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Rice Football: Linebacking corps set for breakthrough season

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Here come the tackling machines. The 2019 Rice Football linebacker rotation could be one of the Owls best units on the field.

A groundswell of optimism is emerging around South Main regarding the 2019 linebackers. Blaze Alldredge and Antonio Montero made their marks at the tail end of the 2018 season, taking over starting roles midway through the year. Firmly entrenched as the alphas at their position, this duo has had an incredible spring. Expectations are sky high.

Both Montero and Alldredge have the talent and the drive to cement themselves among the most productive linebackers in Conference USA this season. If they play to their potential, they’re well within the range of 100-tackle seasons, something which has happened at Rice just twice in the past 20 years.

Travis Bradshaw racked up a staggering 121 tackles in 2009. Cameron Nwosu notched 108 tackles in 2011. None of the dozens of other linebackers who took the field for the Owls over that time cracked the 100-tackle mark.

A season of that magnitude would put either of those two defenders in rarified air. The impact on the defense as a whole would be tremendous. That kind of production would vault them into consideration for individual recognition, too. Eight CUSA players reached the 100-tackle plateau in 2018. UTEP linebacker A.J. Hotchkins, FIU linebacker Sage Lewis and North Texas linebacker E.J. Eliya all finished with more than 120 takedowns.

Whether it’s 120 tackles of 70, it’s hard to envision a scenario right now in which both Montero and Alldredge don’t make the defense significantly better in 2019 than it was in 2018. They’re the kind of vocal leaders in the middle of the field who spark change and lead with effort and physicality. The Rice linebacker room is primed for a special season.

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Rice Football: Best records across every conference

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Rice Football only plays a few games a year outside of Conference USA, but the Owls rich history stretches across almost every college football conference.

In 2005 Rice joined Conference USA. They left the WAC that year, a pitstop after spending decades in the Southwest Conference. During that time Rice has played dozens upon dozens of schools and amassed favorable records across several of the sport’s most notable names.

More than 100 years of football later, here are a few of the Owls more impressive series wins across nine different conferences and a few independent squads.

Power 5

  • ACC – North Carolina (1-0), Pittsburgh (2-1)
  • Big 12 – WVU (1-0), Kansas (2-1), Iowa State (3-2)
  • Big Ten – Northwestern (4-3)
  • Pac-12 – Arizona (4-0), Utah (3-1), Colorado (1-0)
  • SEC – Alabama (3-0), Auburn (2-0), Georgia (1-0), Florida (4-3-1)

Quick… how many active college football programs are undefeated in games against Alabama, Auburn and Georgia? Six of the Owls’ 82 wins against current SEC teams came over three of the truest blue-bloods in college football.

Rice has a rich rivalry with some of the premier academic institutions across the nation. They’ve played Duke and Stanford six times and Northwestern seven. The Owls and Wildcats are scheduled to meet again in 2029.

Group of 5 and Independent

  • AAC – Tulane (20-15-1)
  • CUSA– UTEP (14-8), Charlotte (2-0), FAU (2-1)
  • MAC – Western Michigan (1-0)
  • Mountain West – New Mexico (3-0), UNLV (2-0), Colorado State (1-0), Hawaii (5-3)
  • Independent – New Mexico State (1-0), Army (4-3)

Rice has a winning record over their first opponent of 2019, Army, but the Black Knights could even the series with a home win in August. Among Group of 5 teams, Rice and Tulane have some of the richest history. The series has had several starts and stops but always been close with Rice winning seven of the last 10.

Within the confines of the Owls’ current conference affiliations, Rice has controlled UTEP with the most regularity. The Miners got the upper hand in 2018, but Rice will look to avenge that defeat in El Paso this fall.

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Rice Football: Searching for reliable starters in 2019

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Finding a consistent starting lineup was nearly impossible for Rice football in 2018, something they’ll look to change next season.

Rice shuffled so many different players in and out of their weekly lineups last year. Many true freshmen were asked, not just to play, but to assume starting roles. The tumultuous fluctuations prevented any sort of consistency along the way.

18 true freshman stepped onto the field for Rice last season. 10 played in less than four games and retained a season of eligibility. The remaining eight averaged a little less than 11 games played each, with four true freshmen — linebacker Antonio Montero, safety Prudy Calderon, corner Treshawn Chamberlain and long snapper Campbell Riddle — playing in all 13 contests.

The rise of so many freshmen was proof positive of an underlying trend of inconsistency. 55 different players started games for Rice on offense or defense last season. Seven started all 13 games. Injuries and scheme make it unrealistic to expect the same 11 to go the duration on each side of the ball, but seven is startlingly low.

