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Gio Gentosi’s senior moment, a fullback’s fairy tale ending

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Rice football is one of the few teams in college football that still employs a fullback. That fullback made history in the Owls’ win over Old Dominion.

Fullback Gio Gentosi hadn’t scored a touchdown since he was in middle school. That’s why he handed away the football to an official without thinking following his six-yard touchdown run in the first quarter against Old Dominion. “I’ve been used to not scoring for so long,” said Gentosi, who notched his first career touchdown in his final game.

Score he did, capping off a banner day for himself and the Rice Owls. His team won the game, their first Conference USA victory under head coach Mike Bloomgren, and Gentosi played a meaningful role in the final outcome.

Gentosi had never touched the ball more than twice in any game of his college career prior to transferring to Rice from UCLA this summer. He had a personal best three carries and 31 yards against Wake Forest, including a long of 19 yards. Against Old Dominion, he had four carries for 11 yards, the aforementioned touchdown and a 10-yard return on a short kickoff.

The expression on Gentosi’s face as he met with the media following the game was one of pure wonder. “It’s been nine years playing tackle football, to finally have that experience was really special, and on Senior Day and it being my last game…” he trailed off with a smile. Watching him soak in that moment was surreal, a gentle reminder that as much stress and effort that is put into this game, it’s still a game.

In his last game, Gentosi rides out in style. Rice won, Gentosi scored and the locker room erupted in elation. “The stars aligned for this one,” he said, addressing his touchdown run. But perhaps, Gentosi’s struck luck was emblematic of a program that, too, was waiting for a breakthrough moment. Only time will tell if one man’s joy becomes a turning point for an entire team. Right now, though, things couldn’t look any better.

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Rice Football: Owls soar over Old Dominion for first CUSA win

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Rice football ended the 2018 season with an exclamation point, taking down Old Dominion on Senior Day for Mike Bloomgren’s first Conference USA win.

Rice scored two touchdowns in the first half. Old Dominion didn’t crack the endzone until the third quarter. Another stout defensive performance by the Owls parlayed with a few big-time plays from surprise starter Wiley Green sent the Owls into halftime with a 13-6 lead. They never looked back.

After falling behind 3-0 in the first quarter Rice rallied to outscore Old Dominion 20-7 over the remainder of the contest. On Senior Day with the weight of a potential second consecutive 1-win season overhead, Rice responded with their most complete performance of 2018.

1. Winner, winner

Rice started and ended the season with wins, the first time the Owls have bookended a year with victories since 2015. It was the Owls’ first conference win since they defeated UTEP on Sep. 9, 2017, their first home conference win since beating UTEP in 2016 and their first win over a CUSA East opponent since defeating Charlotte in 2016.

For Mike Bloomgren, the victory represents his second as a head coach and his first conference win with the Rice Owls. It was a long time coming, but the Owls can hold their heads high entering the offseason.

2. Let’s get big

There were more than a few naysayers when newly named head coach Mike Bloomgren advocated for Intellectual Brutality on South Main. The Owls were going to bring back the old days of power football in a sport dominated by the spread passing attack.

Early returns were frustrating. The offensive line took several games to gel, and it wasn’t until freshman Clay Servin and Cole Garcia won starting jobs that things began to slow down for the front five. It took a full season to work out the kinks, but the end result has been exactly what Bloomgren wanted in the trenches.

Rice lined up in the jumbo package in critical short yardage situations three times against LSU, converting all three attempts. They pulled out the stacked box again twice against Old Dominion and picked up two fourth down conversions on two tries. The Owls also scored their first touchdown of the day without a single receiver split out wide.

https://twitter.com/swcroundup/status/1066400713528483840

They’ve done it with power runs, play action and a variety of creative playcalling. But most importantly, they’ve stacked the box and made one yard an automatic conversion. If this offense can do that consistently, they’re going to burn the clock and start to take over football games.

3. Rice is going to miss Austin Walter, but they have weapons to fill the void

Saturday marked the final time do-it-all playmaker Austin Walter will wear a Rice uniform. The Owls’ leading rusher and 400+ yard receiver capped off his career with a tremendous senior season, ending it with an exclamation point against Old Dominion. Walter finished the game with three receptions for 24 yards and two carries for seven yards.

The hole left by Walter in this offense is massive and will have to be filled by a handful of different players next season. Through the air, the Owls will need someone to step up. Freshman receivers Brendan Harmon and August Pitre were kept off the field for the bulk of the 2018 season with injuries. Both of those players, and a new face or two are going to be asked to play a meaningful role on the offense next season.

On the ground, Austin’s brother Aston Walter plans to return for one more season, pending a petition to the NCAA. The man to watch, though, is freshman running back Juma Otoviano. The Owls’ wildcat quarterback this year, will undoubtedly be given a more prominent role.

Otoviano was given his first career start against Old Dominion. Entering the game with 140 yards rushing in his collegiate career, Otoviano exploded for a career-best 224 yards. His day was highlighted by two breakaway touchdowns — the longest an 80-yard scamper — the longest score for Rice this season. His second touchdown was “only” 62 yards.

