March 21, 2008

David Bailiff's Rice Owls passed the midpoint of their 2008 spring football practice schedule with an early-morning workout on Friday at Rice Stadium.

"This was a great practice," Bailiff said. "It was nice and cool, and they came out and had a great rebound from a pretty bad practice yesterday. I was disappointed with the effort yesterday, and I let them know it after practice. We too many dropped balls by receivers, but they came out today and were very sharp on both sides of the ball," he added.

With the increased number of players available for practice, Bailiff noted that practices this spring have been far more productive.

"Last year, by the eighth practice of the spring, we has six periods of actual practice and 10 periods of walkthroughs. We were never able to sustain much. This year we are getting better and better with each practice because we can get so much more accomplished when we are on the field," he said.

Bailiff indicated that early morning activities may continue to be a regular feature for the Owls in the future.

"We have been having our team meetings at 7 a.m. this spring, and we've found it to be much more productive. Since we don't meet after practice, we've eliminated the conflicts with night classes, and the rest of the team is able to get back to the serveries in time for dinner. We will look to do this in the fall at least a couple of days each week during the season," he said.

The Owls will be back on the practice field on Monday at 4 p.m. and practice on Tuesday and Thursday before holding their Spring Scrimmage 5 p.m. next Saturday.

Golf Tournament Deadline Approaching

The deadline for advance registering for the third annual Rice Owl Football Lettermen/Alumni Golf Tournament is rapidly approaching. All interested golfers are asked to complete their registrations by Wednesday, March 26.

This year's event will be held on Friday, March 28 at the Sienna Plantation Golf Club. Late registration will begin at 7 a.m. and the scramble will begin with a shotgun start a 9 a.m.

3rd Annual Lettermen/Alumni Golf Tournament Registration Form (PDF)

The alumni golf event kicks off a series of events that will take place in conjunction with the Spring Scrimmage. The day will start with the 2008 Spring JR. Owl Clinic, which is open to 1st through 8th graders. The clinic will start at 4:00 pm and will run until 5:00. All JR Owls are encouraged to stay for the Spring Game which will begin at 5:00 p.m. Parents can call the football office at 713-348-6900 for any questions.

After the scrimmage, the Owls will host a Coaches Social and Crawfish Boil for all area football coaches. Cost for the event is $7 per coach. Coaches Social Registration Form (PDF)