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8 Days: Looking back at each of Owls 8 conference titles

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In more than 100 years of collegiate football, the Rice football team owns eight conference championships in two different conferences.

1934 Southwestern Conference Champions

The first nine-win season in Rice football history, the 1934 team came six points shy of an undefeated season. The Owls took down SWC foes SMU, Texas, Arkansas and Texas A&M that year, but lost to TCU 7-2 and tied LSU 9-9. They were one of four teams (the others being Stanford, Tulane and Alabama) to finish with nine or more wins. Meaning they would have been a top-five squad had the AP Poll existed.

1937 Southwestern Conference Champions

After starting out winless in their first three games (one draw and two losses, all in non-conference play), Rice kicked it into gear. The Owls won six of their final eight games, capping off the season with a 28-14 victory over No. 16 Colorado in the Cotton Bowl. Rice finished the season ranked No. 18 in the nation.

1946 Southwestern Conference Champions

Rice rolled through the SWC in 1946,  ending the year 5-1 in conference play. The lone loss came to Arkansas by seven points and the team registered a landmark victory over No. 3 Texas at home. The season ended with an 8-0 shutout victory over No. 8 Tennessee in the Orange Bowl and the Owls’ first official top-10 finish in school history.

1949 Southwestern Conference Champions

Chronicled in more detail here, the 1949 squad remains the most successful team in Rice football history. Outside of another loss to LSU, the fifth straight defeat for the Owls against the Tigers, Rice played nearly flawless football. During a three-game stretch against Texas Tech, Arkansas and Texas A&M the Owls scored 55 points and surrendered zero. The season ended with a win over No. 19 North Carolina in the Cotton Bowl and the highest AP ranking in school history, No. 5

1953 Southwestern Conference Champions

The third Cotton Bowl win in less than two decades came following the 1953 season. The Owls were a top 15 team at the beginning of the season and kept pace at that level throughout the year. They started the season by knocking off a ranked Florida team before ending it with a victory over Alabama in Dallas.

1957 Southwestern Conference Champions

The last of Jess Neely’s four conference championships came in 1957. That was the year the Owls finally got over the hunt and beat LSU on their way to posting three victories over Top 20 teams including No. 17 Stanford, No. 12 Arkansas and No. 1 Texas A&M. A loss to No. 5 Navy in the Cotton Bowl spoiled what was otherwise a historic season.

1994 Southwestern Conference Champions

In March of 1994 Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor and Texas Tech announced their merger with the Big 8 to form the Big 12, effective in 1996. In its dying days, the SWC produced a bizarre finish that year. Texas A&M (10-0-1) that season, but under NCAA penalties. That gave way to a five-way tie for the conference crown between Texas, Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech and Rice, all who finished 4-3 in SWC play. That’s how Rice, with a 5-6 overall record, won their final SWC Crown.

2013 Conference USA Champions

The only non-SWC title in the archives came under David Bailiff in 2013. Rice was near-perfect in conference play, dropping a road contest to North Texas, but otherwise going 7-0 in their remaining CUSA games. The team suffered three non-conference losses, including a Liberty Bowl loss to Mississippi State and added wins over the Big 12’s Kansas and independent New Mexico State.

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Quarterback competition nearing finale, practice notes (8/16)

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Rice football is just days away from their first game of the 2018 season. The quarterback competition is wrapping up and coach named some camp standouts.

Fall camp is coming to an end. After a few weeks of getting working with his players hands-on, Mike Bloomgren is ready to get ready for his first football game as a head coach. The team looks good, but it’s time they hit somebody else that wasn’t wearing navy and white. Here are a few takeawys from Thursday’s practice.

1. Quarterbacks

Head coach Mike Bloomgren declined to name a starter, but he did hint the competition is starting to wind down. He says he’s confident both guys have what it takes to lead the offense this fall, but added that it’s “not far away from us having to make a decision and pick one of them that’s going to take the bulk of the reps.”

