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Rice Football 2021 Special Teams Players of the Year: Sean Fresch, Juma Otoviano

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Returners Sean Fresch and Juma Otoviano were the brightest spots on special teams and our pick for Rice Football Special Teams Players of the year.

Encouraging moments from the Rice football special teams unit were few and far between this season. After ranking near the top of the nation in special teams efficiency over the early years of Mike Bloomgren’s tenure, the Owls hit a rough patch. The kicking game struggled. The punt team was more or less just okay. Coverage was solid, but it was the return game that created the biggest sparks.

Traditionally, The Roost’s Rice Football Special Teams Player of the Year has been reserved for one standout. Jack Fox, Garrett Grammer and Charlie Mendes were previous honorees. This year, we’ve expanded the award to recognize two individuals, Sean Fresch and Juma Otoviano, who each provided game-changing sparks that set Rice up for success and led to Rice wins.

First, Fresch, who opened the season as the leading punt return man for Rice and was one of the most effective specialists Rice has had in that space in a decade. Fresch returned 10 punts this year for 99 yards, averaging 9.9 yards per return. That exceeded the best marks of Austin Trammell, a staple at the punt return spot for Rice in recent years.

In fact, you have to go all the way back to 2011 when Mario Hull. who returned 16 punts for 163 yards, posted a better average per return (10.2) than Fresch did this season.

The consistent ability to gain yardage on returns was encouraging, but Fresch flashed a growing maturity in his understanding of when not to return kicks, too. He developed a knack for luring defenders away from balls booted toward the endzone, feigning a fair catch as the punt rolled harmlessly past the endline for a touchback.

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It was Fresch’s final return of the 2021 Rice football season that stands out the most. Trailing Louisiana Tech 31-28, Fresch stood at the Rice 34-yard line to receive a booming kick from Tech’s Cesar Barajas. Fresch made the first guy miss and turned on the jets, racing past a sea of Bulldogs to the Louisiana Tech 18-yard line, for a 48-yard return. Rice would score the game-winning touchdown four plays later.

“We’re been waiting for one of those the whole season. pretty much.” Fresch said. “I made the first couple of guys miss and then I had to just follow behind my blockers at that point. It just gets easier after you make the first couple of guys miss. It was just open grass from there.”

Down to their fourth quarterback of the year, with less than 90 seconds on the clock, the short field provided by Fresch and the return game was absolutely crucial to the come-from-behind victory.

Fresch also played a role on kick-off returns, averaging 22.6 yards per return. He was joined by Juma Otoviano, who averaged 22.4 yards per return. That tandem combined for 28 of the 30 kick returns Rice had this season. It was on a kick-off return where Otoviano delivered his defining moment.

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Otoviano had fallen down the running back depth chart this season and taken over scout team duties with an injury to freshman running back Christian Francisco. He had one carry and zero returns through the Owls’ first six games of the season. But his hard work behind the scenes had been noticed. That’s why he was the man who stood on the edge of the endzone and received the opening kickoff at UAB.

Otoviano reached up, secured the ball and took off. He would finally be brought down 50 yards later right at the midfield stripe. That burst sparked an eruption on the Rice bench and spurred the offense onto a 50-yard scoring drive to put Rice in front of the defending conference champions.

Starting fast was incredibly important for Rice football in 2021. More often than not, when they’d fallen behind, it signaled another loss. That’s part of what made this return so impactful. It put Rice in the driver’s seat for their most impressive win of the year. Otoviano became a mainstay on kick returns from that point onward.

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Rice Football 2021 Rising Star of the Year: Ari Broussard

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From walk-on linebacker to bellcow back, Ari Broussard saw his opportunity and seized it, earning the 2021 Rice Football Rising Star award.

Just about every college football team across the country has walk-ons, players that don’t have an athletics scholarship but find their way onto the roster for one reason or another. In today’s recruiting landscape, some are actually recruited, identified and sought out even though they might not make the cut for the initial count of 25 scholarships that are divvied out annually.

Rice football is no different in that respect. They target non-scholarship players, too, seeking every was possible to up the level of talent on their roster.

But as is often the case with the Owls, there are some uniquenesses to how walk-on players find their way onto the roster. Most notably, they have to apply to the university and be accepted on their own merit first. Often players of interest are directed to the applications process, then upon admission, granted spots on the roster.

Ari Broussard took a slightly different route. The former high school running back was lightly recruited by other schools and applied to Rice on his own. It was after he was accepted that he reached out to the football staff to see about walking onto the roster. He was the initiator, taking the onus on himself to get to where he wanted to be.

With depth at the running back position and several scholarship players ahead of Broussard on the pecking order, he was asked to play linebacker. Broussard had played some on that side of the ball in high school, and although he preferred toting the rock to tackling, he was eager to help out wherever he could.

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In the spring of 2019, Broussard was asked to help the team out by switching back to running back, where the Owls were light in numbers. He responded with a breakthrough performance in the spring game, capped off by the news he had earned a scholarship following the game.

As fulfilling as that moment was, there would be no immediate encore. Injuries and a suddenly more crowded running back room would every Broussard back to special teams for the 2020 season. That was expected to be his primary area contribution again in 2021, but this time fate had other plans.

Rice football entered the season with plenty of uncertainty in the backfield. Jordan Myers had converted from tight end to halfback in the spring. Freshman signee Christian Francisco was injured late in camp, bumping Juma Otoviano back to scout team duties. That left Broussard, Khalan Griffin and utility man Cameron Montgomery as the top options behind Myers in the backfield.

Myers was productive, but was hurt down the stretch, forcing his role to be scaled back significantly. Griffin ran hard, but lacked explosiveness and surehandedness and consequently fell out of favor on offense. It was finally Broussard time.

Broussard carried the ball 10 times for 61 yards against UTSA. He added 16 carries for 65 yards a week later at UAB. Then he exploded for 186 yards and his first two collegiate touchdowns against Charlotte.

“I told the guys at halftime he was running like a man possessed, ” head coach Mike Bloomgren said of Broussard’s breakthrough game. “Really proud of him. He ended the game averaging 9.3 (yards per carry) and had some big-time runs for us in there.”

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This time he didn’t return to the shadows. Even though he was banged up near the end of that game, he returned the next week to carry the ball 15 times against Western Kentucky, leading the Rice backfield in carries. He’d do the same two weeks later against Louisiana Tech. Whether he was feeling 100 percent or hobbled, Broussard proved to be a true bellcow running back that Rice football could rely on.

From walk-on, to ‘ol reliable, Ari Broussard exemplified a feelgood story, but made sure the heartwarming moments were filled with plenty of productivity. He earned his spot on offense and made the most of it.

Rice football will restock the running back room this offseason. They’ve already received a pledge from a junior college back and could be on the lookout for others, if the right fit materializes. Broussard is no strange to being counted out. He’s been at the bottom of the depth chart before, but now he’s proven he belongs on the field.

Broussard will be ready to go this spring, touting the rock like he always has. But his outlook for the fall will be different. Regardless of what happens next, it feels like Broussard has carved out a role for himself going forward. Our 2021 Rice Football Rising Star isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2022 DL DeMone Green commits to Owls

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The 2022 Rice Football recruiting class added one more on the seond day of the Early Signing Period, landing a commitment from defensive lineman DeMone Green.

All though most of the branding tends to label the third Wednesday in the month of Decemeber “Signing Day”, it’s truly the first of a three-day window officially refered to as the Early Signing Period. While it’s true that most of the action happened in the morning hours as soon as pen was allowed to hit paper, the 2022 Rice Football recruiting class was just getting started.

The Owls added one more new face to their 2022 haul on Thursday, landing a commiment from Heights High School defense lineman DeMone Green. The star-commit gives Rice 12 additions in the Early Signing Period to date. Green had previously announced offers from Arkansas, Tennessee and Houston.

Green gives the Owls’ a nasty trio of defensive lineman from the high school ranks. Interior man Davion Carter and end Chibby Nwajuaku both signed with Rice on Wednesday. Depth at that position was imperative and Rice has now sufficiently checked those boxes.

The 2022 class was going to be small, making every spot all that more important. Green absolutely earned his ticket and should be a contributer down the line soon enough.

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Green has strength and quickness off the edge, and that’s something that’s only going to grow as he works with strength coach Hans Straub. He spends more time in the backfield on his highlights than he does with his hand in the dirt, something Rice fans will appreciate once he arrives on campus.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 104 – 2022 Rice Football Recruiting class review

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The 2022 Rice Football recruiting class signed this week. Who are the new Owls and how will they impact the program moving forward?

