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Rice Football 2021: Pre-Texas offensive tweaks and practice notes

September 15, 2021 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice football needs to rebound on offense in the worst way this week. Here’s what’s changing headed into the Texas game and some other practice notes.

Neither side of the ball was happy with how they performed against Houston last Saturday. Noticeably eager to put rinse the bad taste away, Rice football hit the practice field hard this week getting in work despite a minor disruption from Hurrican Nicholas.

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For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Practice reports are reserved for our subscribers. If you want updates on how Rice football plans to deploy its quarterbacks, position battles, standouts, injuries and more, this is your go-to source. You can get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and special features like this one when you subscribe to our All-American Tier on Patreon today.

Scheme adjustments prior to the Texas game

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Rice Football 2021: Arkansas presser quotes, practice notes and QB news

August 31, 2021 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice football opens its 2021 season at Arkansas. Here’s what Mike Bloomgren had to say about it and some notes from the first official depth chart.

This is the first of a couple of updates coming this week as Rice football prepares to take on Arkansas. Stay tuned for more on projected quarterback usage and more in the days ahead.

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Head coach Mike Bloomgren addressed the media this week prior to the Owls’ game against the Arkansas Razorbacks. A few players chimed in as well. We’ll start with some high points from the presser then hit on the depth chart changes and additional notes from practice.

Press Conference Quotes

“I think it’s got us in a place where we’re very excited looking at a number of spots on our roster where we’ve got more depth than we’ve ever had. We had competitions in spots where we never could really get the competition to be what it needed to be.” – Mike Bloomgren on growth in fall camp

“My comfort level is to have a starter and to have him take every rep in practice. That’s not where we are right now. The people at Arkansas are going to see two quarterbacks this weekend because they’ve earned the right to do it. They can do everything in our offense, but one of them is a little more dynamic when he’s running with the football.” – Mike Bloomgren on the QB battle

“I don’t want to put a ceiling on Jake Bailey, but what I will tell you is that same ascension you saw last year we saw and that it’s really progressed even more this offseason. His confidence as a football player, his confidence and knowledge in this offense has been really good. I’m excited to have him on the field. Obviously, I think its natural to compare him to some Austin Trammell type role because Austin was our go-to guy and a guy we targeted a lot of plays for on third down.” – Mike Bloomgren on Jake Bailey’s role in the offense

“Unfortunately I had to take off some time, being a little banged up in the spring, so getting back to a fall camp and getting back out there with my guys [is great]. It’s fun to be involved [from the sideline], but there’s nothing like actually doing it and it makes it a lot easier to lead when you can lead by example instead of being the guy on the sidelines trying to tell them to do better. I’ve had a great time and I feel really good.” – Defensive lineman Trey Schuman on returning from injuries

“The depth is the depth is definitely incredible. Guys like [Bradley] Rozner, guys like August Pitre who are going to be huge contributors to the offense this year, it’s a blessing to get to take the field with them every day… And then the guys know behind us, we just have amazing depth. It’s just really incredible, being able to have those guys to share the moments with. It definitely brings my confidence up as well, having my brother’s behind me.”  – Wide receiver Jake Bailey on the depth at wide receiver

Depth Chart

Here’s an updated depth chart from Rice football heading into the Arkansas game.

Rice football, depth chart

Depth Chart Reaction and notables

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Rice Football 2021 Fall Camp Report: Owls gain clarity in scrimmage No. 2

August 21, 2021 By Matthew Bartlett

All eyes were on the quarterbacks, but the offense as a whole proved to be appointment viewing in the second and final Rice football scrimmage of fall camp.

In total, Rice football played 28 drives in their second scrimmage of fall camp. Half of those were full field and all served to showcase the quarterback battle between Wiley Green and Luke McCaffrey. There appeared to be some separation on that front and there was certainly a slew of other individual highlights along the way. We’ll detail all of that and more in the scrimmage report below.

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For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Practice reports are reserved for our subscribers. If you want updates on the quarterback battle, camp standouts, injuries and more, this is your go-to source. You can get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and special features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

Off the top, it’s worth noting a couple of macro-level observations from the offense several of which could have serious ramifications on how the 2021 Rice football season plays out.

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Rice Football 2021 Fall Camp Report: Breaking down the QB Battle

August 17, 2021 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice football has a quarterback battle on its hands between Wiley Green and newcomer Luke McCaffrey. Here’s where things stand halfway through fall camp.

Through 10 practices, the battle for the 2021 Rice football starting quarterback position remains in a dead heat. For the most part, Wiley Green will get the first reps with the starters, ceding to Luke McCaffrey for the second portion of any particular set of drills. They’re 1A and 1B thus far. After talking with several coaches and players, here’s where I believe things stand right now.

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For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Practice reports are reserved for our subscribers. If you want updates on the quarterback battle, camp standouts, injuries and more, this is your go-to source. You can get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and special features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

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Timeline

Rice football kicks off against Arkansas on Sept. 4, less than three weeks away. With one remaining scrimmage between the Owls and their first game, one would think landing on a starting quarterback would be near the top of the priority list for head coach Mike Bloomgren and his staff. While that might be true, Bloomgren has made it crystal clear he’s not going to rush the process.

“I don’t feel a need to call a winner anytime soon,” he said following the first scrimmage on Saturday. “I’d rather it not drag into game week and I’d rather it not drag into the third week [of camp], if we can help it.”

The Roost Pod: Phil Steele breaks down Rice football and Conference USA

In an ideal world, picking a starter following the second scrimmage, slated for this Saturday, August 21, would pass Bloomgren’s final “rather not” test, before the third week of practices kick off next Monday. That said, Bloomgren has waited much longer to tab his starting quarterback in the past, so a Saturday decision is by no means written in stone. Still, one would hope a frontrunner emerges by then.

Given that backdrop, here’s how the battle currently stacks up:

Scheme understanding: Edge – Wiley Green

As has been the case in years past, Wiley Green’s comprehension of the system is head and shoulders above the rest of the quarterback room. One assistant coach told me this week Green “knows [the scheme] just as well as the coaches do,” and therefore, “he should feel more comfortable here at practice.”

That’s pretty much where Bloomgren left off following the scrimmage on Saturday. He described Green as “incredibly comfortable in the system” continuing on to say of McCaffrey, “there’s things that Luke does really natural,” hinting more at athletic ability than any schematic principals.

It doesn’t take too much conjecture to draw the conclusion that the battle has reached a similar place to where it’s been in the past. In each of the past two seasons, Green has battled with an incoming transfer for the starting job.

Green initially beat out Tom Stewart in 2019 before injury cost him the starting job for several weeks. Green was only a sophomore at that time and Stewart had never played a down of D1 football, transferring from Harvard during the offseason. When Mike Collins arrived last summer, his arm talent gave him the edge over Green’s scheme understanding. Once again, raw talent seems to be pitted against schematic understanding.

Athletic ability: Edge – Luke McCaffrey

The strongest argument in McCaffrey’s cap is, by far, his athletic talents. During his time at Nebraska, he showcased the ability to literally run circles around Power 5, blue-chip defensive players. He’s rushed for 530 yards so far in his collegiate career and thrown for 608. There’s no question he’s one of the most dynamic ball carriers the Owls have at their disposal. The question is, can he understand the offense and execute it?

From the first few weeks of practice, McCaffrey has shown a tremendous amount of poise with the football. Yes, he’s a natural runner, but he doesn’t look to run at the first sign of trouble. Time and time again he’s found ways to scramble out of the pocket, buy a few more seconds and rifle the ball to an open receiver. He did this on multiple occasions during the first scrimmage.

When he does throw the ball, he’s been accurate. Despite any narratives suggesting he’s purely a rushing threat, McCaffrey’s  64,8 career completion percentage would rank above every other returning passer in Conference USA. He’s demonstrated good ball placement and plenty of zip during practice. From a passing perspective, he has more than enough

One assistant summed it up like this, “[McCaffrey] allows you to be, maybe a bit more creative,” he said. “You can never have too much talent.” Another doubled-down on his rushing prowess, bluntly declaring “Obviously, [McCaffrey] can do more things with his legs, which is always a bonus.”

Where things stand right now

In response to a question about a specific play in Saturday’s scrimmage where McCaffrey beat Treshawn Chamberlain to the edge for a first down, Bloomgren offered this comment. On the surface, it’s very complimentary of McCaffrey and his ability, but digging deeper, it also gives some color as to where the competition could be right now.

“I think Luke’s a special runner,” Bloomgren said, “And the thing we know is we know is Luke can be a special quarterback and that’s what we’re continuing to work towards is getting him comfortable in the West Coast offense where we can execute all of it.”

If Bloomgren believes McCaffrey is already a special runner and that he “can be” a special quarterback, that begs the question of what the gap is between McCaffrey reaching that level, something Bloomgren answers almost immediately in the same sentence: “getting him comfortable in the West Coast offense where he can execute all of it.”

So it’s entirely possible, if not likely, Rice football finds itself in a place it’s been in several fall camps under Bloomgren. Green is the incumbent, of sorts, who knows the x’s and o’s like a book, but the incoming challenger possesses some level of athleticism or quarterback ability he doesn’t.

If the past years have been any indicator, when, not if, the incoming talent has mastered enough to lead the team seems the most likely outcome. What does that mean for Game 1 against Arkansas? We’ll have to wait and see. I’d lean McCaffrey ever so slightly, but the race remains tight today.

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Rice Football 2021 Fall Camp Report: Defense dominates in first scrimmage

August 14, 2021 By Matthew Bartlett

As has been the case in recent years, the Rice football defense stole the show in the first scrimmage of fall camp. Here are a few things we learned.

The first official scrimmage of fall camp is in the books and there’s a lot to unpack. As expected Wiley Green and Luke McCaffrey split first-team reps, but they were the only players who had their performances scrutinized on Saturday. There will be more on them coming soon. For now, a few notes of impressive performers and takeaways from who was (and wasn’t) available.

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For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Practice reports are reserved for our subscribers. If you want updates on the quarterback battle, camp standouts, injuries and more, this is your go-to source. You can get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and special features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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