quantity but the quality of the losses as they have to replace star QB Chase Clement and top wideouts (TE) James Casey and Jarrett Dillard (4,138 career receiving yards). Head coach David Bailiff will have his work cut out for him as he also brings in new offensive coordinator Ed Zaunbrecher. Junior John Thomas Shepherd, redshirt freshman Ryan Lewis and sophomore Nick Fanuzzi (Alabama transfer) will vie for the starting quarterback job. At tailback, Tyler Smith (5-8, 190) is back after a strong spring and a knee injury in 2007 and should beat out senior Jeramy Goodson, who had limited touches last year. Senior Toren Dixon (6-2, 212) will lead the way at receiver after catching 50 passes for 598 yards and five touchdowns. The offensive line, which returns two starters, is anchored by junior left tackle Scott Mitchell (6-4, 290).

Defense: The defense brings back eight starters from a unit that allowed 33.3ppg and 452.2 yards per game (111th in the nation). They were simply awful last year, but still managed to win 10 games because their offense was so strong. They return three of four starters including tackle Chance Talbert (6-6, 283) and junior DE Scott Soloman (6-3, 263), who recorded 4.5 sacks last year. At linebacker, they return senior Terrance Garmon (6-2, 220) along with top safeties Andrew Sendejo (6-1, 210) and Chris Jones (6-3, 200) in the 4-2-5 defense. Sendejo led the team in tackles with 94 and also added three picks. He’s the career leader with 254 tackles and eight picks.

Outlook: The Owls open with UAB on the road and then face non-conference opponents Texas Tech and Oklahoma State on the road, along with Vanderbilt at home. That’s a tough task for a team looking to find a suitable replacement at quarterback. They also face East Carolina and Houston on the road, not great luck for a team trying to win the C-USA West. The schedule is extremely challenging for a team that lost so much offensively.

This CUSA prediction is courtesy of the ATS Sports Blog. If you are looking for winning college football betting picks be sure to choose ATS Consultants this year, A featured sports handicapping service on Touthouse.com