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Rice Football 2019 Team MVP: Blaze Alldredge

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Blaze Alldredge was the enforcer who helped turn the defense into a dominant force and an easy selection for the 2019 Rice Football Team MVP

The path Blaze Alldredge took to Rice football stardom was anything but conventional. Alldredge played his high school ball in Florida before enrolling in a California junior college out of high school, betting that he could earn more prestigious offers down the line after another year of work. Despite registering 88 tackles and two interceptions in his freshman campaign, his choices were equally sparse.

As National Signing Day came and went, a return to junior college seemed imminent. Then Rice Football head coach Mike Bloomgren picked up the phone and invited Alldredge to come visit South Main. From that moment on, everything changed for Alldredge and for Rice.

Alldredge joined the Owls in mid-June without any fanfare. He instead he quietly inserted himself into classes and prepared for fall camp. Beginning the year as a backup, he worked his way into the rotation and was a starter by midseason. He’s not flying under the radar anymore. A late addition to Bloomgren’s first recruiting class, Alldredge has become the very ethos of the Rice football defense.

“I always knew the player I was. I was just waiting for my opportunity,” Alldredge said, reveling in the full circle his career had already taken. After registering 65 tackles in his inaugural D1 season, Alldredge became a certified rockstar on the field in 2019.

The sum total of his 12 performances was outstanding. The Owls’ starting linebacker notched 102 tackles, four sacks, a fumble, a fumble recovery and two passes defended. Of those 102 tackles, 21.5 came behind the line of scrimmage.

Alldredge’s 21.5 tackles for a loss were second-most in the nation, a half tackle more than presumptive No. 1 overall NFL draft pick Chase Young from Ohio State. He broke Larry Izzo’s school record for TFLs by a linebacker and finished a half tackle shy of Brian Womac’s school-record 22 TFLs in 2017. He spent as much time in the backfield as any Rice player did this season.

The nation took notice. By midseason Alldredge was retroactively added to the Nagurski Award watchlist, the equivalent of the Heisman Trophy for defensive players. He was the only Rice player named to the All Conference-USA first team.

There’s not much more he could have done on the field this season, but it’s what he did outside the white lines that made all the difference.

Just in case his incredible athleticism wasn’t enough, Alldredge committed to outworking everyone. Defensive coordinator Brian Smith said Alldredge “transformed his body in the offseason,” floored by how seriously he took the workout regimen. He dropped his body fat percentage to personal bests and finished neck-and-neck with fellow linebacker Antonio Montero in the team’s offseason workout competitions.

“Fatigue isn’t something that we even process in this program,” Alldredge said following the defenses’ signature game-winning final series against North Texas. “I’m never tired going onto the field,” he said, “I’m ready when my number’s called. I think everyone on the defense kind of embraces that same mentality that we’re not going to shy away from the limelight. We’re not going to make excuses that we’re too tired. We want to be on the field because we want to show how dominant we are.”

Dominant. If one were to describe Blaze Alldredge’s 2019 season in one word, that would be it. This marked the year the JUCO kid from Florida proved he belonged on the big stage. And not just belonged, that he was the Alpha on the field, patrolling the hash marks and ready to take on any challenger who dared run his direction.

He’s not done. As soon as the whistle sounded on the team’s third-consecutive victory Alldredge began his preparations for an even better 2020. “A big part about me choosing to come to Rice was [strength and conditioning coach] Hans [Straub]. When I met with him and I talked to him I was so excited for the chance to have somebody guide me toward where I wanted to take my body,” he said, “And truthfully, he’s going to do it again. So we gotta watch out for this next offseason.”

A player that impressive, with that kind of drive and another offseason to get better? Conference USA didn’t have an answer for Alldredge in 2019. His trajectory, and the trajectory of Rice football, is sky high.

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Rice Football 2019 Rising Star: De’Braylon Carroll

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We saw flashes this season, but we’ve only scratched the surface of what 2019 Rice Football Rising Star De’Braylon Carroll will do at South Main.

Defensive coordinators around the country have already started kicking themselves for letting De’Braylon Carroll slip past them. During his senior season at Duncanville, Carroll anchored a Duncanville defense that allowed 4.6 points per game. That production didn’t slow down at Rice, making him an easy pick for The Roost’s 2019 Rice Football Rising Star.

