The source for Rice sports news

Rice Football 2018 Defensive Rookie of the Year: Prudy Calderon

By

Rice football played a host of first-year players on defense. None shined brighter than safety Prudy Calderon, our 2018 Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Rice played 12 games in 2017 and intercepted three passes. The secondary had a long way to come from where it was, and strides were made in 2018 thanks primarily to the emergence of safety Prudy Calderon at strong safety, our 2018 Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Calderon made his first start against UTSA, the same game in which he registered his first career interception. He’d end the season with four picks on his own, the most by any defender for Rice this season and one more than last season’s total. Nine players in Conference USA tallied four or more picks, Calderon was the only underclassman in that group.

Mike Bloomgren said earlier this season that we’d only “scratched the surface” of who Calderon is going to become. He’s fast, instinctive and attacks the football from his center field position with tenacity and focus. He knows where he’s supposed to be but still finds a way to insert himself into the play whenever and wherever he can.

The Roost Podcast: Get the latest Rice Football news and analysis

By season’s end Calderon finished fifth on the team in solo tackles (26) and second on the team in passes defended. He forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and picked up one tackle for a loss. Calderon did more than build up his own stats, he gave new life to a troubled defensive backfield.

Prior to Calderon’s first start against UTSA the Owls had allowed 11.0 yards per attempt to opposing offenses and 18 touchdown passes in eight games, a rate of 3.6 touchdowns per game. From the UTSA game on the Rice defense allowed 10 passing touchdowns in eight games, a rate of 1.25 touchdowns per game and 8.3 yards per attempt.

Collin Whitaker and Tyrae Thornton, along with Calderon, led the resurgence in the secondary, but the lack of touchdown passes should be credited to Calderon and fellow safety George Nyakwol. The future is bright for this unit and Calderon is leading the charge.

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

Recent Posts

Rice Football 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year: Cole Garcia

By

Rice football played several first-year players on offense, but guard Cole Garcia stood above the rest. He’s our 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Outside of his days as a GA at Alabama, Mike Bloomgren’s first Power 5 coaching job was as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator for Stanford. He honed his craft in the trenches before attempting to bring intellectual brutality to South Main.

It took a while for the offensive line to gel for the Owls this season. The starting five remained the same through the UTSA game, but an injury to left tackle Uzoma Osuji and inconsistent play across the board opened up room for some new faces to see more playing time. One of those new faces, true freshman Cole Garcia, seized a starting job the next week and never looked back.

Garcia made his first career start against FIU, starting the final six games of the season and appearing in nine of the Owls’ 13 contests. The offense, which had combined to score three points in the two games prior to Garcia claiming the starting spot, tallied 17 points or more in four of the final six games.

The Roost Podcast: Get the latest Rice Football news and analysis

Rice ranked 33rd in power success rate, a measure of how frequently teams convert on third or fourth down with two yards or fewer to go. Garcia didn’t move the mountain himself, but the consistency with which the Owls moved the ball between the tackles was noticeably improved with him in the lineup.

Garcia attributed the scheme and the opportunity to his success, saying earlier this year “there’s no other program that would be a better fit for me.” The tenacity he brought to the field every day and the intensity he played the game became a part of the culture of this unit. As long as he’s on the team, Rice won’t have to worry about the left guard position.

“Anytime I can put somebody in the dirt is a good day,” remarked Garcia, somewhat jokingly but tinged with a good amount of truth. Mike Bloomgren couldn’t have said it any better himself.

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

Recent Posts

Potseason Mailbag (12/1)

By

The 2018 Rice Football season is in debrief mode, so we’re taking your questions about the team, the season and everything else.

Q: We had a lot of true freshmen get some playing time this year. How many of them could crack the starting lineup again next year? I’m thinking a player like Prudy Calderon is a lock. Who else?

Prudy Calderon is your starting strong safety next season, that’s a done deal. He’ll be one of several sophomores that retain a starting spot next season. On defense, linebacker Antonio Montero and linebacker Treshawn Chamberlain head into the offseason with a secure starting role.z

Linebacker Kebreyun Page and defensive end Cameron Valentine are both guys that didn’t see much of the field this year as true freshman because of injury. They’ll have a decent shot to land a starting job next season. They could find their way into the lineup a few games down the line, similar to the progression we saw with the freshman that forced their way into starting spots this season.

The Roost Podcast: Get the latest Rice Football news and analysis

There’s a lot more ambiguity on offense. The only lock entering the offseason is left guard Cole Garcia. He started the final six games of the season and has earned himself a spot on the line. Clay Servin and Jake Syptak both got starts during the year and should be in the mix for an open tackle position.

If they win the starting jobs, Wiley Green and Juma Otoviano could be the biggest difference makers on offense. It was pretty telling when Mike Bloomgren went to the pair of freshman in the final game of the regular season rather than starting healthy seniors Shawn Stankavage and Aston Walter. The passing of the torch was clear, but there will still be a legitimate competition at both positions this offseason, which I still expect Green and Otoviano to win.

Wide receiver is the position that’s most up in the air. Brendan Harmon and August Pitre would have seen more of the field if they’d been healthy. D’Angelo Ellis did well down the stretch, but the coaching staff still seems to think he’d be a better fit in the secondary. Either of those guys could fill his role next year.

Q: In this offense, I thought the TE’s were supposed to be more involved in the passing game. What was the reason for their absence and can we expect more in 2019?

First off, I don’t think we really truly saw what this offense is meant to look like this season. There were moments, but injuries and the understanding and implementation of the scheme limited what Bloomgren and offensive coordinator Jerry Mack were able to do this year. I’m not saying the team scraps the offensive results, but there’s still a lot of change to be done before this team is running the ball and controlling the clock like Bloomgren wants.

