Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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GAME PREVIEW: RICE by the 19 fifth-year seniors on Rice's roster last season, many of whom were starters or significant contribu- tors. Ten starting jobs were up for grabs after the conclusion of the 2013 season, and several of them were still in competition during August. There will be a long list of Rice players step- ping into new roles for the first time when they visit Notre Dame Stadium to open the season Aug. 30. The most important newcomer will be quarterback Driphus Jackson. The redshirt junior isn't a complete stranger to pressure situations. He helped lead a second-half comeback in the Armed Forces Bowl two sea- sons ago, and stepped in to seal a 23-14 victory over Kansas last year. Jackson will replace McHargue, a four-year starter with the Owls and the first quarterback in program his- tory to lead the team to back-to-back bowl games. Jackson, who ran for 157 yards last season, is expected to be a bigger threat on the ground than McHargue. "He hasn't gotten a lot of work, but he's been there when they needed him most," Duarte said. "They feel like he's able to do a little bit more. He can throw, but he's more of a scrambler." Duarte expects the Owls to con- tinue to run a spread offense with a run-first mentality. Rice finished 17th nationally in rushing a year ago by averaging 227.36 yards per con- test. McHargue was the team's third- leading rusher, but it was Ross, the departed senior running back, who carried most of the load. He carried the ball 211 times for 1,280 yards in his final collegiate season. The Owls' backfield will need a host of players to replace Ross' production Game Info NOTRE DAME VS. RICE Date: Aug. 30, 2014 Site: Notre Dame Stadium (80,795) Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET Television: NBC Radio: This broadcast can be heard live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio (channel 129). Series Facts: This is the fifth meeting between Notre Dame and Rice. The Irish hold a 4‑0 advan‑ tage over the Owls. Coaches: Notre Dame — Brian Kelly (37‑15, fifth season); David Bailiff — (40‑48, eighth sea‑ son). Noting Rice: The Owls are one of six teams on Notre Dame's schedule this year that won at least 10 games in 2013, and are one of three Irish opponents that won a conference cham‑ pionship … Head coach David Bailiff has twice led Rice to 10 wins, matching Jess Neely's 1949 squad for the most victories in a single season in school history … The Owls' 41‑24 victory over Marshall in the 2013 Conference USA title game gave them their first outright league champion‑ ship since 1957 … In the past two years, Rice is 17‑9, tying the 1934‑35 squads for the most wins over two seasons, and it enters 2014 looking to become the first team in school history to win at least seven games in three consecutive years … Bailiff has twice led the Owls to bowl wins (2008 Texas Bowl and 2012 Armed Forces Bowl), and with one more he would tie Neely for the most in school history … Rice has led Conference USA football teams in GPA in five of Bailiff's first seven seasons as head coach, and their gradu‑ ation rate ranks nearly 30 percent higher than the combined rates of the other Football Bowl Subdivision schools in the state of Texas.