The final edition of The Roost Podcast this fall has been recorded, and we closed things out with a bang. This week Carter and Matthew break down the 2022 Rice Football recruiting class, analyzing the big names that are expected to arrive at South Main in the near future as well as what outstanding players and positions the Owls might target for their final few spots.

On the whole, Rice signed another impressive class. Make sure to subscribe on Patreon to get access to our position-by-position deep dives in the coming days.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 104.

Episode Notes

  • Housekeeping
    • Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice. Every little bit helps.
    • Please support us on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes updates from fall camp, practices and more.
      Become a Patron!
  • 2022 Rice Football Recruiting Class – We take a big picture view of the class, walking through how each player fits the current roster and who might be the top candidates to see the field sooner rather than later. Key topics included:
    • Where this class stacks up against previous classes from a rankings perspective
    • The profile of athlete Rice has recruited in recent years
    • What additional players Rice might look to add before the 2022 season begins

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

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2022 Rice Football Recruiting class nets Owls another historic haul

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The 2022 Rice Football recruiting class is the latest in a run of top-flight classes for the Owls and head coach Mike Bloomgren is embracing it.

We’ve all heard the refrain at some point in the season from one coach or another. You know how it goes. Whether it be preseason rankings, in-season polls, etc. When any given coach takes the podium he’ll offer comments like “We’re focused on us” and “one game at a time.” That’s what made how Mike Bloomgren handled the 2022 Rice Football Recruiting class so refreshing.

Bloomgren didn’t beat around the bush or deny that he and his team weren’t aware of how those outside the hedges perceived his program. He welcomed it, directly referencing the 247 Sports recruiting rankings in his opening address. “The two classes before I was hired here in 2016 ranked 129th in the nation, in 2017 they ranked 122nd. In each successive year, we’ve been able to raise that bar.”

The numbers bear that out. As it currently stands, the 2022 Rice Football recruiting class is the second-highest rated class in program history, trailing only the 2020 class. The fourth highest-rated class (2021) and the sixth highest-rated class (2019) also came in Bloomgren’s tenure. While the results on the field haven’t been up to level Bloomgren and his staff would like, the off-field metrics are skyrocketing.

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Rice football has signed three straight Top 100 classes. That’s something Rice hasn’t done since 2012-2014. Six of the highest-rated signees in program history (Gabe Taylor – No. 1, DJ Arkansas – 7, Jake Bailey – 8, Rawson MacNeill – 11, Sean Fresch – 14, Davion Carter 18) have been Bloomgren’s guys. The three who have been on campus for more than one season were all starters by Year 2.

Beyond the rankings, the players they signed fit extremely well into what the Owls are building. It’s entirely possible that each of the three currently announced transfers could be opening day starters when Rice visits USC to kick off the 2022 season.

The “glaring” gap Bloomgren and the staff identified was the kicking game. They brought in Washington transfer Tim Horn to address it. The running back room cycled through several lead guys last year. Enter JUCO RB Dean Connors. August Pitre left in the Transfer Portal this month. Incoming Tulsa transfer Sam Crawford profiles as a bigger, healthier, faster player with a much better track record of health.

More: 2022 Rice Football Recruiting Early Signing Period Live Blog

On the high school front. players like defensive lineman Davion Carter and Chibby Nwajuaku have the potential to fight for playing time quickly. Others like wideout Rawson MacNeill and offensive lineman Miguel Cedeno have prototypical measurables and raw athleticism that provide them sky-high ceilings as they develop. Across the board, this class has the potential to be special.

Recruiting director Alex Brown hosted a Twitter Spaces session on Wednesday, giving Bloomgren and the coaching staff the opportunity to parade their remarkable new additions in front of a national audience. People outside the Owls’ program were buzzing about what was happening at South Main. Respect national writers like Sam Khan Jr. of The Athletic voiced their approval.

So yeah, Bloomgren has probably earned the right to talk about those numbers. On the recruiting front, Rice is hitting home runs. All that’s left is to turn those into offensive touchdowns and defensive stops on Saturdays. From a process perspective, everything is on the right track.

Fittingly, Bloomgren alluded to the in-progress nature of this recruiting class and this program in his Wednesday remarks. “Not all sports are filled,” he said. “We’re not done getting better. But what a great day today is.” By any measure, that sure seems to be the case.

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