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Rice Football vs Marshall: Q&A with HerdNation’s Aaron Perkins

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Rice Football squares off with Marshall this weekend. Aaron Perkins, Managing Editor with HerdNation, tells us what to expect from the Herd.

Q: People were optimistic about quarterback Grant Wells entering the season, but did anyone expect him to be this sharp this quickly?

I think most fans hoped he would be this good, but I am not sure anyone thought he would be this good.  When you look at the numbers he is putting up the biggest thing is the lack of turnovers/interceptions.  That was the biggest issue our previous quarterback had over the past two years.  In the two games that cost us the CUSA East title last year, he had multiple turnovers.  Wells has the ability to keep drives alive without making game changing mistakes.

Q: Marshall doesn’t really have a true go-to wide receiver. How has that impacted the offense, for better or worse?

The season started without that one go to wide out.  Talik Keaton, Broc Thompson and Willie Johnson were all three starting, and Wells was good at spreading the ball around.  All three have missed time, Keaton and Broc missing multiple games.  In that time, sophomore Corey Gammage has stepped up and actually started to be that “go to” wide receiver.  He is big and strong with excellent hands.  He seems to be starting to “get it,” as the season has moved along and is among the team leaders in receptions, yards and touchdown catches.

Q: If there’s a weakness in the Marshall defense what is it? Are there any matchups that concern you?

The biggest weakness would not be in a position or a player but in how overly aggressive they play.  They have given up a few big trick-plays this year as they were over-pursing to try to make a big sack, or a tackle for loss.

Q: How have the string of postponements impacted the team? Do you anticipate any rust?

Early in the year the time off seemed to hurt at times.  But one thing Doc Holliday has excelled at in his career is getting teams ready for bowl games after long layoffs.  That has been the case most of this season.  Marshall has been practicing longer than pretty much any team as we were preparing to play in Week “0” against ECU.  This is the third long break of the season, so it will be interesting to see if the team is still ready to push through this very odd 2020 campaign.

Q: Coach Doc Holliday has fielded a lot of good teams, but hasn’t won a C-USA championship since 2014. Conveniently enough, Rice was the team to thwart them the year before. Is this the year the Herd win it all?

I like Marshall’s chances.  This is one of the most solid teams Doc has had since he has been at Marshall.  Both the offense and the defense has been consistent throughout the season.  The defense is strong up the middle and should match up well with teams from the West.  The offense has just enough fire power in Brenden Knox, Wells, and the wideouts, and returns a veteran offensive line.  One thing is certain, Marshall should at least be favored in all of the remaining games, included a CUSA Championship Game.

Podcast: Rice Football vs Marshall Game Preview 

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Rice Football vs UTSA: Q&A with UTSA Insider’s JJ Perez

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Rice Football squares off with UTSA this weekend. UTSA Insider JJ Perez tells us what to expect from the Roadrunners on Saturday.

1. What’s the plan for UTSA at quarterback this week?

It has been tumultuous at quarterback for the Roadrunners this season. The day one starter Frank Harris suffered a knee injury in the third game of this 2020 campaign. Since then, it’s been up and down. At various points this season, UTSA has gone through all four of their experienced signal callers.

Josh Adkins suffered a broken collar bone against BYU. Lowell Narcisse suffered a break in his leg against Army. And Jordan Weeks was unavailable to play in the two games prior to last week. Harris returned to the starting role several weeks ago. He’ll get the start this week against Rice.

Last week against FAU, Harris and the entire offense struggled at times. Weeks came into the game late. It’s likely UTSA will stick with Harris for much of the game. But with Weeks going through a normal practice workload for the first time is several games, you have to wonder how much rope Harris will have if the offense continues to struggle.

2. Which UTSA offense will Rice see? The One that scored 50 against Texas State or the one that scored 3 against FAU?

UTSA offense has struggled in the last two of the last three games. FAU stacked the box last week and didn’t let All-American running back Sincere McCormick get going. The Roadrunners were forced to try to pass the ball the down field and they simply could not connect on any of those attempts. They were close on a few tries. Both Harris at QB and the wide receivers would tell you that they should have landed a few big passing this past week.

That, along with the play of the offensive line, is the difference is the up and down play of the offensive unit. Last week’s game vs FAU was probably the worst offensive performance of the season. While I don’t look for UTSA to put up the numbers they did early in the season, I do believe we’ll see an offensive uptick this week.

3. What’s been the biggest reason for UTSA’s successes on defense this year?

It starts with the defensive line. That unit has been dominant at times this season. The Roadrunners play 3-4 base scheme. UTSA rotates those three down linemen aggressively. And that unit has been able to apply pressure and stop the run. That’s allowed the linebackers to stay home and do their thing.

