The Rice Thresher, Vol. 88, No. 22, Ed. 1 Friday, February 23, 2001 Page: 24 of 28
twenty eight pages : ill. ; page 19 x 15 in.View a full description of this newspaper.
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THE RICE THRESHER SPORTS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23.2001
LINDSAY ROEMMICH/THRESHER
Freshman Scott Philips finished in a tie for second place at 214 to carry Rice
to a third-place team finish at the Udamon Southwest Classic in Victoria.
Philips continues trend
of strong freshman play
by John C. Chao
THRESHER STAFF
The freshmen are on fire.
For the second straight week,
Rice's golf team was led by the run-
ner-up individual finish of a fresh-
man. At the Udamon Southwest
Classic in Victoria Monday and
Tuesday, freshman Scott Philips
shot scores of 72,72 and 70 to finish
eight strokes behind the first-place
finisher, Jimmy Walker from Baylor
University.
A week earlier, freshman Ryan
Morgan finished second at the Rice
Intercollegiate and earned Western
Athletic Conference Golfer of the
Week honors.
The play of the freshmen, who
are roommates, took the team a long
way in Victoria. Heading into the
final round, the team was in the
middle of a logjam for the third-
through eighth-place slots.
Philips' 70, coupled with
Morgan's71, pushed the Owls to the
top of the group to finish in a tie for
third in the 15-team field.
"I'm really proud of how Ryan and
Scott have played," sophomore Brad-
ley I ane said. "They've setan example
for us. It's really good for a team to
have two young guys like that."
This year, the golf team has had
three top-five finishes in its last four
tournaments. I-asl year, the team
had three top-five finishes the whole
year.
"We're definitely playing better
this year," Lane said. "We're making
less mistakes and playing smarter.
The two teams we lost to were in the
top 15, and we beat some teams
ranked ahead of us."
Philips said he and Morgan spur
each other on.
"I felt I played really consis-
tently this week," Philips said.
"Ryan set; a good pace for us to
challenge last week. It made me
realize that I can go out and play
Football announces staff changes
Wachenheim assumes role of offensive coordinator, Bland to coach QBs
by Jose Luis Cubria
THRKSHRR EDITORIAL STAFF
For the first time since 1998, the
Rice football team has made changes
to its coaching staff.
Scott Wachenheim has been pro-
moted to offensive coordinator and
John Bland has joined the staff as
quarterbacks coach, head coach Ken
Hatfield announced Monday.
Wachenheim, Rice's offensive
line coach for the past seven years,
replaces David U'e at the helm of
the Owls' triple option offense.
I,ee, who served as Rice's offen-
sive coordinator and quarterbacks
coach for seven years, has been
named quarterbacks coach at the
University of Arkansas.
7 look forward to doing
my best to help my
players become the best
they can be.'
— Scott Wachenheim
Offensive coordinator
The departure ends a 12-year
working relationship between I^e
and Hatfield. Before their time at
Rice, (he two worked together al
Arkansas from 1984-'88.
Hatfield was the Razorbacks'
head coach, while Ijee was quar-
terbacks coach for the first four
years and offensive coordinator t he
fifth.
"If I was in a battle and there was
one guy who I had to take with me in
the foxhole, it would be Ken
Hatfield," Lee told the Houston
Chronicle. "It's not been by luck or
COIJRTCSY SPORTS INFORMATION
David Lee
mistake that he is the eighth-
win n ingest active coach in Ainerica."
Under Lee, Rice established it-
self as one of the premier rushing
offenses in the nation, finishing as
high as second in rushing yards per
game. Hatfield said the program
won't miss a beat with Wachenheim's
promotion.
"One of the strengths of our
offense at Rice has been our offen-
sive line, and 1 know that Scott will
have that same type [of] success
with his new responsibilities,"
Hatfield said. "He has worked with
a variety of offensive attacks ...
and 1 know he's excited about this
new opportunity."
Wachenheim, 38, began his col-
. lege football career as an offensive
lineman at the U.S. Air Force Acad-
emy. where Hatfield was head
coach.
Wachenheim was a four-year
starter from 1980-'83and was named
all-Western Athletic Conference and
honorable mention all-America in
1983.
He first coached under Hatfield
at Arkansas in 1989. Healso coached
at Colorado State University and
Utah State University before com-
ing to Rice.
In Wachenheim's time at Rice,
he has coached offensive line
standouts such as Charles Torello,
who won all-America honors in 1997,
and all-conference players in Chris
Cooley, Jeremy Thigpen, Neal Gray
and Rod Beavan.
Rice had at least one all-confer-
ence offensive lineman in each of
Wachenheim's seven years as the
offensive line coach, a responsibility
he will retain with his new coordina-
tor duties.
" I am very excited to be named ...
offensive coordinator." Wachenheim
said. "I appreciate the confidence
coach Hatfield has shown in me. I
look forward to doing my best to
help my players become the best
they can be."
Bland also played under
Hatfield, helping Arkansas to a pair
of Southwest Conference titles. He
was named the permanent captain
of the Razorbacks' 1988 Cotton
Bowl team and played in four bowl
games.
Before coming to Rice, Bland
was most recently the head coach at
Southern Arkansas University, a
position he assumed in 2000 after
three years as the Mu lenders' offen-
sive coordinator.
Bland's flexbone attack broke six
Southern Arkansas records and six
(iuIf South Conference marks dur-
ing a 5-5 campaign last year.
The 34-year-old started his
coaching career as a student assis-
tant under Hatfield in 1989, and he
laler worked at Auburn University
before joining the Southern Arkan-
sas staff.
"John's character is tops,"
Hatfield said. "And his expertise as a
player and coach will enable him to
relate to our players well."
IN FOCUS: GOLF
Last week: The Owls finished
third in a 15-team field at the
Udamon Southwest Classic in
Victoria, 15 shots behind
champion Baylor University.
What made the difference:
Freshman Scott Philips had the
best performance of his career,
finishing tied for second
individually with a two-under-
par214. Fellow freshman Ryan
Morgan finished in a tie for
eighth at 218.
Up next: The Owls take a month
off before competing at the El
Diablo Intercollegiate Mar. 17-
18.
with the top players.
"1 had been working on improv-
ing my putting for a long time. I felt
I was on the verge of playing well
and at this tournament, the ball
started going in the hole and it felt
really good."
Philips and Morgan each averaged
over 75 strokes per round during the
fal 1 season .but Out of six spri ng rou n ds.
four of Morgan's and three of Philips'
have been 72 or under.
"We've had a lot of fun being able
to play well after sort of struggling,"
Philips said. "It's a really big confi-
dence booster for both of us."
The success of this year's fresh-
men means that there's a world of
opportunity ahead for the Owls.
"We're strong right now." fresh-
man Winn Smith said. "But we're
going to be stronger next year be-
cause we're getting some good re-
cruiting. Given a couple more years
experience, there's no telling what
we can do."
The team has a month off before
its next tournament, the El Diablo
Intercollegiate in Citrus Springs, Ma.
on Mar. 17-18.
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Stoler, Brian. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 88, No. 22, Ed. 1 Friday, February 23, 2001, newspaper, February 23, 2001; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth443011/m1/24/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.