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This week in CUSA – Looking ahead at Week 12

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Rice football took Louisiana Tech to the wire but couldn’t pull out the win. What else happened this weekend and what’s next for Conference USA football in Week 12?

Team Last Week Result This Week
Charlotte at Marshall L, 30-13 vs FIU
FAU vs WKU W, 34-15 at North Texas
FIU at UTSA W, 45-7 at Charlotte
LaTech vs Rice W, 28-13 at Southern Miss
Marshall vs Charlotte W, 30-13 vs UTSA
MTSU at UTEP W, 48-32 at Kentucky
North Texas at ODU L, 34-31 vs FAU
ODU vs North Texas W, 34-31 vs VMI
Rice at LaTech L, 28-13 at LSU
Southern Miss at UAB L, 26-23 (OT) vs LaTech
UAB vs Southern Miss W, 26-23 (OT) at Texas A&M
UTEP vs MTSU L, 48-32 at WKU
UTSA VS FIU L, 45-7 vs Marshall
WKU at FAU L, 34-15 vs UTEP

Notable Week 10 results

Rice’s big play goes for naught

Shawn Stankavage connected with speedster Austin Walter on a 68-yard touchdown pass on the Owls’ first drive of the second half against Louisiana Tech. The score was the longest touchdown of the year for Rice and gave Rice the lead. They weren’t able to hold on, falling on the road to the Bulldogs despite incredible play in the secondary from freshman safety Prudy Calderon.

Oh my, Old Dominion

Outside of their win over Virginia Tech earlier in the season there hadn’t been too much for Old Dominion fans to celebrate this year. It took a literal miracle to beat Western Kentucky and the Monarchs hadn’t played anyone else close in nearly a month. So, of course, it makes total sense they beat North Texas at home over the weekend. Conference USA is weird.

Wake up call answered

FIU was sitting alone at the top of the Conference USA East standings entering their Week 10 game against rival FAU. Not only did the Panthers lose, they got rocked, suffering a blowout defeat and putting their hopes of a conference championship on edge. How did they respond? Thumping a subpar UTSA squad on the road by five touchdowns.

Week 12 storylines

So much for the Group of 5 game of the year

North Texas and FAU were supposed to meet in the Conference USA Championship game. FAU’s season crumbled early. North Texas started strong, but blown leads have cost the Mean Green a chance to play for the conference title. Now both teams are mired in mediocrity and this game, which many had circled in the preseason, is basically moot.

Someone’s cupcake is another person’s opportunity

Conference USA has three matchups with SEC foes in Week 12. Middle Tennessee takes on a reeling Kentucky squad that just lost to the Tennessee Volunteers, Rice gets LSU and UAB gets Texas A&M. All are heavy underdogs, but we’ve learned not to write off even the loweliest of CUSA squads off in non-conference play. Isn’t that right Virginia Tech?

Here’s your shot Western Kentucky

The Hilltoppers have one win this year — a one-score road victory against Ball State. They’ve yet to win a game on their own field and won’t get a better chance than their upcoming game against UTEP. Outside of Rice, UTEP is winless meanwhile Rice and Western Kentucky are the only two remaining teams without a CUSA win. If WKU can’t get it done this weekend they won’t this season.

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Prudy Calderon shines bright in tough loss to Louisiana Tech

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Rice football dropped another close fourth quarter contest, but Prudy Calderon‘s ascension provides a reason for hope in the midst of defeat.

The Rice defense had generated four interceptions entering Saturday’s road contest with Louisiana Tech. Two of those picks came by way of freshman safety Prudy Calderon, who made his first start against FIU. He doubled his career interception mark against Louisiana Tech, picking off two passes, both on the goal line to thwart potential touchdowns.

His four interceptions to date mark one more than the Owls’ interception total as an entire defense in 2017. It’s also more interceptions than seven different FBS teams had so far this season entering Week 11.

The longer he stays on the field, the more takeaways this defense gets. His teammates and his coaches have recognized how well he’s playing and continue to espouse his praises every chance they get. “I’m really proud of what Prudy’s doing,” said head coach Mike Bloomgren, “We’re just scratching the surface of what he’s going to be. And that’s really exciting to me because he’s tackling well, seeing the game well and making those plays that come to him.”

The potential of Calderon is through the roof. His vision in the open field is innate and he’s only going to get better as he refines his game. For him, confidence has always been the biggest hurdle to clear. Once he realized he could hang with the talent on the other side of the field he started making plays — he hasn’t let up yet.

Quarterback Shawn Stankavage, who struggled with turnovers himself on Saturday, noted how important it was for the defense to be playing as well as they were. His first shoutout was handed directly to Calderon  — a short but honest evaluation: “Prudy played his butt off.”

Calderon registered two picks and one tackle against Louisiana Tech. He kept this team alive and did all he could to will them to victory. He’ll point to the coaching staff and his teammates for their strong performances on Saturday, but this team doesn’t take Louisiana Tech to the wire without a phenomenal day from the freshman safety, a star in the making.

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Owls four-quarter effort falls short against Louisiana Tech

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Rice football was within one score in the fourth quarter but couldn’t keep pace with Louisiana Tech, falling on the road in Week 11.

Rice traded punches with Louisiana Tech, alternate scores for most of the night right up until the fourth quarter. Hayden Tobola knocked through a pair of field goals and Austin Walter delivered the Owls’ longest touchdown of the season.

Too many turnovers (three) and another poor outing on third down (3-for-15) marred a hard-fought effort that came up short on the road. Here are a few immediate thoughts:

1. Stay in the ring

Head coach Mike Bloomgren said his team was “mentally highjacked” through the first two quarters against UTEP. The Owls’ opponent hit a big play and instantly sucked the energy out of the team. They got it back after halftime, but by then it was too late, the deficit had grown too wide.

The challenge entering the Louisiana Tech game was simple: stay in the ring. Louisiana Tech was going to land some punches, the question was how would Rice respond?

This week assistant head coach Pete Lembo said his team needs to find 11 guys on each side of the field that don’t blink, guys that are able to go onto the next play and put the past behind him. They might not have two sets of 11 yet, but they have one: Prudy Calderon

Calderon saw a pass sneak through his grasp for a 34-yard gain that put Louisiana Tech into Rice territory. On the very next play, Calderon squared up another deep pass, intercepting it and returning it 30 yards.

The two plays were a microcosm of what Intellectual Brutality is supposed to be. Their opponent threw a haymaker. Rice punched back.

2. Quarterback play

Rice has been dealt a rough hand when it comes to the health of their quarterbacks this season. Shawn Stankavage, Evan Marshman and Wiley Green have all seen meaningful snaps. Marshman is out for the season with a hand injury leaving Stankavage, Green and Jackson Tyner the remaining options at quarterback.

Stankavage overcame what was initially diagnosed as a season-ending injury to return to the field against Louisiana Tech. Some rust from the month away from the field was expected, what wasn’t expected was a steady dose of Parker Towns. The scout team quarterback for much of the year, Towns was involved on several apparent read-option plays, completing one pass for 10 yards.

He was mixed in throughout the game, partly because of the up and down play of Stankavage. As Stankavage settled in the Owls offense picked up. His best pass of the night came on the first drive of the second half, a 68-yard bomb to Austin Walter which gave the Owls a 10-7 lead.

Stankavage finished 18-of-32 passing for 216 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. He had his moments, but his tendency to force passes and turn the ball over is an issue that needs to be addressed.

3. What happened to the rushing attack?

Rice began the season committed to the run game and while they haven’t gone away from the ground the effectiveness has declined. They averaged 201.6 yards per game on the ground through their first five games and 77.4 yards per game in their next five. They’ve had eight fewer carries per game in the second half, but the production has dropped precipitously.

Things didn’t improve on the ground against Louisiana Tech. Rice carried the ball 29 times for 100 yards with Aston Walter leading the way with a career-high with 17 carries. Austin Walter, Emmanuel Esukpa, Nashon Ellerbee, and Juma Otoviano had all been featured at different points this season, but all rushers outside of Walter combined for 28 yards on the ground.

The offensive line has been hit or miss, and not even the elusiveness of the Walter brothers has been enough to spark the running game. Wildcat packages have been scattered in. For the most part, they haven’t been born significant fruit either. This is meant to be a run-first offense and the inability to make headway on the ground is frustrating.

4. There’s still too much bend in the Rice defense

Rice was strong up the middle for the majority of this game. The defensive line limited the yards Louisiana Tech was able to get on the ground, with the exception of three drive-ending touchdown runs by Louisiana Tech running back Jaqwis Dancy.

In all three instances, Louisiana Tech picked up a first down in the redzone and the Rice defense was scrambling back to get set. Dancy capitalized, bursting through the line and getting into the endzone from 11-yards, 1-yard and 18-yards out.