4. Wiley Green is the future at the quarterback position

During practice this week Bloomgren hinted we might see a heavy dosage of freshman quarterback Wiley Green. In three appearances this season Green threw for 525 yards and three touchdowns with four interceptions and a touchdown on the ground.

The rationale for Green’s return to the bench was two-fold. First, Bloomgren refused to let his starting quarterback be Wally Pipped. He reinserted Shawn Stankavage back into the lineup as soon as he was healthy enough to play. Stankavage started twice, throwing for 216 yards and one touchdown with three interceptions against Louisiana Tech and 101 yards against LSU.

Second, the newly instituted redshirt rule allows players to play four games and still retain four years of eligibility. After sitting in the Owls’ past two contests Green will keep his redshirt.

All the maneuvering aside, Green doesn’t look to be relinquishing the starting job anytime soon. He threw for 96 yards with a rushing touchdown against Old Dominion before leaving the game with an injury midway through the third quarter. Green gives this offense a downfield threat with surprising mobility, opening up lanes for the Owls’ talented running backs. Green should be the presumptive favorite to be the starter heading into 2019.

5. The team that played ODU on Saturday should have won a few more games

Work in progress has been the tagline for the Rice football team through the 2018 season. Changing a culture and rebuilding from the ground up takes time, something not commonly afforded in today’s sports landscape. This team took several steps forward, a few more steps backward before finally arriving at the end of the road at 2-11.

To some extent there is truth in Bill Parcell’s most infamous one-liner: “You are what your record says you are.” The final line on the 2018 season says Rice is a 2-win football team. That’s a far cry from where this staff wants it to be, but it’s already twice as far as last year’s 1-win squad.

The truth buried in the wins and losses hides a lot of the growing pains it took for this squad to arrive where they’re at today. The team that beat Old Dominion on Saturday had the benefit of a full season of seasoning, experience and growth.

If Rice had the chance to replay this campaign with the knowledge and practice they’ve picked up along the way they probably pick up a few more wins, but that’s not how this game works. You get one shot, then it’s on to the next. Rice is better than their 2-win record and the building blocks are in place for significant improvement in their record going forward — something the Owls hope to bear out on the field in 2019 and beyond.

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Week 13 Statpack – Juma Otoviano’s touchdown and Old Dominion’s streak

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Rice football has one game left in the 2018 campaign and we’ve got 10 stats that paint a picture of the LSU loss and the upcoming matchup with Old Dominion.

1 – career rushing touchdown for Juma Otoviano. He entered the year buried on the Owls’ running back depth chart. He became the team’s wildcat quarterback midway through the season and scored his first career touchdown on Saturday, at night, in Death Valley. That’s pretty cool.

2 – consecutive games. With a win over VMI in Week 12, Old Dominion has won two games in a row and four overall. That’s their first winning streak of any kind since they beat Rice last year, their third win in a row.

3 – different kinds of touches for all-purpose talent D’Angelo Ellis. Listed as a corner on the preseason depth chart, Ellis registered one tackle, one carry and a team-leading three receptions for 66 yards against LSU.

4 – forced fumbles by Old Dominion defensive end Oshane Ximines, the most of any player in Conference USA.

5 – Old Dominion players with 100 or more yards rushing, part of a balanced attack that ranks second in yards per game in Conference USA. ODU ranks in the top eight in both passing and rushing yards.

6 – points separating Rice and Old Dominion in two meetings all-time between the schools. The Monarchs have won each of the games by a field goal margin, the first in 2014 and the most recent game last season.

7 – completions by Rice quarterbacks against LSU, the lowest number of completions registered by the team this year. The 101 total passing yards ranked third from fewest.

8 – yards per attempt by Old Dominion quarterback Blake LaRussa, a top five mark in Conference USA. He leads an offense that has produced 53 pass plays of 20 yards or more, the most in the conference.

9 – receiving touchdowns by Old Dominion receiver Jonathan Duhart which leads the Monarchs and ranks second-most among all CUSA pass catchers.

10 – field goals this season for Hayden Tobola. His 51-yard kick against LSU was a career long and the longest field goal made by Rice this season.

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Saying thanks to the Owls’ seniors

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Rice football says thanks to 20 seniors that put their heart and soul into this program. They will be formally recognized on Senior Day against Old Dominion.

On Senior Day the Owls will recognize 20 players from a variety of places and roles in the Rice football program. All 20 of those players have already or will graduate with degrees. That’s a tremendous accomplishment of which head coach Mike Bloomgren and the staff take much pride.

Austin Walter is one of several players that will be missed next year and beyond. His on-field efforts have energized an offense that needed a spark. “It’s bittersweet,” said Walter as he reminisced on his last game wearing blue and grey, “This has probably been my best statistical year, but I’m not as happy because I wanted to leave a legacy as a team.”

One win through the first 12 games of the season doesn’t adequately portray the importance of what Walter and others have done to build this culture. They’ve led well through a coaching change and set up the younger classes for success down the road. “Looking back at it, there’s nothing I regret,” recounted Walter.

