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News Nuggets, 12.24.06
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NOTES FROM ECU AND BEYOND...

Compiled from staff and electronic reports
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Returnees yield No. 1 baseball ranking for Rice

Led by the return of all-America selections Brian Friday, Tyler Henley, Aaron Luna, Cole St. Clair and Joe Savery, the 2007 Rice baseball team has been picked as the number one team in the nation by Collegiate Baseball in its annual preseason poll for the upcoming year. The publication announced its preseason poll of the country's Top 40 teams from its headquarters in Tucson, AZ.

The five Rice standouts are part of a talented squad of 18 lettermen returning from the 2006 team that compiled a 57-13 record and finished tied for third at the College World Series.

The top spot is the Owls' highest preseason ranking since the 2004 team was coming off the national championship season of 2003. Collegiate Baseball had Rice fifth in the preseason a year ago and the Blue & Gray responded by reaching the semifinals of the College World Series in Omaha.

Under the direction of head coach Wayne Graham, now in his 16th season at the helm of the Rice baseball program, Collegiate Baseball cited the Owls' returning star players, pitching depth and offensive firepower as factors in its choice for the top ranking.

Graham has seven starters returning to the regular lineup as well 11 experienced pitchers back in 2007. The newcomers making their Rice debut in 2007 were tabbed as among the best recruiting classes in the country by a host of baseball publications.

The Owls already had a challenging schedule in place for 2007 well before the number one ranking. Rice is scheduled to play 19 games against nine teams in Collegiate Baseball's preseason poll. Rice gets the new season underway on Feb. 3, at home in Reckling Park against Central Missouri State.

Rice baseball has won 11-consecutive conference championships spanning three different leagues. Collegiate Baseball's full 2007 preseason poll:

Other Teams Receiving Votes: Oregon State, Kentucky, Florida, Alabama, Auburn, Hawaii, McNeese State, Missouri State, Jacksonville, Maine, North Carolina State, Wake Forest, UC-Irvine, Fresno State, San Jose State, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Missouri, San Diego, Loyola Marymount, Santa Clara, Florida Atlantic, Louisiana-Lafayette, South Alabama, Stetson, North Florida, Washington, Washington State, California, Western Carolina, College of Charleston, Rhode Island, Louisville, Minnesota, Cal Poly-SLO, UC-Riverside, Old Dominion, Southern Mississippi, East Carolina, Memphis, Central Michigan, Kent State, Ball State, Creighton, San Diego State, Samford, Army.

Owls wings clipped again at Superdome

True to his defensive pedigree, Rice coach Todd Graham spent his week in the Big Easy beaming with pride over the Owls' impressive turnover margin, according to a Houston Chronicle report.

The Owls' ability to force turnovers at crucial junctures was the foundation of their frantic finish to the regular season. Also important during the six-game winning streak the Owls carried into the New Orleans Bowl was their penchant for avoiding critical errors.

Their thrill ride seemed primed for completion against Troy, which strolled into the Crescent City ranked 107th in turnover margin.

But whether injuries, suspensions or the four-week hiatus since the conclusion of the regular season were to blame, the Owls looked anything but opportunistic Friday. In fact, they committed a season-high five turnovers in a 41-17 loss at the Superdome.

"For whatever reason, we did a poor job of preparing," Graham said. "We turned the ball over, made stupid penalties on offense — just stuff we hadn't done all year long. If you turn the ball over and make stupid penalties, you're not going to score. That killed us."

Owls quarterback Joel Armstrong, subbing for injured starter Chase Clement, endured a nightmarish outing, tossed a career-worst five interceptions. He was undone by the Owls' inability to generate a ground attack, a forgettable performance by his offensive line, the Trojans' overwhelming athleticism and his own poor decision-making.

As they did in their previous Superdome appearance, a ragged 38-24 loss to Tulane on Oct. 7, the Owls (7-6) appeared listless in their first postseason outing since the 1961 Bluebonnet Bowl. They struggled to muster momentum offensively and execute basic fundamentals on defense.

"The entire game seemed like a miscommunication," Owls linebacker Marcus Rucker said. "It reminded me of Tulane. It was almost identical the way the game was going. Everything was out of whack. It was crazy. It had to do with miscommunication."

Rice trailed 14-0 just 5:10 into the game, victimized by a pair of scores by Troy quarterback and New Orleans Bowl MVP Omar Haugabook, who encountered scant pressure in the pocket thanks to an offensive line that picked up the blitz with ease.

Air Force alum succeeds DeBerry

Houston Texans offensive coordinator Troy Calhoun has agreed to become the head football coach at the Air Force Academy.

Calhoun, a 1989 Air Force graduate, is the sixth head coach in school history and first graduate to hold the position. He replaces Fisher DeBerry, who retired last week after 23 seasons as coach.

Calhoun is completing his first season with the Texans as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. Texans head coach Gary Kubiak brought Calhoun along with him from the Denver Broncos where he served as the assistant to the head coach in 2005.

Calhoun has become a well-rounded NFL coach, working as a defensive assistant, special teams assistant and offensive assistant with the Denver Broncos prior to this season. He began his NFL coaching career by serving as the defensive assistant under defensive coordinator Larry Coyer in 2003. He was a part of the NFL's fourth-ranked defense. The Broncos defense ranked seventh against the run and sixth against the pass. Denver's defense yielded a mere 17.6 points per game as they made the playoffs for the first time since 2000.

From 1995 to 2002, Calhoun served on Jim Grobe's staffs at Ohio and Wake Forest.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from electronic services and other sources. Copyright 2006 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007 12:54 PM