Maguire, Rice encourage DePauw players before Monon Bell game

AXS TV broadcasters Kenny Rice (left) and Paul Maguire helped players and DePauw students get fired up for the Monon Bell Classic by speaking at a lunch on Friday.

At a special lunch hosted by DePauw University on Friday, broadcasters Paul Maguire and Kenny Rice spoke to a small group of players, coaches, students and media members in advance of the Monon Bell Classic.

Maguire stressed the importance of hard work and confidence, not only on the field, but also in life.

The pair will be calling the DePauw versus Wabash football game for AXS TV, as they have for the past several years.

Many of DePauw's senior football players were at the lunch, along with three DePauw students who will be doing media coverage of the game.

Maguire, who has called several Super Bowls and worked on national television, said the Monon Bell Classic is special to him because of the passion of the players and fans.

It is also the only game the pair feels comfortable announcing that the team's fourth-year players will be graduating in the spring, Rice said.

Saturday's game will be the 119th meeting between the two programs, and the seventh in which Rice calls the play-by-play.

This is Maguire's third year covering the event.

Kickoff is at 1:07 p.m. at Byron P. Hollett Little Giant Stadium in Crawfordsville.