The wins have been hard to come but head coach Mike Bloomgren is confident the effort of players like Walter have not been put forth in vain. He believes the ripple effects of their labor will go well beyond the on-field product in 2018. “I don’t know if I can articulate how much I’ve appreciated these seniors and how much they’ve done to help advance our mission,” he said, speaking confidently of the leadership and cultural foundation this class has built into the Rice program.

Each of the 20 members being recognized Saturday has made their mark on this program. Some will look to further their playing careers at the next level, many will look elsewhere. Regardless of where their next step will take them, thank you, seniors, for all you’ve done for Rice Football.

Players being recognized on Senior Day

Lawrence Cimino – cornerback

  • 5 career appearances (none in 2018)
  • Earned scholarship for 2018 season

Jorian Clark – cornerback

  • Played in 11 of 12 games in 2018 with two starts
  • 2018 stats: 17 tackles, two pass breakups

Josh Cummings – cornerback

  • Played in 11 of 12 games in 2018 with no starts
  • 2018 stats: 5 tackles

Brandon Douglas-Dotson – cornerback

  • Played in 11 of 12 games in 2018 with nine starts
  • 2018 stats: 13 tackles (2 TFL), two pass breakups

Jack Fox – punter/specialist

  • Played all 12 games in 2018 with 12 starts
  • 2018 stats: 45.6 average punt distance, 25 inside the 20, 24 punts of 50+ yards, 5-of-12 field goals, 20-of-20 PATs

Giovani Gentosi – fullback

  • Graduate transfer from UCLA
  • Played all 12 games in 2018 with three starts
  • 2018 stats: six carries for 39 yards, four receptions for 27 yards

Parker Hanusa – defensive lineman

  • Played 11 of 12 games in 2018 with no starts
  • 2018 stats: 13 tackles

Cameron Johnson – wide receiver

  • 9 career appearances (none in 2018)
  • Former walk on who earned a scholarship

Trevor Long – wide receiver / special teams

  • 16 career appearances (none in 2018)

Clayton Malcomb – long snapper

  • 10 career appearances (none in 2018)

Andrew Mike

  • Graduate transfer from Florida
  • 2018 stats: 5 appearances

Martin Nwakamma – linebacker

  • Played in 11 of 12 games in 2018 with four starts
  • 2018 stats: 14 tackles (2 TFL), one fumble recovery, one pass breakup

Sam Pierce – offensive line

  • Played all 12 games in 2018 with 12 starts
  • One of eight players to start every game for Rice this season

Graysen Schantz – defensive end

  • Played all 12 games in 2018 with 12 starts
  • 2018 stats: 48 tackles (4 TFL), one fumble recovery

Shawn Stankavage – quarterback

  • Played in 9 games of 12 games in 2018 with 9 starts
  • 2018 stats: 1,328 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, 10 interceptions

Samuel Stewart – running back

  • 28 career appearances (none in 2018)
  • 1605 career all-purpose yards, 10 touchdowns

Carl Thompson – defensive line

  • 18 career appearances (none in 2018)
  • 32 career tackles, 1.5 sacks

Haden Tobola – kicker/specialist

  • 9 appearances in 2018 with no starts
  • 2018 stats: 10-of-11 field goals, career-long 51-yards vs LSU

Austin Walter – running back / wide receiver

  • 12 appearances in 2018 with 4 starts
  • 2018 stats: 557 rushing yards, 501 receiving yards, six total touchdowns

Brady Wright – defensive end

  • 11 appearances in 2018 with no starts
  • 2018 stats: two tackles
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Practice notes – Thanksgiving plans and more Wiley Green

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Rice football has one more game left in 2018 against Old Dominion. The Owls are hard at work doing everything they can to make it a victory.

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate and be with family, but there’s still plenty of football to be played. Coach Mike Bloomgren has found a way to do both. Rice will practice in the morning on Thursday before joining together for a family-style feast. The meat will be catered and the families will bring sides and share the meal together at the Patterson Center.

Bloomgren has spent his tenure at Rice working to build a family. Nothing says family more than a shared Thanksgiving meal together. Culture is built over time — and over food. Now, a few notes on practice from Wednesday.

More quarterback shakeup?

Shawn Stankavage started against Louisiana Tech and LSU after returning from injury, giving freshman Wiley Green enough of a break to ensure he would retain his redshirt this season. Green is eligible to play one more game in 2018 and should be in the mix to see significant minutes on Saturday.

Neither of the other backup quarterbacks are expected to play meaningful roles on Saturday. Jackson Tyner attempted one pass against LSU. Parker Towns has run a spread package which incorporated his legs and saw limited success.

D’Angelo Ellis continues to impress

Ellis led the team in receptions and yardage against LSU with a pair of acrobatic sideline catches. His ball skills might be the best on the team. Combine those with top-flight speed and Rice has a weapon they’ll continue to feature on offense. He had a few more head-turning catches at practice on Wednesday.

Injury update

  • Collin Whitaker suffered a foot injury in the second quarter against LSU and was in a boot during practice on Wednesday. He won’t be available against Old Dominion.
  • Wide receivers August Pitre and Brendan Harmon are both doubtful. Harmon will be evaluated on game day and has the better chance to play of the pair.
  • Prudy Calderon injured his shoulder against LSU but will be available to start and play as usual.
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