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Rice Football: Best records across every conference

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Rice Football only plays a few games a year outside of Conference USA, but the Owls rich history stretches across almost every college football conference.

In 2005 Rice joined Conference USA. They left the WAC that year, a pitstop after spending decades in the Southwest Conference. During that time Rice has played dozens upon dozens of schools and amassed favorable records across several of the sport’s most notable names.

More than 100 years of football later, here are a few of the Owls more impressive series wins across nine different conferences and a few independent squads.

Power 5

  • ACC – North Carolina (1-0), Pittsburgh (2-1)
  • Big 12 – WVU (1-0), Kansas (2-1), Iowa State (3-2)
  • Big Ten – Northwestern (4-3)
  • Pac-12 – Arizona (4-0), Utah (3-1), Colorado (1-0)
  • SEC – Alabama (3-0), Auburn (2-0), Georgia (1-0), Florida (4-3-1)

Quick… how many active college football programs are undefeated in games against Alabama, Auburn and Georgia? Six of the Owls’ 82 wins against current SEC teams came over three of the truest blue-bloods in college football.

Rice has a rich rivalry with some of the premier academic institutions across the nation. They’ve played Duke and Stanford six times and Northwestern seven. The Owls and Wildcats are scheduled to meet again in 2029.

Group of 5 and Independent

  • AAC – Tulane (20-15-1)
  • CUSA– UTEP (14-8), Charlotte (2-0), FAU (2-1)
  • MAC – Western Michigan (1-0)
  • Mountain West – New Mexico (3-0), UNLV (2-0), Colorado State (1-0), Hawaii (5-3)
  • Independent – New Mexico State (1-0), Army (4-3)

Rice has a winning record over their first opponent of 2019, Army, but the Black Knights could even the series with a home win in August. Among Group of 5 teams, Rice and Tulane have some of the richest history. The series has had several starts and stops but always been close with Rice winning seven of the last 10.

Within the confines of the Owls’ current conference affiliations, Rice has controlled UTEP with the most regularity. The Miners got the upper hand in 2018, but Rice will look to avenge that defeat in El Paso this fall.

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Rice Football: Searching for reliable starters in 2019

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Finding a consistent starting lineup was nearly impossible for Rice football in 2018, something they’ll look to change next season.

Rice shuffled so many different players in and out of their weekly lineups last year. Many true freshmen were asked, not just to play, but to assume starting roles. The tumultuous fluctuations prevented any sort of consistency along the way.

18 true freshman stepped onto the field for Rice last season. 10 played in less than four games and retained a season of eligibility. The remaining eight averaged a little less than 11 games played each, with four true freshmen — linebacker Antonio Montero, safety Prudy Calderon, corner Treshawn Chamberlain and long snapper Campbell Riddle — playing in all 13 contests.

The rise of so many freshmen was proof positive of an underlying trend of inconsistency. 55 different players started games for Rice on offense or defense last season. Seven started all 13 games. Injuries and scheme make it unrealistic to expect the same 11 to go the duration on each side of the ball, but seven is startlingly low.

Here’s how the listed starters looked at each position last season:

Position Unique Starters True Freshman Starters Position Unique Starters True Freshman Starters
LT 3 2 DT 1 0
LG 2 1 NT 1 0
C 1 0 DE 2 0
RG 2 0 OLB 1 0
RT 1 0 ILB 2 1
WR 1 0 ILB 4 0
WR 4 0 OLB / S 3 1
WR 6 0 CB 4 1
TE 5 0 CB 2 0
RB 4 1 S 2 1
QB 3 1 S 1 0
Total 32 5 Total 23 4

The plethora of freshman who played meaningful roles last season are sophomores (or redshirt freshmen) now. In theory, it should be harder for so many true freshmen to contribute in similar ways in 2019 because of the experience of the group ahead of them.

Each side of the ball repeated a lineup just once. They’ll look to grow that consistency this season. Rice will likely start less true freshman in 2019, opening the door for less varied starting lineups and more consistent play from the team as a whole.

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Rice Football Stat Pack: Unpacking Havoc rate among CUSA squads

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Rice Football prides itself on discipline and structure, but the Owls biggest gap on defense last season was their level of chaos.

At its very core, defense is built on chaos. College football offenses have never been more calculated and sophisticated than they are right now. When the quarterback takes the snap they have a well-defined objective and understanding for how each particular play should develop. The defense wants to throw off that equilibrium by injecting chaos.

The best measure of chaos is havoc rate. That statistic is the measure of havoc plays (forced fumbles, tackles for a loss and sacks, passes defended and interceptions) against the total number of defensive plays run. Defenses which produce the highest percentages of havoc plays throw off their opponent’s plans and give their own teams a better chance to win.

Rice finished last in CUSA in havoc rate last season, averaging roughly one havoc play every eight defensive snaps, a rate of 12.6 percent. That pales in comparison to the near 20 percent havoc rate of UAB.

Rank Team Havoc Plays Havoc Rate Fumbles Forced TFL Passes Defended
1 UAB 174 20.67% 14 111 49
2 Marshall 163 18.89% 12 92 59
3 Louisiana Tech 149 16.80% 10 101 38
4 North Texas 150 18.82% 4 97 49
5 Southern Miss 110 12.14% 9 72 29
6 Middle Tenn. 156 19.14% 10 89 57
7 Charlotte 106 12.30 12 63 31
8 WKU 129 18.43% 8 65 56
9 UTSA 119 12.33% 9 78 32
10 Old Dominion 125 18.60% 6 65 54
11 UTEP 109 11.91% 8 60 41
12 FIU 119 13.52% 8 68 43
13 Florida Atlantic 113 12.38% 5 70 38
14 Rice 106 12.11% 9 57 40

Havoc rate serves as a powerful proxy for overall defensive effectiveness. 10 of the 14 CUSA teams finished with a difference of two ranking spots or less between their total defense rank and their havoc rate rank (e.g. Rice ranked 14th in havoc rate and 13th in total defense, while Old Dominion ranked 10th in havoc rate and 14th in total defense).

A second year in defensive coordinator Brian Smith’s scheme and some intriguing young talent will position Rice to grow in this area in 2019. For a team as dedicated to structure and process as the Owls are, it’s time to introduce a bit of chaos.

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Rice Football Stat Pack: Mobile quarterbacks a must for Owls

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Moving the ball on the ground is crucial to the success of the Rice football offense. That goes for the quarterbacks, too.

Five different quarterbacks saw action for Rice football in 2019. No matter who was under center, it was clear this offense valued a quarterback who was able to move in the pocket and make plays with his feet. Versatility and options are extremely important. Keeping the defense honest and forcing them to account for all 11 players on the field gives the offense an added advantage.

Bloomgren confirmed the need for that advantage on offense throughout the season, saying more than once he was counting on his passers to steal two or three first downs on the ground each game. That expectation proved true. As a unit, the Rice quarterback position accounted for 300 yards rushing (before sacks), an average of 3.66 yards per carry.

Evan Marshman is the most mobile and, unsurprisingly, led the Owls quarterbacks with a 5.39 yards per carry average. Although Shawn Stankavage and Wiley Green aren’t generally viewed as running threats, both averaged more than three yards per carry. Rice doesn’t need track stars in shotgun, but having statuesque figures isn’t conducive to how this offense wants to operate.

Green and Marshman had two rushing scores apiece. Those four quarterback rushing touchdowns tied Austin Walter for the team lead. When the quarterback position is challenging the most productive running back in rushing production their importance in the offense can’t be dismissed.

Neither Green or grad transfer Tom Stewart are dual-threat guys — at least not on the same plane as incoming freshman quarterback Jovoni Johnson. Still, whoever wins the starting job will add a rushing component to the offense. That’s what the job requires.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2020 Corner Sean Fresch commits to Owls

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The 2020 Rice football recruiting class includes a lock-down secondary, bolstered by the Owls’ new commitment, corner Sean Fresch from Austin, Tx.

A rousing run through June landed Rice yet another commitment. The Owls kicked off the month with the Adidas 3 Stripe camp, hosting hundreds of athletes on campus. One of those players was Austin cornerback Sean Fresch who has committed to play his college football at Rice.

Rice was interested in Fresch from the moment he stepped foot on campus at camp. He ran sub 4.4 40-yard dashes and came back and replicated the feet at the Owls’ Junior Day. Watching him work against some of their top targets in person was the litmus test the Owls needed. His blazing speed, complimented with impressive work in one-on-ones made extending an offer an easy decision for the Rice staff.
Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting
Fresch turned down offers from Army, UTSA, UTEP and Sam Houston in favor of the Owls. Rice is carving out a talent pool of top-flight Texas talent. Fresch marks the eighth in-state addition in the 2020 class. Rice is sure to add more to that total before they wrap things up on signing day.

With Fresch in the fold, the Owls’ secondary class is as robust as any in recent memory. Safety Plae Wyatt, corner Devin Gunter, corner Jordan Dubar and Fresch are going to be mainstays at the back of the defense for years to come.

It’s hard to not get excited when you turn the film for Fresch. His ability to read the quarterback and make plays on the ball in the air are hallmarks of a successful player in defensive coordinator Brian Smith’s scheme. That innate ability combined with the jets to take a tipped ball to the house in the blink of an eye makes him an exciting addition to the 2020 class.

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