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Rice Football: Khalan Griffin shines, offense sparks in first fall scrimmage

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The first full scrimmage of the 2020 Rice Football fall camp is in the books. Khalan Griffin stole the show, but he wasn’t the only meaningful takeaway on Saturday.

It was a busy week at South Main. A few housekeeping items, first. The Rice football online roster is updated to match the newest version from fall camp. I try to be diligent with tagging players in stories and updates, so if you’re ever looking to see what I’ve written about Blaze Alldredge, Mike Collins or anyone else, head on over their and click on their name for a list of everything I’ve tagged them in. The Rice football schedule has been updated as well. If you haven’t yet, you can pick up the Season Preview here.

Practice updates reserved for subscribers. Sign in to see this content or visit our Patreon page.

If you’re on the fence about subscribing, I put some meat into these write ups. This one is a little more than 1,100 words and includes some notes on the Rice football injury situation and improvements on the offensive side of the football. Though the first week and a half of camp, those two trends have been front and center.

COVID Update

Rice has one player test positive who was unable to practice today. Contact tracing protocols left the Owls without four additional players. Of the 106 players on the roster, that’s a .09% positivity rate.

Offense looking up

Expectations for the Rice defense are much higher than the offense entering camp. Assuming health, the Owls should have one of the better defensive units in the conference. As it was last season, the defense started fall camp ahead of the offense, but I did see a few things during the scrimmage today that make me believe the offense has taken some meaningful steps.

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From JUCO to Rice Football: Why Blaze Alldredge’s ascent is just beginning

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Rice football linebacker Blaze Alldredge quietly arrived in Houston two years ago, but he’s not flying under the radar anymore.

Most everyone in Conference USA circles knows who Blaze Alldredge is. Those who haven’t will know his name soon enough. The current Rice linebacker is a rising star in the conference, earning first-team All-Conference honors in the preseason, the first of a growing list of accolades that reach beyond the confines of the conference itself.

Alldredge’s superb play has earned him mention on the watch lists for the Butkus, Bednarik and Nagurski Awards this offseason. Alldredge is the only Conference USA Player in the running for all three awards. He’s no longer being spoken of as just being one of the best linebackers on his team. National outlets are paying close attention to Alldredge now as his stock continues to rise.

But it wasn’t always that way.

Not too long ago Alldredge sat in his junior college dorm room with somber thoughts. He thought about quitting, wondering if his doubters were right. Maybe he wasn’t as good as he thought he was.

“I wanted to have a real-life gut check, to ask myself if it was worth it to keep going.”

Those doubts filled his mind as he wrestled with his future. The under-recruited Floridian didn’t receive any FBS offers coming out of high school. Going the junior college route was his best option. So he went, hoping he’d make the best of another chance to prove himself.

He spent one season at Los Angeles Pierce College where he posted 88 tackles in 10 games. He was the third leading tackler on his team. It was a good start, but it didn’t raise his status to the level he had hoped it would. The stream of offers he had hoped would be forthcoming turned out to be a trickle. Again, he wondered but pressed on.

That was until Rice came calling late during the spring. The bulk of the semester had come and gone and most players had already made their plans for where they would play the next season. There weren’t many spots left to be had.

But Alldredge took a late flight, had a later than usual dinner with members of the coaching staff and went to bed prior to his last-minute visit. The next morning he showed up to the Brian Patterson Center ready to get to work.

Linebackers coach Scott Vestal remembers that meeting well. Vestal says he doesn’t like canned presentations that feel manufactured so instead of a fancy PowerPoint or prearranged cut up, he let Alldredge pick the session for them to go through together.

They sat and they watched the 2018 spring game, a game in which by Vestal’s own admission the linebackers underperformed. So they watched, critiquing the errors and talking through the breakdowns before Alldredge indicated the level of intensity wasn’t good enough. He could do better.

Vestal was sold. It wasn’t just the swagger — plenty of players have that — it was his level of detail. “Blaze notices things at such a rare level,” Vestal said adding that Alldredge “more than anyone I’ve ever seen in my life, sees the game through the coach’s eyes.”

That meeting, along with conversations stemming from that visit, prompted Rice to offer Alldredge a spot on their team, which he accepted.

At that point, it was already May. Always the underdog, Alldredge would have to hit the ground running.

Players were due to report to campus for workouts in a few weeks and most of the roster was already in place. Adding someone that late in the recruiting cycle in the era before the Transfer Portal was rare. As he’s proven himself to be time and time again, Alldredge was the exception.

That mental conversation he’d had with himself months ago had earned him an FBS scholarship. He rose from the bottom of the depth chart to second-string quickly. By the fourth game of the season, a road trip to Southern Miss, Alldredge was in the starting lineup.

An illness opened the door for him that day, but it was Alldredge who never let it swing shut.

He tallied nine tackles and the Owls’ first interception of the season that day. “I definitely look back on that and cringe a little bit that I could have played a lot better,” he remembers, “but I didn’t shrink under the light. I took advantage of my opportunity and I played well enough that I gave everybody the mindset that, ‘Okay, we need to see what this kid has and play him a little more.’”

By the time he cracked the starting lineup again his role was secure. His next start came against FIU four weeks later. He’s started every game since, a string of 18 contests which is expected to be extender further whenever the 2020 campaign begins.

Alldredge’s 21.5 tackles for a loss last season were the second-most in the nation. He finished half a TFL short of Rice’s all-time record set by Brian Womac in 2017. From JUCO to one of the nation’s best, Alldredge isn’t flying under the radar anymore.

The accolades are nice. Alldredge called the Butkus Trophy “an award every linebacker dreams of winning from a young age.” But the attention hasn’t shifted his focus. “I still feel like I have a lot to prove,” he said. “There’s a lot of people that don’t truly see and recognize the level that I’m at. And that’s on me to go out and show them.”

Alldredge has bet on himself from the beginning. He’s never been one to settle for where he’s at right now, constantly reaching for the next rung. He calls his expectations “realistic”. Whether or not that’s a fair representation rests in the eyes of the goal setter.

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To this point, Alldredge has constantly delivered. He’s put in the work in the weight room, cutting his body fat to jaw-dropping levels. He’s become a wizard in the film room, forcing his coaches to prepare even more diligently than normal to anticipate his inevitable questions. There’s always another gear, but it’s the same process.

Alldredge says he’s not seeking to do anything new. “The thing for me this season isn’t to do anything extra, do anything spectacular. It’s just to not miss anything, to make the plays that come to me and just do my job. And if I do that, and I help my team win games,” he said, “then everything else is going to come to me.”

A conference championship is the next objective on his list. From there, many believe he’ll have a chance to play on Sundays in the NFL. Those days may very well come. Alldredge aims to get there by being the best version of himself he can possibly be right now. And that’s not something he’s worried about at all.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 51 – 2020 Top 15 Most Important Rice Football players

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The 2020 Rice football team is constructed of studs and up-and-coming stars. Carter and Matthew debate the 15 most important players.

The upswing of this week’s college football rollercoaster has Carter and Matthew optimistically looking toward a 2020 Rice Football season this fall. The duo compares their lists regarding which players are the most important factors in that season becoming a success.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 51.

Episode 51 Notes

  • Housekeeping — Make sure you hit the button and subscribe on Patreon so you don’t miss what’s happening. As always, thanks to all of you who have followed the show on Twitter and left a review on iTunes. It’s quick, but it makes a difference.

Become a Patron!

  • Return to play and news updates
    • The Big Ten announced their return to play plans this week
    • Pac-12 schools cleared by governors to return to practice
    • Recruiting dead period extended through Jan. 1, 2021
  • Top 15 Most important Rice football players for 2020
    • Carter and Matthew each compiled their own lists independently then revealed them and discussed their criteria live on the podcast.
    • There were seven players featured on both lists and a spirited debate on who was too high, too low and who they might have missed.

 

Spoiler Alert — Top 15 lists below

If you don’t want to know who makes each list before listening… stop reading now.

 

*Bold players appear in both lists

 Carter’s Top 15

T1. Mike Collins, QB
T1. JoVoni Johnson, QB
3. De’Braylon Carroll, DT
T4. Jason White, CB
T4. Andrew Bird, CB
6. Juma Otoviano, RB
T7. Trey Schuman, DE
T7. Kenneth Orji, DE
9. Tre’shon Devones, CB
10. Zane Knipe, WR
11. Treshawn Chamberlain, Viper
12. Blaze Alldredge, LB
T13. August Pitre, WR
T13. Christian McStravick, WR
15. Jovaun Woolford, OL

 Matthew’s Top 15

1. Mike Collins, QB
2. Blaze Alldredge, LB
3. De’Braylon Carroll, DT
4. Clay Servin, OL
5. Jordan Myers, TE
6. George Nyakwol, SAF
7. Brad Rozner, WR
8. Treshawn Chamberlain, Viper
9. Austin Trammell, WR
10. Antonio Montero, LB
11. Trey Schuman, DE
12. JoVoni Johnson, QB
13. Shea Baker, OL
14. Juma Otoviano, RB
15. Charlie Mendes, P

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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Buy Now: The Roost’s 2020 Rice Football Season Preview and C-USA Preview

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The Roost is pleased to announce the release of the 2020 Rice Football Season Preview and the Conference USA Football Season Preview. These digital magazines are the one-stop-shop for every Rice and Conference USA Fan.

Buy Rice Preview
Buy C-USA Preview

The 2020 Rice Football Season Preview

This 160-page publication details everything you could imagine about Rice Football. It includes insight on the entire Rice roster as well with commentary on all 110 players on the active roster. From there the scope widens to breakdowns of every Conference USA team and all four of the Owls’ non-conference opponents. Each profile was compiled with the help from local experts who cover that beat on a daily basis with timely transfer information and any available spring updates.

As one Rice administrator dubbed it:
it’s the bible for Rice Football fans.

Get answers to questions like “Who has the leg up in the Rice quarterback battle?” or “Which incoming players could make the biggest impact?” or “Who are the top returning players Rice will face in Conference USA?”

This year’s edition included a feature story based on an interview with Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard. In the piece, we discuss how he evaluates head coach Mike Bloomgren’s coaching tenure.

The 2020 Conference USA Football Season Preview

The complete contents of the Conference USA Preview are contained within the Rice Preview. This 72-page guide includes everything Conference USA fans need to know for the upcoming season. Every team in the conference has a four-page profile. These profiles including coaching notes, pressing questions and the major storylines each squad faces this season. It also includes roster breakdowns with profiles on the biggest incoming and outgoing players.

No preview would be complete without the numbers, and this one has those in bunches. Each team section includes Conference USA metrics, returning production notes and analysis as well as stat lines for every returning player. There’s also a more detailed review of the conference’s top returning players for each major statistic. And it’s all at your fingertips rather than a dozen google searches away.

The Conference USA Preview omits the Rice-specific content like the position and player breakdowns, rising stars and more. Most Rice fans would prefer the Rice Preview whereas fans of other C-USA schools might prefer this version.

What are people saying about the Previews?

Don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what people are saying:

  • “The Roost’s C-USA preview has been an indispensable resource for me as I make my preparations for this season.”
  • “I just spent 30 minutes going through it, but barely skimmed the surface. It’s a great way to learn the new players.
  • “I don’t know any preview that could be more detailed than that.”
  • “This is worth spending the money on. Best you will get for CUSA”
  • “I liked everything.”

Want more?

You can always find additional Rice Football and Conference USA Football content on the website. If you enjoy the Preview and want to get further involved, consider supporting us on Patreon or check out The Roost Shop. Our subscribers get exclusive content ranging from recruiting and practice updates to special analysis. For starters, they got a copy of the Preview for free!

Buy Rice Preview
Buy C-USA Preview
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Rice Football: 2020 Spring practice closing thoughts

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Rice Football snuck in six spring practices before they were canceled by Conference USA. Here are a few things we learned and questions still unanswered.

My notebook is an organized mess every time Rice football practice is underway. I have notes from each session I attend. Those range from individual moments that impressed me to far-reaching questions that I’ve yet to reach a conclusion. Sometimes coaches or players can shed light on my queries, other times they’re left to ruminate until next session, next week, or longer.

More: Erica Ogwumike talks end of season, Rice career on The Roost Podcast

Rice is fortunate they got to practice at all. Several Conference USA teams called off all sessions before they ever stepped foot on the field. There are a lot of question marks scribbled in the pages from the Owls’ six spring practice sessions. In this case, some clarity is better than none.

Depth Charts

I hesitate to put out defined depth charts, especially from spring ball. Players are cycling in and out, some are learning new positions. The alignment of the team on any one play varies tremendously. Starters are easier to determine. Backups are … well, an exercise best guessing. With that caveat, take these words as being scribed in pencil.

Rice Football First Team Offense

QB | Collins OR Johnson
RB | Otoviano
WR | Trammell, Rozner, Pitre
TE | Myers
OL | Servin (LT), Garcia OR Sheriff (LG), Klarkowski (C), Baker (RG), Woolford (RT)

Rice Football Second Team Offense

QB | McMahon
RB | Montgomery OR King
WR | Knipe, Bailey, Palmer
TE | Bull OR Bradley
OL | Ferraro (LT), Riddle (LG), Baker (C), Floyd (RG), Peterson (RT)

Offensive depth chart notes

I hate OR designations, but I really do believe there are several open spots on the offense right now. Quarterback is the most obvious. If Rice football had to play tomorrow, I’d bet Mike Collins is the guy, but it’s close. That’s not to say he stole the show this spring — he and JoVoni Johnson were both solid — but I like Collins’ combination of size and elusiveness. I’m still looking to see who can make more consistent plays downfield between those two. The more accurate passer could win the job in fall camp.

Cam Montgomery looks really good. Really good. Rice had a deep backfield last year and Montgomery fumbled away some of his opportunities, leaving him buried on the bench. He’s probably the fastest player on the team right now (or at least in the top five). He’ll be the third down and pass catching back. There’s plenty of room for Jawan King to carve out a role as well.

Not much changed on the pass catching front outside of some good plays from sophomore tight end Jack Bradley. He was on a very short list of true freshman that played every game. They’d like to see him more involved this year. August Pitre had a great showing, too. He was much more aggressive in the air, fighting for the football and winning one-one-one matchups.

On the offensive line, it’s encouraging to see Izeya Floyd running with the twos. So far, the transition seems to be going well. Klarkowski as the starting center surprised me a bit, but I attribute that more to the need for answers at guard. If someone emerges there, Baker more than likely moves back to center. JoVaun Woolford is an impressive human being. If he adds another 15 to 20 pounds this offseason he’s going to be a huge asset at the tackle spot.

Rice Football First Team Defense

DL | Schuman, Hubbard, Carrol, Orji
LB | Alldredge, Montero
CB | Devones, Thornton
Saf | Smith, Nyakwol, Chamberlain

Rice Football Second Team Defense

DL | Doddridge, Enechukwu, Garcia, Page
LB | Morrison, Grammer
CB | Bird, White
Saf | Calderon, Lockhart, Richardson

Defensive depth chart notes

The defense looks pretty cookie cutter from how Rice football ended last season. De’Braylon Carroll will slide up into a starting spot replacing the departing Myles Adams. Kenneth Orji will become the full-time man at rush end with Anthony Ekpe gone. The rest of the first team is essentially unchanged.

Myron Morrison has entrenched himself as a rotation player at linebacker. The coaches love his work ethic and he made several big plays this spring. He and Garrett Grammer will back up Antonio Montero and Blaze Alldredge.

There’s a pretty clear delineation from the first and second teams in the secondary, but the top 10 guys are solid. Rice is bringing in some talented playmakers in the secondary, but this shouldn’t be a situation where anyone is forced to play early from necessity. They’ll have to earn it, which they very well might do.

The defensive line is a spot to monitor. I loved what I saw from Kebreyun Page, and Ikenna Enechukwu has been steadily improving from last season until now. I’m not sure about the defensive end spot. Joshua Pearcy and Jacob Doddridge both took some time there during the spring.

Special Teams

There are a few certainties on special teams.

  1. Austin Trammell will be the punt returner
  2. Stanford transfer Collin Riccitelli will be the place kicker
  3. Charlie Mendes will be the punter
  4. Cam Riddle will be the long snapper

There really won’t be any competition whatsoever at those four spots. That leaves kickoffs and the holder as the only real question marks. Those auditions will continue into the fall.

Unanswered questions

1. Who is going to be the starting quarterback?

Collins and Johnson separated themselves this spring, but neither “seized the job” as coach Bloomgren has often wished of his quarterbacks. They’re both great on the ground with Collins getting a slight edge because of his size. Johnson may not be injury prone, but he’s slimmer and did get forced out of his start against Marshall last year with an injury. I still think we could have one guy before the season opener, but don’t expect the competition closed before a week or two of fall camp.

2. Which offense will Rice run?

The way Rice lined up against Army was night and day different from how they played against Middle Tennessee. Bloomgren will stick to his guns and run the football, but he’s not going to discount the success they found through the air. The offensive line might be the key determinant in how Rice attacks on offense. But we still don’t know how that unit will be pieced together quite yet.

3. Where are the gaps that incoming players need to fill?

In previous springs, it’s been fairly evident where the team needs an impact player. Given the little sample size this time, it’s hard to know which of the incoming signing class is going to have the clearest path to playing time.

I have a hunch someone is going to emerge from the running backs. Kobie Campbell and Khalan Griffin are special talents that could impact the game on special teams or as offensive weapons. On defense, I want to see what happens in the secondary. Can someone like Lamont Narcisse work his way onto the field? That might depend on a few factors. On both sides of the ball, we’ll have to wait and see what happens in the fall.

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