Rice offense puts up career numbers vs. UTEP

As far back as Monday, when Rice senior quarterback Nick Fanuzzi first observed UTEP on film, he figured a prolific performance was possible. The Miners could hardly be considered stout defensively, and their personnel appeared susceptible to the same matchups the Owls had struggled to exploit for lengthy stretches this season. As the week unfolded the Owls' confidence swelled, a testament to both their unwavering belief in talent unproven and the Miners' incompetence. When the Owls rushed for 122 yards in the first quarter on Saturday, it merely confirmed their commitment to the ground game reestablished last week against the Houston Cougars in the Bayou Bucket Game. But when Fanuzzi began to wing the ball all around the field to breathtaking success, the Owls' sudden self-esteem on offense came into full bloom. Unstoppable to levels reached only twice previously in program history, the Owls outgunned UTEP and claimed a 41-37 victory at Rice Stadium. With Fanuzzi passing for a career-high 405 yards, the Owls (3-6, 2-4 Conference USA) amassed 671 yards, the third-highest single-game total in Rice annals. The Miners (4-5, 1-4 C-USA) proved helpless against the run Rice rushed for 222 yards and the pass as Fanuzzi shared the wealth, with junior receiver Vance McDonald also enjoying a career day. "It's been a long time coming," said McDonald, whose eight receptions yielded a career-best 157 yards and a touchdown. "We knew as soon as we stepped in the meetings the first time this week. We had the game plan ready to go. We loved our matchups. We demonstrated that today." Take the following statistics into consideration: Before accumulating a season-high 475 yards against the Cougars, with 359 of those coming on the ground, the Owls had surpassed the 400-yard plateau only once this season. Sure, UTEP ranked ninth in C-USA in total defense allowing 426.6 yards per game, but the Owls had faced porous defenses before. That the Owls managed to explode without the services of starting tailback Sam McGuffie (ankle) and starting tight end Luke Willson (ankle) was shocking. That the Owls overcame their shaky confidence while dismantling the Miners so thoroughly was altogether sublime. "We focused all on accountability this week," McDonald said. "Guys making sure that they're going to do their job every snap, 100 percent effort. That's something you talk about all the time, but we put a lot of focus into it. We all played with confidence. We never slowed down." That wasn't hyperbole. The Owls punted only three times and went three-and-out only once. They scored to close their opening four drives and, after sandwiching a pair of punts around the intermission, produced scoring marches of 83, 83 and 79 yards in the second half. With the Owls trailing 31-27 early in the fourth quarter, Fanuzzi completed 5 of 5 attempts for 75 yards on an eight-play march that culminated with his six-yard strike to Jordan Taylor in the back of the end zone. Owls redshirt freshman cornerback Bryce Callahan followed with his second interception just three snaps later, and Fanuzzi followed that by engineering yet another eight-play touchdown march. Fanuzzi went 3-for-4 for 65 yards on that drive, adding a 14-yard scamper on a critical 2nd-and-25 from the UTEP 37. On the ensuing snap he displayed the patience of a veteran, letting a blitzing defender come within close range before firing a dart to Randy Kitchens as he executed a shallow crossing pattern. With the defense out of position, Kitchens made the catch and dashed to the near pylon for the clinching score. That toss, his third scoring strike, closed a masterful performance by Fanuzzi, who made his first start of the season and surely earned a second next weekend at Northwestern. Fanuzzi, an Alabama transfer, began what represents the final stretch of his checkered career in style. "We got into a rhythm today where we could pretty much do whatever we wanted," Fanuzzi said. "We were running the ball successfully, going outside, inside, throwing it downfield; getting a lot of man coverage allows you to do that. It was very evenly mixed up today." Tailbacks Tyler Smith (19 carries for 89 yards) and Turner Petersen (14 carries for 74 yards and a 44-yard touchdown) did the bulk of their damage early. When UTEP stacked the box to stifle the Wild Owl, Fanuzzi peppered its secondary by getting almost everyone involved. McDonald and Smith (eight catches for 74 yards) paced the team in receptions while five others Jeremy Eddington, Andre Gautreaux, Taylor Cook, Kitchens and Taylor recorded three catches apiece. For the first time in a long time the Owls played every card in their deck. The Miners became unwitting victims to their newfound self-assurance. "I think it's been a growing process, but it's also a team we matched up physically well with on the line and in coverage," Rice coach David Bailiff said. "Going into the game, with what they were trying to do defensively, thought with the game plan we could get some big plays." Follow me on Twitter at FSH_Owls