Longhorns To "Play" Rice This Evening

It's an annual rite of fall, the one time each year that people in Houston care about Rice football. Yes,tonight in Austin, the number 8 ranked Texas Longhorns will play the Rice Owls in what promises to be a blowout football game. Longhorn fans and alumni from across the city will descend on the sports bars in droves, ready to feast on the blood of the Owls, who are just happy for the national tv exposure.

Rice enters the game coming off a 59-24 thumping at the hands of Texas Tech; Texas arrives in Houston ranked eighth, but considered by many to be the most over-rated team in college football given their lack of a decisive win so far this season. Rice is coming off one of their best seasons in recent memory, having finally abandoned the wishbone offense and thereby entering the 20th century; Texas failed to follow up on the promise of their 2005 NCAA championship last year, and have thus far this year distinguished themselves by their off-field troubles (6 players arrested since the summer started) more than their on-field prowess.

Rice is led by QB Chase Clement and a core of talented receivers, but any high scoring affair will no doubt favor the 'Horns, who bring possible All-American Limus Sweed (who sounds like a character from a Dickens novel) as a deep threat and butterfingered RB Jamaal Charles as the main attractions of a balanced offense. Dreamy-eyed Texas QB Colt McCoy (who sounds like a character from a much cheaper, trashier novel) has been taking some heat lately, so he may have a chance for a week's worth of redemption with a good performance Saturday.

As a spectator, this one will only be fun if you're the type of person who plays Madden on the easiest level just so that Matt Schaub can pass for 400 yards a game. But it's the biggest college football game involving your hometown Owls so far this year, so it'll have to do. The game kicks off at 6pm at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium Bar And Grille in Austin; for a local watching party, just follow that guy in the khaki shorts and Longhorn polo shirt into a bar.

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Photo: flickr user 3rd Coast Chick