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Sunday, November 23, 1997

Rice 31, Texas-El Paso 13

By MICHAEL A. LUTZ / AP Sports Writer

HOUSTON (AP) -- The Rice Owls missed their chance to play for the Western Athletic Conference championship, but they used a rare passing display to complete their first back-to-back 7-4 seasons since 1960-61.

Senior quarterback Chad Nelson threw two long passes to set up touchdown runs by Benji Wood and Chad Richardson as Owls beat Texas-El Paso 31-13 Saturday.

"It says something about the attitude here when we show disappointment with a seven-win season," Wood said. "It's different from a few years ago when everyone would have been happy with a seven-win season.

"It makes me proud to be a part of a program and a part of getting it on the right track."

Rice (7-4, 5-3 in Western Athletic Conference), with the No. 2 rushing attack in the nation, had more passing yards at the half than rushing (114 passing and 100 rushing). It built a 21-10 lead with big passes that the Miners (4-7, 3-5) could never overcome.

Wood and Richardson each had two touchdowns for the Owls, who stayed on the ground for a 7-0 lead on Wood's 1-yard touchdown run with 3:25 to go in the first quarter.

But Nelson hit Mike Jones with a 65-yard bomb that set up Wood for a 1-yard run with 2:54 to play in the first quarter. A 49-yard pass from Nelson to Byron Godfrey set up an 8-yard touchdown run by Richardson on the first play of the second quarter.

"They got a couple of big plays against us and that gave them the momentum," Texas-El Paso coach Charlie Bailey said. "But the kids came back and fought hard and played hard."

Nelson, a senior, completed 2 of 5 passes for 114 yards in the first half.

"It's been 36 years (since Rice had consecutive 7-4 seasons)," seasons)," Rice coach Ken Hatfield said. "The biggest thing about it is we can show our fans that you can come out and root for a team that can win every game. You can come out here and have a good time."

The Owls returned to running in the second half and added 10 points in the fourth quarter on Scott Grimes' 27-yard field goal and a 26-yard run by Richardson with 21 seconds left in the game.

Rice rushed for 229 yards led by Wood with 94 yards on 25 carries, giving him 936 for the season.

The Miners got help from the air too in the first half, with a 65-yard pass from Rocky Perez to Keonta Golson prior to Paul Smith's 5-yard touchdown run with 1:50 to go in the first quarter.

Ola Kimrin kicked a 32-yard field goal with 7:28 to play in the first half. Texas-El Paso's only second half scoring came on Kimrin's 22-yard field goal with 13:14 to play.

"We moved the ball on them all day," Perez said. "We just struggled when we got in the red zone (inside the 20). We made mistakes at the goal line and that cost us. That just shows that we are a young team."