Rice RB Luke Turner moved to tears in final press conference (Video)
After playing what was likely his final game at Rice, senior running back Luke Turner took a moment to reflect on his time with the Owls.
While addressing the media, Turner was brought to tears when expressing his gratitude to Rice head coach David Bailiff. Turner suffered a broken leg as a high school senior and Rice was the only Division I school to offer him a scholarship.
“Everyone sold me off, but that man right there stuck with me,” Turner said while pointing at Bailiff. “I love him forever for it.”
Watch his full comments, which ended with an embrace with Bailiff, below:
Turner has been a versatile player for Rice during his four seasons with the program, finishing with 503 yards and 13 touchdowns rushing, 18 catches for 244 yards and three touchdowns receiving and 158 yards and five touchdowns as a passer. He’s also been a valuable asset on special teams.
Rice’s win over Charlotte on Saturday improved the team’s record to 5-7 on the season. Though the Owls have only five wins, they could still potentially earn an invitation to a bowl game.
Only 75 teams have reached six wins so far this season. With 80 bowl slots to fill and the possibility of only three more teams (Kansas State, South Alabama and Georgia State) reaching six wins, five-win teams will likely fill the remaining spots.
Various reports indicate that the NCAA could fill the void with teams by their APR. Among five-win teams, Rice, with its APR of 973, is tied with Illinois for the fourth-highest APR behind Nebraska (985), Missouri (976) and San Jose State and Minnesota (975 each).
So Turner may get the chance to wear his Rice uniform and play for Bailiff one last time.
The Owls have played in bowl games in each of Turner’s first three seasons with the program, winning the Armed Forces and Hawaii bowls and losing the Liberty Bowl.
For more Rice news, visit OwlsInsider.com.
(H/T ESPN)
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
