Saturday, August 30, 2014

Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame

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The Rice Owls will face one of their tougher tests of the season right away when they take on the #17 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday afternoon.

Rice was one of the more impressive teams in 2013 considering the low expectations that most people had for them. They went 10-4 on the season and ended up winning the Conference USA West by going 7-1 in their division. They ended up playing in the Liberty Bowl and lost 44-7 to Mississippi St. The Owls relied heavily on the rush last year and were able to accumulate 227.4 rushing yards per game, which was good for 17th in the country.

The Owls will rely heavily on dual-threat quarterback Driphus Jackson, who had an up-and-down season in 2013 due to multiple injuries. Senior wide receiver Jordan Taylor, who had 55 catches and 848 yards last year, will once again by Jackson's top target.

Notre Dame only lost against three top 20 teams and a tough Pittsburgh squad in 2013, but they still will feel that they underperformed. They capped off their 9-4 season with a 29-16 win over Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl.

The Fighting Irish will only return nine members of their starting cast from a year ago, but they should get a huge boost from returning quarterback Everett Golson, who sat out last season due to academic issues. Golson lead the Irish to the National Championship game in 2012.

Injuries to Watch

Rice Owls

08/22/14 WR Jordan Taylor Foot probable Saturday vs. Notre Dame
08/21/14 TE Connor Cella Ribs expected to miss 4-6 weeks

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

08/19/14 LB Ishaq Williams Academics out indefinitely
08/16/14 WR DaVaris Daniels Academics out indefinitely
08/16/14 DB KeiVarae Russell Academics out indefinitely
08/16/14 LB Kendall Moore Academics out indefinitely
08/09/14 WR Torii Hunter Jr. Groin out indefinitely
08/03/14 LB Jarrett Grace Knee questionable

Josh's Pick: Take Notre Dame

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