Jan. 19, 2007

HOUSTON (AP) - One of David Bailiff's top priorities as the new Rice coach is gaining the Owls' trust.

Bailiff, coach at Division I-AA Texas State the past three seasons, got the job when Todd Graham bolted for Tulsa last week, just three days after signing a contract extension.

"I'm a man of my word. I'm not a job-hopper," said Bailiff, who promised to fulfill his five-year contract. "Trust is doing what you say you're going to do. We'll start with that."

Quarterback Chase Clement, one of several players who attended Friday's news conference to introduce Bailiff, said the Owls were anxious to get a new coach.

"This guy will be more grateful for the job," said defensive lineman George Chukwu, who will be a senior next season. "When coach Graham came in here, he came in telling us that Tulsa wanted him to be the head coach later on in his career, and he wanted to come to Rice. Obviously, that wasn't the real story."

Bailiff said he wasn't interested in the job last year, because he hadn't fulfilled his contract with Texas State.

"I would not have felt good about leaving," he said. "I feel like I kept my word."

Bailiff, a 48-year-old San Antonio native, guided the Bobcats to a 21-15 record in three seasons, including an 11-3 mark and a trip to the Division I-AA semifinals in 2005. He was TCU's defensive coordinator before that, guiding the nation's top-ranked unit in 2002.

Rice chased other candidates, including former Miami coach Larry Coker, but athletic director Chris Del Conte said Bailiff is the right coach for Rice, which played in its first bowl game in 45 years last season.

"I said, 'You know, I'm not going to make the big splash, I'm going to what is the right fit,"' Del Conte said. "And he's the perfect fit."

Bailiff said he will scrap the 3-3-5 defensive scheme Graham implemented and install the 4-2-5 system that worked with the Horned Frogs. But he'll keep Graham's offensive scheme, which produced a 1,000-yard rusher, passer and receiver for the first time in school history. Rice went 7-6, losing 41-17 to Troy in the New Orleans Bowl.

An offensive lineman at Texas State from 1977-80 - when the school was known as Southwest Texas - Bailiff returned to his alma mater as a graduate assistant in 1988 and became the defensive line coach the following year. He moved to New Mexico in 1992, where he was the defensive line coach under current Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione.

Bailiff was hired as Texas State's defensive coordinator in 1997, then went to TCU in 2001. After a year as defensive line coach, Bailiff became the defensive coordinator.