 Ball State QB Nate Davis
In a media teleconference call to talk about the International Bowl, Jan. 5 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, both players talked about the game and their seasons.
This will be Rutgers' third consecutive Bowl appearance, which is a record for the historic school. Rutgers celebrated its first Bowl victory last year beating Kansas State 37-10 in the Texas Bowl. Rice was named the game's Most Valuable Player.
This is Ball State's first Bowl appearance in 11 years.
"Any opportunity to play in a Bowl game right now is fun, but going to Canada, which is a place I've never been and I'm sure a lot of my teammates haven't been (is great)," Rice said. "We're just looking forward to the opportunity and going to our third straight Bowl game. Last year was great. It was our first Bowl win. The team was so focused on winning a Bowl game and it was the first win for our school in a long time. It was special for me seeing our senior class go out the right way. Being MVP was a shared honor for me."
Davis said it's a great feeling for himself and his team to play in a Bowl game.
"We've just got to go up there and hope that we have a successful game," Davis said. "Everybody is real excited (to play in the game). It's a great way to send our seniors out with a Bowl game, but we have to prepare hard. Rutgers is a good team."
Davis indicated he has been to Canada before. His brother Jose was a backup quarterback with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League in 2000 and 2001.
Davis spoke highly of Rice's talents. Rice, a junior, placed third in the nation with 1,732 yards, and was easily the leader in that category in the Big East by more than 400 yards. He was a finalist for the 2007 Doak Walker Award as the top running back in the nation.
"I've watched Ray, he's a great running back, very talented. I just think he's a great athlete," Davis said.
Rice acknowledged Davis's season. He set Ball State records this year for passing yards (3,376), pass attempts (429), pass completions (245) and touchdown passes (27). He has the school record with 45 TD passes. He placed first in the Mid-American Conference in QB rating (141.18) and first in passing yards. He ranked 13th in the nation in passing yards and 23rd in passing efficiency.
"Great players stick out on each team," Rice said. "Obviously we're both representing our teams fairly well."
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