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Rice Football 2018 Defensive Rookie of the Year: Prudy Calderon

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Rice football played a host of first-year players on defense. None shined brighter than safety Prudy Calderon, our 2018 Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Rice played 12 games in 2017 and intercepted three passes. The secondary had a long way to come from where it was, and strides were made in 2018 thanks primarily to the emergence of safety Prudy Calderon at strong safety, our 2018 Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Calderon made his first start against UTSA, the same game in which he registered his first career interception. He’d end the season with four picks on his own, the most by any defender for Rice this season and one more than last season’s total. Nine players in Conference USA tallied four or more picks, Calderon was the only underclassman in that group.

Mike Bloomgren said earlier this season that we’d only “scratched the surface” of who Calderon is going to become. He’s fast, instinctive and attacks the football from his center field position with tenacity and focus. He knows where he’s supposed to be but still finds a way to insert himself into the play whenever and wherever he can.

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By season’s end Calderon finished fifth on the team in solo tackles (26) and second on the team in passes defended. He forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and picked up one tackle for a loss. Calderon did more than build up his own stats, he gave new life to a troubled defensive backfield.

Prior to Calderon’s first start against UTSA the Owls had allowed 11.0 yards per attempt to opposing offenses and 18 touchdown passes in eight games, a rate of 3.6 touchdowns per game. From the UTSA game on the Rice defense allowed 10 passing touchdowns in eight games, a rate of 1.25 touchdowns per game and 8.3 yards per attempt.

Collin Whitaker and Tyrae Thornton, along with Calderon, led the resurgence in the secondary, but the lack of touchdown passes should be credited to Calderon and fellow safety George Nyakwol. The future is bright for this unit and Calderon is leading the charge.

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Season Statpack – 10 telling numbers from 2018

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It’s impossible to boil an entire Rice football season into a handful of numbers, but these 10 paint a fairly comprehensive picture of the Owls’ 2018 campaign.

2 – Wins for the Owls

Following a 1-win 2017 campaign, Rice football showed tangible improvement this season, doubling their win total. It took them all 13 games to pick up their first conference win, but the Owls didn’t leave the season empty-handed. Progress has been made.

4 – Interceptions by Prudy Calderon

Prudy Calderon became one of the Owls’ starting safeties midway through the season then proceeded to pick off four passes in a stretch of five games. His four interceptions tied him for 13th most in the nation by any player. Having him manning centerfield for an entire season should be fun.

18 – Fourth down conversions

Rice’s willingness to roll the dice on fourth down was refreshing. Their 60 percent success rate continued to climb during the season and finished third best in CUSA. This offense is going to be aggressive, something that will be fun to watch and keep opponents constantly on their toes.

19 – True freshman that appeared in at least one game this season

The youth movement is alive and well at South Main. In addition to key starters like Cole Garcia, Prudy Calderon and Antonio Montero, a host of first-year players got on the field in 2018. 10 true freshman started for Rice over the course of the year.

1,580 – All Purpose yards for running back Austin Walter

Do it-all running back, receiver and return man Austin Walter was the glue that held this offense together during long stretches of the season. He finished 14th in the nation in all-purpose yards, flirting with the national lead early in the season. Walter averaged 8.1 yards per play this season.

28.7 Percent third down conversion rate

Becoming a more consistent offense on third down will be near the top of the priority list this season. For whatever the reason, Rice struggled to convert third downs at an alarming rate in 2018. Fourth downs weren’t an issue and but the quantity can be taken down a notch with a few more third down conversions next season.

31 – Punts inside the 20 by Jack Fox

Not only was Jack Fox one of the most consistent players for the Owls, he ranks among the best players at his position in the entire nation. A Ray Guy Award Finalist, Fox led the nation in punts inside the 20, flipping the field with regularity.

44 and 78 – Long scrimmage plays made by the Owls and against the Owls

The Rice offense was not explosive this season. They had their moments but finished near the bottom of the pack with 44 plays of 20+ yards. The lack of pop combined with a defense that finished last in CUSA with 78 plays of 20+ yards allowed put them on the short ends of both sticks.

32:40 – Average time of possession for Rice

Pound the rock, control the clock and play great defense is the new mantra on South Main. Rice finished 16th in average time of possession this season, limiting the opportunities opposing offenses had to do damage. This measure should prove more powerful as the offense progresses.

224 – Rushing yards by Juma Otoviano against Old Dominion

Fresh in minds of Rice fans because of its recency, the performance true freshman Juma Otoviano put on in the Owls’ season finale was superb. He had more rushing yards on his two touchdown runs (142) than he had during his career entering the game (140). He tied Chad Richardson for fifth-most in a single game in Rice history, was named CUSA offensive player of the week and got an ESPN helmet sticker.

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Owls’ offense snuffed out at Death Valley by LSU Tigers

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Rice football wrapped up their 2018 road schedule against LSU in Week 12, falling to the Tigers by a final score of 42-10 in Death Valley.

Few teams walk into Tiger Stadium and leave with a victory. Rice knew staying with LSU was going to be a challenge, but they hung in the ring with the Tigers and made them go the distance. LSU jumped out to a 28-3 halftime lead before coasting to victory.

Nobody likes losing, especially by a large margin, but the test makes the team better. Now, a few quick reactions from the loss:

1. Marquee games against brand-name opponents are good for this team

The loss marks the 11th defeat for Rice this season and their seventh consecutive loss to LSU. As an aside and irrespective of the final score, Rice football needs to keep playing these games. The atmosphere of playing in Death Valley is one of the premier experiences in all of college football and getting the chance to step into Tiger Stadium and be a part of that moment was a special experience for these players.

