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Rice Football 2022: What we learned from the offense this spring

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The Rice Football offense grew a lot over the course of six weeks. Here are five things we learned from the unit this spring.

The offense had its moments in scattered practices throughout Rice football spring practices but always seemed to struggle in game-like situations. They finally broke through with a big spring game. Who stood out the most and what did we learn from this unit as a whole during the spring?

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Rice Football 2022 Spring Game Notebook: 10 Takeaways

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The offense won the Rice Football Spring Game, putting an exciting cap on a productive spring. Here are 10 takeaways from the spring finale.

According to the official tally, Blue (the offense) defeated Gray (the defense), 30-12 in the 2022 Rice Football Spring Game. The offense started out slow before scoring on four of its last six drives and finishing with all three offensive touchdowns after the halftime break.

In roughly 2,000 words, here are 10 takeaways from the game itself, several of the themes overlapping with trends that have manifested themselves over the course of the spring.

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Rice Football 2022 Spring Practice Notebook 6: Running backs ramping up

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The running back room has made significant strides for Rice football this spring, thanks in part to the addition of new position coach CJ Anderson.

Many of the bigs plays of the spring have come from the running back room. Rice football brought in former Super Bowl Champion CJ Anderson to lead the room during the offseason and his presence is already being felt. This update details what he’s telling his guys and the growth (and challenges) he’s seen with the unit throughout the spring.

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Rice Football 2021 Special Teams Players of the Year: Sean Fresch, Juma Otoviano

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Returners Sean Fresch and Juma Otoviano were the brightest spots on special teams and our pick for Rice Football Special Teams Players of the year.

Encouraging moments from the Rice football special teams unit were few and far between this season. After ranking near the top of the nation in special teams efficiency over the early years of Mike Bloomgren’s tenure, the Owls hit a rough patch. The kicking game struggled. The punt team was more or less just okay. Coverage was solid, but it was the return game that created the biggest sparks.

Traditionally, The Roost’s Rice Football Special Teams Player of the Year has been reserved for one standout. Jack Fox, Garrett Grammer and Charlie Mendes were previous honorees. This year, we’ve expanded the award to recognize two individuals, Sean Fresch and Juma Otoviano, who each provided game-changing sparks that set Rice up for success and led to Rice wins.

First, Fresch, who opened the season as the leading punt return man for Rice and was one of the most effective specialists Rice has had in that space in a decade. Fresch returned 10 punts this year for 99 yards, averaging 9.9 yards per return. That exceeded the best marks of Austin Trammell, a staple at the punt return spot for Rice in recent years.

In fact, you have to go all the way back to 2011 when Mario Hull. who returned 16 punts for 163 yards, posted a better average per return (10.2) than Fresch did this season.

The consistent ability to gain yardage on returns was encouraging, but Fresch flashed a growing maturity in his understanding of when not to return kicks, too. He developed a knack for luring defenders away from balls booted toward the endzone, feigning a fair catch as the punt rolled harmlessly past the endline for a touchback.

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It was Fresch’s final return of the 2021 Rice football season that stands out the most. Trailing Louisiana Tech 31-28, Fresch stood at the Rice 34-yard line to receive a booming kick from Tech’s Cesar Barajas. Fresch made the first guy miss and turned on the jets, racing past a sea of Bulldogs to the Louisiana Tech 18-yard line, for a 48-yard return. Rice would score the game-winning touchdown four plays later.

“We’re been waiting for one of those the whole season. pretty much.” Fresch said. “I made the first couple of guys miss and then I had to just follow behind my blockers at that point. It just gets easier after you make the first couple of guys miss. It was just open grass from there.”

Down to their fourth quarterback of the year, with less than 90 seconds on the clock, the short field provided by Fresch and the return game was absolutely crucial to the come-from-behind victory.