The tight ends were a little more involved than most might have noticed. Jordan Myers’ season-long production combined Jaeger Bull’s tallies up to 20 receptions for 267 yards and two touchdowns. That would have put the tight end group fourth on the team in receptions, yards and total touchdowns – trailing Austin Trammell, Aaron Cephus and Austin Walter. Given how significant those three players were to the team this season, the tight end production seems realistic.

As the offensive line and running game grows the tight end position should continue to become more involved in the offense. For year one, I’m not too concerned.

Have a question for the next mailbag? Drop it in the form below or send it over on Facebook or Twitter.

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

Recent Posts

Season Statpack – 10 telling numbers from 2018

By

It’s impossible to boil an entire Rice football season into a handful of numbers, but these 10 paint a fairly comprehensive picture of the Owls’ 2018 campaign.

2 – Wins for the Owls

Following a 1-win 2017 campaign, Rice football showed tangible improvement this season, doubling their win total. It took them all 13 games to pick up their first conference win, but the Owls didn’t leave the season empty-handed. Progress has been made.

4 – Interceptions by Prudy Calderon

Prudy Calderon became one of the Owls’ starting safeties midway through the season then proceeded to pick off four passes in a stretch of five games. His four interceptions tied him for 13th most in the nation by any player. Having him manning centerfield for an entire season should be fun.

18 – Fourth down conversions

Rice’s willingness to roll the dice on fourth down was refreshing. Their 60 percent success rate continued to climb during the season and finished third best in CUSA. This offense is going to be aggressive, something that will be fun to watch and keep opponents constantly on their toes.

19 – True freshman that appeared in at least one game this season

The youth movement is alive and well at South Main. In addition to key starters like Cole Garcia, Prudy Calderon and Antonio Montero, a host of first-year players got on the field in 2018. 10 true freshman started for Rice over the course of the year.

1,580 – All Purpose yards for running back Austin Walter

Do it-all running back, receiver and return man Austin Walter was the glue that held this offense together during long stretches of the season. He finished 14th in the nation in all-purpose yards, flirting with the national lead early in the season. Walter averaged 8.1 yards per play this season.

28.7 Percent third down conversion rate

Becoming a more consistent offense on third down will be near the top of the priority list this season. For whatever the reason, Rice struggled to convert third downs at an alarming rate in 2018. Fourth downs weren’t an issue and but the quantity can be taken down a notch with a few more third down conversions next season.

31 – Punts inside the 20 by Jack Fox

Not only was Jack Fox one of the most consistent players for the Owls, he ranks among the best players at his position in the entire nation. A Ray Guy Award Finalist, Fox led the nation in punts inside the 20, flipping the field with regularity.

44 and 78 – Long scrimmage plays made by the Owls and against the Owls

The Rice offense was not explosive this season. They had their moments but finished near the bottom of the pack with 44 plays of 20+ yards. The lack of pop combined with a defense that finished last in CUSA with 78 plays of 20+ yards allowed put them on the short ends of both sticks.

32:40 – Average time of possession for Rice

Pound the rock, control the clock and play great defense is the new mantra on South Main. Rice finished 16th in average time of possession this season, limiting the opportunities opposing offenses had to do damage. This measure should prove more powerful as the offense progresses.

224 – Rushing yards by Juma Otoviano against Old Dominion

Fresh in minds of Rice fans because of its recency, the performance true freshman Juma Otoviano put on in the Owls’ season finale was superb. He had more rushing yards on his two touchdown runs (142) than he had during his career entering the game (140). He tied Chad Richardson for fifth-most in a single game in Rice history, was named CUSA offensive player of the week and got an ESPN helmet sticker.

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

Recent Posts

Mortal Kombat, finishing strong and final thoughts on the 2018 season

By

Rice football struggled through a difficult 2018 season, finally breaking through and ending the year on an all-important high note.

In seven of Rice Football’s first 12 games season they found themselves in a two-score game entering the fourth quarter. Excluding blowouts by Southern Miss, Wake Forest, UAB, and LSU Rice was in the game in the fourth quarter more often than they weren’t.

Just once this year did they take a lead into the final frame; they led Old Dominion 20-13 entering the fourth quarter, set up by one of Juma Otoviano‘s long touchdown runs. That touchdown proved to be the difference. In the final week of the regular season Mike Bloomgren’s team had found a way finish.

Bloomgren’s relief and excitement were expressed with an allusion to a classic, but an unexpected source of entertainment: Mortal Kombat.

Upon seeing the game once again within reach in the fourth quarter, Bloomgren couldn’t help but envision the video game in his mind. “You know when his head’s spinning and it’s like ‘finish him'”, Bloomgren recalled with anticipation, “Today we finished him. And you have to do that. You have to have that desire, that want to. You have to believe when you put up those four fingers in the fourth quarter that’s the way it’s going to go. Hey, we’re going to end this thing, together.”

And they did. When the clock hit 0:00 Rice had their first conference win under Mike Bloomgren. It took months to find the right formula, but they got it done. Now all they have to do is replicate it going forward in a new season, with some new players and new expectations.

This could be the new normal,” Bloomgren said wistfully before doubling down on his team’s performance in their final game of the season.”It’s the future of Rice football. It’s intellectual brutality. It’s pound the rock, control the clock and play great defense. And it’s everything we talk about on display today by everyone who touched the field for us. And it’s exciting.”

The difference between one win and two wins doesn’t mean a whole lot for boxscore scouts. There is plenty of progress to be made on that front at South Main. When this coaching staff, this team and the fanbase looks back at 2018 they’ll see the two wins and wish there were more. There will be, in time.

In their final Saturday before the offseason began this team learned how to finish. That alone is reason to believe the best is yet to come.

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

Recent Posts