Rice was a heavy underdog, but they Owls fought, and the test provided by one of the premier teams in this sport will pay off for down the road. This game is more than a nice paycheck for the university, it’s a chance to see how you measure up against the best of the best. Rice has a long way to go, that’s clear, but now they know exactly what they’re up against.

2. Joe Burrow has strong outing against up and down Rice secondary

Joe Burrow made waves this summer when he transferred from Ohio State to LSU. The former blue-chip quarterback recruit was viewed as the last piece the Tigers needed to get over the hump and return to National Championship contention.

Through his first 10 games the returns were mixed. Entering the Rice game, Burrow ranked 13th in the SEC with a 54.8 completion percentage. His 14 pass plays of 30+ yards were just one more than the Owls’ 13 such plays.

Burrow was sharp against Rice. The Owls were forced to respect the speed on the outside and generally erred on the side of caution when it came to pressure at the line of scrimmage. The results were relatively clean throwing lanes for Burrow who didn’t miss. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 307 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

The Owls nearly had an interception, but it was taken off the board on an offsides call. Coverage down the field kept the ball in front of them with the exception of a few deep throws delivered perfectly by Burrow (one of which was ruled incomplete). Those have plagued the Owls all season and made an otherwise decent night in the secondary rather dour.

3. Prudy Calderon is already a difference maker

LSU brought in Jontre Kirklin to run a Wildcat package on their second possession of the game. Dylan Silcox brought him down after a short gain and ripped the ball out, Calderon was there to pounce on it and give the Owls possession and their 10th fumble recovery of the season.

Calderon has four interceptions in his last five games. He came close to adding another against LSU, but a diving attempt in the second quarter came up just short. Midway through the third quarter he picked up a pass break up, turning LSU away on third down.

The fumble recovery, pass break up, and three tackles were the only items on the stat sheet for Calderon on Saturday, but the impact he has on this team from the safety position has been huge. Teams don’t beat him over the top. When they try to go short, he’s there to make the tackle and deliver a big hit.

Calderon is a true freshman. He’s going to be a fixture on this defense for years to come and instrumental in turning this unit around in the coming seasons.

4. The Rice rushing attack remains a work in progress

By Mike Bloomgren’s own admission, the Rice offense is meant to be a run-first attack. The Owls have struggled on the ground over the last month and knew they’d be up for a challenge against LSU, the 30th-best run defense in the nation.  That expectation became a reality as crowded boxes dared Rice to throw the ball or face short pickups at the line of scrimmage.

Rice was held to -4 yards on the ground in the first quarter. Excluding sacks, that number marginally improves to 11 yards on six Aston Walter carries. Running for less than two yards a clip isn’t going to cut it for a run-first offense, but that’s part of the battle that comes with playing a defense with as much talent and speed as LSU.

Through four quarters, the rushing numbers did not improve. It didn’t matter who had the rock, it was tough sledding. Rice tallied 97 yards on 43 carries, good for 2.3 yards per carry.

It’s worth noting that Rice brought in the jumbo package needing one yard or less to convert on three separate occasions. They converted on all three occasions against one of the most physical defensive fronts in the country.

That’s been the theme of the season thus far, too much in the way of mixed results. The Rice coaching staff has done a decent enough job using things like the Wildcat package with Juma Otoviano and gadget plays with D’Angelo Ellis to jump-start the rushing attack, but the results haven’t been where they need to be.

5. On to Old Dominion

It’s been a long season filled with highs and more lows than Rice fans would have wished for — and just like that, it’s almost over. Rice hosts Old Dominion next weekend in the Owls’ 13th and final game of 2018. Head coach Mike Bloomgren is still looking for his first conference win, giving this team plenty to play for in their last contest.

A win against Old Dominion wouldn’t make up for several near-misses that could have given the Owls another win or two, but it would be evidence that the Owls are headed in the right direction.

As Bloomgren himself would say, it’s time for the team to put this one behind them and move on. The results weren’t what this team was looking for but the process continues on. Overmatched on several fronts against LSU, this team demonstrated the fight and the willingness to compete that fans have been waiting for all year.

Rice has one more chance to scratch across a win.

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Prudy Calderon shines bright in tough loss to Louisiana Tech

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Rice football dropped another close fourth quarter contest, but Prudy Calderon‘s ascension provides a reason for hope in the midst of defeat.

The Rice defense had generated four interceptions entering Saturday’s road contest with Louisiana Tech. Two of those picks came by way of freshman safety Prudy Calderon, who made his first start against FIU. He doubled his career interception mark against Louisiana Tech, picking off two passes, both on the goal line to thwart potential touchdowns.

His four interceptions to date mark one more than the Owls’ interception total as an entire defense in 2017. It’s also more interceptions than seven different FBS teams had so far this season entering Week 11.

The longer he stays on the field, the more takeaways this defense gets. His teammates and his coaches have recognized how well he’s playing and continue to espouse his praises every chance they get. “I’m really proud of what Prudy’s doing,” said head coach Mike Bloomgren, “We’re just scratching the surface of what he’s going to be. And that’s really exciting to me because he’s tackling well, seeing the game well and making those plays that come to him.”

The potential of Calderon is through the roof. His vision in the open field is innate and he’s only going to get better as he refines his game. For him, confidence has always been the biggest hurdle to clear. Once he realized he could hang with the talent on the other side of the field he started making plays — he hasn’t let up yet.

Quarterback Shawn Stankavage, who struggled with turnovers himself on Saturday, noted how important it was for the defense to be playing as well as they were. His first shoutout was handed directly to Calderon  — a short but honest evaluation: “Prudy played his butt off.”

Calderon registered two picks and one tackle against Louisiana Tech. He kept this team alive and did all he could to will them to victory. He’ll point to the coaching staff and his teammates for their strong performances on Saturday, but this team doesn’t take Louisiana Tech to the wire without a phenomenal day from the freshman safety, a star in the making.

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