Bloomgren has been pretty consistent with his message on the quarterbacks throughout fall camps. He’s given both Jackson Tyner and Shawn Stankavage praise when earned and constructive criticism when needed. “They’ve both had their moments,” said Bloomgren. But time is running out.

Rice kicks off against Prairie View A&M in a week’s time. Before that game starts, Bloomgren intends to have made a decision. With the caveat that nobody has snatched the job quite yet when asked about whether or not he’d’ have his decision made before game time Bloomgren was straightforward. “We definitely will,” he said, before adding the ever so important qualifier, “internally”.

From an ability standpoint, this looks to be Jackson Tyner’s job to lose. He’s had success throwing the ball down field and getting it into tight windows. His biggest challenge has been consistency. If he can master that he’ll have a good chance at winning the job outright before camp is over.

2. Special teams

Sophomore wide receiver Austin Trammell is in line to be the starting punt returner for the Owls this fall. He’ll also be in the mix for kick return duties as well. Fellow receiver Brendan Harmon got reps with the return unit today as well. Running backs Austin and Aston Walter have done some work with the return teams. Whoever gets the nod, the Owls will have plenty of speed and athleticism on special teams this year.

Practice ended with special teams once again, but this time with a twist. Kickers Jack Fox and Hayden Tabola were pitted in a kicking competition in which the entire team was asked to pick a side. Fox was victorious and Tabola’s team did push-ups. There’s still a strong chance Fox is the Owls’ punter and kicker this fall.

3. Camp MVPs

Preparing for the Prairie View game officially began today. While fundamentals and some of the summer and fall ball drills will continue to be incorporated into campus this marks a shift in focus moving forward. When asked to look back at the players that impressed the most over the last few weeks Bloomgren named a handful of guys specifically, citing specific superlatives.

Tight end Jordan Meyers was praised for his versatility. Bloomgren called Emmanuel Esupka “special”, a comment he’s made several times already this fall. Sophomore receiver Austin Trammell was dubbed “Mr. Consistent” while senior right tackle Sam Pierce is playing “the best football he’s ever played at the offensive line position.”

On defense, Bloomgren praised Zach Abercrumbia and George Nyakwol for their consistency. As for special teams, he grinned and gave a short synopsis: “Jack Fox is Jack Fox.”

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2018 Southern Miss Golden Eagles Season Preview

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Rice football came close to upsetting Southern Miss last season but couldn’t hang on. What will the Golden Eagles bring to the table in 2018?

Southern Miss worked through some quarterback turmoil a year ago on their way to an 8-5 finish, including six wins in conference play. Third-year head coach Jay Hopson improved on a seven-win campaign the year before but continue that trend in 2018 might prove more difficult.

The Golden Eagles are going to be much younger this season and lose several key pieces from last year’s squad that needed a late fourth quarter rally to beat the Owls. The nine-point victory won by the Golden Eagles on their home field last season brought the all-time series to an even four-game split.

Southern Miss has won three straight in the series and opens conference play against the Owls this year. What can the Owls expect to see from the Golden Eagles?

Offense

Ineffectiveness and injuries created a messy situation for Southern Miss at quarterback last season. Although it wasn’t how Hopson drew it up, both Kwandra Griggs and Keon Howard gained valuable starting experience, each contributing to the Golden Eagles’ offensive success last season.

Griggs (1,879 yards, 16 touchdowns and two interceptions) projected to be the starter before he was suspended indefinitely during fall camp. That openee the door for Howard (1,199 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions), but he has since transferred to Tulane. That leaves Jack Abraham as the front runner in Hattiesburg.

Whoever lines up in the backfield will be handing the ball to a new primary tailback. Ito South was named to the All-CUSA first team after churning out 1,483 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns last season. Tasked to recreate his production in aggregate will be returning senior Tez Parks (290 rushing yards, two touchdowns) as well as speedster George Payne and converted quarterback Steven Anderson.

