Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren wrapped up his portion of Conference USA Media Days. Here are a few of his most notable comments and quotes.
On the style Mike Bloomgren brings to Rice —
Bloomgren: “Pound the rock, control the clock and play great defense. They’re learning west coast terminology with a power run game and they’re learning the techniques we used in the NFL.”
Bloomgren: “We want to impose our will in every phase of the game. It’s something we talk about with intellectual brutality. It’s at the heart and soul of everything we’re doing. We want to be smart. We want to go to the line of scrimmage with multiple plays and answers. We want to be the physical team that nobody wants to play.”
On the quarterback situation —
Bloomgren: “The leader in the clubhouse right now is Jackson Tyner. He came out and did a great job for us this spring. He’s got unbelievable arm talent. And we’ve got a grad transfer coming in from Vanderbilt –Shawn Stankavage. Shawn’s a great talented kid. I think he’s doing really well fitting in. And then the thing we can’t lose sight of is getting a healthy Sam Glaesmann back. He’s a competitor. He’s a guy that earned some starting roles last year so we know he’s going to compete. Having those three guys makes me pretty excited.”
On Defensive Coordinator Brian Smith’s defensive scheme—
Bloomgren: “[Smith is going to use] a 3-4 base… You look around Conference USA and we’re going to be in the nickel-24, nickel-33 with a viper safety down more often than not. We’re going to stop the run – that’s where everything is going to start. He’s going to play a very physical style but we are going to get after the quarterback any time they want to throw.”
The rest of coach Bloomgren’s session with the media is available on video:
