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The Good and the bad at the midway point of 2018 season

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Rice football enters the second half of the season with plenty of good and bad displayed early on. What can the Owls fix and what questions remain going forward?

It takes all three phases and four quarters to win a football game. That’s something that head coach Mike Bloomgren has stressed to his team over the course of this fall. The Owls have been a mixed bag across the board thus far. What’s gone right? Gone wrong? And what questions still remain after the first six games of the 2018 season?

Offense

The Good – Austin Walter

Starting his freshman season in 2015, Austin Walter never missed a game. In three years he tallied 36 appearances, averaging 393.3 yards rushing per season. Rice has played six of their 13 games so far in 2018 and Walter has racked up 440 yards on the ground, 188 yards through the air and another 189 yards on seven kick returns. Add all those together and Walter enters Week 7 as the No. 2 player in the nation in All-Purpose yards.

Nobody, not even Walter could have realistically projected the senior’s incredible start. Emmanuel Esukpa drew most of the preseason accolades. He’s been great, but the importance of Walter’s contribution to this offense cannot be understated.

The Bad – Offensive line play

Part of what’s limited Esukpa’s efficiency and forced the Owls to lean on Walter has been the inconsistent play from the offensive line. The same five guys have started every game: Uzoma Osuji at left tackle, Jacke Greene at left guard, Shea Baker at center, Joseph Dill at right guard and Sam Pierce at right tackle. For whatever reason, they haven’t been able to get on the same page.

Sam Pierce said this unit needs to “get on the same page, communicate, and work within ourselves.” So far that hasn’t translated from practice to the games. Bloomgren’s frustration has been evident, but there hasn’t been any sort of wholesale personnel change. The success of this unit will largely depend on these five guys and their ability to get in sync.

Biggest question – Which offense will show up on Saturday?

Mike Bloomgren indicated the Owls struggles on Saturday weren’t a result of a game plan that was any more complicated than they’d implemented so far this season. They ran the same plays and schemes they’d run earlier on in the year, but with much different results.

Rice hung around in shootouts with Houston and Hawaii, and that was without all the pieces working in concert. We still haven’t seen what this unit looks like at full strength, playing as one. The question is whether or not we’ll ever see it in 2018.

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Defense

The Good – Secondary seems to be turning the corner

The stat book for the Rice secondary is one of the most bizarre juxtapositions of the good and bad that comes with in-season growth. Here are the Owls’ passing yards and touchdowns allowed by game:

  • Prairie View: 244 yards, three touchdowns.
  • Houston: 320 yards, three touchdowns
  • Hawaii: 319 yards, four touchdowns
  • Southern Miss: 428 yards, four touchdowns,
  • Wake Forest: 243 yards, four touchdowns,
  • UTSA: 43 yards, zero touchdowns

One of those things is not like the others. The impressive showing against UTSA, which included season-best results in both metrics, is a clear sign that something is working for the back end of this defense.

The composition of the unit has changed. Brandon Douglas-Doctson has fought through injuries, Justin Bickham is coming off the heels of a breakout game and freshman Prudy Calderon has been inserted into the starting lineup. With no Houston or Hawaii looming, this unit stands a great chance to be closer to their UTSA showing than their regrettable road result against Southern Miss

The Bad – Pressure on the quarterback remains an issue

Entering their Week 7 game against UAB Rice has tallied eight sacks. That’s the third worst total in Conference USA, particularly when you take into account the fact that the Owls have played six games so far. The majority of the conference has played five games or fewer.

The lack of a pass rush has left the secondary out to dry on multiple occasions. It’s forced defensive coordinator Brian Smith to send more help than he’d like and left this unit vulnerable. The front four was thought to be one of the strengths of this team entering the season. To this point, they’ve only shown flashes of what they’re capable of becoming.

Biggest question – When will the turnovers start?

Four Conference USA teams have registered fewer than seven takeaways in the 2018 season: Old Dominion, Charlotte, Rice and UTEP. Those four schools have a combined record of 4-18. Turnovers matter and this defense hasn’t been able to generate enough takeaways so far.

That’s not to say they haven’t had their opportunities. They’ve knocked balls out and had passes deflect off waiting hands. The moments have been there. This defense has yet to seize them. UTSA’s points came as a result of takeaways and ultimately were the deciding factor in the loss. The Rice defense needs to reciprocate with some of their own.

Special teams

The Good – Jack Fox

Not enough good words can be said about Jack Fox. The good-natured former high school quarterback turned punter has been one of the most consistent members of this team. He’s shown up in every game, made the routine play and made a few incredible plays of his own. Whether it’s converting a fourth down on a gadget play or trapping a punt inside the 10, Fox has done it.

