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Rice Football 2023 Defensive Player of the Year: Sean Fresch

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Sean Fresch took his game to new heights this season, earning our highly contested 2023 Rice Football Defensive Player of the Year award.

The 2023 Rice Football defense was filled with standout performers. The entire defensive line played well, veteran linebacker Myron Morrison was a stabilizing for in the middle of the field and defensive backs Gabe Taylor and Tre’shon Devones made big plays in big moments. Picking a Defensive Player of the Year was incredibly challenging, but Sean Fresch ultimately earned the nod partly because of his journey to this point.

A season ago, there were games in which opposing offenses chose to build their entire game plan around Fresch, and not in a complimentary way. They viewed him as a player they could beat, pushing the ball in his direction. Fresch was hunted, not feared, and to some extent, that’s what to be expected when a 5-foot-8 defensive back takes on FBS-caliber wide receivers. That’s where this story starts.

Rice hired Jeremy Modkins to coach corners in the offseason. Through his work with Modkins and a personal rededication to bettering himself, Fresch made a leap players make in their fourth collegiate season. Even before the games began, the buzz around South Main regarding Fresch’s improvement was inescapable.

“Sean Fresch is playing the most outstanding football I’ve ever seen him play,” head coach Mike Bloomgren declared before the season-opening game against Texas. Expectations and pressures were already mounting. Top corner Jordan Dunbar had taken a leave of absence from the team in the week prior to the season, thrusting Fresch into the spotlight. He did not blink.

Fresch began the season strong, tallying three pass breakups in the Owls’ upset win over the Houston Cougars and leading a secondary that would go on to finish second in the AAC in yards per game allowed through the air. Fresch started every game and provided a spark on special teams with his dynamic punt return abilities. Opposing defenses didn’t key in on him anymore. In fact, they started going the other way.

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“He doesn’t get the [pass break ups] because he’s covered the guy,” coach Modkins would joke midseason.

Whether the ball was headed his way or not Fresch, played like a new man.

“How I feel. How I play. How I carry myself around this building. How I carry myself with my teammates. The leadership role that I have, I walk around and the confidence is there,” Fresch said. “I’m just playing different.”

Fresch started every game this season, posting career highs in tackles, tackles for a loss, punt returns and punt return yardage. He also had his first sack on a big third down play against Charlotte. He was so amped up that he almost forgot to sprint down to the other end of the field and return the ensuing punt. It soon became just another exciting moment for Fresch in an incredible season.

Modkins, in his first season working with Fresch, didn’t have a full perspective of what Fresch looked like a year ago compared to the player he became under his tutelage. Nevertheless, Modkins says he never doubted Fresch putting together the kind of year that he did.

“He’s a tremendous competitor. He works his tail off. He does whatever you say to do and he wants to get better. He listens. He works,” Modkins said. “The proof is kind of in the pudding with him. I’m not surprised by the results he’s having at all.”

More: Rice Football Rising Star — Dean Connors

A surprise or not, Fresch’s resurgent season made this defense function at a high level. Defensive coordinator Brian Smith has built his scheme around having two strong cover corners who can win one-on-one battles on the outside. When the corners do that, in this scheme, it frees up the rest of the defense to pressure the quarterback and make plays.

Through it all, Fresch credited confidence and discipline as the driving force for his sustained improvement. “Just trusting that and falling back on my technique every single play,” he said. “Staying disciplined and finishing.”

One needs to look no further than the season finale against Texas State in the SERVPRO First Responders Bowl. Although it wasn’t a banner day for the team as a whole, the secondary held a potent Texas State offense to 150 yards passing with eight three-and-outs. It was a fitting end for Fresch and a strong defensive season.

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Rice Football 2023 Rising Star: Dean Connors

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From JUCO playmaker to bonafide FBS superstar, running back Dean Connors is our 2023 Rice Football Rising Star.

If Dean Connors had gotten tired, he would never tell you so. “The energizer bunny” who “doesn’t have an off switch” as offensive coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo called him, Connors emerged as the newfound star Rice football running back this season. It was quite a long journey from the JUCO ranks to get him to where he is today, but the winding path is finally paying dividends.

In 2020, his senior season of high school was canceled and moved to the spring. He played a shortened season in March and April of 2021, then enrolled at Riverside City Junior College where he played a full 13-game schedule that fall. By the time he arrived at South Main, he’d played 18 football games in the span of six months.

Wary of overworking their new investment, the Rice coaching staff utilized Connors sparingly in his first year with the Owls. He carried the ball just 28 times for 128 yards and scored just one touchdown via a reception, not a carry.

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If Connors was ever frustrated by the slow start to this Rice career, he never showed it. By his own admission, he spent his first season trying to soak in as much football knowledge as possible. “Up until now, I’ve really kind of just went out there and played,” Connors said this past spring. “But I think once I got here I’ve been really expanding my knowledge of the game.”