The biggest surprise of the defensive is the pass coverage in the secondary. Early in the season, that was the biggest weakness of the team. Through eight games, UTSA’s defensive backfield has improved and are now solid against the pass.

Defensive Coordinator Tyrone Nix came to UTSA from Mississippi. His pedigree and experience as a coordinator has been noticeable this season. And his defensive unit has adopted his hard-nose demeanor.

4. Following the hot start, UTSA has lost four of five. What’s the confidence level in the program right now?

Last week was a big opportunity for UTSA to take the next step against FAU, the defending league champion. But it didn’t happen. The Roadrunners’ schedule the last five games have been a gauntlet. UTSA hung tough against top opponents. And they even won a game against La Tech they probably wouldn’t have won in the past.

The team is also banged up. Playing eight straight games without a bye week has taken a toll. So while the record isn’t as good as they may want, the 4-4 record is probably an accurate reflection of where they are right now, which is a decent team that has done some good stuff and done some bad stuff, and are still adapting and learning under a first-year coaching staff.

5. What’s your prediction for the game? Can UTSA extend their winning streak over Rice?

UTSA has won five straight matchups against Rice. But this series has always felt more close than all-time series records indicate. The Roadrunners and Owls have played some classics throughout the years. UTSA has played more games but are also more injured while Rice is more fresh but would probably like a little more game reps than they’ve had at this point in the season. I think we’ll be in store for a barn burner Saturday. I think it’s too close to call but I will predict UTSA wins a one score game.

Give JJ a follow on Twitter and check out the great work by UTSA Insiders as we get ready for Rice Football vs UTSA this weekend.

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Is this Rice Football offense for real? All-American Q&A

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All-American Level subscribers on Patreon get access to a monthly Q&A with me. The October edition focuses on the sustainability of the Rice football offense.

Q. Rice football scored 34 points against Middle Tennessee. Was the offensive “explosion” caused by how bad MTSU’s defense was or because the Rice offense has actually figured things out?

A.  The story almost writes itself, doesn’t it? Journeyman quarterback transfers to a small school for one last ride. He steps onto the field and leads the team to more points in his debut than the school had scored in the previous 27 contests.

Rice last scored at least 34 points in a losing effort against Southern Miss in 2017. With the Owls set to face the Golden Eagles the weekend after this new offensive outburst, it’s only fitting this question arises.

So, can the Rice offense keep it up?

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Who are your breakout picks for Rice Football in 2020? All-American Q&A

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All-American Level subscribers on Patreon get access to a monthly Q&A with me. The September edition focuses on Rice football breakout picks.

Q. Who are one or two of your sleeper picks for impact players for Rice this year?

A. First, I referenced a few names to watch in the Season Preview — WR, Zane Knipe, RB Khalan Griffin and DE Jalen Reeves. Those were the trio I tagged as “rising stars” who could make big waves on the team in 2020. I’m going beyond the names most likely to be listed in the two-deep. Here’s one from each side of the ball.

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How will new NCAA testing requirements impact Rice Football? All-American Q&A

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All-American Level subscribers on our Patreon page get access to a monthly Q&A with me. The August edition focuses on new NCAA testing requirements.

Q. How will the NCAA’s relaxed eligiblity standards impact Rice football during this recruiting cycle? Are there any players on the fringes of eligiblity the Owls will be able to sign that they might not have been able to otherwise?

A. This is a timely topic and one which might generate some buzz when the calendar when players starting signing with schools in December. For those who hadn’t seen the news, the NCAA announced earlier this month they would waive standardized testing requires for student-athletes enrolling in the 2021-2022 academic year.

Their statement was somewhat lengthy, but here’s the important snippet:

“Students who initially enroll full time during the 2021-22 academic year and intend to play NCAA Division I or II athletics will not be required to take a standardized test to meet NCAA initial-eligibility requirements.”

GPA requirements would still be in place, as well as qualifications for core classes. But regardless of the level of relief instituted by the NCAA, the requirements at Rice will always be the higher hurdle for potential recruits to clear.

The academic standards at Rice are rigorous. Even if omitting a test score would be enough to get them into school, staying in school and bearing the workload of a Rice football student-athlete is non-negotiable. Head coach Mike Bloomgren always says he’s looking for young men that want the “best of both worlds”.

For those reasons, Rice isn’t likely to cut any corners and “reach” for an athlete that might not have gotten in during a non-pandemic recruiting cycle. Rice is going to continue to stick to their recruiting playbook and recruit the players that fit their vision for this program, and that means they’ve got to measure up in the classroom as well as on the football field.

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