Fresch also played a role on kick-off returns, averaging 22.6 yards per return. He was joined by Juma Otoviano, who averaged 22.4 yards per return. That tandem combined for 28 of the 30 kick returns Rice had this season. It was on a kick-off return where Otoviano delivered his defining moment.

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Otoviano had fallen down the running back depth chart this season and taken over scout team duties with an injury to freshman running back Christian Francisco. He had one carry and zero returns through the Owls’ first six games of the season. But his hard work behind the scenes had been noticed. That’s why he was the man who stood on the edge of the endzone and received the opening kickoff at UAB.

Otoviano reached up, secured the ball and took off. He would finally be brought down 50 yards later right at the midfield stripe. That burst sparked an eruption on the Rice bench and spurred the offense onto a 50-yard scoring drive to put Rice in front of the defending conference champions.

Starting fast was incredibly important for Rice football in 2021. More often than not, when they’d fallen behind, it signaled another loss. That’s part of what made this return so impactful. It put Rice in the driver’s seat for their most impressive win of the year. Otoviano became a mainstay on kick returns from that point onward.

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The Roost’s 2021 Rice Football Season Superlatives

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The Roost’s 2021 Rice Football Season Superlatives exist to honor exceptional Owls who made a difference on the field this season. Here’s the complete list.

There were many individual performances worth recognizing in the 2021 Rice Football season. In addition to the more traditional awards below, make sure to check out The Roosties, our third annual award show from The Roost Podcast, which features a different angle of honors. From our favorite plays to the players that surprised us the most, we cover some of the more creative superlatives on the show.

Offensive Newcomer of the Year — WR Cedric Patterson | Full Story

Excerpt: “Unstoppable. That’s what it started to feel like when Patterson hauled in a pass with grass in front of him. The speed was always evident, but his maturation as a student of the game who knew where he was supposed to be and how to best execute his responsibility on any given play began to set him apart.”

Defensive Newcomer of the Year — CB Jordan Dunbar | Full Story 

Excerpt: “When the season arrived, it was Dunbar’s turn to shine. And for as much respect as he received during the weeks prior to the season, the young cover man delivered. He was named the starter for the Rice football season opener against Arkansas and lined up opposite future first-round NFL Draft selection Treylon Burks. And Dunbar held his own.”

Rising Star — RB Ari Broussard | Full Story 

Excerpt: “From walk-on, to ‘ol reliable, Ari Broussard exemplified a feel-good story, but made sure the heartwarming moments were filled with plenty of productivity. He earned his spot on offense and made the most of it.”

Sp. Teams Players of the Year  — KR Juma Otoviano, PR Sean Fresch | Full Story 

Excerpt: “Traditionally, The Roost’s Rice Football Special Teams Player of the Year has been reserved for one standout. Jack Fox, Garrett Grammer and Charlie Mendes were previous honorees. This year, we’ve expanded the award to recognize two individuals, Sean Fresch and Juma Otoviano, who each provided game-changing sparks that set Rice up for success and led to Rice wins.”

Offensive Player of the Year — RB Jordan Myers | Full Story

Excerpt: “By the time he hung up his cleats, Myers had graduated from being labeled as simply a utility player. He was someone Rice could count — and did count on — in the most crucial moments. Myers was the man handed the football on fourth and short and asked to find a yard. More often than not, he did.”

Defensive Player of the Year — DT Elijah Garcia | Full Story

Excerpt: “His play spoke for itself, but Garcia did a fair amount of talking, too. Although he wasn’t named one of the team captains during the preseason, Garcia was the man asked to take the mic frequently during postgame press conferences. On those hard nights, he showed composure and poise. He was a leader, on and off the field.”

Team MVP — WR Jake Bailey | Full Story

Excerpt: “Big might be the perfect word to describe the size at which Bailey played. Standing 5-foot-10, there were only five players on the roster with a listed height shorter than Bailey. Yet Bailey never let that stop him. If anything, his stature aided his quickness and made him just that more difficult to bring down in the open field.”

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