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Rice Football Stat Pack: Mobile quarterbacks a must for Owls

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Moving the ball on the ground is crucial to the success of the Rice football offense. That goes for the quarterbacks, too.

Five different quarterbacks saw action for Rice football in 2019. No matter who was under center, it was clear this offense valued a quarterback who was able to move in the pocket and make plays with his feet. Versatility and options are extremely important. Keeping the defense honest and forcing them to account for all 11 players on the field gives the offense an added advantage.

Bloomgren confirmed the need for that advantage on offense throughout the season, saying more than once he was counting on his passers to steal two or three first downs on the ground each game. That expectation proved true. As a unit, the Rice quarterback position accounted for 300 yards rushing (before sacks), an average of 3.66 yards per carry.

Evan Marshman is the most mobile and, unsurprisingly, led the Owls quarterbacks with a 5.39 yards per carry average. Although Shawn Stankavage and Wiley Green aren’t generally viewed as running threats, both averaged more than three yards per carry. Rice doesn’t need track stars in shotgun, but having statuesque figures isn’t conducive to how this offense wants to operate.

Green and Marshman had two rushing scores apiece. Those four quarterback rushing touchdowns tied Austin Walter for the team lead. When the quarterback position is challenging the most productive running back in rushing production their importance in the offense can’t be dismissed.

Neither Green or grad transfer Tom Stewart are dual-threat guys — at least not on the same plane as incoming freshman quarterback Jovoni Johnson. Still, whoever wins the starting job will add a rushing component to the offense. That’s what the job requires.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2020 Corner Sean Fresch commits to Owls

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The 2020 Rice football recruiting class includes a lock-down secondary, bolstered by the Owls’ new commitment, corner Sean Fresch from Austin, Tx.

A rousing run through June landed Rice yet another commitment. The Owls kicked off the month with the Adidas 3 Stripe camp, hosting hundreds of athletes on campus. One of those players was Austin cornerback Sean Fresch who has committed to play his college football at Rice.

Rice was interested in Fresch from the moment he stepped foot on campus at camp. He ran sub 4.4 40-yard dashes and came back and replicated the feet at the Owls’ Junior Day. Watching him work against some of their top targets in person was the litmus test the Owls needed. His blazing speed, complimented with impressive work in one-on-ones made extending an offer an easy decision for the Rice staff.
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Fresch turned down offers from Army, UTSA, UTEP and Sam Houston in favor of the Owls. Rice is carving out a talent pool of top-flight Texas talent. Fresch marks the eighth in-state addition in the 2020 class. Rice is sure to add more to that total before they wrap things up on signing day.

With Fresch in the fold, the Owls’ secondary class is as robust as any in recent memory. Safety Plae Wyatt, corner Devin Gunter, corner Jordan Dubar and Fresch are going to be mainstays at the back of the defense for years to come.

It’s hard to not get excited when you turn the film for Fresch. His ability to read the quarterback and make plays on the ball in the air are hallmarks of a successful player in defensive coordinator Brian Smith’s scheme. That innate ability combined with the jets to take a tipped ball to the house in the blink of an eye makes him an exciting addition to the 2020 class.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Owls make cut for rising 2020 LB Kenneth Phillips

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The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class is hanging with an SEC Power and more as they fight for linebacker Kenneth Phillips.

Kenneth Phillips made noise on the camp circuit this summer. The Owls got their foot in the door with an offer in early June, but several Power 5 teams followed soon after. There was a time when that would have been enough to push Rice football out of the minds of recruits the caliber of Phillips. Times are changing.

Phillips, who will enter his senior season at Fort Bend Bush High School this fall, is regarded as a 3-star prospect and a top-100 outside linebacker prospect in the nation. He released his Top 6 schools today which include Rice, Texas A&M, Indiana, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Texas Southern. It’s expected Rice will get an official visit from Phillips before he makes his decision this fall.

Bloomgren recalls the perception Rice had upon his arrival rather sharply: “It took us a little while to be able to get in the game. We would have had trouble getting someone with a Big 12 or a Big Ten offer to come visit,” he admitted. “Now we’re doing that and we need to find a way to close out.”

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Not only is Rice getting those players to campus, but they’re also winning recruiting battles. The current crop of 2020 Rice Football commits includes players who have turned down programs in the Pac-12, Big 12 and Big Ten to come play football at South Main.

Could Phillips add an exclamation point to the Owls’ new-look recruiting swagger? It’s certainly possible. That’s a compliment in itself.

