It's no secret how bad Rice is. The team is 1-9 on the year, and is coming off a 2017 campaign that ended at 1-11. And it's more than likely the Owls repeat that 1-11 record this season after dropping their game this past weekend to a previously win-less UTEP.

Interestingly enough, if you only look at offensive production numbers, Rice doesn't look as bad as their record indicates. The Owls rank 9th in C-USA in passing yards, which isn't great, but they are 4th in the conference in rushing. For reference, Tech ranks 6th in both categories. So what's the difference between a decently good Tech team and the lowly Owls?

Well, there are two big things killing Rice: turnovers and defense.

Due in part to a C-USA leading 13 interceptions thrown, Rice has a -9 turnover ratio. But there are two parts to that stat: offensive turnovers and defensive takeaways. And Rice also ranks last in C-USA in interceptions by their defense.

There is more to a defense than intercepting the ball, but that "last in C-USA" moniker is pretty accurate, as the Owls also rank last in C-USA in sacks and points allowed.

But there is one bright spot on that side of the ball: Anthony Ekpe.

Anthony Ekpe was a two-star recruit out of Pflugerville, TX, a town in the Austin area. The linebacker was not heavily recruited and only received the one D1 offer. Ekpe committed his junior year in high school and signed his letter of intent one year later.

Ekpe sat out his first year on campus, but as a redshirt freshman, he made contributions in five games. The linebacker logged a sack and nine solo tackles for Rice. Ekpe also tallied three tackles-for-loss, including one against Tech in last year's loss for the Owls.

In his redshirt sophomore year however, Ekpe has turned it on. So far, Ekpe has registered 17 solo tackles, five of which were for a loss. He also recorded five sacks, good for 7th in C-USA this season. Three of those sacks came in one night in the near-upset of North Texas two weeks ago. Add in a couple of forced fumbles, and the linebacker's ability is one of the few things Rice fans still have to feel optimistic about.

Ekpe is the only real sacking threat on this Rice team. No other Owl has more than half the number of sacks this secret weapon does. So, knowing this, maybe Tech will be able to swing over protection when Ekpe blitzes from his LB position and protect J'Mar. But on the other hand, maybe we'll see something like this:

Nathan is also a contributor to gtpdd.dog, a lighthearted Louisiana Tech blog. Be sure to follow @gotechplsdntdie on Twitter.