[Rice University Athletics Scrapbook: 1980-1982] Page: 4

                                
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Rice notes
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Rice^s hopes for a dynamic offense in 1980 rest with Hertel (left)^ Fance
— Post photo by Bill Thompson
‘4
Alborn believes Owls will improve
PIERCE
transition. But, if the Owls opened
the season against Clemson tomor-
row, instead of Sept. 13, Hertel
would be Rice’s main man and Rob-
ert Hoffmann would be the backup.
“That’s because Hertel’s been in
the casino,” explained Alborn.
“That’s what Bill Peterson used to
say when he meant arena. But Her-
tel can execute the option. He’s no
Terry Elston, but he did a fine job
against SMU last year.-”
Alborn is really excited by his ,
two “puppies,” Phillip Money and
Doug Johnson, who were recruited
off the bluechip list from Edinburg]
and Pasadena Dobie.
“They’re two big, strong young
men who are good athletes,” says
Alborn, almost ecstatically.
"They’re the best natural runners of
the quarterbacks and Money is a
picture passer — the best we’ve had
since Tommy Kramer. They’ll play
some football before this season is
over, but I’d be reluctant to start ei-
ther of them against Clemson in
Death Valley.”
Co-captain Calvin Fance, Frank
Wilson and Tim Sanders are the
three top running backs at the mo-
ment. They have won seven letters
among them, but they just produced
one touchdown last year — scored
by Sanders.
Nevertheless, Alborn likes the
looks of his runners, particularly
Mark Palmer, who just arrived on
campus from El Camino (Calif.)
Junior College. “He’ll be all right as
By JACK AGNESS
Post Sports Writer
In the Southwest Conference Roster & Record Book,
under the heading foe-NET-ick-lee, the name Koenning
is pronounced KAY-nig at the University of Texas and
KEN-ing at Rice.
Little Les Koenning is the
senior wide receiver for the
. Longhorns, and his daddy, Big
Les, is the offensive coordinator
and quarterback coach on Ray
Alborn’s Owl staff.
They’re used to people muti-
' lating their name, but you bet-
ter not get smart, bub! If the
Koennings gang up on you,
you’d be better off fighting a
hornet’s nest.
Young Koenning, who has
never weighed more than 162
pounds, was a Longhorn junior
when his daddy, once a career
high school coach, quit Spring
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Rice provides the Owls with a
knit shirt, bearing a special logo, as
part of the road uniform, but Chuck
Taylor, the barrel-chested frosh '
lineman from Seguin, will be on his
own if he makes the travel squad.
Rice doesn’t have a shirt to fit the
big guy . . . Remember when San
Antonio high schools stocked the
Rice teams? Not anymore. The
Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex sup-
plied 37 Owls, while 25 others list
Houston as home. Only a dozen
come from out of state, meaning 79
were recruited right here in Texas
. . . Former Rice star James
Sykes, now under contract with Cal-
gary, is leading the Canadian Foot-
ball League in rushing and has
scored seven touchdowns. Including
his pass receiving, Sykes has ac-
counted for 43 percent of Calgary’s
offense . . . New Rice receiver
Johnny McCoy anchored the swift-
est 440-yard relay team on the na-
tional prep scene in 1977 at Garland
High School. His teammates were
Herkie and Phil Walls and Freddy
Johnson, the Rice defensive back.
They ran it in 41 seconds flat, a
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“A quarterback must have an inner confidence in his
ability. He has to believe in himself and his coach So
far, everything has been so exacting. The Veer still isn’t
natural, but I’ve never seen a bunch of guvs trving so
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Martha will see the game with the regular “Memori-
al crew,” the parents of Longhorn players Doug Daw-
son, Kiki De Ayala and Gig Settegast.
Big Les admitted to being somewhat biased when he
picked Texas to win, particularly on a 105-degree night
and added, “Texas is a lot like Rice. When Donnie Lit-
tle is quarterbacking, Texas will run more. When Rick
McIvor is in the lineup, Texas will pass more. We’ll
pass more with Randy Hertel in the game and run more
when Robert Hoffmann is quarterbacking.”
Koenning is introducing the Owls to the Veer forma-
Stylish One
SANTA CLARA — The man from Hollister glanced at
»ooF^n^
bur Jackson and Phil Francis.
