The source for Rice sports news

Rice Football Stat Pack: Quarterback efficiency a must for offensive growth

By

The quarterback is the most important player on the field, making quarterback rating something Rice Football must strive to improve in 2019.

It might seem too simplistic, but good offenses typically have good quarterbacks. Moving the ball doesn’t require an extremely talented quarterback, but efficiency from that position tends to impact a given football team more than any other player on the field.

Quarterback rating is a statistic meant to boil down a passer’s total production profile into one number. In general a quarterback with a high quarterback rating: throws more touchdowns than interceptions and completes a large portion of his passes. The precise formula, for those interested, is this:

(8.4 x [Passing Yards] + 330 x [Touchdowns Thrown] – 200 x [Interceptions Thrown]  + 100 x [Completions] ) / [Attempts]

That pulls together five important passing statistics into one number. It’s not the most powerful number in isolation — it doesn’t mean much to the average person that Shawn Stankavage had a quarterback rating of 113.5 last season. It is powerful in the right context.

Stankavage, the Owls’ starting quarterback for the majority of the season, had the 10th best quarterback rating in Conference USA. Given the number of teams in the conference, that made his production profile near the bottom of his competitors. The overall offensive stats bore out a similar result. Rice ranked 12th in scoring offense and 13th in passing offense last season.

More: Taking a closer look at yards per play

If you look at the conference’s top-rated passers, the hierarchy of teams begins to take shape. FIU’s James Morgan led the way with a 157.6 rating. Brent Stockstill of MTSU was second at 150.7. Following him were Mason Fine of North Texas (149.4) and Jack Abraham of Southern Miss (147.4). Those four teams combined to go 23-9 in conference play.

It’s too simplistic to equate a high quarterback rating to winning football. But the connection between the two is more meaningful than not.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Football Stat Pack: Finding more pass catchers key to offensive equilibrium

By

Rice football trusted a selected few to catch the football in 2018, something which must change if the Owls want to succeed in producing a balanced offense.

After discussing the balanced scheme Rice football would like to employ it seemed worth digging down another layer. A 50/50 run/pass split is around the neighborhood the offense will be aiming towards, but how does that ideal manifest itself on the field with the players Rice has on its roster?

Part of the reason Rice seemed to be more run-dominant than they were last year was the sheer volume of rushers. 16 different players registered at least one carry last season, second-most in Conference USA. A layer deeper still, 40 percent of all ballcarriers at Rice racked up at least 40 carries, the highest rate among all CUSA teams.

In a nutshell, not only did Rice rely on the run, they shared the load among several different backs. Contrasting that against the Rice passing game is where things get interesting. 10 players caught at least one pass for Rice last season, the fewest total in the conference and significantly fewer than the league average of 15.5 players.

Of those pass catchers, five caught 10 or more passes. The conference as a whole averaged 6.5 players with as many receptions per team. If your name wasn’t Austin Walter, Aaron Cephus or Austin Trammell, you probably weren’t getting the football.

When Rice ran the ball they had options. When they threw the ball, there were only a few guys who emerged as consistent receiving threats. The Owls’ ratio of 10+ carry players to 10+ reception players was the second-highest in the conference, trailing only FAU. The run/pass balance evened out in the long run, but the path to get there was wobbly.

In order to maintain the balance they’re aiming for, another legitimate pass-catching weapon (or two) need to emerge in 2019. JUCO transfer Bradley Rozner and a healthy Jonathan Sanchez could be the missing pieces the Owls need.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Football Stat Pack: Balanced offense remains Owls’ steady state

By

The run-heavy mantra of Intellectual Brutality is more accommodating to the passing game than some might expect. Rice football was remarkably balanced on offense in 2018.

Coach Mike Bloomgren likes to use phrases likes to talk about his team imposing their will and playing with physicality. He’s an offensive line guy at heart who has a passion for winning in the trenches and running the football. That’s no secret, nor is it a secret he’d like to develop a stable of strong ball carriers at South Main.

But Rice might not be as one-dimensional as some would make them out to be.

