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Owls’ need to turn three-quarter performance into full game

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Head coach Mike Bloomgen and Rice football were close for most of their loss to North Texas, right up until the fourth quarter.

Four. There are four quarters in a college football game. That’s what put head coach Mike Bloomgren’s analysis of the Owls’ play on Saturday into the proper context. “For three quarters I couldn’t have been prouder of how we played,” Bloomgren remarked following the loss. “We started off the game the way we wanted to,” he said, “but when the game is on the line… their guys made more plays than we did.”

That’s not the first time Bloomgren has sung that tune following a Rice loss this season. Hopefully, it is the last.

Remedying those woes is an objective shared by the Owls’ new starting quarterback, Wiley Green. “That fourth quarter is definitely something we gotta to work on,” Green said, “We just gotta learn how to finish. At the end of the day that’s what matters and that’s how you win football games.”

Winning football games is something Rice hasn’t done in eight consecutive tries. More often than not, this team shows progress. But they haven’t reached the point where they can overcome their own mistakes. As good as the Owls’ opponents have played of late, there’s been a steady undercurrent of Rice beating themselves. The coaching staff has seen it, too.

“From a mental standpoint, we’re not able to overcome those things,” Bloomgren admitted, “When we make a mistake or have something go against us like that we fold instead of poking out our chest and finding a way to get over it.”

Through all the bad, glimmers of hope still remain. On Saturday it was three quarters. Prior to that the Owls had been looking for a full half, or even a single touchdown at all. The effort is there. It’s the execution that’s lacking. Execution can be coached; effort can’t.

Bloomgren summarized his session with one reassuring comment, “As long as the coaches and the players are going to give everything they have to this program we’re going to find a way. The wins are going to come. We just gotta keep working.”

The Owls’ next game is against UTEP at home for Homecoming. There’s no better time to pick up their first conference win like the present.

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Rough fourth quarter spoils Owls strong start vs North Texas

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Rice football gave North Texas a scare coming close to an upset before stumbling in the fourth quarter. The Owls are getting closer, but couldn’t finish.

When the fourth quarter started Rice trailed North Texas 20-17. The coaches and the team don’t make much mention of being underdogs or favorites, but the oddsmakers tabbed the Owls as 30-point underdogs again the Mean Green.

This team wasn’t intimidated. They started fast and stayed in the ring for three full quarters until a rough fourth quarter turned this into a blowout. There were some missteps on both sides of the ball, but there wasn’t an extended stretch of time when it felt like this team was lost until a series of penalties and a sack-fumble put the game out of reach late in the fourth.

Rice could have won this game, but their record falls to 1-8. Here are a few immediate reactions:

1. Credit to where credit is due, the offense is improving

Rice was kept out of the endzone in successive games against UTSA and UAB. The poor offensive performances plus the injury to quarterback Shawn Stankavage‘s made the future of this unit seem bleak.

Rather than stick to “what had always worked” and clearly wasn’t working anymore, offensive coordinator Jerry Mack and head coach Mike Bloomgren went back to the drawing board. The results were impressive and impactful. Rice scored touchdowns on their opening drive against FIU and their opening drive against North Texas, each coming with a different quarterback at the helm of the offense.

A vastly different offense took the field in Denton, Tx on Saturday. Juma Otoviano was heavily involved as a wildcat quarterback. Wiley Green honed in on Austin Walter and Aaron Cephus in the passing game and the Owls moved up and down the field.

It looked like a different offense. The unit that put up a zero against UAB is long gone. The next step for this group is converting third downs and staying on the field. Rice was 3-for-14 on third down, making the amount of production they were able to achieve even more encouraging.

2. Fine under fire

Rice entered the game against North Texas dead last in the conference in sacks. The Owls have struggled to get any sort of consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks, leaving the secondary exposed. The defensive line knew they need to step up, and the results began to show up on Saturday.

Anthony Ekpe and Houston Robert both sacked Fine in the first quarter, but Robert’s was negated by an illegal substitution penalty. Ekpe picked up what should have been a drive-ending sack in the third quarter, but an unsportsmanlike penalty on the Owls kept the defense on the field. He emerged again in the same drive, sacking Fine and forcing a long field goal which North Texas missed.

Even when the Owls didn’t get there in time they made their presence felt in the offensive backfield. Fine was on the ground a lot and was well aware of the pressure coming from all sides. The Rice pass rush completely changed this game, something that hasn’t been said over the last several weeks.

3. Tackling and making plays in space is still an issue

There are several aspects of the defense that have shown tremendous improvement throughout the season. Unfortunately, the bottom line doesn’t reflect that progress largely because the Owls are still plagued by the big play.

North Texas’ first touchdown came from 68-yards out. Fine hit Rico Bussey Jr. in space and the receiver outsprinted the defense into the endzone. This team has been prone to surrendering the long ball, but Bussey’s catch and run wasn’t a home run. Rice had defenders behind the receiver, but multiple bad angles left them without a play on the football. He should have been knocked out in the redzone, instead, he scored.

The Owls have been susceptible to the big play on the ground too. Against North Texas, this came in the form of a 44-yard DeAndre Torrey scamper down the sideline. He was surrounded by a trio of Rice defenders, but nobody forced him out until he had rushed for a huge gain.

If those two big plays are taken off the board Rice could have been tied entering halftime, or perhaps even with a narrow lead. This defense cannot take any more meaningful strides if they don’t eliminate these kinds of plays.

4. New faces continue to make big impacts

Where to begin? The freshman were the difference makers on both sides of the ball against North Texas. On offense, Wiley Green threw for 204 yards, one touchdowns and didn’t throw any interceptions. He fumbled once, but also picked up a score with his legs. Juma Otoviano was critical early on, jump-starting the offense with 64 yards on 17 carries, many out of the wildcat formation.

On defense, Prudy Calderon and Trewshawn Chamberlain both forced fumbles. Calderon came up with a huge pass breakup in the endzone and was active all over the field. His insertion into the starting lineup has boosted the play of the entire defense and helped take away the over the top plays that burned the secondary often through the first month of the season.

5. Don’t beat yourself

Rice committed four penalties for 30 yard against FIU. They committed eight penalties for 99 yards against North Texas. Five of those penalties gave North Texas first downs, many coming on third downs when Rice had done enough to get off the field.

This team has made significant strides on the defensive side of the ball. Even though that’s the case, they’re not at the point where they can be handing out extra possessions and expecting the results to stay positive.

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Rice Baseball: Owls drop fall scrimmage to Texas A&M at Reckling Park

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Rice baseball donned their blue and gray at Reckling Park, hosting Texas A&M in a fall exhibition game on a brisk October evening.

Rice hosted their first home exhibition of the fall against Texas A&M. On a cool night at Reckling Park, the Owls fell to the Aggies 9-6 in 12 innings.

Texas A&M struck first, putting up four runs on a flurry of fourth inning hits against Rice pitcher Evan Kravetz. The Aggie pitching staff held the Owls in check for much of the early action, but the home team broke through with a crooked number of their own in the sixth.

Rice designated hitter Khevin Brewer mashed a bases-clearing double down the left field line. A bases-loaded walk tied the game at 4-4 entering the seventh. Texas A&M pushed a pair of unearned runs across in the seventh and Rice answered with singles in the seventh and eighth to tie the game at 6-6.

The game stayed deadlock through the next three innings before Texas A&M pushed across two runs in the 12th. Rice had one last chance to answer in the bottom half of the frame but wasn’t able to fight back.

The result is somewhat trivial in a scrimmage atmosphere, overall the night gave the young guys some valuable experience and gave the coaches a chance to see their players in action.

Offensive player of the game – Justin Collins, catcher

Justin Collins was seeing the ball well off just about every pitcher he faced. He picked up the Owls first hit of the night with a double in the second inning. He followed that up with singles in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings.

It was Collins who delivered for the Owls in their exhibition against Sam Houston last week, mashing a grand slam to give Rice a commanding lead. He hit .265 with 12 extra base hits in 2017 and will be trusted for more this season.

Pitcher of the game – Addison Moss, pitcher

With Matt Canterino on the shelf, resting from a busy fall that included the Cape Cod league and Team USA appearances, the Owls turned to Moss to start their tilt against the Aggies. He faced seven batters, allowed one hit and struck out one, throwing 16 strikes on 24 pitches.

Moss wasn’t perfect, but he kept a potent Aggie lineup from making much hard contact. He’ll be a piece of the starting rotation for the Owls once again this spring.

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Mike Bloomgren wraps up FIU and looks ahead at North Texas

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Rice football prepares for another Conference USA opponent in Week 9, hitting the road once again to play North Texas.

Looking back at FIU

“It’s disappointing to lose a football game, and that’s something I’m stressing to our team continually. Losing is not okay. It should not feel good. It should hurt, and it should make you want to work that much harder.”

On the fast start…

“We started out fast, the way we want to as a football team which I think was very important. Offense took the opening drive right down the field… the defense got a couple of stops…. that was really positive. That was something we needed to do.”

On the youth movement…

“We had 10 true freshman play in that game, five of which started. And the moment didn’t seem to big for them. In almost all the cases they went in there and lined up beside these guys… and just played.”

On committing zero penalties…

“We played penalty free. I can’t remember the last time I was part of a team that had zero penalties. I think it’s a testament to these guys and their discipline … and the techniques their coaches are teaching them.”

On the team’s overall effort…

“I’m pleased with the effort these guys are putting forward. I’m pleased with the way they continue to fight.”

Looking forward to North Texas

“Offensively, they’re scoring almost 40 points a game. Mason Fine was the conference preseason offensive player of the year. He’s a gritty kid that makes throw after throw and keeps fighting. He’s tough as nails and any time you think he’s down or hurt he just pops right back in and finds a way to get the ball downfield to one of his great receivers.”

On the North Texas offense…

“It’s dynamic. I really believe it all starts with him, with Mason Fine. I think he’s such a scrapper. I think he does more than you think he can with his legs but just his ability to stay in there and find a way to get the ball downfield to those receivers is so impressive.”

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Owls to start Wiley Green vs North Texas

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Rice football has been forced to dig deep into the quarterback depth chart. Wiley Green will start for the Owls in lieu of an injured Evan Marshman.

Wiley Green started the fall as the fifth quarterback on the Owls’ roster. On Saturday he will start against North Texas because of injuries suffered by Shawn Stankavage and Evan Marshman in successive games.

Marshman started the Owls’ Week 8 game against FIU and played well. He completed 11-of-15 passes for 107 yards and threw one interception. He was even more productive on the ground, rushing for 68 yards and two scores. Unfortunately for Marshman and the Owls, his final run proved to be dangerous.

Marshman took off, found space and was greeted with a flurry of opposing jerseys at the goal line. He plunged through the scrum for the touchdown, landing awkwardly before being immediately rushed to the medical tent. He did not return to the game, and he won’t suit up again for the Owls any time soon. Precise details of his injury have not yet been made public, but like Stankavage, this injury will cause him to miss multiple weeks if not longer.

That makes Green, the former scout team quarterback, the next man up for the Owls against North Texas. After him, the depth chart gets murky. Jackson Tyner is one of the few men standing at the position which has prompted the coaching staff to dig deeper for possible solutions. In addition to Tyner, wide receiver Austin Trammell and running back Juma Otaviano will take reps at quarterback this week.

Rice will play its third different starting quarterback in three weeks against North Texas. That’s not what any coach would hope for, but the raw talent Green possesses makes Bloomgren hopeful. “He can spin it,” Bloomgren said, adding that he’s been impressed with his progression this fall.

Green understands the gravity of the situation, but say’s his preparation remains the same.  “At the end of the day, it’s football. No matter if it’s the ones or the threes it’s football and I’ve been playing it since elementary school.” That may be true, but this weekend won’t be just another game. It will be his first collegiate start.

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