He asked Coach Bill Walsh, “How much is Earl going
to play Saturday against the Oakland Raiders. The fans
want to get a look at Cooper."
Walsh wasted little time in replying, “Cooper might
play maybe half the game if we have the ball that long.
at training camp.
As for Rice’s two pup quarterbacks, freshmen Doug
Johnson and Phillip Money, Koenning says, “They’ve
put enough pressure on themselves. They don’t need the
same kind of pressure from the public, right now
They’re going to be great athletes. Their time will
come, soon. I’m not saying they won’t play in the Clem-
son game, but I don’t think we could start either of
them.
ri I                              • 30
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state record. Johnson should be
' given a certificate of appreciation.
In addition to McCoy, he also helped T
to recruit Rice basketballer Ricky
Pierce . . . Rice’s over-the-counter
ticket sale to all games starts Mon-
day ... All members of Rice’s sup-
port clubs will be invited to inspect
the new coaches’ wing in Rice
Stadium on Sept. 7 (Sunday). The
tour will also include the new dress-
ing rooms, training room and
weight room . . . Jess Neely and
Joe Davis, who orginated Clemson’s
IPTAY Club (I pay $10 a year), will |
be special guests at the Rice-Clem-
son opener at Clemson, S.C., Sept.
13, as will all former Tiger coaches.
But the dues have probably increas-
ed since the Neely years in the ,
1930s. Both Rice and Clemson take
credit for Hall of Famers Neely and .
John Heisman, who coached at
Clemson from 1900 to 1903 and at
Rice from 1924 to 1927. Neely’s ten-
ure at the Atlantic Coast Conference
school extended from 1931 to 1939. I
He assumed the Rice reins in 1940
and retired from coaching there in
1966.                                           I
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Koenning Sr.
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tion, which is in sharp contrast to the passing game natural, but I’ve never seen a bunch of guys trying :
that has been the meat and potatoes of the Rice attack hard. If they could relax a little, it might come easier
in recent years. Even though Hertel was the SWC’s “Our philosophy is not a wide open offense ” Koen-
premier passer, Rice was only 3-19 in his three seasons ning added. “We just want to control the football and
as the Owls’ whip. It is time for change, but Rice is only make a minimum of mistakes. There’s nothing flashy
into the basics and the Clemson opener is Sept. 13.     : about it. We might have 20 plays per game and ctlj/
, Koenning will call the plays for Rice, but Alborn says use eight or 10.
It’ll be a coordinated effort Koenning will act on the “We hope we can turn it around ”
judgment of several people, Alborn included.
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Hubble
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Branch Memorial and joined the Owls in time for spring
training last year. He was 45.
With apologies to UT’s Fred Akers, Big Les taught
his son practically everything he knows about football.
He coached Little Les at Hampshire-Fannett and
Memorial.
Big Les would love to accompany his wife, Martha,
to Austin Monday night and watch the Longhorns open
the season against the Arkansas Razorbacks, but he
had to renege.
“I’ve got a jb to do here,” he said out at Rice
Wednesday. “I just hope to find time to see it on TV. If
I don’t, we’ll video tape it, anyway.”
Like a Thoroughbred
But he indicated he is ready for his pro debut in a re-
cent 49er inter-squad scrimmage where he carried four
times for 33 yards and gathered in three pass receptions
for 30 yards.
/ Billie Matthews, who directs the 49er running backs, is
one of Earl’s biggest boosters.
Said Matthews Tuesday, “He is quite stylish He has
great flair, he looks like a thoroughbred. Earl has dash
and acceleration. Great instinct, he can find the cracks in
the defense, pick and slide.”
12C /The Houston Post/Sun., Aug. 24, 1980 *
P-'pea
Koenning duo makes mark in SJFC
soon as he learns to be a Texan,”
says Alborn of the 205-pound
Californian.
Rice’s receivers are more than
adequate.. Hosea Fortune and Bobby
Williams, who walked on the team a
year ago, are the starting wide re-
ceivers. But Alborn thought Hubble
was the best tight end in the confer-
ence last year and the stats help
bear him out. The 247-pound junior
was second to Rice leader Earl
Cooper in SWC receptions.