In addition to replacing Smith the offensive line that blocked for him saw several meaningful departures. Gone are center Devin Farrior and tackle Jerry Harris, making for a lot of change for the Southern Miss rushing attack.

The receiving corps isn’t much better off. The Golden Eagles three leading receivers from a year ago are gone, leaving Quez Watkins (23 receptions, 337 yards and two touchdowns) as the most experienced pass catcher on this team. For as much as this team likes to throw the football (fifth in CUSA with 439 attempts in 2017) it’s hard to believe they won’t suffer a setback in the receiving department this season.

Defense

If the offense was green, the defense is greener. South Miss allowed 24.5 points per game in 2017, their best mark since they allowed 20.8 in 2011. That figure will be hard pressed to improve this year with just four of their top 11 leading tackles returning to Hattiesburg.

The production they do get back largely consists of members of the front seven. Linebackers Racheem Boothe (79, 3.5 sacks, five tackles for a loss) and Picasso Nelson (missed 2017 season due to injury) have to be the glue that holds this team together. The ability of that duo to get to the quarterback and force hurried plays will go a long way to determining whether or not the Southern Miss defense will be able to stay afloat in 2018.

Beyond those two the defensive line and secondary both contain more question marks than answers. The team tallied 24 sacks a year ago but only 6.5 of those are out the door.

Big plays in the secondary is another matter entirely. Southern Miss tallied nine interceptions by five different players and none of them will be on the field this season. Both of their starting safeties, Jomez Applewhite and Tarvarius Moore, as well as leading corners Curtis Mickell and Cornell Armstrong are gone as are three other rotation players. This has the potential to be the least experienced defensive back unit in the nation.

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2019 Athlete TD Ayo-Durojaiye could be defensive gem for Owls

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Rice football continues to fill up their 2019 recruiting class. Could Maryland athlete TD Ayo-Durojaiye be another out-of-state commitment for the Owls?

The recruiting focus has spread across the nation since Mike Bloomgren arrived at South Main late last year.  The Owls have six commitments from inside the Lone Star state so far. They also have four more out-of-state commits: Garrett Braden (Linebacker, Connecticut), Trevor Bycznski (Quarterback, Ohio), Zach Hoban (Kicker, New Jersey) and most recently Gabe Jeudy (Cornerback, North Carolina).

If things work out the right way, Rice will add at least a few more commitments from outside the state of Texas. One of those possibilities is 2019 athlete TD Ayo-Durojaiye.

Ayo-Durojaiye plays his high school ball in Damascus, Maryland. He was already being recruited by Assistant Head Coach Mike Lembo last year while Lembo was at Maryland and has kept up that relationship as Lembo transitioned further south to Rice. Lembo was impressed enough with what he saw from Ayo-Durojaiye so far that the Owls went ahead and offered him a scholarship earlier this summer, despite the fact that he’s never set foot on campus at Rice.

That trust spoke volumes to Ayo-Durojaiye. “I think it shows the coaches really believe in my athletic ability,” he said regarding the out of state offer, adding that the coaches told him “he’d fit well” on the team and have a shot at early playing time as the Owls revamp their depth chart.

The potential fit between Ayo-Durojaiye and the Owls is intriguing. A 6-foot, 180-pound athlete, Ayo-Durojaiye has 17 offers so far across a variety of positions. A natural linebacker, he’s also been offered at running back and safety. The latter is where he feels he’ll have the best long-term success in college. That fits perfectly with how Rice plans to use him.

The three safety scheme (free, strong and viper) employed by defensive coordinator Brian Smith offers plenty of flexibility for different skillsets in the secondary. Ayo-Durojaiye’s burst and power would make him a great option near the line of scrimmage.

