1953 Rice Owls football team

The 1953 Rice Owls football team represented Rice University as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1953 college football season. Led by 14th-year head coach Jess Neely, the Owls compiled an overall record of 9–2 with a mark of 5–1 in conference play, sharing the SWC title with Texas. Rice was ranked No. 6 in the final polls, which were conducted before bowl season. The Owls were invited to the 1954 Cotton Bowl Classic, played on New Years' Day, where they defeated Southeastern Conference (SEC) champion, Alabama.^[1][2] The team played home games at Rice Stadium in Houston.

1953 Rice Owls football
SWC co-champion Cotton Bowl Classic champion
Cotton Bowl Classic, W 28–6 vs. Alabama
Conference	Southwest Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 6
AP	No. 6
Record	9–2 (5–1 SWC)
Head coach	Jess Neely (14th season)
Home stadium	Rice Stadium
Seasons ← 1952 1954 →

1953 Southwest Conference football standings
v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 6 Rice +	5	–	1	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
No. 11 Texas +	5	–	1	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Baylor	4	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
SMU	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Arkansas	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Texas A&M	1	–	5	–	0			4	–	5	–	1
TCU	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 19	No. 15 Florida*	No. 12	Rice Stadium Houston, TX	W 20–16	55,000	^[3]
October 3	at Cornell*	No. 14	Schoellkopf Field Ithaca, NY	W 28–7	22,000	^[4]
October 10	Hardin–Simmons*	No. 11	Rice Stadium Houston, TX	W 40–0	25,000	^[5]
October 17	at SMU	No. 11	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX (rivalry)	L 7–12	50,000	^[6]
October 24	at Texas		Memorial Stadium Austin, TX (rivalry)	W 18–13	48,000	^[7]
October 31	No. 19 Kentucky*	No. 12	Rice Stadium Houston, TX	L 13–19	33,000	^[8]
November 7	Arkansas		Rice Stadium Houston, TX	W 47–0	32,000	^[9]
November 14	Texas A&M	No. 16	Rice Stadium Houston, TX	W 34–7	57,500	^[10]
November 21	at TCU	No. 10	Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX	W 19–6	20,000	^[11]
November 28	No. 17 Baylor	No. 8	Rice Stadium Houston, TX	W 41–19	68,000	^[12]
January 1	vs. No. 13 Alabama*	No. 6	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic)	W 28–6	75,500	^[13]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

1. Watkins, Ed (January 2, 1954). "Rice beats Alabama 28–6, Moegle is Star". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved October 4, 2022 – via Google News Archive.
2. "1953 Rice Owls Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
3. "Gator rally fails as Rice wins, 20–16". Fort Lauderdale News. September 20, 1953. Retrieved October 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Strauss, Michael (October 4, 1953). "Rice running game tops Cornell, 28–7". The New York Times. p. S1.
5. "Owls smother Cowboys 40–0 in Rice Stadium". Valley Morning Star. October 11, 1953. Retrieved October 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Ponies nudge Owls, 12 to 7". The Marshall News Messenger. October 18, 1953. Retrieved October 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Rice sinks Texas, 18–13, with late counter". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 25, 1953. Retrieved October 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Kentucky upsets Rice 19–13 in game of Halloween chills". The Courier-Journal. November 1, 1953. Retrieved October 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Rice Owls outclass Razorbacks, 47–0". Wichita Falls Daily Times. November 8, 1953. Retrieved October 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Impressive Rice clobbers Aggies". The Victoria Advocate. November 15, 1953. Retrieved October 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Rice grinds out 19–6 win over TCU Frogs". The Abilene Reporter-News. November 22, 1953. Retrieved October 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Rice Owls smash Baylor, 41–19". Brownwood Bulletin. November 29, 1953. Retrieved October 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Amazed 75,500 see Rice rip Tide, 28–6". Birmingham Post-Herald. January 2, 1954. Retrieved October 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.