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Rice Football 2019 Game Preview: Week 3 vs Texas Longhorns

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Both Rice Football and Texas will be hungry for a win after suffering tough home losses in Week 2. How to watch, stats to know, x-factor picks for both teams and more.

Uncertainty at quarterback lingers for Rice following Wiley Green’s early departure from the Owls’ Week 2 loss to Wake Forest. Green was released from the hospital late Friday night after all post-injury tests came back negative. In his absence, Rice fell at home 41-21.

Things didn’t work out much better for Texas. Starting quarterback Sam Ehlinger is still healthy, but the Longhorns lost a one-score slugfest with LSU in one of the more prominent games of last weekend. The defeat hasn’t killed the lofty aspirations in Austin, but it did eliminate any margin of error this team had with conference play looming.

Here’s an outlook on both sides prior to their Week 3 clash:

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 7:00 PM CT
Venu | NRG Stadium – Houston, Tx
TV | CBS Sports Network
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)
Streaming | CBSSN Online

Audio Preview

Episode 7 of The Roost Podcast is live now. Find us on the podcast page or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. (And consider leaving us a 5-star review while you’re at it.) This week Carter and I broke down the good and the bad from the Wake Forest game, talked with someone who covered a recent upset of a highly ranked Big 12 team and moved on to Week 3, discussing how Rice matches up with Texas.

Sizing up the contenders

Despite the early results, Rice looks to be ahead of schedule in their continued rebuild. Texas will be their biggest challenge yet, a battle that coach Mike Bloomgren isn’t willing to cede despite the sizable odds in the Longhorns’ favor.

“I almost hate hearing how much better we are than last year right now,” Bloomgren declared following the Wake Forest game. “I want to find a way to win a game. I want these guys to feel what that’s like in the locker room. I want to beat somebody we ‘should’.”

Texas is in a completely different place. Their missed opportunity for a statement win put a damper on and College Football Playoff aspirations. The Longhorns can’t afford another loss, especially with a date against Oklahoma looming in conference play.

This game is shaping up to be a battle of David vs Goliath. Louisiana Tech fought (and lost) that battle in the season opener in Week 1. Rice has the added advantage of playing the game in Houston. Look for more on the formula to slay a college football giant later in the week.

Series History

All Time | Texas leads 72-21
Last Five | Texas leads 5-0
Last Meeting | Away 2015, Texas won 56-24

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Stewart – 19/30 (63.3 percent), 185 yards passing, 1 TD, 0 INT
Rushing | Ellerbe – 14 carries, 106 yards (7.6 yards per carry), 1 TD
Receiving | Trammell – 10 receptions, 107 yards (10.7 yards per reception), 1 TD
Tackles | Ekpe – 17, Montero – 15
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Alldredge – 2 PBU, Ellis – 1 PBU

Texas Stat Notables

Passing | Ehlinger – 59/85 (69.4 percent), 677 yards passing, 8 TD, 0 INT
Rushing | Ingram – 21 carries, 107 yards (5.1 yards per carry)
Receiving | Duvernay – 21 receptions, 209 yards (10.0 yards per reception), 3 TD
Tackles | Sterns – 17, Foster – 15
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Green – 2 PBU, Ossai – 2 INT, Overshown – 1 INT

Texas X-Factor | The front seven

The Longhorn secondary was abused by Joe Burrow and the newly prolific LSU passing attack. The Tigers moved the ball at will through the air, something which should encourage the Owls’ own fledgling passing attack. Still, how Texas responds against the Owls running backs will dictate how this game is played.

Texas was stout against the run in their first two games, allowing 2.8 yards per carry to Louisiana Tech and 3.5 yards per carry to LSU. It remains to be seen if that ground success was a product, at least in part, to their leaky secondary. Both prior opponents threw for more than 300 yards and at least two touchdowns.

We’ve seen teams struggle against teams devoted to running the football. Army went into the Big House and came dangerously close to knocking off Michigan in Week 2. If Texas wants to avoid a scare, they must quell the Owls’ rushing attack.

Rice X-Factor | The ground game

The uncertainty at quarterback will push the Owls to learn on their rushing attack against the Longhorns. Rice is confident in backup quarterback Tom Stewart, but he doesn’t yet have the same mastery of the offense that Wiley Green does. Whoever starts, Rice has to get back to their identity.

