The source for Rice sports news

2018 Team by team season preview

By

As the 2018 Rice Football season continues to draw closer we’re taking a look at each of the Owls opponents. Which games are must-wins and which players pose the toughest challenge this season? From the kickoff against Prairie View A&M to the finale against Old Dominion, here’s a sneak peek at every opponent the Owls play in 2018.

Completed previews are in bold. Previews to be published are in italics.

Week 1 – 8/25/2018 – vs Prairie View A&M

Week 2 – 9/1/2018 – vs Houston


Week 3 – 9/8/2018 – @ Hawaii

Week 4 – BYE

Week 5 – 9/22/2018 – @ Southern Mississippi

Week 6 – 9/29/2018 – @ Wake Forest

Week 7 – 10/6/2018 – vs UTSA

Week 8 – 10/13/2018 – vs UAB

Week 9 – 10/20/2018 – @ Florida International

Week 10 – 10/27/2018 – @ North Texas

Week 11 – 11/3/2018 – vs UTEP

Week 12 – 11/10/2018 – @ Louisiana Tech

Week 13 – 11/17/2018 – @ LSU

Week 14 – 11/24/2018 – vs Old Dominion

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

2019 quarterback Trevor Bycznski commits to Owls

By

Rice football picked up their first commitment in the month of July with the announcement of 3-star quarterback Trevor Bycznski’s pledge to the Owls.

The recruiting cycle tends to slow down in the month of July. In-person visits are on hold during the NCAA imposed “dead period” and most coaches are busy with media days and last minute odds and ends. Even though the Owls couldn’t make any face-to-face overtures they still added to their 2019 recruiting class. 3-star quarterback Trevor Bycznski from Cleveland, Ohio announced his commitment to Rice football on July 17.

https://twitter.com/bycznski8/status/1019371787052777477

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound passer is the first quarterback in the 2019 class and a massive building block for head coach Mike Bloomgren and his program. He chose the Owls over offers from Bowling Green, Georgetown, Buffalo, North Dakota State, Ball State and others.

Although he has yet to be offered by any Power 5 program, Bycznski was on the radar of several big name schools thanks to an impressive performance at Notre Dame’s Elite Skills Camp in June. Tom Loy of 247 Sports called Bycznski “terrific” and “the most physically-ready” quarterback in attendance.

Bycznski had the strongest arm at the event. He was putting a ton of zip on his passes and spinning it extremely well. Beyond the fact that he clearly has a hose and a big, strong build, Bycznski showed off accuracy with the football and a quick release. He had a smooth, clean motion and the ball shot out of his hand. Tom Lay, 247 Sports

In addition to his strong arm, Bycznski has plus mobility. He’s not afraid to take the ball himself when a play breaks down and has enough quickness to exploit defenses on the ground when given the opportunity.

Bycznski is the third out-of-state commitment. That’s marks an uptick in the focus outside Texas compared to the Owls’ entire 2018 class which features six signees from outside the state of Texas. He joins a Rice class that ranks seventh in Conference USA and inside the top 100 classes nationally (No. 99).

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

35 Days: Owls must take season 10 yards at a time in 2018

By

Rice football hasn’t won a game over the last three seasons when they’ve accumulated less than 20 first downs. That’s a number that needs to change for the Owls to move forward.

There is a time and a place for intricate offensive schemes, trickery and creative playcalling. The razzle-dazzle always sparks Oohs and Aahs in the crowd when it works, but the effort that goes into installing such unique play calls can often outweigh the rewards. Before Rice football tries to get complicated they need to get back to mastering the basics: first downs.

The first down might be the simplest concept in all of football. Teams have four (although traditionally three) downs to get 10 yards. If they can’t do that the other team takes over. Keeping possession and driving down the field will not only enable the Owls to score but will limit the opportunities for their opponent. Shortening the game against some of the high-powered offenses they’ll face in 2018 is a good place to start.