Without Fox, the Owls might be winless. They certainly wouldn’t have found as many opportunities in their close games as they did. He was named to the Ray Guy Award watch list earlier this year and to Ray’s Eight following the UTSA game. He’s one of the best kickers in the nation and Rice is lucky to have him.

The Bad – Rice special teams aren’t leading the nation in every statistical category

The job that Pete Lembo has done at South Main cannot be understated. He took a unit that was subpar a year ago and turned it into the national standard for excellence. Their only real detriment? Punt returns, and that’s being nitpicky.

The real reason for the Owls somewhat pedestrian 5.0 yards per return is their limited sample size. They’ve only fielded four returnable punts this season. Austin Trammell is electric with the ball in his hands, but he’s not been afforded many chances to break a long run.

Biggest question – Will the Owls run one back?

Jeremy Eddington, who took a kickoff 97-yards to the endzone against UTEP in 2012, is the last Rice football player to register a kick return touchdown. Both Walter and Trammell rank in the top 11 in the nation in yards per kickoff return. It’s almost unheard of for them to be stopped short, but they haven’t taken one all the way back for six, yet.

With the offense in a funk, the Owls could use points any way they can find them. A special teams score would be huge for this squad down the stretch. Given the caliber of athletes the Owls have fielding the ball it’s absolutely within the realm of possibility.

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Early season grades for the Special Teams entering the bye week

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Rice football is three games into the 2018 season. Here’s how the Owls’ special teams grade out entering the Owls’ bye in Week 3.

Punting: A+

First off, Jack Fox is a stud. Mike Bloomgren has been saying it all season, and it certainly is worth repeating. Fox’s impact on the Owls this season is hard to quantify, but the Ray Guy watchlist candidate has blasted 14 punts so far with only one rolling into the endzone for a touchback.

The value Fox provides to this team was made crystal clear in the fourth quarter against Hawaii. With the Owls trailing 28-22, a Rice drive stalled out on the 35-yard line. Next, Fox boomed a 64-yard punt all the way to the Hawaii 1-yard line. The defense had already forced a safety on the 1-yard line earlier in the game, putting the momentum squarely in the Owls’ favor. In that instance, the defense faltered and surrendered the winning touchdown. Nevertheless, Fox did his job — and then some.

Fox’s 45.0 net punting mark is tied for the sixth-best in the nation. He’s the only CUSA punter inside the top 15 in that metric and will be a weapon for the Owls as they enter conference play.

Kicking:  B

Mike Bloomgren is traditional as far as college football goes in several ways. His approach to the kicking game is not one of them. Fox can drill the ball from deep, that’s not secret, but rather than give him exclusive work as the team’s primary punter and kicker, Rice has employed a tandem field goal crew.

According to the analytics, the team gathered this offseason, Hayden Tabola is more accurate from the right hash at closer ranges. Bloomgren has said he’ll trust Fox with anything longer than 45-yards out, but he’s going to continue to give Tabola work in those situations. Against

The Houston game was the only real blemish on this duo. Fox missed two long kicks and Tabola failed to convert one of his tries. That left nine points on the board in a game that was within one score midway through the fourth quarter. Together, Rice is 7-of-11 in their field goals, which is right around the national average. Considering the amount of talent this duo has, the results will be expected to trend upwards in the next portion of the season.

Punt and Kickoff Returns Defense: A+

The efficiency of the return defense speaks is quite literally second to none. Rice has allowed one punt to returned this season, and the return man lost two yards. The punt return unit also has a fumble recovery to their credit, courtesy of a long blast off the foot of Fox that Houston return man Bryson Smith wasn’t able to haul in.

The defense on kickoff returns has been nearly as impressive. Rice ranks 24th in the nation in that metric, allowing 15.7 yards per kickoff. When you have Fox drilling balls to the edge of the endzone, a 15-yard return isn’t all that impressive and usually sets the Owls’ opponents up for mediocre field position at best.

Punt and Kickoff Returns: B-

Where the Owls do stand to improve is their own return game. Rice has only had the chance to return two punts, and collectively netted -2 yards on those opportunities. There hasn’t been space created by the return unit to give their playmakers the chance to make plays. Austin Trammell, the team’s primary punt returner has the elusiveness to get downfield. He just needs to be given the chance.

Kickoff returns have been a different story. Through two games the Owls were doing well in this aspect of special teams, but Austin Walter helped elevate this grade with a tremendous outing against Hawaii. The Owls gave up some points against the Rainbow Warriors, but the kick return unit spotted the offense excellent field position. Walter averaged 29.4 yards per return that game with a long of 46 yards.

What do you think? How would you grade each position group, and why? Leave your answer in the comments.
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Early season grades for the Defense entering the bye week

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Rice football is three games into the 2018 season. Here’s how the Owls’ offense grades out entering the Owls’ bye in Week 3.

Defensive line: B-

Led by Zach Abercrumbia, Elijah Garcia and Roe Wilkins, the defensive line profiled to be the deepest position group on the team entering the 2018 season. The talent hasn’t gone anywhere; this trio still shows flashes of game-breaking ability. But the production hasn’t quite lived up to expectations.

Rice has fives sacks this season, with one of those being credited to Wilkins on the line. Wilkins also has the only forced fumble from this unit and two tackles for a loss. Garcia has one tackle for a loss and Abercrumbia ranks third on the team with 13 tackles. All good results, and if this were another unit on the defense that level or production would be fine. But this group is capable of playing at the higher standard.

Rice has surrendered 13 plays (four rushing, nine passing) of 30 yards or more, the most of any team in the nation. Big plays of that magnitude result in breakdowns from more than one level of the defense, but it all starts up front.

The secondary can trace some of their issues to the play of front seven. If the Owls can get more push from their playmakers up from the back end of their defense will receiver some much-needed relief. Simply put, if the most talented unit of the defense doesn’t produce at an elite level the rest of the defense will be susceptible to big plays. That’s what has happened so far in the Owls’ first three contests.

Linebackers:  B+

If the defensive line was the unit with the greatest level of expectation entering the season the linebacker group has been the most compelling. Dylan Silcox leads the team with 21 tackles. He also has a sack and a fumble recovery.

Silcox has a veteran core surrounding him, each of whom has had their moments. Graysen Schantz, Martin Nwakamma and Anthony Ekpe have been the steady presence this unit needs. The only real knock on their performance thus far has been their collectively tackling.

Three of the top seven tacklers on this team are members of the secondary. That’s something that this group needs to fix going forward. Runners can’t continue to get past them, and they’ll have help.

The linebacker corps features the most promising collection of young talent on this defense. Antonio Montero and Treshawn Chamberlain were two of the biggest risers in fall camp. They’ve continued to live up to the hype during this young season and will start to push the veterans for playing time soon. Each has one tackle so far, but Chamerblain made his count, sacking Hawaii quarterback Cole McDonald.

The combination of youth and experience this unit brings is exciting. The potential to take another step forward and finish as the best unit on the defense by the end of the year is absolutely within the realm of possibility.

Secondary: D+

Let’s cut to the chase. The stats for this unit aren’t pretty. It’s no secret the secondary has struggled out of the gate, but yardage totals alone don’t tell the full story. Both Douglas-Doctson and TyRae Thornton have dealt with early season injuries and the lack of continuity on the back end hasn’t done the unit any favors.

Then there are the opponents. To act like Houston and Hawaii are your run-of-the-mill balanced college football offenses is simply naive. These are two high-tempo, fast-paced units that are going to put up a lot of yards and a lot of points against several strong defenses this season.

There’s no denying they did their fair share of damage against Owls. Houston threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns. Hawaii racked up 319 yards and four scores through the air. Both performances were damaging, but Rice faired better than several other FBS opponents.

Hawaii’s Cole McDonald threw for 436 yards and six touchdowns against Navy. Houston’s D’Eriq King carved up Arizona for 254 yards and four aerial scores.

The secondary needs to get better — Rice still doesn’t have an interception on the season. But let’s not jump overboard until we see how this unit performances against some offenses that aren’t putting up video game numbers on everyone they play.

What do you think? How would you grade each position group, and why? Leave your answer in the comments.
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Early season grades for the Offense entering the bye week

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Rice football is three games into the 2018 season. Here’s how the Owls’ offense grades out entering the Owls’ bye in Week 3.

Quarterbacks: A

Midway through fall camp, this was a three-man race. Wow has the position come a long way. Entering the bye Rice has their starter and a competent backup with a defined role. Not only have the Owls solidified their depth chart, they’ve uncovered a hidden gem in Shawn Stankavage.

Against Houston, Stankavage posted the best performance by a Rice quarterback since Tyler Stheling lit up Prairie View in 2016. Stankavage threw for 204 yards and three scores against the Cougars. Then he one-upped himself, tossing two touchdowns in a 299-yard performance against Hawaii. Stankvages’s 546 yards through three games are just shy of last year’s leading passer Miklo Small. He threw for 623 yards through the air in 2017, a total which he accrued in six appearances.

Having Jackson Tyner‘s power arm in reserve is icing on the cake. Tyner came in cold against Houston and dropped a 36-yard dime to Austin Walter to convert a big third down. That poise under pressure is uncommon and gives this coaching staff confidence in a position that entered the fall with lots of question marks.

Running backs: A+

Emmanuel “National Noise” Esupka enters the bye week second in the nation in rushing yardage, trailing only Heisman Trophy hopeful Jonathan Taylor of the Wisconsin Badgers. Coach Bloomgren hinted during the offseason that he’d be heavily involved in the offense, but the volume of carries he’s received is tremendous.

Esupka is averaging 22 carries per game, a pace that’s almost two carries higher than Heisman-runner up Bryce Love averaged in Bloomgren’s Stanford offense in 2017. Are you noticing a trend? If Esupka continues to hear his name mentioned alongside the likes of elite playmakers like Taylor and Love the Rice offense is going to be in good shape.

A star tailback would be enough, but the complementary pieces make this backfield one of the best at its position in Conference USA. Austin Walter has stepped up in big moments too, as has his brother Aston. It was Aston, who converted a crucial third down against Prairie View that enabled the Rice come-from-behind victory, their first win of the season.

Offensive line: C+

SEC transfer Andrew Mike’s inability to crack the two-deep this fall was surprising, giving reason to be optimistic about the Owls’ depth along the line. Shea Baker has been a bright spot at center, but the rest of the unit has had their ups and downs. Collectively, the push at the point of attack needs to be more consistent.

Power running is supposed to be the hallmark of this team’s offensive identity. Rice faced fourth-and-inches on the goalline against Hawaii and failed to convert. The ball got into Esupka’s hands, but he was met in the backfield and dropped just short of the endzone. That one anecdotal story doesn’t completely convey three game’s worth of play, but it’s part of a picture that needs improvement.

Rice allowed 21 tackles for a loss over their first three contests, a rate of seven TFLs allowed per game. The Owls are tied for 93rd in the nation in that mark, giving further color to their struggles up front.

Pass blocking has been fairly consistent — Rice has allowed six sacks over their first three games. Some hiccups are to be expected as a new unit gels together, but it hasn’t come anywhere near the point of concern. When Stankavage or Tyner drops back to pass they have enough time to survey their targets and make the throw. On that front, the line has done just fine.

Tight Ends and Fullbacks: B-

The heavy personnel is a new wrinkle to the Rice offense in 2018. Gone are the four wide receiver sets, instead the Owls have employed more two-back sets and more than once have lined up without any wide receivers on the field. Both Jaeger Bull and Jordan Meyers have grabbed touchdowns, but the biggest contribution from this position group has been on the ground.

From a run blocking perspective, it’s challenging divorce the fullback from the performance of the offensive line without diving deep into the film. For the most part, Will Phillips and UCLA transfer Giovanni Gentosi and have been able to put a hat on a hat and open up running lanes for Esupka and Co. The struggles on that front rest more on the offensive line than the fullbacks. The same can be said for the tight ends.

Wide receivers: B-

The success of the Rice wide receivers has been more a byproduct of great quarterback play than game-changing performances by any one player. Rice had one returning pass catcher that registered more than four catches in 2017, leaving the position wide open for someone to become the go-to guy. So far, the Owls are still looking.

Through three games a few wideouts have had moments, but no one has emerged as the type of game-breaking target that can take this offense to the next level. As for who could step up in the remaining weeks, both Aaron Cephus and Brendan Harmon have plenty of big-play potential. Harmon hauled in a redzone score against Houston but hasn’t been much of a factor in the Owls’ other games to this point. As he learns the offense his touches should go up.

In the near term, it’s Cephus who stands the best chance to break out. A year removed from leading the nation in yards per reception, Cephus ranks 15th the same metric among players with 10 or more receptions in 2018. Raw talent has never been the issue for Cephus, it’s been consistency. When he’s locked in, he can snatch the ball away from anybody. His jump ball ability will be utilized more and more as the offense progresses.

Sophomore Austin Trammell has been a much-needed safety net over the middle, racking up 17 catches for 190 yards, primarily out of the slot. His contributions on special teams and on third down shouldn’t be lost in the shuffle of other big plays.

What do you think? How would you grade each position group, and why? Leave your answer in the comments.
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