He stole the show in spring practices and operated as the co-starter with veteran Juma Otoviano through fall camp. When the season arrived, Connors exploded with 145 all-purpose yards in a win over crosstown rival, Houston and scored his first FBS rushing touchdown a week later against Texas Southern.

Still, everyone in the offensive meeting rooms felt like Connors and the offense could do more. Following that game against Texas Southern in which the Owls hung 59 points on their opponent, Connors said he and the offense were “not close at all” to reaching their ceiling.

Connors had runs in that game he wanted to have back. The offensive line was working through some early season challenges. Everything wasn’t lining up just yet. But rather than get discouraged, Connors got to work.

“When Dean Connors does it the way he’s coached, it’s pretty impressive,” running backs coach John Settle said around that time. “Good Dean, is really good.”

More: Rice Football Special Teams Player of the Year — Peyton Stevenson

Bit by bit, play by play, Connors started to find his groove. He hauled in an 80-yard touchdown reception against USF, the longest play from scrimmage Rice football had this year. A few weeks later, he exploded for 120 yards and three touchdowns on just nine carries during a Thursday night primetime game against Tulsa.

“Dean is such a proven commodity to this coaching staff that anything he does in a game now, it doesn’t surprise any of us,” head coach Mike Bloomgren said that night. “We expected that of Dean.”

With the Owls’ backs against the wall, in need of two wins in two weeks to clinch bowl eligibility, Connors delivered a combined 33 carries for 259 yards, the best two-game stretch of his entire career. Rice won both games and made it to the postseason, thanks in large part to Connors’ efforts.

Even with his meteoric rise, Connors remains level-headed and focused on what’s in front of him. A comment he made in the preseason rings true. “I can’t really think about starting or how many carries I’m gonna get,” he said. “I just gotta come here and work like I’m just that JUCO kid that just got here.”

That JUCO kid amassed the most scrimmage yards on the team and the fifth most yards in the American Athletic Conference. A relatively unknown commodity outside of Houston, Connors had officially arrived. He won’t be flying under the radar for much longer.

** Photo Credit: Maria Lysaker **
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Rice Women’s Basketball puts AAC on notice with win at ECU

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Rice women’s basketball went on the road and posted a commanding victory, topping East Carolina to improve to 4-1 in AAC play.

It took Rice women’s basketball a moment to settle in for an early morning tip against East Carolina. The Owls fell behind 7-2 in the opening minutes, allowing the Pirates to score on three straight possessions, aided by a Rice turnover. Then the defense woke up, the shooting found its groove and the Owls became the aggressors.

Rice outscored ECU 20-6 to close out the first quarter. As the Owls’ zone defense flummoxed the Pirates on offense, Shelby Hayes emerged as a force when the Owls were on the attack. Hayes posted a tying a career-high with 18 points, perfectly complimenting the outside shooting of Dominque Ennis and the slashing drives of Destiny Jackson.

Up by eight at the half, Rice was able to keep ECU at bay for the next quarter, maintaining a double-digit advantage until ECU opened the fourth frame with a 7-0 run to get the game back within reach. In front by seven, Rice dug deep and found the resolve to battle for just a bit longer with the usual suspects coming through in big junctures.

Ennis hit a couple of threes. Jackson and Fisher hit shots inside. Soon a tenuous lead became a 17-point edge, the Owls’ largest of the ballgame. By the time the final buzzer had sounded, the Owls had left no doubt. Rice women’s basketball is the team to beat in the AAC.

Final Box | Rice 80 – ECU 67

Key takeaway | AAC on notice

South Florida, East Carolina, Rice and SMU were tabbed to finish first through fourth, respectively, in the preseason coaches poll. In just a few weeks of conference action, Rice is 3-0 against those other teams, posting consecutive, convincing victories over the top teams in the span of a few days. And Rice might not have played its best basketball just yet.

Rice sits tied atop the American Conference standings as the calendar moves past the midpoint of January.

There’s a long way to go before the season wraps up and nobody within the walls of Tudor Fieldhouse is counting their proverbial chickens at this moment. Nevertheless, it’s impossible to look at the results of the past few weeks and come to any other conclusion: Rice women’s basketball is the AAC front-runner until further notice.

Up Next: at Tulane (Saturday, Jan. 20)

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20-point lead fizzles as Rice Basketball falls to Charlotte in OT

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A 20-point first half lead would not be enough for Rice basketball, which fell to 0-4 in AAC play with an overtime loss to Charlotte.

The fireworks got underway early at Tudor Fieldhouse in a game that felt very much like a must-win contest for Rice basketball against the visiting Charlotte 49ers. After allowing a layup that put Charlotte in front, Rice exploded on a 24-2 run over the next eight minutes, fueled by a flurry of three-pointers by four different Owls.

