1916 Rice Owls football team

The 1916 Rice Owls football team was an American football team that represented Rice University as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1916 college football season. In its fifth season under head coach Philip Arbuckle, the team compiled a 6–1–2 record (2–1 against SWC opponents) and outscored opponents by a total of 346 to 62.[2][3]

1916 Rice Owls football
ConferenceSouthwest Conference
Record6–1–2 (2–1 SWC)
Head coach
CaptainW. E. Brown
Home stadiumRice Field
Seasons
← 1915
1917 →
1916 Southwest Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Texas 5 1 0 7 2 0
Baylor 3 1 0 9 1 0
Rice 2 1 0 6 1 2
Oklahoma 2 1 0 6 5 0
Texas A&M 1 2 0 6 3 0
Arkansas 0 2 0 4 4 0
Oklahoma A&M 0 3 0 4 4 0
Southwestern (TX) 0 4 0 3 5 1
  • No champion recognized[1]

On November 17, 1916, the team scored 146 points against SMU. This remains the single-game scoring record for a Rice football team.[4] Rice scored 23 touchdowns in the game, including six by left halfback Griffith Vance. The Houston Daily Post wrote that Vance's work was the "outstanding feature of the game", describing a "wonderful side step" and "quick change of pace" that enabled him to run through the entire SMU team several times for touchdowns.[5]

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultSource
October 7at TexasL 2–16[6]
October 13Austin*W 40–0[7]
October 21Southwestern (TX)
  • Rice Field
  • Houston, TX
W 54–0[8]
October 27at TCU*
T 7–7[9][10]
November 4Texas A&M
W 20–0[11]
November 11Tulane*
  • Rice Field
  • Houston, TX
W 23–13[12]
November 17SMU*
W 146–3[5][13]
November 24at LSU*T 7–7[14]
November 30Arizona*
  • Rice Field
  • Houston, TX
W 47–16[15]
  • *Non-conference game

References

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  1. ^ http://www.thompsonian.info/swc-historical-standings.pdf
  2. ^ "1916 Rice Owls Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  3. ^ "Rice Owls 2017 Football Fact Book" (PDF). Rice University. 2017. p. 187.
  4. ^ Rice Football 2017 Football Fact Book, pp. 131, 133.
  5. ^ a b "Owls Rolled Up Record Score: Speedy Backfield Raced Through S.M.U. Line-up for Total of 145 Points to Visitors' 3". Houston Daily Post. November 18, 1916. p. 10.
  6. ^ "Varsity defeated Rice 16 to 2 in hard contest". Houston Daily Post. October 8, 1916. Retrieved April 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Austin no match for Institute". The Houston Post. October 14, 1916. Retrieved February 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Rice Owls land on S.W.U. for 54 to 0, and 8 touchdowns". The Austin American. October 22, 1916. Retrieved August 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "T. C. U. Confident On Eve of Battle With Rice Owls". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. October 26, 1916. p. 12. Retrieved August 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com  .
  10. ^ "Kike" (October 28, 1916). "Dope Gets Rude Setback When Christians Hold Rice Owls to 7 to 7 Tie Local Field". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. p. 6. Retrieved August 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com  .
  11. ^ "Rice outplayed the Aggies, winning 20 to 0". The Houston Post. November 5, 1916. Retrieved February 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Tulane's rally came too late; Rice won 23 to 13". The Houston Post. November 12, 1916. Retrieved February 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Rice Piles Up Record Score On Methodists". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. November 18, 1916. p. 3. Retrieved February 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com  .
  14. ^ "Tigers play Rice 7–7 tie, saving 'lost game'". The Shreveport Journal. November 25, 1916. Retrieved February 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Rice Won Spectacular Game". Houston Daily Post. December 1, 1916. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.