Rice Game Notes
- 1. GAME NOTES: LOUISIANA TECH 42 – RICE 17 POST-GAME NOTES • LA Tech moves to 6-3 on the season and 4-1 in conference. Louisiana Tech remains atop the Western Division in Conference USA. • With the victory Louisiana Tech is bowl eligible for the fourth time in five years. • This is the fourth time since moving to FBS that Louisiana Tech is bowl eligible in October. • With the victory, the Bulldogs snapped a three game losing streak on Friday games. • LA Tech has reeled off four consecutive wins in the state of Texas. The Bulldogs improve to 38- 36-1 all-time in Texas. • Prior to tonight, the Bulldogs had never won at Rice Stadium. • Skip Holtz claimed his 107th victory. • The Bulldogs have won four of the last five meetings with the Owls. Those four wins have come by an average of 32 points. • LA Tech captains were Kentrell Brice, Vernon Butler, Kenneth Dixon and Jeff Driskel • LA Tech wins the coin toss and defers. Rice will receive and defend the north end zone. • Louisiana Tech scored 28 unanswered points stretching from 7:35 in the first quarter to 5:17 in the third quarter. • Tonight’s announced attendance: 18,010 • Rice had not lost back-to-back home conference games since 2012. OFFENSE • Kenneth Dixon made his first start since the UL-Lafayette game. • With two touchdowns in the game, Kenneth Dixon moved into a tie for third with Keenan Reynold and Ricky Williams for third all-time with 75 total touchdowns scored in his career. • With his two rushing touchdowns Kenneth Dixon moved into a tie with Anthony Thompson and Cedric Benson for fifth all-time with 64 career rushing touchdowns. • Driskel tossed a career-high 4 touchdowns in the contest. • Louisiana Tech becomes just the seventh team in Rice’s last 40 games, to score on the opening drive. • Louisiana Tech has registered over 400 yards in every game so far this season. The nine straight games marks a program record. The previous record was eight held by the 2012 Bulldog football team. • Louisiana Tech outscored Rice 14-0 in the second quarter. The Bulldogs have outscored opponents 139-46 in the second quarter this season. • Louisiana Tech has scored a touchdown on it’s opening drive in five out of nine games this season. • Trent Taylor’s 142 receiving yards allowed the junior to eclipse the 1,000 yard mark with 1,003 receiving yards through nine games.
- 2. • Trent Taylor hauled in a career high 63 yard pass to set up another score for the Bulldogs with just under a minute remaining in the first half. • Carlos Henderson recorded two touchdown receptions for the first time in his career. Coming into the game, he had one touchdown reception on the season prior to tonight. • Jeff Driskel has thrown a touchdown pass in every game this season. • Jeff Driskel threw for 320 yards and is averaging 304 yards a game. • Kenneth Dixon has scored a touchdown in 35 career games. The NCAA record is 38 by Tim Tebow (Florida, 2006-09) • With his touchdown reception in the first quarter, Carlos Henderson has a touchdown reception in consecutive games for the first time in his career. • On the opening drive, Driskel connected with Taylor for a 47 yard touchdown reception on a third and 11, breaking a tackle on his way to the end zone. • Driskel connects with Carlos Henderson for a 14 yard touchdown reception to give the Bulldogs a 14-7 lead with five minutes remaining in the first quarter. • Dixon runs the ball in from the two yard line out of the T-formation to give the Bulldogs a 21-7 lead over the Owls. • Driskel finds Carlos Henderson in the corner of the end zone for a 24 yard touchdown reception, giving LA Tech a 35-7 lead over the Owls. • Trent Taylor hauled in his second receiving touchdown of the game to push the Bulldog lead out to 42-10 with 8:56 remaining in the fourth quarter. DEFENSE • Jaylon Ferguson has a sack in every game he has started this season. The sack moves his season total to six. • Rice entered the game averaging 4.2 yards per carry, but the Bulldogs held the Owls to just 3.1 yards per carry. • Jaylon Ferguson recorded multiple tackles for loss, three against Rice, for the fourth consecutive games. Ferguson also registered a quarterback hurry for the fourth consecutive game. His season total is up six. • The Bulldog defense allowed a score on the opening drive for just the third time this season. • LA Tech held Rice to just 19 yards rushing in the first half. • The Bulldogs held Rice to just seven points in the first half. The LA Tech defense has held opponents to 10 or less points in the first half, in seven of nine games so far this season. • Kentrell Brice recorded a season high and tied a career high with seven solo tackles. • Bryson Abraham registered two pass breakups for the second consecutive game. • Vernon Butler registered a season high two tackles for loss in the victory. SPECIAL TEAMS • Carlos Henderson’s 57 yard kick return in the first quarter was a season high.
- 3. • Gerald Shouse boomed a 56 yard punt which was downed at the Rice two yard line to start the fourth quarter. • Louisiana Tech did not attempt a field goal for the first time this season. • Gerald Shouse downed at least three punts inside the 20 for the fourth time in five games.