Rather than play catch up, as this team has had to do in recent games, an early 20-point advantage would force the Owls to hang on. It probably should come as no surprise at this point that the task proved easier said than done. Even that lopsided lead was short-lived. Charlotte rattled off 13 straight points to make it a seven-point game and the game was back on.

Rice led by eight points at halftime and watched their edge slowly dwindle until Charlotte took the lead once more with 11:07 left in the second half. From there, the tug of war resumed. Neither side led by more than three points for the remainder of regulation. Rice had its chances via several missed Charlotte free throws but could not get the decisive shot to fall.

Altogether, there were seven ties as the drama continued to rise and overtime arrived. The Owls scored first in the extra period, but a 7-0 Charlotte run proved too much to overcome. Evee’s last ditch effort to miss a free throw and attempt a contested shot at the buzzer was met with silence from the officials as Rice dropped their fourth straight AAC game.

Final Box | Charlotte 81 – Rice 79 (OT)

Key takeaway | Shooting stroke

An inability to shoot the three has gotten Rice basketball into plenty of trouble this season. The Owls came into this game shooting just 31 percent from distance, a far cry from the standard head coach Scott Pera has established for the program under his watch. On Tuesday, though, Rice looked more comfortable on offense than they had in quite some time.

Rice made 10 threes for just the fourth time this season. For reference, that’s a feat Rice achieved in their fifth game last year. This was game 17.

Defense was hit or miss. The officiating did the Owls no favors. The team itself missed way too many opportunities down the stretch. Better three point shooting isn’t going to turn this into a great basketball team overnight, but this team isn’t going to be competitive without the three ball. After shooting .500 against USF and 45.5 percent against Charlotte, Rice finally has something that’s working.

Unfortunately for Pera and this team, they’re running out of time. As the Owls miss chance after chance their deficit grows. Rice is seven games below .500 and 0-4 in conference play. It’s going to take more than a couple of threes to turn this ship around.

Up Next: at Temple (Saturday, Jan. 20)

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Malia Fisher powers Rice Women’s Basketball past USF

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Rice women’s basketball traded blows with USF in a nationally televised bout of AAC elites as Malia Fisher powered the Owls to a big win.

There was noticeable rust for Rice women’s basketball in their return to Tudor Fieldhouse on Thursday against Charlotte. Faced with another battle against one of the American Conference’s top teams on Sunday, just a few days later, the Owls looked much more prepared.

Rice came out of the gates hot, jumping in front by eight points in the first quarter via a 15-2 run, compiled by a series of plays attacking the basket with a three-pointer from Dominque Ennis as the final blow. That might have been enough against one of the league’s lesser squads, but USF stayed composed and rallied back, turning this contest into a 40-minute battle between two talented teams.

USF would push back in front, but the visitors’ advantage never exceeded seven points. The Rice defense held its own, forcing USF to make shots from beyond the arc and plugging the lane throughout the game. USF did hit some big threes down the stretch, but the strategy kept the Bulls from getting into any real rhythm.

Both sides tread water for much of the third and fourth quarters, waiting for either team to take control. Malia Fisher answered the call. The Owls’ veteran leader was responsible for 10 straight points for Rice in the fourth quarter, supplementing her superb defensive plays with aggressive drives to the rim and a perfect performance from the free throw line.

Fisher’s focus was unmistakable. “This is our game,” she said, recalling the team’s message to themselves in the halftime locker room. “It just shows how tough of a team we are to come out here and pull this one out against a great team.”

Final Box | Rice 67 – USF 64

Key takeaway | Adjustments are key

Rice women’s basketball designed a significant portion of its offense around the three-point shot against Charlotte, then proceeded to go 2-for-19 from long range. The Owls have been hot and cold from deep this season, but rather than roll the dice against USF, we saw the team make a noticeable decision to attack inside.

Rather than settle for long shots or build around the three, there was a clear intent to get the ball in the hands of Malia Fisher in the post and let her work. The results were extremely encouraging. Fisher finished with a double-double, 23 points and 13 rebounds. She also provided a spark on the defensive side of the court, too.

Rather than stick with a strategy the team wasn’t executing at a high level, head coach Lindsay Edmonds and the Rice coaching staff adjusted. And it worked. Rice built the whole plane out of Malia Fisher and the Owls soared with Dominique Ennis stepping in with a 16-point performance, too.

For those looking for reasons to be encouraged about the state of the program moving forward, this game should serve as a strong endorsement. Not only can Rice beat the best the AAC has to offer, they can do it with superb play from their leaders and well-crafted gameplans from the coaching staff.

Up Next: at ECU (Wednesday, Jan. 17)

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