How Rice Stole the wonder of the underdog and threw it out the window

Will Ferrier
Aug 28, 2017 · 3 min read

Mid Majors used to be important to the towns who loved them and a hard task to coach because of the expectations that created. In the days of Power 5 focus and the ability to follow any team from anywhere fan numbers for these schools have dwindled making them an easier job to coach, get to a bowl game (6 Wins) and be creative in game plan. Rice coach David Bailiff didn't get that memo.

Rice University based in the football powerhouse that is the state of Texas lacks any of these new qualities because they cling to the past the coaching is conservative and Bailiff has a propensity to only reach 5 wins he averages 4.8 wins a year in his 10 year career at Rice. This stat points out how aggressively mediocre Bailiff is and if you watch his team play this should come as no surprise. Heavy run and short non efficient passing could potentially work in 1954 the last time Rice appeared in a notable bowl game but that doesn’t work now.

(Fun Note: Rice last made a notable bowl game in 1954 which is only 53 years after Australias federation and the state of Texas still observed Jim crow law in 1954.)

Last year was thew culmination of cross town mates the Houston Cougars era with Tom Herman a creative coach that did everything rice should of done defended with spirit passed the ball took chance on every facet of the game and embraced the underdog status to mean you have a chance to shock the world as i witnessed first hand rice are trying to build a time machine to 1954 and while racial laws may have progressed the rice playbook certainly has not.

I witnessed first hand Rice’s season opener and from the word go it was clear that Rices mind was either understandably with the tragedies happening in there home town of Houston or still in the hotel room.

All you need to know about Stanford was they had 468 all purpose yards from 4 running backs without breaking a sweat this test was never about them they were the 30 point favourite after all the test was for rice and they failed miserably.

Sam Glaesmann is what made this happen at first glance i put all blame on him after all he only passed for 69 yards from 7/18 passing and a pick but i dove a little deeper i had too i love the stats. Rice’s backup QB Jackson Tyner started the game that ended last season against Stanford and he was worse he was a dismal 10/37! and only had 68 yards ! that sounds fake but its real trust me, how can this happen? how can he have been even worse?

The play calls were all the same. David Bailiff is lost he makes the QBs try this ridiculous play where they shovel the ball to the Tight End at the the line of scrimmage against Stanford’s defensive line that doesn’t work even if Tom Brady is the QB.

Unfortunately for Rice fans myself and many Aussies now included this looks like a 0–12 team and likely will only be favourited in one game thats against UAB the team who’s football program has just returned from being forced to be shut down by the school just a couple of short years ago. Glaesmann and Tyner are protected well by an experienced O-Line but there still sitting ducks because they are bound to be scape goats for there coach.

Who will go first the QB Room or the Coach only time will tell the stats say get the coach out of there but with a school that hasn’t fully embraced the modern era of stats in football it may be a surprise which one they choose and Bailiff could have 3 QB’s transfer away in 3 years.

That was this weeks edition of Wilful Stats.

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Will Ferrier

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Inherent lack of knowledge in everything but sport is what I posses