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June 2023 Patreon Q&A: Can Rice Football Fix the Defense?

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It was a down year for the Rice football defense in 2022. Was that an anomaly or a trend that could impact the unit in 2023?

When head coach Mike Bloomgren and defensive coordinator Brian Smith arrived prior to the 2018 season there was a spoken understanding that their first season on campus would be a true Year Zero. The defense was no exception.

Under Bloomgren, Rice allowed more points per game and yards per play in 2018 than in any years following. But the journey from that 2018 season to the present has been a bumpy one. How did the Owls close out 2022 and should there be concern about the unit taking another step back in 2023?

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Rice Football 2023 Spring Notebook 9: Offensive Takeaways

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The Rice Football offense started slow in the spring but finished strong. Here’s what we learned about that side of the ball.

The offense “won” the 2023 Rice Football Blue and Gray Game, for those that put credence in spring game scoring systems. But regardless of what the scoreboard said, that side of the ball did exhibit plenty of growth from practice 1 to practice 15. Some questions were answered. Others weren’t. Here are 10 closing thoughts on the offense from the totality of the spring.

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1. New additions pay early dividends

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Rice Football 2023 Spring Practice Notebook 6: Scrimmage 2

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Rice Football completed its second scrimmage of the spring this past weekend, which went better for the offense but still wasn’t a perfect showing.

After a near-dominant showing by the Rice football defense in the first scrimmage of the spring, the offense took a step forward in the second scrimmage, carried by big days from the running backs. This update covers the highlights (and lowlights) from the session as well as a few individuals who stood out to members of the coaching staff.

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Running round the clock

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Rice Football 2023 Spring Practice Notebook 5: Emptying the Notebook

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We’re midway through the 2023 Rice Football spring practices and notes are piling up. Here’s a grab bag of several from the past few weeks.

From the defensive line to the wideouts. From the stars to the up-and-comers, there’s been a lot to pay attention to as Rice football progresses through spring camp. This update features a collection of nuggets that haven’t made it into an update quite yet and a few updates following the first scrimmage last week.

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Don’t believe the depth chart

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Rice Football: Should we worry about the offense? — March ’23 Patreon Q&A

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The Rice football offense didn’t light the world on fire in its first scrimmage of the spring. How much should we read into those struggles?

The arrival of starting quarterback JT Daniels spurred a new wave of optimism in the Rice football offense this offseason, but the first scrimmage of the spring came and went without fireworks from that side of the ball. Why was that? And what further developments should be expected as the entire unit works to improve this spring. We dig into those questions in this month’s Patreon Q&A.

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