VOLUME 108, ISSUE NO. 4 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2023
COURTESY BRANDON MARTIN
: e s u o h s Hoot’ ANDERSEN PICKARD
FOR THE THRESHER
President Reggie DesRoches stormed the field. Graduate transfer quarterback JT Daniels took selfies with students. Head coach Mike Bloomgren hoisted a golden bucket over his head. This was the scene following Rice Football’s 43-41 victory over the University of Houston Cougars in double overtime Saturday, bringing the Bayou Bucket back to Rice for the first time since 2010. Rice set the tone of the game with a dominating first quarter that saw strong plays on both sides of the ball. Less than two minutes after junior wide receiver Luke McCaffrey caught a 10yard touchdown pass from Daniels on the opening drive, junior cornerback Tre’Shon Devones picked off the Houston quarterback. The Owls capitalized on the turnover after freshman running back Daelen Alexander scored a touchdown on a short run, giving Rice a 14-0 lead. A Houston three-and-out on the next possession gave the ball back to the Owls’ offense. Daniels connected with McCaffrey for the second time on a highlight reel 32yard touchdown pass, putting the Owls
Environment, feminism, whimsy at the Moody SHREYA CHALLA
SENIOR WRITER
Laure Prouvost’s first solo exhibition in Texas, “Above Front Tears Nest in South,” which explores themes of feminism and environmentalism, opens this month at the Moody Center for the Arts. Prouvost, a well-known French artist with major exhibitions around the world, works with different kinds of mediums to create immersive installations that incorporate a variety of artwork, including video, sculptures, tapestries and recycled materials. The exhibition’s public opening reception will be Friday, Sept. 15 from 6 to 8 p.m., and the student opening will be Saturday, Sept. 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. Frauke Josenhans, a curator at the Moody, has been working on the exhibit since last year. She said that Prouvost
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t e k c u B u o y a B n i n o t s u o H s t a e f e d e IN FOCUS: BAYOU BUCKET c Ri
up 21-0 in the first quarter. Daniels threw for 401 passing yards, tying a career high, with three touchdowns and an interception. McCaffrey applauded Daniels for his skill and effort which, he said, was reflected on every play of the game. “I’m so thankful JT is in this program,” McCaffrey said postgame. “So thankful for the demeanor he has every single play and the ability to put that ball where you need it.” A Houston punt at the start of the second quarter enabled the Owls to extend their lead to 28 after an 11-play, 77-yard drive culminated in redshirt freshman Braylen Walker’s first career touchdown reception. “The first 24 to 26 minutes of the game was Rice Owl football, and it was the jump from [the loss at Texas] we wanted to see,”
Bloomgren said. The Cougars responded quickly as they converted two fourth downs before a Houston wide receiver caught a touchdown to put them on the board. The Owls attempted to add one more score before the half ended but were stymied after a Daniels end-zone interception. Rice took a 28-7 lead into halftime. After allowing a combined 35 points in the first half, both defenses stood strong for a scoreless third quarter. The Owls’ defense forced two turnovers on downs while the Cougars’ defense forced a punt and an Owls fumble, leaving the score at 28-7. Houston rallied in the fourth quarter, scoring 21 points, tying the tally and sending the
COURTESY BRANDON MARTIN
Score: 43-41 (2OT)
Rivalry: first Rice win since 2010 Key Players: JT Daniels: 401 yards, three TDs, one INT Daelen Alexander: three TDs, one two-pt conversion Coleman Coco: six total tackles, two sacks
[The locker room] was like a club that I don’t go to anymore. It was a very fun atmosphere, a lot of guys celebrating a very hard-earned victory. Mike Bloomgren FOOTBALL HEAD COACH
SEE BAYOU BUCKET PAGE 10
Freezing cold takes with Chief and Justice HAMZA SAEED
THRESHER STAFF
“Okay, so let’s say I have a gun to your head, because I just went ahead and robbed a bank … I need you to tell me who you are in 10 seconds.” (The Thresher always starts with hard-hitting questions.) “I’m a … gamer,” Jacob Wong proclaimed. “I started out with Minecraft, and then … I got pretty competitive at Counter-Strike.” “I like eating red crayons, but I wish they had some more red-40 in them,” Timmy Mansfield added. Wong and Mansfield, McMurtry College’s Chief and Justice, respectively, were put on the hot — rather, ice-cold — seat in an exclusive interview with the Thresher. To get the most authentic story, the Thresher asked these two men to don their banana costumes and sit in ice baths by the North Servery Fountain. If having two chief justices sounds strange, it should — Wong and Mansfield ran together for the position of chief justice after Joon Lee stepped down last year. In an email sent to McMurtry students in May, Lee, now a junior, said he resigned following a boxing event on McMurtry’s college night. Lee was in charge of refereeing the match between two McMurtry students,
but it was shut down by one of McMurtry’s magisters. Lee had made a name for himself on Fizz as “CJoon.” The Thresher asked Mansfield to rank Lee’s public perception on a scale of O.J. Simpson to Jesus of Nazareth. “He was like Messi … or Jordan,” Mansfield said. “That’s a really sussy scale,” Wong added. However, Mansfield and Wong agreed that Lee’s legacy did not intimidate them — instead, they saw this opening for CJ as an opportunity rather than a challenge.
“There was no pressure from anyone, really,” Mansfield said. These self-proclaimed goofballs had a deep bond prior to running together for CJ. It started with being freshman year roommates. “The reason I get up in the morning is so that I can turn around in bed and see Jacob,” Mansfield quipped. As CJs, Mansfield and Wong have already had to handle perilous situations. “There was a mystery person on fourth
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ANDY LIU / THRESHER