Kveton has no peer in the line,
but Alborn describes center as one-
deep and the Owls will be in trouble
if something happens to the Dobie
senior.
Carlos Mainord, the new coordi-
nator, has made a big difference in
the defense, but the durability of
ends William Knowles and Will Rub
and linebacker Robert Williamson,
all knee cases, is a big “if” in
Rice’s goals.
“It’s the best defense I’ve had,”
vows Alborn, “but the object is for
the defensive kids to spend less time
on the field. Last year against
Texas they were on the field for 106
snaps.”
Alborn thinks Houston will win
the championship again, with Texas
and Arkansas in hot pursuit.
“Houston has its whole defense
back,” says the Rice coach, “but
they just need Taylor and Mitchell,
two great players. What makes it so
good is that they have a lot of other
great players to go with them.”
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There are no fewer than seven candidates at quarter- RICE NOTES — The Ray Alborn Show, co-hosted by
back and an eighth one, Jericho Tollolo, was switched sportscaster Jerry Truplano, will be seen on Channel 2
to running back Wednesday.                            at 9:30 a.m. every Sunday, meaning that there will be a
Presently, Hertel is No. 1, but he re-hurt his ankle in review of Saturday’s game. It will be shown in Dallas at
Saturday’s scrimmage and will be shelved all week. 11:30 p.m. Monday, following the ABC-TV pro football
“That’s one of the hazards of the system,” notes game._____________
Koenning. “I think Hertel missed one game intthree
years. But he hurt his knee last spring and missed half,
of spring training, and he strained an ankle Saturday.
In the Veer, injuries are inevitable. It’s gonna happen.
Look at UH. But if somebody goes down, we’ve got the
people to play.”
Koenning said Rice would carry “four or five” quar-
terbacks and play at least two per game. “Not that
they couldn’t be quarterbacks,” added Koenning, “but
the others will play at different positions.”
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Can Make Big Play
Hams at Kansas, said, “ Earl has a lot of talent.
/ “He’s going to be a super asset to our team. He can
make the big play, pop one for 60 or 70 yards.
7 Then Matthews added, “Earl isn’t that bad of a blocker
either. But at Rice he didn’t have to do much of that, he
was on the receiving end of a lot of passes.”
7 Cooper is fleet of foot too. Smiled Billie, “We’ve
clocked him in 4.5 in the 40-yard dash. That isn’t bad for a
\ guy his size, 6-2 and.227 pounds."
Walsh’s Observation
Walsh suggested, “Earl is exactly the type back we
were looking for in our offense. He s big, fluid, fast. He
catches everything and takes it upfield with grace and
toughness. In full stride he will be one of the,fastest run-
ners in pro football. And he is a maturing power runner
who can blossom behind a quality offensive line He s the
best combination runner-receiver in the draft since New
Orleans took Chuck Muncie."
Which explains why the 49er coach declared Tuesday,
“I see our fullback carrying the ball more than in the
past."                                                   x
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and yards gained receiving 47 for 463 and scoring seven
touchdowns. < (    0      /
T He had 21 career TDs at Rice, the second most in the
( history of the Houston school.
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( From pagel )
and pass protect. Three-fourths of
the time, the defense would get in a
sprint stance and come at you.”
Rickey Thomas, also a three-let-
(er senior cornerback and once a
blue-chip hurdler-footballer out of
Beaumont South Park, contributed
his bit, “Right now, I’m first string,
but there are quality guys behind
me who could step in and be No. 1.”
Asked if he went along with Al-
born’s “win every game” theory,
Thomas quitkly responded, “That’s
why we go out and practice hard
every day. That’s what we expect.
We’ve just won three games since
I’ve been here, but we have to ac-
cept the fact we can win. We will
win. Hopefully, this year, we can
start a new tradition.”
Alborn confessed it was time for
a change at Rice, because the Owls
must have “set an NCAA record in
turnovers last year.” So, he went to
the Veer, a more conservative of-
fense, and forsook the first element
(not reading the tackle).
In brief, Alborn simplified Rice’s
mode of attack and eliminated the
frills.
But the quarterback picture is
et “fuzzy.” For three years, the Owls
moved almost solely on Randy Her-
tel’s strong passing arm. Suddenly,
Hertel was told to change his whole
philosophy and start running with
the ball. It hasn’t been a smooth
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