Rice ran the ball on 54.5 percent of their plays last season, the fourth most run-heavy offense in Conference USA. The Owls were only the 55th run-dominant team in the nation, though, putting them slightly above the national average (around  53.5 percent). In fact, Rice was trended closely to being one of the most balanced offensive units in the country last season, something which should continue into 2019.

More Rice Football: Solving third down and optimizing success rate

The conference Rice competes in plays a huge role in their perception as an overwhelmingly run-first squad. The Owls are lightyears away from the triple-option teams, including their first 2019 opponent, Army, who runs the ball on 88.8 percent of their plays.

They’re also a ways away from many of their conference peers. North Texas (112), Louisiana Tech (113), UTSA (120) and Old Dominion (122) all ranked near the bottom quarter nationally in run percentage.

In the era of the spread offense, Rice looks different.  They’re going to use a full back and line up with a sixth offensive lineman from time to time. But they’ll throw the ball too, a facet of their offense poised to take a step forward in 2020 with a more experienced quarterback and several talented receivers. The Owls are going to run first, but don’t be shocked when they pass second.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Football: Owls extend four offers at 3-Stripe Camp

By

Rice football had the opportunity to host the Adidas 3 Stripe Camp over the weekend, bringing top coaches and players to Houston on Saturday.

It was a big weekend at South Main. More than 500 recruits arrived on campus to participate in the Adidas 3 Stripe camp. After evaluating the talent at hand, Rice handed out four new offers: athlete Trey Johnson (Cy Falls), wide receiver Devin Gunter (Ridge Point), wide receiver Kade Renfrow (Stephenville) and linebacker Kenneth Phillips III (Fort Bend Bush).

If there was a common theme with the offers that went out this weekend, it was speed. Gunter turned heads with a blazing 40-yard dash during drills and Phillips and Johnson weren’t far behind. Getting speed at the skill positions is an area Rice needs to improve on. Several of these guys are built in that mold and there could be others from the weekend who get their names added to the list down the road.

Rice Football, Rice Football RecruitingThe Owls have been hard at work on a few targets who weren’t able to make it to campus this weekend as well. Shreveport, LA linebacker Geron Hargon and Mission Viejo, CA defensive end Lance Kenely like what they’re hearing from the Owls.

After picking up offers from Rice in the spring, both guys have stayed in contact with the staff. In that short time, Hargon went so far as to say “Rice has made a big jump recently on my list”, citing the genuine nature of the staff and their clear commitment to creating a stronger future. Keneley is working to finish up his school year in California but plans to do everything he can to get to campus at some point this summer.

June will be a busy one for Rice. They’ll bring more recruits to campus for visits as they continue to build on CUSA’s No. 1 class.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Football Stat Pack: Solving third down a key for 2019

By

Rice Football wasn’t able to convert third downs last season, but the root of the problem began before the Owls ever reached a third down situation.

The Owls had some learning to do last season as they adjusted to life under the direction of head coach Mike Bloomgren. The refound dedication to process and execution were refreshing, but there was one important problem they were never able to solve: third down.

Rice converted on 28.7 percent of their third downs in 2018, the 129th best rank in the nation among 130 FBS teams. It’s not that they were unable to pick up important yardage — their 62.1 percent fourth down conversion rate was the 25th best mark nationally. The problem is they attempted 195 third down conversions and 30 fourth down conversions.

Unless the Owls intend to scrap punting altogether, as tempting as that might be without Jack Fox waiting in the wings, they’re going to have to figure out ways to stay on the field. No penalties is a great starting point, but staying ahead of the chains will be the true measuring stick.

Rice ranked was 129th in success rate, a measure defined by a team’s ability to gain “50 percent of necessary yardage on first down, 70 percent on second down, and 100 percent on third and fourth down.” To that end, the Owls’ third down problem wasn’t as much a third down problem as it was a first and second down problem.

Building a more effective offense has been on the brains of the coaching staff lately. The defense had the better showing this spring, but there’s still plenty of time before this team takes the field in a game which counts. Reinforcements are still on their way in the form of grad transfers and talented 2019 recruits. They’ll all be tasked with creating positive plays on first down. If the Owls find success their, third downs and eventually touchdowns, will follow.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts