Rice’s revival was Taylor made

Jordan Taylor delivered his share of game-changing plays in his career at Rice.

Along the way, he has contributed to a cultural change in the Owls football program.

Taylor signed with the Owls as a quarterback prospect out of high school, converted to wide receiver early on and will leave as one of Rice’s most prolific pass catchers after helping reset its postseason expectations.

The Owls (7-5) have strung three winning seasons together for the first time since 1961-63 and will make a school-record third consecutive bowl appearance on Wednesday when they face Fresno State (6-7) in the Hawaii Bowl.

"It means a lot especially for me and this senior class knowing our first year we didn’t even go to a bowl game," Taylor said before heading onto the field at Aloha Stadium for practice.

"That was the expectation — not to go to a bowl game — when we first came to Rice. I feel like we’ve changed the tradition a little bit to where it’s almost expected to go to a bowl game every year and we’re excited to be here."

A year after winning the Conference USA championship, Rice extended the bowl streak by recovering from an 0-3 start this season to reel off six straight wins, the run coinciding with Taylor’s return from a foot injury.

The sprain sidelined the 6-foot-5 wideout for Rice’s losses to Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Old Dominion and he saw limited playing time in a win over Southern Mississippi that opened the win streak.

Taylor truly got back into the flow in the Owls’ win over Hawaii on Oct. 4. He caught five passes for 103 yards and scored on a 31-yard touchdown pass late in Rice’s 28-14 comeback win in Houston.

"Just coming back from the injury and trying to bounce back that really was my first game to get a lot of playing time and get some balls thrown my way," Taylor said. "Just to get back in the groove and consistent with the quarterbacks and the timing and rhythm, it was a good game for me."

Taylor went over 100 yards three more times in the regular season and leads the team with 49 receptions for 781 yards and six touchdowns. A second-team All-CUSA pick for the second straight year, Taylor enters the Hawaii Bowl second in school history in career receiving yards (2,524) and touchdowns (19) and third in receptions (170).

"He’s a playmaker for us," Rice coach David Bailiff said. "He’s 6-5, he’s got great body control, he’s got great hands and he’s got the ability to make the big play. He’s turned some short ones into some long ones. He’s fun to watch play."

He closed the regular season by catching 10 passes for 136 yards and a touchdown against Louisiana Tech. But he doesn’t have particularly fond memories of that game, a 76-31 loss that cost the Owls a chance to play in the Conference USA championship game.

"For this senior class we don’t want to go out losing and we had our butts handed to us, honestly, in that game against LaTech," Taylor said. "We have to bounce back and show we have a little fight in us, a little grit, and come back and have a good game against Fresno State."

Taylor and cornerback Bryce Callahan will represent Rice once more after the Hawaii Bowl. They were selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 17 in Florida.