The 1979 and 1992 Owls each demonstrated the ideal outcome of this philosophy, each against the Houston Cougars. Both teams accumulated 35 first downs in their respective games against UH, a record that still stands to this day. The last Rice team to top 30 fresh sets of chains came in a loss to 42-28 Texas in 2015. Had the Owls not spotted the Longhorns two easy touchdowns on poor special teams plays in the first quarter they might have had enough offensive success to topple the college football giant.

Rice has played 36 games over the last three seasons. They reached 20 first downs in exactly half of those contests, 18. Over that period Rice is 0-18 when achieving less than 20 first downs. They’re 9-9 when getting 20 first downs or more. Those numbers could not be any more disparate.

If Rice wants to get more points they need to find a way to move the ball. That goes back to fundamentals, the basics and traditional hard-nosed football. There will be plenty of time for flair later. For now, let’s get the first down.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

2018 North Texas Mean Green Season Preview

By

Rice football seems to always find themselves in a shootout when they play North Texas. Will 2018 be any different when the Owls face the Mean Green?

Seth Littrell and the air raid offense have done wonders for the North Texas Mean Green. The team parted ways with former coach Dan McCarney midway through the 2015 season, falling to 1-11 before Littrell took over in 2016. After going 5-8 during his first season, Littrell continued the upswing with a 9-5 finish in 2017.

North Texas was the West representative in the Conference USA Championship Game last season. They fell to Florida Atlantic for the second time that season, ending the campaign 7-2 in conference play with both losses coming at the hands of Lane Kiffin’s Owls.

Their game against the Rice Owls turned out quite differently. Although Rice was able to slow down the Mean Green’s high-powered offense they didn’t have enough firepower of their own to catch up North Texas won at 30-14 at Rice Stadium. They’ll host the Owls in 2018.

Offense

North Texas returns their most important piece of their offense in 2018, junior quarterback Mason Fine. The 5-foot-11 passer amassed 4,052 passing yards, second-most in the conference to Mike White of Western Kentucky in 2017.  Fine led CUSA in passing touchdowns with 31. He’ll have the proverbial green light to open up the passing lanes once more this season and will have the benefit of several familiar targets.

The Mean Green return five of their top six pass catchers from last season, losing senior Turner Smiley (35 receptions, 623 yards and five touchdowns) to graduation. Smiley will be missed, but Michael Lawrence (62 rec., 819 yd, four TD), Jalen Guyton (49 rec., 775 yd, nine TD) and Rico Bussey Jr. (47 rec., 677 yd, seven TD)  are more than enough weapons to make Fine comfortable in the pocket.

All that’s left is to find a running back. Replacing Jeffrey Wilson will be the biggest challenge this offense faces next season. He toted the rock 188 times for the Mean Green in 2017, racking up 1,215 yards and 16 touchdowns. Nick Smith, now a sophomore, saw meaningful action as a freshman but wasn’t nearly as effective as Smith, averaging 1.5 less yards per carry and scoring 10 fewer touchdowns on 50 fewer carries.

Defense

The defense is what has kept North Texas from breaking through. In seven meetings with the Mean Green from 2008 to 2017 the Owls have averaged 36 points per game. It wasn’t just Rice that has gotten the best of the North Texas defense. They’ve finished in the bottom three in CUSA in scoring defense twice in the past three seasons, becoming equally susceptible to the run and the pass in 2017. North Texas surrendered 431.4 yards per game last season, 12th worst in CUSA.

Hoping to right the decline in 2018 will be a collection of upperclassmen in the defensive backfield. Corner Kemon Hall led the unit with eight passes defended last season, also registering one interception and 73 tackles. That’s an elevated number of tackles for a corner, but that speaks to gaps in the front seven that let his opponents get to the second-level so quickly.

Up front North Texas will build around 2019 NFL Draft prospect E.J. Ejiya. The 6-foot-3, 223-pound outside linebacker should be the Mean Green’s biggest playmaker once again in 2018. Ejiya is coming off a career season in which he registered 108 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss and seven sacks. A strong year for him would go a long way to easing the pressure on the secondary, but he’ll need some help. Look for fellow linebacker Brandon Garner to take some pressure off Ejiya, opening up holes for his teammate to get into the offensive backfield.

Schedule

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

CUSA Media Days notes and quotes

By

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:

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts