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Rice Football Film Room: Baylor review and LA Tech preview

September 26, 2019 By Carter

Rice football embarks on conference play this week, but first, there’s some film break down. This week Carter tackles three key plays.

Hey y’all, it’s time for the Rice Football Film Room again! This week we’re gonna look at a couple plays from Rice’s game last week against Baylor, breaking down an early defensive highlight from Blaze Alldredge (of course) and then Tom Stewart’s late touchdown run to put Rice within a score. Then we’ll look at an early play from Louisiana Tech’s win over FIU in Week 4, to show the improvement in their run game, spearheaded by RB Justin Henderson.

BAYLOR

Blaze Alldredge—Defensive End?

Rice Football

Setup

It’s Baylor ball, 4:36 left in the first quarter, 1st and 10 on the Rice 23, no score. Baylor is in 12 personnel, with the QB in the gun and the back behind and to his right. There’s an inline TE on each side of the line, with the one on the right being No. 91 Rob Saulin, a 6-foot-5, 302-pound behemoth whom Baylor lists as a “TE/DT” on their roster.

Notice, though, that Saulin is “covered up”—the wide receiver to the boundary is also on the line of scrimmage. That means that Saulin is not an eligible receiver; only players on the ends of the line of scrimmage and in the backfield are eligible on passing plays. So if this ends up being a pass, Saulin cannot get more than three yards down the field; the formation (and indeed his very presence on the field) suggests that this is probably going to be a run play.

Rice has a normal group of personnel out there, but as is DC Brian Smith’s wont, they’re in some unusual spots. Anthony Ekpe is playing the Viper position instead of his usual Rush OLB. Typical starting Viper Treshawn Chamberlain is standing directly behind MLB Antonio Montero at the snap. And WLB Blaze Alldredge is on the boundary side of the defensive line with his hand in the dirt as a defensive end.

The Play

It is indeed a running play, and in fact, it’s GT Counter, the same play I highlighted for Baylor in last week’s Film Room. The only difference is that they’re in 12 personnel instead of 11, with a backside TE (Saulin) to help seal off the DE (in this case Alldredge).

But the 302-pound Saulin isn’t nearly fast enough to block Blaze Alldredge, who knifes inside through the C-gap at the snap and meets the back five yards behind the line of scrimmage for a TFL. Even if Saulin manages to slow him down or block him completely, this play was probably doomed for Baylor regardless. Take a look at the pullers: the guard gets his block on Rice DE Jacob Doddridge, but Antonio Montero slips by the tackle, who lunges for him and falls. Maybe the RB would have managed to reverse direction, but in that case, one of Alldredge, Myles Adams, or Isaiah Richardson (No. 23 for Rice) would have probably made the play.

Ramblin’ Tom Scores Again!

Rice Football

Setup

Rice ball, 8:49 to go in the fourth quarter, 1st and 10 from the Baylor 21, Baylor leading 21-6. Rice is in 12 personnel, with Stewart in the pistol, Jaeger Bull and Jordan Myers lined up at H-back, Austin Trammell and Brad Rozner split wide, and Austin Walter as the RB.

Baylor is in 3-3-5 personnel, with all three linebackers bunched up close to the line. Note that Rice has numbers in the run game: seven blockers to six in the box. If Rice can get a hat on a hat, Baylor will need its DBs to play extremely aggressively in run support to stop this play.

The Play

The play is meant to look like split zone—a running play that’s similar to inside zone, except that the frontside H-back (in this case, Myers) runs parallel to the line for what’s called a slice block to help seal off the backside. Right tackle Brandt Peterson climbs to the second level, chipping a linebacker before passing him off to Bull and heading further downfield. Bull engages with that linebacker, leaving the defensive end unblocked initially. The end, thinking it’s split zone, slips inside of Myers to make the tackle on Walter (if it were actually split zone, the end would be Myers’s responsibility on the slice block).

Except it’s not split zone—it’s good ol’ inside zone read, with the added wrinkle that Myers is actually doing an arc block instead of a slice block. The end crashes inside to go for Walter, and it’s an easy read for Tom Stewart to pull the ball, with Myers now essentially lead-blocking for him. Myers, seeing that the linebacker has pushed his way past Bull, moves in to double team him, clearing the way for Stewart to get the edge.

More: The Roost Podcast Ep 9 – Baylor Review and LA Tech Preview

Now it’s up to one of Baylor’s three interior DBs to make the play, since Rozner’s vertical route has cleared the cornerback. No. 1 and No. 8 take themselves out of the play because they don’t realize that Stewart has the ball and not Walter! The man in the middle, No. 3, correctly diagnoses the play but Peterson does an excellent job to square him up in the open field, and by the time he disengages Stewart is already past him.

I think the only players on the field Tom Stewart is faster than is his own offensive line, but this is now his second 10-plus yard zone read touchdown on the year. RUN IT TILL THEY FEAR YOU, TOM.

LOUISIANA TECH

Henderson Off to the Races

Rice Football

The Setup

9:36 left in the first half and FIU and Louisiana Tech are locked in a 3-3 tie. It’s Tech ball at the FIU 29, 2nd and 5. The Bulldogs are in 10 personnel, with two receivers split wide to either side and QB J’Mar Smith in the shotgun with RB Justin Henderson. FIU is showing a 4-2-5 look, with a single high safety out of view (looks like they’re in Cover 3).

The Play

It’s a tackle-lead option run, though not one I’m familiar enough with to know of a universally-accepted name for. It’s not exactly zone read because the tackle pulls, but it’s maybe closer to that than tackle-power read, because power read usually involves reading the edge defender on the front side of the line of scrimmage (that is, the side that the puller is heading for).

Names aside, it’s easy to see how the play works. The tackle pulls to lead the way if it’s a handoff, leaving his defender unblocked for the QB to read. For the QB, then, it’s exactly like zone read: if the end stays home, hand it off. If he crashes, pull the ball.

In this case, the end does what’s called “slow playing” the option. He doesn’t exactly crash, but he sort of shuffles his feet while keeping his shoulders parallel to the line. The idea is to muddle the QB’s read, slow his decision-making, and be in a position to make the tackle regardless of who gets the ball. Normally a QB should react to this by handing the ball off, because that’s the quicker-hitting play. That’s what Smith does, although the end gets so far inside by the time they’re at the mesh point that a more athletic QB (no offense to Smith, but his career YPC is 2.6) probably could have pulled it and beaten him around the backside.

More: Check out the game preview for Rice vs Louisiana Tech

The OL has done its job (the LG, in particular, does a stellar job of getting leverage and turning his man toward the sideline), and there’s a big hole for Henderson to run through. But in this case, the end’s slow play has worked to perfection and he’s there to make the play. One of FIU’s DTs, who’s engaged with the RG, also manages to free an arm in time to grab Henderson as he runs through the hole.

Justin Henderson has other ideas, however. He simultaneously breaks free of both the end (who should have him dead to rights) and the DT’s attempted arm tackle, stiff arms another defender, accelerates, bounces the run outside, and scores to give Tech the lead.

No doubt Louisiana Tech’s offense will run primarily on the arm of Smith, but Henderson’s emergence in the run game gives them a new tool to maintain balance on offense. Rice’s front seven will need to continue to wrap up and gang tackle as well as they did in nonconference play to keep the Bulldogs off schedule and behind the chains.

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Filed Under: Archive, Football Tagged With: Anthony Ekpe, Antonio Montero, Blaze Alldredge, film room, Rice Football

Rice Football Film Room: Texas review and Baylor preview

September 19, 2019 By Carter

Rice football has three games in the books and a lot of film to look through. This week Carter reviews Texas and previews Baylor.

Hey everyone! Welcome back to the film room. Not a lot of positives to take out of that Texas game, sadly, but I do want to highlight one play that shows some great work by the Rice football front seven on defense. Then we’ll switch things up and make this a preview column by looking at a particularly illustrative play from Baylor’s offense in their win against UTSA, so y’all can get an idea of what to expect from them on Saturday.

TEXAS: UT Ball, 2nd and 3, 8:04 3rd quarter

Setup

Texas is in an 11 personnel shotgun spread set. The back is behind Ehlinger and to his right and an H-back to that side of the line. Rice is showing a three man front, with JaVante Hubbard at a 0-tech nose and Myles Adams and Kenneth Orji as stand-up defensive ends.

Prudy Calderon is off the line to the strong side, ready to either cover the H-back or contain a backside QB run. Blaze Alldredge and Anthony Ekpe are at off-ball linebacker, and George Nyakwol has crept up in between the two and is already blitzing into the A-gap at the snap.

The Play

It looks like this is a zone read, because Ehlinger appears to be focusing on Myles Adams at the snap. Since Adams has to go around the H-back, he doesn’t crash quickly enough to tackle the back, and so Ehlinger makes the right read and hands it off. It could be that it’s a called hand-off, with the H chipping Adams long enough to keep him from making the play, but it looks more like he’s trying to get to Prudy Calderon in case Ehlinger keeps it.

Blaze Alldredge’s is the star here. He flows to the B gap, stacks and sheds the right guard, and slides into the backfield to make the tackle. But the rest of the Rice front is great on this play as well. The right tackle can’t stay engaged with Ekpe, who might have managed to stop the play for no gain had the back gotten by Alldredge.

Hubbard backs the reaching right guard two yards into the backfield, as does the 182-lb Nyakwol with UT’s 300-pound center (!!). Both are eventually overpowered, but not till after they’ve clogged up the interior gaps. Orji turns the left tackle perpendicular to the line to seal the edge, preventing the back from bouncing the play outside (which is critical—if Orji doesn’t hold the edge, the back is gone by the time Alldredge sheds his blocker). Even Adams stays in pursuit long enough to have chased down the back if Alldredge had merely plugged his gap instead. It’s a loss of one.

BAYLOR: BU Ball, 1st and 10, 9:45 1st Quarter

Rice Football

Setup

Here’s a play from early in Baylor’s win over UTSA in Week 2. I picked it to illustrate the kind of headaches an aggressive spread run scheme like Baylor’s can cause. Baylor’s in 11 personnel, with all three receivers and the back to the right and the TE to the left. UTSA is in a basic 4-man front nickel package.

The Play

The base run play here is called GT Counter, in which both the backside guard and tackle pull to clear the way for the running back. It’s a popular play these days, in particular being the staple of Oklahoma’s run game. It can be run out of a number of variations and with a variety of options built into it, so it’s a versatile play to have in your book.

Here, it starts with a basic spread option read. The backside defensive end is left unblocked, and the QB will read him, exactly like zone read. If he stays wide, the QB hands it off. If he crashes inside, the QB keeps. Here the DE does what’s called “attacking the mesh”—he sprints upfield to the mesh point, hoping the QB won’t make the read quickly enough and that he’ll be able to make the play no matter who has the ball. It’s a good way to defend these plays if you’ve got a really athletic end, but it’s risky because if the QB decides quickly you can get burned.

Here, Charlie Brewer does what every QB should in this situation (handoff as quickly as possible), and the end takes himself out of the play. From there, UTSA has clogged the middle enough to force Trestan Ebner to cut it back, but once he does there’s nobody in between him and the first down marker, and it’s a big play all the way to the red zone.

The Roost Podcast | Rice Football vs Texas review and Baylor Preview

But this isn’t just a basic option run play—it’s an RPO. Take a look at the innermost slot receiver (what the defense would mark as the No. 3 receiver). As the outer two receivers clear out and set up to block, he goes out for a screen. So actually Brewer’s read here is probably that if the end doesn’t crash inside (or attack the mesh), he pulls the ball out and throws the screen. Some teams, Oklahoma included, will run plays like this but keep the QB run option, making it a true triple option with the screen replacing the pitch.

That play pretty well encapsulates the basic idea of Baylor’s offense. They’re built around a couple of core run concepts, which they use to build out a playbook filled with option runs, play-action and RPOs.

I made the Oklahoma comparison a couple of times, and it’s similar to what they do in their run/option/RPO packages, but without the Air Raid passing roots of Lincoln Riley. It’s more wide open than the old school offense Matt Rhule ran as the head coach at Temple, but it’s still built on running the football. It’s relatively simple for the offensive players to run but deceptively difficult for defensive players to recognize and stay disciplined on the plays. Hopefully Rice football is up to the challenge.

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Filed Under: Football, Archive Tagged With: Blaze Alldredge, film room, George Nyakwol, JaVante Hubbard, Kenneth Orji, Myles Adams, Rice Football

Rice Football 2019: Week 3 Texas Press Conference quotes

September 10, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

Coming off two tough defeats, Rice Football players and head coach Mike Bloomgren prepare for their comments prior to their Week 3 game against Texas.

Texas has taken center stage at South Main. Bloomgren, along with wide receiver Brad Rozner and linebacker Blaze Alldredge, met with the media on Tuesday to discuss the upcoming Week 3 matchup.

From Mike Bloomgren

On what the team learned from the Wake Forest game …

“The bottom line is we’re not quite there yet to beat that team. We felt like we had the ability to on the field and certainly at times, it looked like we did. But, we’ve got to keep making progress. We’re just not quite there. But, once again, better day by day. I’m proud of the guys for that and the way they’re working.”

On tangible proof of progress year over year…

“There’s a lot of things, to be honest with you. The fact that we could stand toe-to-toe and the fact that we could move the ball in short-yardage. The fact that when they overloaded the box in the run game and they were running some of their pressures, we were able to attack them through the air. We had a receiver like Bradley Rozner step up and make a few big-time plays.”

On the current state of the quarterback room…

“We played a lot of quarterbacks last year and some of them are still in the program. Evan Marshman is going to be the guy that takes reps with the twos right now. We also, obviously, have JoVoni Johnson who we believe in tremendously. He’s a very talented guy who we’re going to keep growing. I don’t expect to see him in this game this weekend, but, we have some guys that we really trust with some cool tools.”

From Brad Rozner

On the ability of the Texas secondary …

“They’re obviously going to be a little faster than us, that’s kind of why they recruited so highly out of high school but we’re just gonna have to attack them like anybody else. We’re going to bring the fight to them. We’re the underdogs.”

From Blaze Alldredge

On the improvement in the defense this season…

“Giving up quick 14 points [to Wake Forest] but battling back with a stop and getting us back to that 14-14 type game shows a resilience that we didn’t have as a defense last year, in my opinion.”

“Last year I think there were times where we just felt like we couldn’t stop people, no matter what we did. And this year, we just don’t have that feeling at all. When you give up a quick 14 to Wake Forest, it’s easy to go to your sideline and go, dang, we just can’t stop these guys. Whereas instead, it’s an organized huddle where we’re like, okay, we missed these assignments, here’s what we have to sharpen up to get the stops.”

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Filed Under: Football Tagged With: Blaze Alldredge, Bradley Rozner, Mike Bloomgren, Rice Football

2019 Rice Football Season Preview by The Roost

July 8, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

 

The staff of The Roost is pleased to announce the release of the 2019 Rice Football Season Preview, a 143-page digital magazine detailing everything you could imagine about the Owls’ upcoming season.

This preview is the culmination of months of research, interviews and analysis. Consider it your one-stop-shop as you prepare for the Owls’ 2019 season.

Available as a downloadable PDF for on-the-go access, this preview contains the following:

1. A breakdown of every position group on the team

Who are the favorites to start entering fall camp? What sort of production should you expect from returning starters? Which of the incoming transfer players should make their mark the quickest? Answers to all of those questions are included, as well as notes on every single player on the 102-man roster.

2. An exclusive interview with head coach Mike Bloomgren

We sat down with coach to get his honest evaluation of where the Rice football program is right now and how he views the progress the team is making as they approach 2019. He’s sticking to a process, one which he remains confident will bring success to South Main.

3. Previews of each 2019 opponent and all 14 CUSA Teams

Supported by local beat writers and experts who cover each team, this section has a wealth of knowledge about every CUSA Team and all the Owls’ 2019 opponents.

Rice fans will want to familiarize themselves with the teams they’ll be facing this year. Get to know which players each squad will have to replace, which newcomers could make noise in 2019 and what outstanding questions those in the know have about their respective squads.

4. A complete 2019 Conference USA Football Preview

Available separately to purchase, everyone who purchases the 2019 Rice Football Season Preview will also get The Roost’s 2019 Conference USA Football Preview. We made our picks for preseason honors, top games to watch in 2019 and a closer look at how every team in the conference stacks up.

Don’t need any more convincing? Get a copy for yourself today

Buy Now

 

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Filed Under: Featured, Football Tagged With: Adam Nunez, Adrian Bickham, Andrew Bird, Anthony Ekpe, Antonio Montero, Ari Broussard, Aston Walter, August Pitre, Austin Conrad, Austin Trammell, Ayden Noriega, Bennett Mecom, Blaze Alldredge, Bradley Rozner, Brandt Peterson, Brendan Suckley, Brian Chaffin, Cam Montgomery, Cam Riddle, Cameron Valentine, Charlie Booker, Charlie Mendes, Chike Anigbogu, Chris Barnes, Chris Boudreaux, Clay Servin, Cole Elms, Cole Garcia, Collin Whitaker, Connor Hughes, D'Angelo Ellis, Dasharm Newsome, De'Braylon Carroll, Derek Ferraro, Dylan James, Dylan Silcox, Edmond Lahlouh, Elijah Garcia, Evan Marshman, Garrett Braden, Garrett Grammer, George Nyakwol, Hunter Hanley, Hunter Henry, Hunter Jones, Isaac Klarkowski, Isaiah Richardson, Izeya Floyd, Jack Bradley, Jacob Doddridge, Jacob Grams, Jaeger Bull, Jake Bailey, JaQuez Battley, Jashon Palmer, Jason White, JaVante Hubbard, Jawan King, Jerry Johnson, Jonathan Sanchez, Jordan Myers, Josh Landrum, Josh Pearcy, Jovoni Johnson, Juma Otoviano, Justin Gooseberry, Kebreyun Page, Kenneth Orji, Kirk Lockhart, Luke Armstrong, Matthew Sams, Miles Adams, Miles Mccord, Myles Adams, Myron Morrison, Naeem Smith, Nahshon Ellerbe, Nick Leverett, Nick McQuarry, Nick Wagman, Parker Towns, Prudy Calderon, Reagan Williams, Regan Riddle, Rhett Cardwell, Rice Football, Robbie Blosser, Robert French, Sam Glaesmann, Shea Baker, Tom Stewart, Tre'shon Devones, Treshawn Chamberlain, Trey Schuman, Tyrae Thornton, Uzoma Osuji, Wiley Green, Will Harrison, Will Martinez, Zach Hoban, Zane Knipe

Rice Football: Linebacking corps set for breakthrough season

July 6, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

Here come the tackling machines. The 2019 Rice Football linebacker rotation could be one of the Owls best units on the field.

A groundswell of optimism is emerging around South Main regarding the 2019 linebackers. Blaze Alldredge and Antonio Montero made their marks at the tail end of the 2018 season, taking over starting roles midway through the year. Firmly entrenched as the alphas at their position, this duo has had an incredible spring. Expectations are sky high.

Both Montero and Alldredge have the talent and the drive to cement themselves among the most productive linebackers in Conference USA this season. If they play to their potential, they’re well within the range of 100-tackle seasons, something which has happened at Rice just twice in the past 20 years.

Travis Bradshaw racked up a staggering 121 tackles in 2009. Cameron Nwosu notched 108 tackles in 2011. None of the dozens of other linebackers who took the field for the Owls over that time cracked the 100-tackle mark.

A season of that magnitude would put either of those two defenders in rarified air. The impact on the defense as a whole would be tremendous. That kind of production would vault them into consideration for individual recognition, too. Eight CUSA players reached the 100-tackle plateau in 2018. UTEP linebacker A.J. Hotchkins, FIU linebacker Sage Lewis and North Texas linebacker E.J. Eliya all finished with more than 120 takedowns.

Whether it’s 120 tackles of 70, it’s hard to envision a scenario right now in which both Montero and Alldredge don’t make the defense significantly better in 2019 than it was in 2018. They’re the kind of vocal leaders in the middle of the field who spark change and lead with effort and physicality. The Rice linebacker room is primed for a special season.

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Filed Under: Featured, Football Tagged With: Antonio Montero, Blaze Alldredge, Rice Football

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