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Mortal Kombat, finishing strong and final thoughts on the 2018 season

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Rice football struggled through a difficult 2018 season, finally breaking through and ending the year on an all-important high note.

In seven of Rice Football’s first 12 games season they found themselves in a two-score game entering the fourth quarter. Excluding blowouts by Southern Miss, Wake Forest, UAB, and LSU Rice was in the game in the fourth quarter more often than they weren’t.

Just once this year did they take a lead into the final frame; they led Old Dominion 20-13 entering the fourth quarter, set up by one of Juma Otoviano‘s long touchdown runs. That touchdown proved to be the difference. In the final week of the regular season Mike Bloomgren’s team had found a way finish.

Bloomgren’s relief and excitement were expressed with an allusion to a classic, but an unexpected source of entertainment: Mortal Kombat.

Upon seeing the game once again within reach in the fourth quarter, Bloomgren couldn’t help but envision the video game in his mind. “You know when his head’s spinning and it’s like ‘finish him'”, Bloomgren recalled with anticipation, “Today we finished him. And you have to do that. You have to have that desire, that want to. You have to believe when you put up those four fingers in the fourth quarter that’s the way it’s going to go. Hey, we’re going to end this thing, together.”

And they did. When the clock hit 0:00 Rice had their first conference win under Mike Bloomgren. It took months to find the right formula, but they got it done. Now all they have to do is replicate it going forward in a new season, with some new players and new expectations.

This could be the new normal,” Bloomgren said wistfully before doubling down on his team’s performance in their final game of the season.”It’s the future of Rice football. It’s intellectual brutality. It’s pound the rock, control the clock and play great defense. And it’s everything we talk about on display today by everyone who touched the field for us. And it’s exciting.”

The difference between one win and two wins doesn’t mean a whole lot for boxscore scouts. There is plenty of progress to be made on that front at South Main. When this coaching staff, this team and the fanbase looks back at 2018 they’ll see the two wins and wish there were more. There will be, in time.

In their final Saturday before the offseason began this team learned how to finish. That alone is reason to believe the best is yet to come.

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3 Big questions entering the offseason

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Rice football proved they’re on the right track, closing out the 2018 season with a win. What questions remain entering a long offseason for the Owls?

1. Can the coaching staff produce back to back stud recruiting classes?

Mike Bloomgren couldn’t stop raving about the freshman class during fall camp prior to the season. He said the hit rate on these guys was tremendous and he wasn’t wrong. Wiley Green, Juma Otoviano, Cole Garcia, Antonio Montero, Prudy Calderon, Tyrae Thornton and several others played significant roles for this team in their first years of college ball.

The trajectory of this program will be set by how well Bloomgren and his staff build on that first successful class. If they can find a few more gems in the 2019 group they’ll take the talent level at Rice through a step change. More talent creates more competition which leads to better players and better results. The recruiting formula starts with talent.

Don’t mistake the need for a second strong class with a search for stars. Just because a signee or recruit doesn’t have the best grades on 247 or Rivals doesn’t mean he’s not the right fit for this system and this scheme. Trust the process. Through one abbreviated cycle the staff has proven they can find the guys they need.

2. What will the offensive line look like in Year 2 under Mike Bloomgren?

It took the Rice offensive line much longer to gel than anyone on the staff would have hoped. The constant flurry of changing parts and shaky play prompted the insertion of young players down the line, eventually solidifying into a starting five of Uzoma Osuji, Cole Garcia, Shea Baker, Joseph Dill and Sam Pierce.

Pierce and Dill won’t return next year and Osuji will see competition at the left tackle position from freshman Clay Servin who started while Osuji was out with injury. That leaves Garcia and Baker as two relatively sure-things in another mix of players and combinations.

The inconsistency of the offensive line was a major inhibitor to the offense in 2018. The way this unit gels in the spring and continues to develop this fall will be an important barometer for how quickly the offense can continue to progress in Year 2.

3. Who will be the playmakers on offense in 2019?

Entering the 2018 season Emmanuel Esukpa and Aaron Cephus were tabbed by most as the most likely playmakers on the offense. Both had their moments and were instrumental in the development of the offense throughout the year, but by the end of the season, there were different faces carrying the load.

Wiley Green, Austin Walter, Austin Trammell and Juma Otoviano became fixtures and various points of the season, ending the year as go-to players to a much greater degree than even some of the coaching staff might have expected.

Who steps up in 2019? It could be some of those same leaders. Green and Otoviano will both be sophomore and Trammell will be back for his junior season, too. But there are also players like Brendan Harmon, August Pitre and D’Angelo Ellis who saw their roles severely limited by injury as well as incoming recruits like running back Jawan King and wide receiver Zane Knipe. There are a lot of options. It will be interesting to see who emerges to move this offense forward.

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Gio Gentosi’s senior moment, a fullback’s fairy tale ending

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Rice football is one of the few teams in college football that still employs a fullback. That fullback made history in the Owls’ win over Old Dominion.

Fullback Gio Gentosi hadn’t scored a touchdown since he was in middle school. That’s why he handed away the football to an official without thinking following his six-yard touchdown run in the first quarter against Old Dominion. “I’ve been used to not scoring for so long,” said Gentosi, who notched his first career touchdown in his final game.

Score he did, capping off a banner day for himself and the Rice Owls. His team won the game, their first Conference USA victory under head coach Mike Bloomgren, and Gentosi played a meaningful role in the final outcome.

Gentosi had never touched the ball more than twice in any game of his college career prior to transferring to Rice from UCLA this summer. He had a personal best three carries and 31 yards against Wake Forest, including a long of 19 yards. Against Old Dominion, he had four carries for 11 yards, the aforementioned touchdown and a 10-yard return on a short kickoff.

The expression on Gentosi’s face as he met with the media following the game was one of pure wonder. “It’s been nine years playing tackle football, to finally have that experience was really special, and on Senior Day and it being my last game…” he trailed off with a smile. Watching him soak in that moment was surreal, a gentle reminder that as much stress and effort that is put into this game, it’s still a game.

In his last game, Gentosi rides out in style. Rice won, Gentosi scored and the locker room erupted in elation. “The stars aligned for this one,” he said, addressing his touchdown run. But perhaps, Gentosi’s struck luck was emblematic of a program that, too, was waiting for a breakthrough moment. Only time will tell if one man’s joy becomes a turning point for an entire team. Right now, though, things couldn’t look any better.

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Rice Football: Owls soar over Old Dominion for first CUSA win

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Rice football ended the 2018 season with an exclamation point, taking down Old Dominion on Senior Day for Mike Bloomgren’s first Conference USA win.

Rice scored two touchdowns in the first half. Old Dominion didn’t crack the endzone until the third quarter. Another stout defensive performance by the Owls parlayed with a few big-time plays from surprise starter Wiley Green sent the Owls into halftime with a 13-6 lead. They never looked back.

After falling behind 3-0 in the first quarter Rice rallied to outscore Old Dominion 20-7 over the remainder of the contest. On Senior Day with the weight of a potential second consecutive 1-win season overhead, Rice responded with their most complete performance of 2018.

1. Winner, winner

Rice started and ended the season with wins, the first time the Owls have bookended a year with victories since 2015. It was the Owls’ first conference win since they defeated UTEP on Sep. 9, 2017, their first home conference win since beating UTEP in 2016 and their first win over a CUSA East opponent since defeating Charlotte in 2016.

For Mike Bloomgren, the victory represents his second as a head coach and his first conference win with the Rice Owls. It was a long time coming, but the Owls can hold their heads high entering the offseason.

2. Let’s get big

There were more than a few naysayers when newly named head coach Mike Bloomgren advocated for Intellectual Brutality on South Main. The Owls were going to bring back the old days of power football in a sport dominated by the spread passing attack.

Early returns were frustrating. The offensive line took several games to gel, and it wasn’t until freshman Clay Servin and Cole Garcia won starting jobs that things began to slow down for the front five. It took a full season to work out the kinks, but the end result has been exactly what Bloomgren wanted in the trenches.

Rice lined up in the jumbo package in critical short yardage situations three times against LSU, converting all three attempts. They pulled out the stacked box again twice against Old Dominion and picked up two fourth down conversions on two tries. The Owls also scored their first touchdown of the day without a single receiver split out wide.

https://twitter.com/swcroundup/status/1066400713528483840

They’ve done it with power runs, play action and a variety of creative playcalling. But most importantly, they’ve stacked the box and made one yard an automatic conversion. If this offense can do that consistently, they’re going to burn the clock and start to take over football games.

3. Rice is going to miss Austin Walter, but they have weapons to fill the void

Saturday marked the final time do-it-all playmaker Austin Walter will wear a Rice uniform. The Owls’ leading rusher and 400+ yard receiver capped off his career with a tremendous senior season, ending it with an exclamation point against Old Dominion. Walter finished the game with three receptions for 24 yards and two carries for seven yards.

The hole left by Walter in this offense is massive and will have to be filled by a handful of different players next season. Through the air, the Owls will need someone to step up. Freshman receivers Brendan Harmon and August Pitre were kept off the field for the bulk of the 2018 season with injuries. Both of those players, and a new face or two are going to be asked to play a meaningful role on the offense next season.

On the ground, Austin’s brother Aston Walter plans to return for one more season, pending a petition to the NCAA. The man to watch, though, is freshman running back Juma Otoviano. The Owls’ wildcat quarterback this year, will undoubtedly be given a more prominent role.

Otoviano was given his first career start against Old Dominion. Entering the game with 140 yards rushing in his collegiate career, Otoviano exploded for a career-best 224 yards. His day was highlighted by two breakaway touchdowns — the longest an 80-yard scamper — the longest score for Rice this season. His second touchdown was “only” 62 yards.

4. Wiley Green is the future at the quarterback position

During practice this week Bloomgren hinted we might see a heavy dosage of freshman quarterback Wiley Green. In three appearances this season Green threw for 525 yards and three touchdowns with four interceptions and a touchdown on the ground.

The rationale for Green’s return to the bench was two-fold. First, Bloomgren refused to let his starting quarterback be Wally Pipped. He reinserted Shawn Stankavage back into the lineup as soon as he was healthy enough to play. Stankavage started twice, throwing for 216 yards and one touchdown with three interceptions against Louisiana Tech and 101 yards against LSU.

Second, the newly instituted redshirt rule allows players to play four games and still retain four years of eligibility. After sitting in the Owls’ past two contests Green will keep his redshirt.

All the maneuvering aside, Green doesn’t look to be relinquishing the starting job anytime soon. He threw for 96 yards with a rushing touchdown against Old Dominion before leaving the game with an injury midway through the third quarter. Green gives this offense a downfield threat with surprising mobility, opening up lanes for the Owls’ talented running backs. Green should be the presumptive favorite to be the starter heading into 2019.

5. The team that played ODU on Saturday should have won a few more games

Work in progress has been the tagline for the Rice football team through the 2018 season. Changing a culture and rebuilding from the ground up takes time, something not commonly afforded in today’s sports landscape. This team took several steps forward, a few more steps backward before finally arriving at the end of the road at 2-11.

To some extent there is truth in Bill Parcell’s most infamous one-liner: “You are what your record says you are.” The final line on the 2018 season says Rice is a 2-win football team. That’s a far cry from where this staff wants it to be, but it’s already twice as far as last year’s 1-win squad.

The truth buried in the wins and losses hides a lot of the growing pains it took for this squad to arrive where they’re at today. The team that beat Old Dominion on Saturday had the benefit of a full season of seasoning, experience and growth.

If Rice had the chance to replay this campaign with the knowledge and practice they’ve picked up along the way they probably pick up a few more wins, but that’s not how this game works. You get one shot, then it’s on to the next. Rice is better than their 2-win record and the building blocks are in place for significant improvement in their record going forward — something the Owls hope to bear out on the field in 2019 and beyond.

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Week 13 Statpack – Juma Otoviano’s touchdown and Old Dominion’s streak

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Rice football has one game left in the 2018 campaign and we’ve got 10 stats that paint a picture of the LSU loss and the upcoming matchup with Old Dominion.

1 – career rushing touchdown for Juma Otoviano. He entered the year buried on the Owls’ running back depth chart. He became the team’s wildcat quarterback midway through the season and scored his first career touchdown on Saturday, at night, in Death Valley. That’s pretty cool.

2 – consecutive games. With a win over VMI in Week 12, Old Dominion has won two games in a row and four overall. That’s their first winning streak of any kind since they beat Rice last year, their third win in a row.

3 – different kinds of touches for all-purpose talent D’Angelo Ellis. Listed as a corner on the preseason depth chart, Ellis registered one tackle, one carry and a team-leading three receptions for 66 yards against LSU.

4 – forced fumbles by Old Dominion defensive end Oshane Ximines, the most of any player in Conference USA.

5 – Old Dominion players with 100 or more yards rushing, part of a balanced attack that ranks second in yards per game in Conference USA. ODU ranks in the top eight in both passing and rushing yards.

6 – points separating Rice and Old Dominion in two meetings all-time between the schools. The Monarchs have won each of the games by a field goal margin, the first in 2014 and the most recent game last season.

7 – completions by Rice quarterbacks against LSU, the lowest number of completions registered by the team this year. The 101 total passing yards ranked third from fewest.

8 – yards per attempt by Old Dominion quarterback Blake LaRussa, a top five mark in Conference USA. He leads an offense that has produced 53 pass plays of 20 yards or more, the most in the conference.

9 – receiving touchdowns by Old Dominion receiver Jonathan Duhart which leads the Monarchs and ranks second-most among all CUSA pass catchers.

10 – field goals this season for Hayden Tobola. His 51-yard kick against LSU was a career long and the longest field goal made by Rice this season.

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