The continuing saga of Chase Clement's health...

Will he play or won't he? Todd Graham is certainly letting it leak that Rice QB Chase Clement will play. That fact alone should make you think the guy is currently in a full body cast getting food through a tube.

Read this Q&A with Major Applewhite and tell me that there is not an underlying assumption that Clement will not play.

Q: Are you better prepared for installing a gameplan with Clement unavailable?
A: Absolutely. You've got a little history with Joel, and you know what you can and can't do. And he could do more than he couldn't do. I think your natural tendency is to just pull the reins way back and say, 'Whoa, we've got to go a totally different direction.' And in reality you don't have to depart from what you do as much as one might think. You're not going to wholesale change your offense (for Armstrong).

Q: Did the split minutes at UCLA benefit Armstrong and John Shepherd?
A: Absolutely. Both of them have learned and gotten better from that experience, and it's eased them tremendously. Playing at UCLA, Texas and Florida State will get you prepared for anything. Playing in those different places has taken the nerve off of them, and now they're able to settle in and play more comfortably.