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Rice Football: Offseason transfers add up favorably for Owls

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The era of the Transfer Portal is upon college athletics. So far, Rice football has gotten the better end of the player movements between schools.

It was hard to see so many former Rice players depart for new schools following the 2018 season, but the Owls didn’t sit back and sulk. The coaching staff made upgrades across the board. Rice has brought in a stellar freshman class and 10 new transfers. In some cases, the Owls have traded out starting-caliber talent for even better options. Here’s how the incoming and outgoing transfers stack up.

Quarterback: Edge to the Owls

Outgoing | Jackson Tyner — 132 passing yards, no touchdowns, one interception
Incoming | Tom Stewart – 1,614 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, two interceptions

Stewart got significantly more playing time in 2018 than Tyner did, but it’s not like Tyner didn’t have opportunities to earn more playing time. At the very least, Stewart represents some kind of a wildcard without lesser defined potential. Tyner has since transferred to Texas Tech.

Running back: Push

Outgoing | Emmanuel Esukpa — 122 carries, 461 rushing yards, 3.8 yards per carry, three touchdowns
Incoming | Charlie Booker — 41 carries, 213 yards, 5.2 yards per carry, two touchdowns

Both Esukpa and Booker are built in a similar mold. They’re bruisers who run with an attitude. Booker was slightly more productive in lesser time last year, but a healthy form of either of them would serve the Owls well in 2019.

Lineman: Edge to the Owls

Outgoing | Roe Wilkins — 50 tackles, 4.5 TFL, one sack, Zach Abercrumbia — 55 tackles, 4.4 TFL, no sacks
Incoming | Justin Gooseberry, Brian Chaffin, Nick Leverett

The interior of the defensive line is going to miss the presence of two proven veterans. But Rice has managed to work a three-for-two trade with big bodies in the trenches. The impacts will be spread across two different position groups, but the net is a slight positive for the Owls.

Defensive backs: Edge to the Owls

Outgoing | Justin Bickham — 30 tackles, 2.5 TFL, nine passes defended, Houston Robert — 24 tackles, 2.5 TFL, seven passes defended
Incoming | Naeem Smith — 61 tackles, six TFL, four passes defended, Miles McCord — 11 tackles, no TFL, two passes defended

Rice made upgrades in the secondary too. Both Smith and McCord have eligibility remaining beyond 2019 and their best football is ahead of them. Not only should their raw talent pay off for this program in the long term, Smith could work his way into a significant role this season.

The Rest: Edge to the Owls

Incoming |  FB Reagan Williams, WR Bradley Rozner — 44 receptions, 616 receiving yards, 13 touchdowns, P Adam Nunez — 41 punts, 19 inside the 20, 39.5 yards per punt

Williams followed Bloomgren from Stanford to South Main and knows the system better than anyone. Rozner led JUCO in receiving touchdowns. Nunez could take over for departing punter Jack Fox. Three big needs met in three big ways.

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Rice Football: 2020 ATH Cole Latos commits to Owls

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Rice football added another big talent to their 2020 recruiting class with the commitment of versatile lineman Cole Latos from Allen, Tx.

In between an offer from Illinois State and a visit to an ACC school, Latos stopped by South Main for a brief one day visit. The Rice coaching staff liked what they saw in person so much that they couldn’t let him leave without an offer. That offer pushed the Owls firmly into the lead in his recruitment. Not long after, Latos announced he’d committed to Rice.

After spending the 2018 season along the defensive line, Latos plans to flip over to the offensive side of the ball for his senior season. Right now, the Owls know he’ll play in the trenches. Exactly where he’ll line up longterm has yet to be defined, but his first crack will likely come on the offensive line.

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The athleticism Latos possesses is superb. Beyond his adeptness in the trenches, he’s a star baseball player and former teammate of current Rice target Will Harbour. Latos is officially being offered as an athlete. He’s the second commitment of the 2020 class with that designation, a noticeable adjustment to the Owls’ recruiting strategy.

Rather than limit themselves to the best players position by position, Rice has prioritized finding the best athletes and figuring out where they fit on the field later. They’re looking for the biggest, strongest and most athletic options available. That takes some calculated risks in terms of roster construction, but it allows Rice to maximize the amount of talent they have on their roster at an expedited rate.

Latos is an aggressor with excellent awareness. He’s cognizant of what’s going on around him and smart enough to position his body in the best place to make a play. Whether he lines up with the offense or the defense, he’s going to be another impact athlete up front.

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