“I don’t know that you’ve seen exactly what our offense should look like,” Bloomgren said. The Owls’ first two games couldn’t have been more different on the ground. Rice rushed for 6.0 yards per carry against Army, but 1.8 per carry against Wake Forest. Bloomgren called the offensive blueprint against Army “really close” to what he expected the offense to look like, with the caveat the Owls needed to be more efficient the air.

With so much uncertainty around the Rice offense, running the ball well against Texas is paramount. The backfield is deep; five different Owls registered four or more carries against Wake Forest. All of the rushers would benefit from better blocking in the run game from the offensive line.

Injury Report

The latest update on the status of Wiley Green, receivers Zane Knipe and Jake Bailey and others is available here.

Need More?

The Roost’s 2019 Rice Football Season Preview has four pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth chart, important new arrivals and depth chart breakdowns for each foe. Better yet, it’s not just speculation, each profile was created with insight from local experts who cover those teams day in and day out. Pick up your copy today and get four pages and more than 1,000 words on Texas.

Pick ‘Em Contest

If you haven’t yet, make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and submit them on the forum thread to enter.

  1. How many different Owls register a reception?
    Over 4.5 / Under 4.5
  2. Who scores first?
    Rice / Texas
  3. How many yards will the Owls’ longest scoring drive be?
    Over 59.5 / Under 59.5
  4. Will the Rice defense intercept Sam Ehlinger?
    Yes / No
  5. Will Texas rush for a touchdown?
    Yes / No
  6. Who wins?
    Rice / Texas

One Final Thing

The non-conference portion of the Rice football schedule was always going to be a learning time for this team. Big picture questions like how hard this team will fight and what the capabilities of the offense and defense in Year 2 were what the Owls needed to understand before conference play arrived. The results on the field, although important, were not and should not be the end-all-be-all in this case. That holds true for the game against Texas.

What Rice does need to do against Texas is fight. Unlike against Army, the Owls seemed to go quiet on both sides of the ball in the third quarter against Wake Forest. Defensive errors and three consecutive three and outs were not a sign of progress, rather of a team that looked emotionally and physically worn down.

The challenges only get tougher against a ranked opponent in Week 3. But, given the circumstances, Rice has largely played well in their first two games. This will be one more chance for Rice to make a statement, both to the college football world and to themselves.

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

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Rice Football: Wiley Green knocked out, Owls fall to Wake Forest

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A week removed from a near-upset of Army on the road, Rice Football fell to Wake Forest in a hard-fought home opener, showing growth through adversity.

Through one quarter, Rice football was tied with Wake Forest 14-14. The Owls had withstood the Demon Deacon’s initial charge and rallied, showing more resilience than they had during coach Mike Bloomgren’s first season at South Main. The end result was not according to plan, but to their credit: Rice fought.

The moment generated from a strong Week 1 showing was tested, seeing mixed results. Here are a few immediate takeaways.

1. Green goes down

The speed of the game seemed to get to Wiley Green early. The redshirt freshman quarterback fumbled the ball on the Owls’ first offensive possession. His next turn on the field was much better. Green commanded the offense well, completing passes of 14- and 40-yards.

Green looked as good, if not better than we’ve ever seen him play. He drove the Owls down to the two-yard line before disaster struck. Green took a bootleg run toward the right pylon where he was hit helmet to helmet and went down hard and stayed down. Here’s the hit, for those who want to see. It’s rough.

The stadium went quiet. Green was down for about 15 minutes as his shoulder pads and helmet were removed. He was transported by a cart to an ambulance which took him to a nearby hospital. Green finished the game 3-for-5 passing for 69 yards, markedly better than his line against Army, 7-for-14 for 62 yards.

2. The offense responds, but can’t sustain

The concerns with Stewart were never talent based. The Harvard transfer has a big arm but wasn’t able to master the offense to the same level as Green, who had more than a year in the system under his belt. When Stewart took over the offense didn’t miss a beat.

Whatever coach Bloomgren told the team in the huddle worked. Trailing 14-0, Rice punched back. Aston Walter took in a 2-yard run on the first play after the resumption of play. The defense forced a three and out. Austin Trammell returned the punt 34 yard and newly inserted quarterback Tom Stewart tied it up with a 10-yard touchdown run.

The second half was a different story. Rice had three consecutive three and outs before Stewart engineered a 71-yard drive down to the 1-yard line. Wake Forest held on fourth and goal, turning Rice away with no points. Stewart would connect with Austin Trammell late in the fourth for his first touchdown pass with the Owls.

3. The good and bad from the Rice secondary

The truth is, the Rice defense matched up significantly better with the Army offense than they did with Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons’ ability to use tempo with speed on the edges put the Owls at a disadvantage. As quickly as Rice practiced the tempo, it took live action for the team to adjust. Losing starting corner Tyrae Thornton six minutes into the contest did not help.

Wake Forest was able to move the ball through the air, but the secondary held up much better than it had at any point last season. I counted three explosive plays through the air in which the Wake Forest pass catchers got behind the Rice defense

  1. 34-yard reception down the seam to tight end Jake Freudenthal in the second quarter
  2. 39-yard laser down the sideline to Scotty Washington in the third
  3. 59-yard touchdown to Washington in the third quarter

One touchdown and three deep shots against an offense that threw for 400 yards last weekend against Utah State is progress.

Wake Forest’s third score in the endzone summed up the difference between the two teams. Corner Andrew Bird matched wideout Scotty Washington stride for stride before quarterback Jamie Newman tossed the ball toward the endzone. Then the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Washington muscled out 6-foot-1, 171-pound Bird for the football.

4. Bend but don’t break

The tenacity and aggressiveness displayed by the Rice defense against Army was equally present against Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons found success through the air, but had trouble in the redzone. After two first-quarter scores the Rice defense settled in. Wake was held to short field goals, allowing Rice to hang around well into the second half.

Newman held the ball deep into plays before actioning the run-pass option type plays, but the Owls defense stayed home. Anthony Ekpe and Blaze Alldredge were effective, leading the team with nine and eight tackles, respectively. The safeties kept the plays in front of them.

Film Room: Evaluating the Owls’ fourth down stop against Army

Newman was able to complete passes and move the ball, but this game never got out of hand. When Rice lost on defense, they lost to superior athletes who made superior plays. That’s frustrating, but it’s not the end of the world.

Before Rice moves to contend on the national stage, they’re going to have take control of Conference USA. Losing a talent battle is going to happen when Rice plays some Power 5 opponents, but the Owls will be neck and neck with their CUSA peers.

5. Final thoughts

When the halftime whistle blew on Friday Rice trailed Wake Forest 24-14. Last season the Owls trailed 42-3 at the break. That year-over-year change would have been enough to prove the Owls had gotten better on both sides of the ball. And Rice was missing their starting left corner and their starting quarterback for the majority of that half.

Rice is tired of moral victories. The coaching staff has made that abundantly clear following their close loss to Army in Week 1. The box score didn’t paint the home team in a favorable light, but the evidences of change in the right direction are abundant.

The Owls’ non-conference slate was projected to be a grueling before the season began. No one would have batted an eye if Rice began the season 0-4. They’re not 0-4, they’re 0-2. And we’ve learned a lot about the potential this team has, hopefully avoiding any more injuries.

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

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Rice Football 2019 Game Preview: Owls vs Wake Forest

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Rice Football returns to Houston for their 2019 home opener against Wake Forest. How to watch, stats to know, x-factor picks for both teams and more.

A 1-0 start for Wake Forest and an 0-1 start for Rice were both results of games that came down to the final minutes. Neither team faced a deficit larger than seven points in their first game the difference was what each squad was able to accomplish when the clock ticked under two minutes.

Rice quarterback Wiley Green saw his fourth down pass fall to the ground incomplete. Wake Forest’s Jamie Newman found Kendall Hinton in the endzone on fourth down for the go-ahead score.

The Owls feel like their Week 1 loss to Army was a winnable game which got away from them. Here’s how they stack up with their Week 2 opponent, Wake Forest.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 7:00 PM CT
Venu | Rice Stadium – Houston, Tx
TV | CBS Sports Network
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)
Streaming | CBSSN Online

Audio Preview

Episode 6 of The Roost Podcast is live. Find us on the podcast page or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. (And consider leaving us a 5-star review while you’re at it.) This week Carter and I broke down the good and the bad from the Army game then moved on to Week 2, discussing how Rice matches up with Wake Forest.

Sizing up the contenders

A year ago these teams didn’t look to belong on the same field. Wake Forest rolled at home, winning 56-24 behind the dangerous combination of quarterback Sam Hartman and wide receiver Greg Dortch. That duo combined for four touchdowns in the rout, but neither will be in the starting lineup against Rice on Friday. Dortch has moved on. Hartman was beat out for the starting job this fall.

The 2019 versions of these teams look slightly different. The Rice defense looked aggressive in their opener against Army while their offense stalled. On the other sideline, Wake Forest had a hard time getting off the field against Utah State, but overcame those deficiencies with a surplus of offensive firepower.

This matchup will pair strength against strength (Rice defense vs Wake Forest offense) and weakness against weakness (Rice offense vs Wake Forest defense).

Series History

All Time | Series tied 1-1
Last Five | Series tied 1-1
Last Meeting | Wake Forest won at Wake Forest 56-24 in 2018

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Green – 7/14 (50 percent), 62 yards passing, 0 TD, 0 INT
Rushing | Ellerbe – 9 carries, 103 yards (11.4 yards per carry), 1 TD
Receiving | Trammell – 4 receptions, 40 yards (10 yards per reception)
Tackles | Montero – 11
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | N/A

Wake Forest Stat Notables

Passing | Newman – 34/47 (72.3 percent), 401 yards passing, 3 TD, 0 INT
Rushing | Carney – 25 carries, 105 yards (4.2 yards per carry)
Receiving | Surrat – 7 receptions, 158 yards (22.6 yards per reception), 1 TD
Tackles | Strnad – 12
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Henderson, Strnad, Rucker – Tied with 1

Wake Forest X-Factor | The ground game

Quarterback Jamie Newman is not a traditional pocket passer. He has a good arm, but he’ll try to attack the Owls on the ground too, along with lead running back Cade Carney. That duo combined for 46 carries, 141 rushing yards and a touchdown in their Week 1 win over Utah State.

Stopping the run was a strength of the Rice defense a year ago and the notable bright spot of their Week 1 game against Army. That will make setting the tone in the trenches a necessity for the Owls in Week 2. If Rice can hold their own up front, they’ll limit force Wake Forest to be more one-dimensional, allowing the safeties to spend more time helping in pass coverage than plugging holes at the line of scrimmage.

Rice X-Factor | Corner play

This will be the first true test for a Rice secondary of the season. Army quarterback Kelvin Hopkins attempted just eight passes, but the lone touchdown came on a critical fourth quarter drive with no defender in the vicinity of the wideout who snagged what would be the game-winning touchdown.

Rice has had strong safety play, highlighted by the swarming defense of Treshawn Chamberlain and the intensity of George Nyakwol. The corners are unproven. Corners Andrew Bird, D’Angelo Ellis, Tyrae Thornton, Josh Landrum and Tre’shon Devones saw action against Army and should all be in the mix against Wake Forest.

The Demon Deacons are going to throw the ball around the yard, something they succeeded in against the Owls last year. If the corner play doesn’t show improvement, the Rice offense is going to be tasked with digging out of a sizable hole.

Injury Report

A detailed injury update is available in our Sunday practice update. Further updates will be provided here as the week progresses. Here’s a quick synopsis.

Running back Juma Otoviano underwent a procedure and will be out for the foreseeable future. Given the depth in the backfield and the uncertainty of his recovery timetable, he could be a candidate to redshirt this season, possibly playing in a few games down the stretch.

Both running back Charlie Booker and wide receiver Zane Knipe were last minute scratches against Army, but both could have gone if the situation warranted it. Barring a set back during the week, it’s possible both play against Wake Forest.

Kicker Zack Hoban is out of his boot but not yet kicking in practice. His status for Friday’s game is unknown.

Need More?

The Roost’s 2019 Rice Football Season Preview has four pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth chart, important new arrivals and depth chart breakdowns for each foe. Better yet, it’s not just speculation, each profile was created with insight from local experts who cover those teams day in and day out. Pick up your copy today and get four pages and more than 1,000 words on Wake Forest.

