Backup QB Driphus Jackson Leads Rice to Bowl Victory

Backup quarterback Driphus Jackson was called into duty and lead Rice to a 33-14 victory over Air Force. (Cooper Neill)

Adversity can sometimes be the spark that is needed. Trailing Air Force 14-7 late in the second quarter, Rice's starting quarterback Taylor McHargue suffered a head injury after being hit by the Falcons' Steffon Batts. Redshirt freshman Driphus Jackson was called into duty.

With just a few seconds left in the half, the Owls were looking to tie the score up. However, on first-and-goal at the two-yard line, Jackson was pressured and fumbled the option pass. Air Force's Chris Miller was there to recover the football.

Nothing appeared to be going Rice's way. With McHargue ruled out for the remainer of the game, Jackson was going to have to lead the Owls offense. Despite his limited experience, he came out in the second half looking like a seasoned veteran. Nothing was going to rattle him in the pocket.

On their opening drive of the second half, Jackson drove the Rice offense 87 yards in eight plays. He found six-foot-five Jordan Taylor for the 22-yard touchdown strike to tie the game up 14-14. During the Owls’ go-ahead drive, Jackson was particularly impressive with six straight completions. Junior tailback Charles Ross punched it in from two yards out to give Rice the lead.

The Owls added two more field goals to extend their lead to 27-14. With 1:38 left in the game, Jackson put the icing on the cake. On fourth-and-eight, he looked deep and hooked up with Taylor again for a 34-yard touchdown score.

Jackson completed 15 of 21 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns. Being a superb athlete, he was a dual threat for the Air Force defense and added 32 rushing yards. His performance earned him the honors of Armed Forces Bowl Player of the Game.

Jackson certainly did not do it all by himself. His favorite target, Jordan Taylor, had a huge game as well. With nine catches for 153 yards and three touchdowns, he was too much for the Falcons undersized defense to handle. The rushing attack did their share of the work as well.

Junior tailback Turner Petersen led the way on the ground. He had 81 yards on just nine carries. Petersen broke a big run of 48 yards that helped setup a Rice field goal. Ross added 57 yards and a touchdown of his own. Overall, the Owls totaled 208 rushing yards, which helped them win the time of possession battle with nearly 38 minutes of offense.

The Rice defense was outstanding as well. Air Force entered the game averaging 435.9 yards of offense per game, but were held to a season-low 214 yards in the loss. The Falcons had the second-best rushing attack in the nation, averaging 328.8 yards per game, but were held to only 166 yards by the Owls defense. Rice also registered 24 first downs to Air Force's 12. The Falcons had just two first downs in the second half.

Rice has faced its share of adversity this season, but overcame it all to win their second bowl game since 1953. After a 1-5 start to the season, the Owls won six out of seven to have a winning season. Jackson came into the game and played superbly. With a young football team, there is much to look forward to down the road in Houston.