The same give and take way visible through the air. The Rice corners played a strong game but were victims of a few big plays down the field. There have been games where opposing wide receivers ran free and torched this defense with ease. There were defensive lapses against Louisiana Tech too, but there were also some incredible catches made by Louisiana Tech receivers.

The biggest play was a 49-yard snag by Adrian Hardy. The coverage wasn’t perfect and Hardy made the challenging catch. Dancy scored on the next play.

This defense is getting close to playing at a high level, but they’ve still got a ways to go.

5. All four quarters

Rice trailed Louisiana Tech by eight points midway through the fourth quarter. The offense hadn’t played perfect, neither had the defense. But this was a one-score game until the final minutes when Louisiana Tech put a late score on the board to put this game out of reach.

Playing four quarters has been the focal point of this team all season. After being outscored 70-3 in the first quarter in their last three road games against Louisiana Tech the Owls kept the score deadlocked at zero after one. Rice got the offense going in the second, missing a field goal, but going into the locker room down 7-3.

Rice got points in the third and fourth quarters, too. The defense struggled to hold, but they fought until the very end. Calderon had his second interception in the final two minutes and Rice responded with one more score. There is work to be done, but Rice played all four quarters. Finally.

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Shawn Stankavage is grateful to return to football

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Rice football has their starting quarterback back. After fearing the worst, Shawn Stankavage will return to the field against Louisiana Tech.

“I thought my career might be over.” That’s the grim reality Rice quarterback Shawn Stankavage was dealing with in his North Carolina home only a few weeks ago. After getting a second opinion and rehabbing vigorously, he’ll start once again for the Owls against Louisiana Tech on Saturday.

Stankavage views the second chance as a blessing, saying “sometimes when you lose something, you realize how much you miss it.” He realized he missed the gridiron, and his teammates have welcomed him back with open arms.

Through his first seven appearances with the Owls, Stankavage threw for 1,011 yards nine touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has not seen action since his injury against UAB, but doesn’t anticipate any rust as he readjusts to the offense.

Although he’s been unable to play, Stankavage has been actively involved in meetings and with the team on the practice field. He’s been in the huddle alongside Evan Marshman and Wiley Green as they took their turns at the starter’s job. He’ll slide back into the QB1 spot moving forward. Tyner will be the backup with Green available if necessary.

The offense has gone through quite the journey over the month Stankavage been unavailable. It’s started moving in the right direction once again thanks to big days from Austin Trammell and Aaron Cephus, but Stankavage remains confident the unit can and will get better. “There’s still more plays to be made,” he said, talking expectantly of what the on-field results could be as the unit grows.

Stankavage knows he’s not the missing piece that will turn this offense around overnight, but he understands where this team has been and he remains confident in the direction they’re going. The process without the desired result is frustrating, but one win is all it will take to reenergize this program. “When you win, people start believing,” Stankavage said. “We’re close.”

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Quarterback changes take center stage, practice notes (11/8)

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Rice football continues to work on the practice field as they prepare for Louisiana Tech in Week 11. Here are the latest news and notes.

The plan at quarterback behind Stankavage

True freshman quarterback Wiley Green has looked promising so far this season. The Owls’ former fifth stringer racked up 525 yards passing, four total touchdowns (one rushing) and four interceptions across three games. Green can only play in one more contest this year and preserve his redshirt — something Bloomgren indicated was important to the coaching staff during his Tuesday press conference.

Bloomgren is going to get that fourth game in at some point this season, the question is when will that be? If the situation arises where Rice has to turn to the bench late in a winnable game to Louisiana Tech we might see Green over fellow backup Jackson Tyner. Otherwise, Tyner is the probable No. 2 behind Stankavage this week. He took reps with the second team on Thursday. Green ran the scout unit.

D’Angelo Ellis is going to be a thing

The junior defensive back saw limited action as a member of the Owls’ offense in their game against UTEP. He registered one carry for three yards, playing as a wide receiver motioning out of the backfield. That was his first dose of game action this season and his involvement is only going to go up.

Ellis is quick and could provide a jolt to this offense. Him, alongside a guy like Austin Walter, can be spark plugs for a unit that all too often gets stuck. He has the potential to be that kind of big-play guy.

Get a good look at Jack Fox

It’s not often that you get transfixed in practice by special teams, but it’s worth taking every moment remaining to appreciate punter Jack Fox. His punts boomed effortlessly down the field with a subtle thump each time he launched the ball off his foot. He’s going to be playing on Sundays.

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