Here’s how the listed starters looked at each position last season:

Position Unique Starters True Freshman Starters Position Unique Starters True Freshman Starters
LT 3 2 DT 1 0
LG 2 1 NT 1 0
C 1 0 DE 2 0
RG 2 0 OLB 1 0
RT 1 0 ILB 2 1
WR 1 0 ILB 4 0
WR 4 0 OLB / S 3 1
WR 6 0 CB 4 1
TE 5 0 CB 2 0
RB 4 1 S 2 1
QB 3 1 S 1 0
Total 32 5 Total 23 4

The plethora of freshman who played meaningful roles last season are sophomores (or redshirt freshmen) now. In theory, it should be harder for so many true freshmen to contribute in similar ways in 2019 because of the experience of the group ahead of them.

Each side of the ball repeated a lineup just once. They’ll look to grow that consistency this season. Rice will likely start less true freshman in 2019, opening the door for less varied starting lineups and more consistent play from the team as a whole.

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Rice Baseball: Anthony Rendon’s All-Star nomination long overdue

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Former Rice Baseball slugger Anthony Rendon’s All-Star caliber play has finally been rewarded. The honor is long overdue.

The fact that Anthony Rendon received his first All-Star nod during his age 29 season is baffling. Rendon was the No. 6 overall selection by the Washington Nationals in the 2011 MLB Draft. He made his debut in 2013 hitting .265/.329/.725. Since then he’s become even more productive.

Currently in his seventh season, Rendon is in the midst of his third consecutive year with a .300+ batting average. He’s hit 68 home runs over that span and still has half of the 2019 season to play. His OPS+ has been better than 135 in each of those seasons and he’s finished in the Top 11 of MVP voting in each of the last two seasons, ending up as high as sixth in 2017.

More: Redefining the culture Matt Bragga’s biggest win of 2019

By every measure, Rendon is one of the most outstanding players in professional baseball. Since 2014, his first complete season in the big leagues, Rendon has an fWAR (Fangraph’s measure of WAR) of 27.9. That’s seventh best among all position players during that time.

Perhaps he was overshadowed by the super-ego of Bryce Harper or perhaps the Nationals’ postseason failures limited his opportunities to gain more exposure. Whatever the reason, Rendon’s numbers speak for themselves. He is one of the best players in the sport right now and is well deserving of his 2019 All-Star selection.

Rendon’s banner year might have come at just the right time. He’s in the final season of his current contract with the Nationals and will be eligible for free agency following this year. He’s due to make a significant payday one that should put him among the elite third baseman in terms of salary. Maybe that will be enough to put his name at the forefront of public perception, too.

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Rice Football Stat Pack: Unpacking Havoc rate among CUSA squads

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Rice Football prides itself on discipline and structure, but the Owls biggest gap on defense last season was their level of chaos.

At its very core, defense is built on chaos. College football offenses have never been more calculated and sophisticated than they are right now. When the quarterback takes the snap they have a well-defined objective and understanding for how each particular play should develop. The defense wants to throw off that equilibrium by injecting chaos.

The best measure of chaos is havoc rate. That statistic is the measure of havoc plays (forced fumbles, tackles for a loss and sacks, passes defended and interceptions) against the total number of defensive plays run. Defenses which produce the highest percentages of havoc plays throw off their opponent’s plans and give their own teams a better chance to win.

Rice finished last in CUSA in havoc rate last season, averaging roughly one havoc play every eight defensive snaps, a rate of 12.6 percent. That pales in comparison to the near 20 percent havoc rate of UAB.

Rank Team Havoc Plays Havoc Rate Fumbles Forced TFL Passes Defended
1 UAB 174 20.67% 14 111 49
2 Marshall 163 18.89% 12 92 59
3 Louisiana Tech 149 16.80% 10 101 38
4 North Texas 150 18.82% 4 97 49
5 Southern Miss 110 12.14% 9 72 29
6 Middle Tenn. 156 19.14% 10 89 57
7 Charlotte 106 12.30 12 63 31
8 WKU 129 18.43% 8 65 56
9 UTSA 119 12.33% 9 78 32
10 Old Dominion 125 18.60% 6 65 54
11 UTEP 109 11.91% 8 60 41
12 FIU 119 13.52% 8 68 43
13 Florida Atlantic 113 12.38% 5 70 38
14 Rice 106 12.11% 9 57 40

Havoc rate serves as a powerful proxy for overall defensive effectiveness. 10 of the 14 CUSA teams finished with a difference of two ranking spots or less between their total defense rank and their havoc rate rank (e.g. Rice ranked 14th in havoc rate and 13th in total defense, while Old Dominion ranked 10th in havoc rate and 14th in total defense).

A second year in defensive coordinator Brian Smith’s scheme and some intriguing young talent will position Rice to grow in this area in 2019. For a team as dedicated to structure and process as the Owls are, it’s time to introduce a bit of chaos.

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