Recent News | Popular News | Subscribe

FACTS & STATS: Site: Rice Stadium (70,000) -- Houston, Texas. Television: CSS. Home Record: Vanderbilt 1-1, Rice 0-0. Away Record: Vanderbilt 0-1, Rice 0-3. Neutral Record: Vanderbilt 0-0, Rice 0-0. Conference Record: Vanderbilt 0-2, Rice 0-1. Series Record: Vanderbilt leads, 3-1.

GAME NOTES: Non-conference foes collide in Houston this weekend, as the Rice Owls welcome the Vanderbilt Commodores to town.

Vanderbilt opened the season with a 45-0 trouncing of FCS foe Western Carolina, but since then the club has scored 12 combined points in back-to- back losses. The most recent defeat occurred last weekend by a 15-3 final to Mississippi State in front of a disappointed home crowd. What makes the two straight losses particularly concerning is that both have come against SEC opponents.

As for Rice, it is set to play its first home game of the season and is still in search of its first victory. The Owls have been horrendous defensively, and they are coming off a 41-24 loss to Oklahoma State.

The Commodores have won three of four previous meetings with Rice, the most recent of which came last year in a 38-21 final.

Vanderbilt could get nothing going offensively against Mississippi State in the 15-3 loss. The Commodores finished with an embarrassing total of 157 yards, including 33 rushing yards on 29 attempts. Larry Smith posed little threat under center for the Commodores, as he completed only 12-of-32 passes for 124 yards and one interception. Vandy had possession of the ball for less than 22 minutes and was 6-of-18 on third down conversion attempts. Vanderbilt is scoring 19.0 ppg this season while gaining 329.0 ypg of total offense, so the averages are much better than last game's output. Still, Smith has not been very good, as his .446 completion percentage and 365 passing yards are laughable. There is no significant threat at receiver, and the best bet for Vandy is to keep the ball on the ground. Zac Stacy has rushed for 231 yards and a score, while Warren Norman has two rushing touchdowns to his credit.

It is remarkable that Mississippi State held possession of the ball for over 38 minutes against Vanderbilt despite finishing a mere 2-of-15 on third down conversion attempts. The Commodores surrendered 341 total yards in that tilt, including 260 on the ground. Still, holding an SEC opponent to 15 points is an accomplishment, and the Vandy defense should be proud of its effort. Through three outings, the Commodores are permitting only 12.7 ppg and 260.7 total ypg, numbers that they can take great pride in. The pass defense has been superb, as foes have yet to throw a touchdown against Vandy and are averaging a mere 6.9 yards per completion. Chris Marve has already forced three fumbles for the defense and has a team-high 30 total tackles to his credit.

The Owls have been mediocre on offense thus far, as they are generating 19.3 ppg and 341.7 total ypg. They are rushing for a mere 97.3 ypg and 2.9 yards per attempt, hard to believe considering the fact that Rice teams of the past have lived and died with the running game. Leading rusher Tyler Smith is injured and listed as questionable for this weekend, but the fact that he has only rushed for 86 yards this season suggests that his status for the game shouldn't influence the outcome. The passing game does not have a true leader, as both John Shepherd and Nick Fanuzzi have seen significant time under center. In the loss to Oklahoma State, Rice generated 377 total yards, and while only 76 of those came on the ground, three rushing touchdowns were scored by the Owls. They held the ball for more than 34 minutes, as the offense put forth a solid showing against a Big 12 defense.

Opponents have marched up and down the field at will against Rice, which is giving up 46.7 ppg and 475.7 total ypg. The Owls are yielding 157.0 rushing ypg and 5.3 yards per carry to opposing ball carriers, and the passing stats have been just as ugly. Quarterbacks have yet to throw an interception against Rice, which is being picked apart for 318.7 ypg and 14.5 yards per completion. Foes have tossed 12 touchdowns against the Owls in 12 quarters of football. Andrew Sendejo leads Rice with 26 total tackles, including three TFLs. Oklahoma State scored five offensive touchdowns against the Owls last week, as the defense was clearly overmatched.

Vanderbilt will score a road win this weekend, but expect a fairly close game. The Commodores can't score enough points to blow out anyone.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Vanderbilt 30, Rice 23