Pick ‘Em Contest

If you haven’t yet, make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and submit them on the forum thread to enter.

  1. How many players attempt a pass for Rice?
    (Over 1.5 / Under 1.5)
  2. Which team will have more rushing yards?
    (Rice / Wake Forest)
  3. Which happens first – Rice touchdown or Rice forces a turnover?
    (Touchdown / Turnover)
  4. How many sacks will the Rice defense get?
    (Over 2.5 / Under 2.5)
  5. Who is leading at the end of Q1?
    (Wake Forest / Rice or Tied)
  6. Who wins?
    (Rice / Wake Forest)

One Final Thing

There was plenty of good and bad to take away from the Owls’ Week 1 loss against Army, but it was just one game. The sample size is too small to draw too many meaningful conclusions. That’s what makes this next game all the more important. Rice can either solidify concerns leftover from their season-opening defeat or they can alleviate the worry with a strong showing in Week 2.

Wake Forest is a good football team, another quality opponent in a challenging non-conference slate. Rice showed their competitive spark against Army, now it’s time to see if they can get all phases working together at the same time. At this point in the season, it’s hard to be sure exactly what this team is going to be but the first impression was overwhelmingly positive.

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

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Rice Football 2019: Owls miss chance to upset Army on the road

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Rice Football tussled with the Army Black Knights on Friday night at Michie Stadium, narrowly falling in a one-score game decided in the final minutes.

Rice football entered Friday’s tilt with Army as underdogs. The Knights were coming off an 11-win season and came close to being ranked in the first edition of the AP Poll. Rice had won twice in their past 13 games and was playing far away from home. From the first snap, neither of those converging storylines seemed to matter.

Not once did Rice look out of place or overwhelmed. The Owls went toe to toe with the Black Knights, sparring with their service academy foes and looking every bit their equals. Army sustained one lengthy scoring drive, never finding a rhythm on offense thanks to the swarming white-clad Owls defense.

Here are a few takeaways from the Owls’ season opener.

1. The new-look defense is ready to play

Like Carter and I discussed on The Roost Podcast, Army likes to roll the dice and go for it on fourth down more often than most teams. Coach Jeff Monken put that to the test early, opting to go for it on fourth and one inside their own 10-yard line on the Knights’ first drive. Myles Adams blew up the play in the backfield and Treshawn Chamberlain finished the stop.

The theme of bigger, stronger and faster was talked about throughout the offseason. Still, it was hard to know how much of a difference that would make on the field until Rice hit someone wearing a different colored jersey. Rice opened the Army game with a statement and continued to out-muscle their foes for the duration of the contest.

2. He’s back!

Rice knew their time with the football was going to be disjointed because of the nature of the Army offense. The Knights had limited success with the ball early. The Rice offense missed a golden opportunity to set the tone and force their opponents into an uncomfortable position and were forced to play from behind, just not for long.

Nahshon Ellerbe, who led Rice in rushing in 2017 before injuries kept him on the bench for almost the entirety of the 2018 season, provided the equalizer.

Ellerbe is one of the most physically imposing players on the team. His potential was brought up in a conversation with Bloomgren during fall camp. Bloomgren mentioned he’d seen all the highlight videos of what he could do in the open field but had never watched him run on the field with his own eyes.

Well, Bloomgren has seen Ellerbe now. And so has a packed Michie stadium. Ellerbe’s touchdown run woke the offense up out of their slow start and gave the Rice sideline a much-appreciated confidence boost. He went on to finish the game with nine carries for 103 yards and the aforementioned touchdown run.

3. A mixed bag on special teams

Continuity was the buzzword for the Rice special teams throughout the offseason. The Owls were replacing Ray Guy semifinalist Jack Fox and veteran placekicker Haden Tobola. They hoped to keep things rolling by transitioning former running backs coach Drew Svoboda to special teams coordinator.

Under Svoboda’s direction, the special teams were a mixed bag. Punter Adam Nunez, who transferred to Rice after starting at TCU for three seasons, was phenomenal. His first punt went 61 yards and his second went 51. Both balls pinned Army inside their own 10-yard line, giving Rice a huge edge in field position.

