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RICE RAIDERS 28, VAN VLECK LEOPARDS 18
The Rice Raiders clinched a playoff spot on Friday, Nov. 1, after they defeated Van Vleck 28-18.
The win got the Raiders out of two game rut where they lost backto- back games by inly one or two scores.
This Raiders team came into the year with a chip on their shoulder because of how last season went for them and the struggles they endured. They came into the year with something to prove and made a goal for themselves to make the playoffs this season. They can now check that off their to-do list.
The Raiders offense came out the gate moving the ball effectively down the field while their defense lived in the Van Vleck back field. Defensively the Raiders front dominated the line of scrimmage.
They were winning their battles at the line and constantly had Van Vleck facing long yardage situations, which as a defense it does not get better than that. They were able to call a few blitzes and get after the quarterback which was beneficial for their offense.
Offensively Raiders quarterback Kor’Dae Johnson returned to form to the tune of 11/18 (61% completion percentage) 214 yards and three touchdowns. D’Neriyan Fuller was Johnson’s top target catching four passes for 102 yards and a touchdown.
Jon Woods and Glenn Mills also played major roles in the passing game on Friday night with both catching touchdown passes from Johnson. Woods caught two passes on Friday night for 50 yards while Mills caught one pass for three yards.
In the rushing attack, Dyren Johnson was joined by Robert Bennett, and they combined for 131 yards on the ground. Dyren Johnson accounted for 72 of those yards while Bennett added 59 yards and a touchdown for the Raiders.
The Raiders will be able to enjoy a week off this week before getting back into game action on Friday, Nov. 14, against Blanco.