Whether or not the Owls can land Ayo-Durojaiye remains to be seen. He hasn’t scheduled any visits yet, but don’t be surprised to see head coach Mike Bloomgren will try to find a way to get him on campus this fall. Ayo-Durojaiye doesn’t plan to make any decisions regarding his future until the end of the season. That give’s Rice some time, but rest assured, they won’t be caught sleeping.

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2018 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Season Preview

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Rice football and Louisiana Tech don’t have an extensive history, but the series has been rather one-sided since the Bulldogs joined CUSA in 2013.

After three straight nine-win seasons, Louisiana Tech stumbled to a 7-6 finish last in 2017. Things could have turned out quite differently had the Bulldogs not lost three games by one point. Those narrow defeats at the hands of South Carolina, UAB and North Texas kept the Bulldogs away from their first 10-win season as a D1 FBS program.

Head coach Skip Holtz will have a double-digit target placed in front of his team this season. Getting to that mark will be challenging considering a schedule that includes road trips to LSU and Mississippi State in non-conference play. That will require near-perfection in conference play.

Rice and Louisiana Tech have met on the gridiron 10 times. The Owls own a 3-7 record against the Bulldogs and have lost four straight. Righting that record starts one game at a time, but it could be a challenge for the Owls this year. Louisiana Tech fields a promising team in 2018. Here’s how they’ll look on both sides of the ball:

Offense

Louisiana Tech has typically boasted well-rounded offensive attacks under Holtz who took over the program in 2013. In his five years leading the Bulldogs he’s constructed offenses that averaged north of 430 yards per game and a lot of points. Last season marked the first time since his first season at LaTech in which his team averaged less than 37 points per game, falling off to 30.5 points per contest.

One of the driving forces behind the variation in points per game was the variation in quarterback play. The Bulldogs’ offense will once again live and die on the decision making of junior quarterback J’mar Smith.

Smith’s back-and-forth quarterback play made every game an adventure through his 13 starts last season. In consecutive weeks he posted these two very different box scores:

Week A: 15-of-28 passing (53.6 percent) for 203 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions
Week B: 7-of-21 passing (33.3 percent) for 101 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception

Week A was a win over UTEP. Week B was a win over UTSA. Both starts by Smith, but his play could not have been more hot-and-cold.

The Bulldogs will benefit from the deep receiving corps led by returning star Teddy Veal (79 receptions for 950 yards and seven touchdowns in 2017). The offensive line returns a ton of experience and will add former LSU offensive lineman Willie Allen to the mix as well.

Running back is another big question mark for the Bulldogs who lose their two leading rushers from a season ago. No one remaining on the depth chart has had any meaningful touches, setting up a wide-open competition between Jaqwis Dancy Jr. and Kam McKnight for lead back duties. A committee approach is most likely here.

Defense

Replacing three of their top five tacklers will be the biggest challenge facing LaTech as they enter the 2018 season. The good news is they carry depth at every level on the defense and have more than enough options to plug into the gaps left by Secdrick Cooper, Russell Farris and DaMarion King.

The secondary was one of the best in Conference USA last season thanks in large part to the tandem of Cooper and true freshman Amik Robertson. He forced his way into the starting lineup quickly and led the team in interceptions (five) and pass breakups (six) by the end of the season while also finishing third on the team in tackles.

While Robertson and his companions are locking down the back end, future NFL draft pick senior Jaylon Ferguson is providing the rush up front. The talented defensive end tallied seven sacks last season and is already receiving legitimate first-round buzz. He’s got a long way to go before that happens, but at 6-foot-5, 260 pounds he has the frame that NFL teams will look to build on.

The glue in between those two units will be the linebackers. In addition to last year’s leading tackler Dae’Von Washington the team adds three JUCO transfers including NJCAA Defensive Player of the Year Connor Taylor. A Snow College product, Taylor led the NJCAA in tackles (139) with a stunning 21 tackles for a loss and three sacks.

This unit allowed 25.4 points per game in 2017 and should be even better. If the offense comes along with it the Bulldogs could be looking at a special season in 2018.

Schedule

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