Chris Barnes got a turn to start the third quarter before Nunez came back in, downing two more punts inside the 10-yard line. He was as perfect as you could ask a punter to be.

The placekicking was a different story. Will Harrison missed a 26-yard chip shot and a 44-yard attempt in the first half. Had he converted either of those, Rice could have walked into halftime with the lead. Freshman kicker Zack Hoban was expected to challenge Harrison for the starting job but had a brace on his non-kicking foot during practice this week. Once Hoban is healthy the competition should resume.

4. Offense remains a work in progress

On a night in which the defense dominated, the offense led by quarterback Wiley Green struggled to consistently move the ball. The Owls did not show a noticeable improvement from their third down struggles from a year ago, converting three times in 11 opportunities.

Green completed seven of 15 passes for 62 yards. He had some pretty balls downfield, connecting on a big play to Austin Trammell in the first half but for the most part seemed to leave a lot on the field.

His passes had plenty of zip but lacked accuracy. He was off on two screen passes which effectively halted separate drives. The run-focused game plan seemed to inhibit his ability to get into a groove.

The running game was more or less efficient, but there were definitely plays where the offensive line got a better push up front than others. When all the parts were working in concert, big holes appeared, setting up the backs for easy first downs. In addition to Ellerbe’s scamper, Aston Walter had a 24-yard run which was called back by a holding penalty.

5. This is a different team

Rice showed flashes of ability on both sides of the ball last season. In the end, that’s all it was though, flashes. The biggest question mark facing this team this year was always going to be their ability to play for four quarters and finish. One week into the 2019 season and the Owls have mustered some sort of answer.

Every phase isn’t running smoothly, but as a team, the 2019 Rice Owls are better than they were a season ago.

More: Read more about the Owls’ next opponent, Wake Forest, in our 2019 Season Preview

The heavy underdogs played mostly penalty-free football and had a quality opponent on the ropes on the road. Rice isn’t going to play the triple option every weekend, but the kind of defense they displayed on Friday night will travel.

It’s disappointing to leave West Point without a win, particularly with how close the game was from start to finish. Rice played well enough that they should feel scorned by the narrow defeat. That in itself is proof of a marked improvement.

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

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Rice Football 2019 Game Preview: Owls at Army Black Knights

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Rice Football kicks off their 2019 season on the road against Army. How to watch, stats to know, x-factor picks for both teams and more.

The triple-option requires discipline and focus for a full sixty minutes. The resiliency of Rice football against a team that is committed to grinding away at the clock and pounding the rock will go a long way in determining the outcome of this game.

Rice won their season opener last year, besting Prairie View A&M on a last-second field goal from Jack Fox. Prairie View went 5-6 in the SWAC last season. Army went 11-2, narrowly missing an upset of Oklahoma in Norman and blowing the doors off cross-town rival Houston 70-14 in the Armed Forces Bowl.

Both teams faced some notable personnel turnover in the offseason, but for the most part, it’s a similar cast of key characters returning for both squads. Here’s everything you need to know about the game.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 5:00 PM CT
Venue | Michie Stadium – West Point, NY
TV | CBS Sports Network
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)
Streaming | CBSSN Online

Audio Preview

The Roost Podcast for Week 1 will be dropping later this week. Find us on the podcast page or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. (And consider leaving us a 5-star review while you’re at it.) Carter and I broke down both sides of the ball and delved into the matchups you’ll want to watch on Friday.

Sizing up the contenders

Army isn’t flashy, but their offense is effective. The complexities of the option attack are predicated on making three-yard runs consistently. If the Black Knights can do that, they’ll keep their offense on schedule, opening up options for their passing game with play-action and their stable of running backs to make plays. Army wants to lul the Rice defense to sleep. The Owls had better be ready.

On the other side, Rice wants to employ a similar clock-controlling scheme. If things go how the Owls would hope, they’re trading blows with Army in a close game well into the second half. To do that, Rice is going to rely on making plays on third down on both sides of the ball. The quarterback has to move the sticks and the defense has to get off the field — two sticking points from the 2018 campaign. Friday will be the first real test on both fronts.

