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2018 Wake Forest Demon Deacons Season Preview

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Rice football will venture outside the confines of Conference USA for a road test against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in 2018.

For the third time in school history, Rice football will square off with Wake Forest. The Owls beat the Demon Deacons in their last meeting on the gridiron, 33-17 in September of 1990. The two school’s only other meeting came the year prior to that, a 17-17 tie.

Wake Forest finished 8-5 last season, capping off their 2018 campaign with a shootout victory over Texas A&M in the Belk Bowl. Head coach Dave Clawson has consistently produced competitive football teams in a division which has produced a College Football Playoff team every year since the playoff was established in 201. They’ll get the Owls on the end of a four-game homestand whereas Rice will be playing their third straight road game.

After allowing 34 points against the Demon Deacons in series history the Owls will look to keep their undefeated streak alive in 2018. To do that they’ll have to limit one of the ACC’s surprisingly potent offenses.

Offense

Replacing quarterback John Wolford is the biggest challenge for the Demon Deacons in 2018. The four-year starter finished third in school history in career passing yards, throwing for 8,794 yards from 2014 to 2017. Kendall Hinton will be asked to lead the offense in his stead. Hinton started two games in 2015 and one in 2016. Although he hasn’t had much meaningful game action he’ll have the benefit of one of the most experienced offensive lines in the ACC to protect him.

Wake Forest didn’t have a single offensive lineman named to any of the All-ACC teams from 2012-2016. Last season they had three – center Ryan Anderson, left guard Phil Haynes and left tackle Justin Herron. The Deacs will add a trio of experienced running backs behind them, led by Matt Colburn who came 61 yards shy of a 1,000-yard season in 2017.

As for pass catchers, limiting the amount of damage caused by Greg Dortch will be a priority. As a redshirt freshman last fall, Dortch became the first player in school history with four receiving touchdowns in a single game. He’s joined by a host of other options in an offense that generally likes to spread the ball out. Seven different players had 10+ receptions last season.

Defense

The loss of defensive coordinator Mike Elko to Notre Dame following the 2016 season saw the Deacs take a step backward in defensive effectiveness. They slipped from 22.2 points per game in 2016 to 28.3 points per game in 2017. They return six starters this season – the front seven was hit noticeably hard.

Wake Forest will have to replace defensive ends Duke Ejiofor and Wendell Dunn as well as their backups. Incoming freshman end Mike Allen has shown promise in spring action, but he has big shoes to fill including 6.5 sacks combined between Ejiofor and Dunn. He’ll join the only returning starting linebacker, Demetrius Kemp, the last remaining piece from a linebacker unit that included two of the team’s three leading tacklers in 2017.

Where the Deacs will be most dangerous is the secondary. Even with the loss of Jessie Bates to the NFL, Wake Forest will have plenty of speed on the back end in 2018. Corner Essang Bassey led the ACC in pass breakups a year ago. Cameron Glenn led the team in tackles. Both are back and should be fixtures of the Deacs’ defense this year.

Schedule

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2018 Team by team season preview

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As the 2018 Rice Football season continues to draw closer we’re taking a look at each of the Owls opponents. Which games are must-wins and which players pose the toughest challenge this season? From the kickoff against Prairie View A&M to the finale against Old Dominion, here’s a sneak peek at every opponent the Owls play in 2018.

Completed previews are in bold. Previews to be published are in italics.

Week 1 – 8/25/2018 – vs Prairie View A&M

Week 2 – 9/1/2018 – vs Houston


Week 3 – 9/8/2018 – @ Hawaii

Week 4 – BYE

Week 5 – 9/22/2018 – @ Southern Mississippi

Week 6 – 9/29/2018 – @ Wake Forest

Week 7 – 10/6/2018 – vs UTSA

Week 8 – 10/13/2018 – vs UAB

Week 9 – 10/20/2018 – @ Florida International

Week 10 – 10/27/2018 – @ North Texas

Week 11 – 11/3/2018 – vs UTEP

Week 12 – 11/10/2018 – @ Louisiana Tech

Week 13 – 11/17/2018 – @ LSU

Week 14 – 11/24/2018 – vs Old Dominion

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2019 quarterback Trevor Bycznski commits to Owls

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Rice football picked up their first commitment in the month of July with the announcement of 3-star quarterback Trevor Bycznski’s pledge to the Owls.

The recruiting cycle tends to slow down in the month of July. In-person visits are on hold during the NCAA imposed “dead period” and most coaches are busy with media days and last minute odds and ends. Even though the Owls couldn’t make any face-to-face overtures they still added to their 2019 recruiting class. 3-star quarterback Trevor Bycznski from Cleveland, Ohio announced his commitment to Rice football on July 17.

https://twitter.com/bycznski8/status/1019371787052777477

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound passer is the first quarterback in the 2019 class and a massive building block for head coach Mike Bloomgren and his program. He chose the Owls over offers from Bowling Green, Georgetown, Buffalo, North Dakota State, Ball State and others.

Although he has yet to be offered by any Power 5 program, Bycznski was on the radar of several big name schools thanks to an impressive performance at Notre Dame’s Elite Skills Camp in June. Tom Loy of 247 Sports called Bycznski “terrific” and “the most physically-ready” quarterback in attendance.

Bycznski had the strongest arm at the event. He was putting a ton of zip on his passes and spinning it extremely well. Beyond the fact that he clearly has a hose and a big, strong build, Bycznski showed off accuracy with the football and a quick release. He had a smooth, clean motion and the ball shot out of his hand. Tom Lay, 247 Sports

In addition to his strong arm, Bycznski has plus mobility. He’s not afraid to take the ball himself when a play breaks down and has enough quickness to exploit defenses on the ground when given the opportunity.

Bycznski is the third out-of-state commitment. That’s marks an uptick in the focus outside Texas compared to the Owls’ entire 2018 class which features six signees from outside the state of Texas. He joins a Rice class that ranks seventh in Conference USA and inside the top 100 classes nationally (No. 99).

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35 Days: Owls must take season 10 yards at a time in 2018

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Rice football hasn’t won a game over the last three seasons when they’ve accumulated less than 20 first downs. That’s a number that needs to change for the Owls to move forward.

There is a time and a place for intricate offensive schemes, trickery and creative playcalling. The razzle-dazzle always sparks Oohs and Aahs in the crowd when it works, but the effort that goes into installing such unique play calls can often outweigh the rewards. Before Rice football tries to get complicated they need to get back to mastering the basics: first downs.

The first down might be the simplest concept in all of football. Teams have four (although traditionally three) downs to get 10 yards. If they can’t do that the other team takes over. Keeping possession and driving down the field will not only enable the Owls to score but will limit the opportunities for their opponent. Shortening the game against some of the high-powered offenses they’ll face in 2018 is a good place to start.

The 1979 and 1992 Owls each demonstrated the ideal outcome of this philosophy, each against the Houston Cougars. Both teams accumulated 35 first downs in their respective games against UH, a record that still stands to this day. The last Rice team to top 30 fresh sets of chains came in a loss to 42-28 Texas in 2015. Had the Owls not spotted the Longhorns two easy touchdowns on poor special teams plays in the first quarter they might have had enough offensive success to topple the college football giant.

Rice has played 36 games over the last three seasons. They reached 20 first downs in exactly half of those contests, 18. Over that period Rice is 0-18 when achieving less than 20 first downs. They’re 9-9 when getting 20 first downs or more. Those numbers could not be any more disparate.

If Rice wants to get more points they need to find a way to move the ball. That goes back to fundamentals, the basics and traditional hard-nosed football. There will be plenty of time for flair later. For now, let’s get the first down.

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2018 North Texas Mean Green Season Preview

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Rice football seems to always find themselves in a shootout when they play North Texas. Will 2018 be any different when the Owls face the Mean Green?

Seth Littrell and the air raid offense have done wonders for the North Texas Mean Green. The team parted ways with former coach Dan McCarney midway through the 2015 season, falling to 1-11 before Littrell took over in 2016. After going 5-8 during his first season, Littrell continued the upswing with a 9-5 finish in 2017.

North Texas was the West representative in the Conference USA Championship Game last season. They fell to Florida Atlantic for the second time that season, ending the campaign 7-2 in conference play with both losses coming at the hands of Lane Kiffin’s Owls.

Their game against the Rice Owls turned out quite differently. Although Rice was able to slow down the Mean Green’s high-powered offense they didn’t have enough firepower of their own to catch up North Texas won at 30-14 at Rice Stadium. They’ll host the Owls in 2018.

Offense

North Texas returns their most important piece of their offense in 2018, junior quarterback Mason Fine. The 5-foot-11 passer amassed 4,052 passing yards, second-most in the conference to Mike White of Western Kentucky in 2017.  Fine led CUSA in passing touchdowns with 31. He’ll have the proverbial green light to open up the passing lanes once more this season and will have the benefit of several familiar targets.

The Mean Green return five of their top six pass catchers from last season, losing senior Turner Smiley (35 receptions, 623 yards and five touchdowns) to graduation. Smiley will be missed, but Michael Lawrence (62 rec., 819 yd, four TD), Jalen Guyton (49 rec., 775 yd, nine TD) and Rico Bussey Jr. (47 rec., 677 yd, seven TD)  are more than enough weapons to make Fine comfortable in the pocket.

All that’s left is to find a running back. Replacing Jeffrey Wilson will be the biggest challenge this offense faces next season. He toted the rock 188 times for the Mean Green in 2017, racking up 1,215 yards and 16 touchdowns. Nick Smith, now a sophomore, saw meaningful action as a freshman but wasn’t nearly as effective as Smith, averaging 1.5 less yards per carry and scoring 10 fewer touchdowns on 50 fewer carries.

Defense

The defense is what has kept North Texas from breaking through. In seven meetings with the Mean Green from 2008 to 2017 the Owls have averaged 36 points per game. It wasn’t just Rice that has gotten the best of the North Texas defense. They’ve finished in the bottom three in CUSA in scoring defense twice in the past three seasons, becoming equally susceptible to the run and the pass in 2017. North Texas surrendered 431.4 yards per game last season, 12th worst in CUSA.

Hoping to right the decline in 2018 will be a collection of upperclassmen in the defensive backfield. Corner Kemon Hall led the unit with eight passes defended last season, also registering one interception and 73 tackles. That’s an elevated number of tackles for a corner, but that speaks to gaps in the front seven that let his opponents get to the second-level so quickly.

Up front North Texas will build around 2019 NFL Draft prospect E.J. Ejiya. The 6-foot-3, 223-pound outside linebacker should be the Mean Green’s biggest playmaker once again in 2018. Ejiya is coming off a career season in which he registered 108 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss and seven sacks. A strong year for him would go a long way to easing the pressure on the secondary, but he’ll need some help. Look for fellow linebacker Brandon Garner to take some pressure off Ejiya, opening up holes for his teammate to get into the offensive backfield.

Schedule

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