Troy goes for first bowl win against Rice
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| Scouts Preview |
| The New Orleans bowl features two offensive juggernauts, which shouldn't be challenged by each other's weak defenses. Rice holds the edge in this matchup, which promises to light up the scoreboards. |
Complete Scouts Inc. Preview |
| Matchup |
| | W-L | PF | PA | HOME | ROAD | DIV | CONF |
| RICE | 7-6 | 350 | 432 | 3-2 | 4-4 | 3-2 | 6-2 |
| TROY | 8-5 | 296 | 289 | 5-1 | 3-4 | 6-1 | 6-1 |
| · Complete Standings |
| In Close Games (7 points or less. Since 2001) |
| | RECORD |
| RICE | 12 - 13 |
| TROY | 10 - 9 |
| Record When Scoring... (Since 2001) |
| | 20 OR MORE | 30 OR MORE | 40 OR MORE | 50 OR MORE |
| RICE | 24-22-0 | 18-5-0 | 12-1-0 | 2-1-0 |
| TROY | 29-9-0 | 10-0-0 | 7-0-0 | 0-0-0 |
| | LESS THAN 20 | LESS THAN 30 | LESS THAN 40 | LESS THAN 50 |
| RICE | 4-19-0 | 10-36-0 | 16-40-0 | 26-40-0 |
| TROY | 6-26-0 | 25-35-0 | 28-35-0 | 35-35-0 |
| TEAM AVERAGES & NCAA RANKS |
| OFFENSE | TM | PER GAME AVERAGE / NCAA RANK |
| Total Yards | RICE | 345.2 / 58th |
| TROY | 315.3 / 85th |
| Passing Yards | RICE | 227.3 / 47th |
| TROY | 205.9 / 66th |
| Rushing Yards | RICE | 138.7 / 55th |
| TROY | 126.9 / 70th |
| Points Scored | RICE | 27.8 / 37th |
| TROY | 21.3 / 66th |
| Full Team Stats: Rice | Troy |
| | Troy Passing | | | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | | Brown | 64.7 | 3575 | 19 | 8 | | Parker | 52.6 | 87 | 0 | 0 |
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| Rice Rushing | | | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | | Ross | 87 | 386 | 4.4 | 9 | | Smith | 80 | 315 | 3.9 | 1 |
| |
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Rice and Troy each have up-and-coming
football programs that overcame bad starts to reach the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. What they don't have is a rich bowl tradition.
Troy moved up to Division I-A six years ago, and is playing in
just its second bowl game at this level. Rice hasn't been to the
postseason in 45 years.
"We weren't totally unknowns," said Troy president Jack
Hawkins, who started the move from Division II to I-AA and
ultimately I-A when he took office in 1989. "But we knew we
wouldn't fully mature as a university until we made that final step
to I-A."
Located in a tiny community in rural southeastern Alabama, Troy
has made the transition to seem easy. The Trojans have been the Sun Belt's attendance leader the past
three years, averaging 20,810 this season.
"The folks at Troy have tapped into the incredible passion for
football in Alabama," Sun Belt commissioner Wright Waters said.
"And Troy is a school that has had success at every step along the
way. That passion has been healthy for our league. It's made them
realize that this is a program that's determined not to be average
for very long."
This season, the Trojans (7-5) rebounded from a 1-4 start to win
six of seven, capture their first Sun Belt title and make the bowl
game.
The Trojans' home games are in the 30,000-seat Movie Gallery
Veterans Stadium, one of the few college football facilities in the
country with a corporate title. In addition to helping fund the
facility, which includes 27 sky boxes and other amenities, Movie
Gallery, headquartered in nearby Dothan, Ala., underwrote the
Trojans' 2004 appearance in the now-defunct Silicon Valley Bowl.
Rice, meanwhile, is trying to move back to I-A form.
The Rice football program survived a review of its Division I
status in 2004. But fans are still few. Average attendance in 2005
was 10,057 at Rice Stadium, a 70,000-seat structure where a Super
Bowl was played in 1974.
Less than a year after being hired to turn around Rice's
struggling program, coach Todd Graham led the Owls to their fourth
winning season since 1993. Now, he's taking his team to its first
bowl in 45 years. Along the way, Graham also ordered new uniforms
and helped raise $5 million to outfit Rice Stadium with a new field
and scoreboard.
The Owls (7-5) are hoping for their first postseason win since
1954 after shaking off a rough start. Rice opened the season with
four straight losses, but won its final six games in Conference USA
and earned its first bowl berth since 1961.
Making the rebound more impressive is that it follows a 1-10
finish last year.
"Right now we're playing our best football," Graham said.
"This is a team that persevered and suffered through a brutal
first half of the year. But that built character and character
built hope."
Rice President David W. Leebron said Wednesday that he expects
Graham to be with the school for some time after getting a new
contract.
"I think we've reached an arrangement that we are all very
satisfied with," Leebron told Houston television station KRIV.
"We expect Todd to be with us quite awhile."
Rice does not release contract details.
"I had no doubt that they would step up and make the commitment
and they have to me and my staff," Graham said. "It is very
gratifying to work for a place that really appreciates you. It
feels good to get kind of a pat on the back and say, 'Hey, job well
done.'"
Rice 17, 
Troy 41