Series History

All Time | Rice leads 4-3
Last Five | Rice leads 3-2
Last Meeting | Army won at Rice 49-12 in 2017

Rice 2018 Stat Notables

Passing | Green – 45/88 (51.1 percent), 621 yards passing, 3 TD, 4 INT
Rushing | Otoviano – 65 carries, 364 yards (5.6 yards per carry), 3 TD
Receiving | Trammell – 62 receptions, 632 yards (10.2 yards per reception), 3 TD
Tackles | Nyakwol – 41
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Calderon – 7/4

Army 2018 Stat Notables

Passing | Hopkins – 51/93 (54.8 percent), 1,026 yards passing, 6 TD, 4 INT
Rushing | Hopkins – 208 carries, 1,017 yards (4.9 yards per carry), 17 TD
Receiving | Walker – 11 receptions, 170 yards, (15.5 yards per reception), 1 TD
Tackles | Christiansen – 42
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Riley – 10/0

Army X-Factor | Kelvin Hopkins Jr

Hopkins isn’t going to throw the ball often on Friday night. He averaged 4.3 completions per game last season, a number dwarfed by Army’s 68.7 carriers per game. But it’s less about Hopkins arm that’s worth monitoring than it is about his decision making with the football.

The quarterback in a triple-option offense is the trigger man. He decides who is getting the football and thus is absolutely essential in the offensive scheme. As his decision making goes, so does the offense. A bad outing from him, of which there weren’t many last season, could put Army in an early hole or prevent the unit from establishing the kind of rhythm it needs to succeed.

Rice X-Factor | Wiley Green

Green was officially named the starting quarterback during the Owls’ midweek press conference. He’ll be tasked with setting the tone for the offensive attack right out of the gate. Green’s command of the offense and ability to convert third downs are essential if Rice is going to stay on the field.

Losing the time of possession battle against Army isn’t the end of the world, but continually opening up the defense to being gashed by the triple option will have detrimental effects in the second half. The quarterback play doesn’t have to be Tom Brady-esque, but it has to be as close to mistake-free and efficient as possible.

Injury Report

Kicker Zack Hoban was held out of the Owls’ final scrimmage of fall camp and had a brace on his non-kicking foot through the week. He appears to be the only notable player who won’t be available for Rice in their season opener. For the most part, the Owls are as healthy now as they could hope to be.

Update: Three players have been officially ruled out and will not make the trip: WR Rhett Cardwell,  LB Myron Morrison, OL Nick Wagman. None were expected to significant contributors.

Need More?

The Roost’s 2019 Rice Football Season Preview has four pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth chart, important new arrivals and depth chart breakdowns for each foe. Better yet, it’s not just speculation, each profile was created with insight from local experts who cover those teams day in and day out. Pick up your copy today and get four pages and more than 1,000 words on Army.

Pick ‘Em Contest

If you haven’t yet, make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and submit them on the forum thread to enter.

  1. Who takes the first snap at quarterback for Rice?
    (Green / Stewart / Other)
  2. Which player has more tackles?
    (Alldredge / Montero)
  3. How many touchdowns will Rice score?
    (Over 2.5 / Under 2.5)
  4. How many combined turnovers will occur? (Both teams)
    (Over 3.5 / Under 3.5)
  5. Who has more time of possession
    (Rice / Army)
  6. Who wins?
    (Rice / Army)

Odds and ends

Update: When asked about the backup quarterbacks during Tuesday’s press conference, Bloomgren mentioned there was a good chance another quarterback would see action against Army. Rather than Tom Stewart, who Green beat out for the starting job, Bloomgren singled out Evan Marshman. Filling in as a spot starter before an injury last season, Marshman will be trusted with some packages against Army, stemming primarily from his ability as a runner.

One Final Thing

Much of the 2019 offseason has centered around this question: how far have the Owls come since Year 0? Army won 11 games last year, will probably be ranked in the coming weeks and is a favorite to beat Rice at West Point. A loss against the Black Knights wouldn’t be damning, but the optics of this game could prove to be significant beyond the final result.

Rice needs to prove to onlookers and to themselves that what they’re building is, not only on schedule but capable of delivering results. On Friday Rice will set the stage for the 2019 season. Hopefully the lasting image the Owls leave at Michie Stadium will be one of effort, competitiveness and optimism for the year ahead.

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