Three years ago, Rice was running out of the run-first, pass-if-you-must triple option. Chase Clement signed with the Owls anyway.

“That was my only Division I offer,” Clement said.

Then along came Todd Graham. A brand new offense, and 10,000 yards later, Clement doesn’t regret his decision at all.

Graham, a former assistant under Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia, went to Rice in 2006 and scrapped the triple option in favor of the spread offense. It was Graham’s only year at Rice (he’s now at even higher-octane Tulsa), but he left an indelible impression on the program, and Clement is one of the biggest beneficiaries.

Clement and wide receiver Jarett Dillard have thrived in the system, emerging as the most prolific passing duo in college football history. The two have connected for an NCAA-record 48 touchdowns and counting.

They have two more games — three, counting the 7-3 Owls’ inevitable bowl game — to extend that mark.

That includes Saturday, when Marshall (4-6, 3-3 Conference USA) visits Rice Stadium for a 3:30 p.m. Eastern kickoff.

To put the change into perspective, Dillard has 274 career receptions since his Rice career started in 2005. In the four years prior to that, the Owls completed a total of 278 passes.

Camaraderie has helped build the Clement-to-Dillard legend. They are the ultimate teammates on the field and good friends off it. They often have lunch or dinner together, play ping pong or watch other college football games on TV.

“We have a great relationship off the field,” Clement said Tuesday in a phone interview.

“He’s not just my quarterback,” added Dillard, who has parlayed a spectacular senior season into his second time as a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist. “He’s someone I can hang out with. It’s the same kind of relationship all the guys have.”

The two also sneak in a round of golf on occasion. Clement says his best round was a 76.

“Oh, Chase by far,” Dillard admitted when asked who is the better golfer. “I’m just trying to learn the game.”

That closeness has helped their relationship on the field. Criticism, on the rare occasion that it happens, is taken constructively.

“If he makes a mistake, we talk to each other and he doesn’t take it personally,” Dillard said. “And it’s the same way with me. He can say to me, ‘Hey, you need to come on.’ Coming from Chase, it doesn’t bother me.”

To list every record the two hold, be it a school, conference or NCAA mark, would cause the eyes to cross.

Among the standards set by Clement are a league-record 87 career touchdown passes and a school season record of 32 this year. Displaying his versatility in the spread, Clement is the only quarterback in NCAA history to rush for 100 yards and throw for 300 in two consecutive games.

Clement has 10,340 career yards of total offense.

Dillard, meanwhile, is the NCAA leader in career touchdowns with 57. He also is the league’s all-time leader in receiving yards with 3,921.

He was a Biletnikoff finalist as a sophomore when he had 1,247 yards and 21 touchdowns. He had a TD in all 13 games that year, also an NCAA record.

The Owls average 462 yards of total offense. Familiarity, Clement said, makes the Rice offense so explosive.

“It’s just the players we have,” Clement said. “We all have been together for so long. The guys have been in the offense for three years now. And it helps that we have two of the best receivers in the country in James Casey and Jarett Dillard.”

Casey actually averages more receptions per game (8.5) than Dillard (6.9). Casey has 85 catches for 1,007 yards and nine touchdowns.

They are just three of the offensive weapons Marshall will have to contend with as it fights for bowl eligibility. Both Clement and Dillard are looking for the Herd to be firing on Saturday.

“I expect a team that is playing with its back against the wall,” Clement said. “They need two wins to be bowl eligible, so we will definitely get their best game. They will come here ready to play.”

“They have a great defense,” Dillard said. “I have watched them on film and I have been amazed at every play I have watched.”

The same could be said of Clement and Dillard.

— E-mail:

gfauber@register-herald.com