A unanimous Defensive MVP in District 8-6A during his senior season, Carroll wasn’t recruited as heavily as some of his teammates. There were concerns that his height (listed on the Rice football roster at 6-foot) would limit him at the next level. Starters from that defense earned D1 scholarships around the country. Carroll quietly watched the early signing period come and go, waiting until January to make his pledge. His choices? Air Force, Alabama A&M, Georgetown, Harding, Navy and Rice.

The short list didn’t deter Carroll. He climbed from the scout team to the second team almost immediately upon his arrival on campus. By the end of fall camp, the true freshman was frequently taking reps with the first team defense. He was a fixture in the defensive line rotation from that point on,

Carroll picked up his first career sack against Louisiana Tech, brining down J’Mar Smith for a loss of 14 yards. He finished the year with 14 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss. His season-best four-tackle game came in his collegiate debut on the road against Army. While playing limited snaps behind defensive team captain Myles Adams, Carroll was selected to the Pro Football Focus All-Freshman team this season.

Time and time again he showed he could produce when given the opportunity. His quickness and power at the point of attack became a problem for Conference USA offensive lines. The Owls didn’t get many sacks this season, but the disruption players like Carroll and Adams were able to cause on the interior made a difference. Some of the conference’s best quarterbacks — Jack Abraham at Southern Miss and Mason Fine at North Texas — struggled to find any semblance of rhythm.

Waves of freshmen saw the field for Rice football in 2018. That changed this season, as the young core of Owls had an additional year of experience under their belt. Only three true freshmen played in every game in 2019: linebacker Adrian Bickham, tight end Jack Bradley and Carroll. That short list confirms what those who watched Carroll play this season already know, you can’t keep a player that talented off the field.

Carroll’s impact went beyond the boxscore. Those relying on the stat sheet to project how impactful the Rice front seven will be next season are in for a surprise.

Carroll will be ready and waiting for his turn. Adams has exhausted his eligibility and moved on. Rice has yet to sign any interior defensive lineman in their most recent recruiting class. The starting job is going to be Carroll’s. If he continues to play at this level he won’t fly under the radar for much longer.

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Rice Football 2019 Offensive Player of the Year: Aston Walter

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Aston Walter made his extra year of eligibility count. The sixth-year running back is our 2019 Rice Football Offensive Player of the Year.

Rice football running back Aston Walter carried the ball once during his junior year before an injury ended his season. He returned to the field for his senior season in 2018, setting career highs in carries and yards, highlighted by two breakthrough games in November, the first against Louisiana Tech and the next against LSU. 40 of his 64 attempts and 144 of his 254 rushing yards came in those two games.

At the end of that season, his brother Austin went on to the NFL where he spent time with the San Franciso 49ers and the New York Giants. Rather than hang up his cleats, Aston returned to South Main with unfinished business. He petitioned the NCAA for a sixth season, which was granted to him because of his one-game junior year. Once more in the midst of a running back room overflowing with talent, Aston went to work.

With aspirations to go into coaching when his playing days are through, he rededicated himself to his craft. “He’s really been a student of the game,” offensive coordinator Jerry Mack recalled prior to the Owls’ first conference matchup of 2019. Aston was the starter that day against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. He carried the ball 20 times for 112 yards and two touchdowns. That was the first 100-yard game of his collegiate career. He also scored his first-ever rushing touchdown against a conference opponent that night.

Walter rushed for at least 100 yards in four of his next six games, only failing to reach the century mark in two games which he left early because of injury or sickness. As long as he was able to go, he carried the load for the Owls on the ground. Walter scored 10 times this season after never finding paydirt once in his first five seasons at South Main.

After all that time, Walter’s college career has come to an end. “It’s time. I’ve been here for six years. I’ve given a lot to this program,” Walter said, reflecting on Senior Day and his time at Rice. “Six years is enough.” His remarks weren’t made out of exhaustion, rather satisfaction. Walter fulfilled so many personal goals in his final season, but none meant as much to him as how things ended with three straight wins — one of which was sealed on a big run by himself.

“That’s why I came back for a sixth year, for moments like that,” Walter said, thinking back to that game-icing third and long scamper against Middle Tennessee. For one play, Rice football fans froze and looked at him. Walter didn’t care so much about the attention as what it stood for — a symbol to those coming behind him that hard work and strain can pay off. Storybook endings do come true.

Walter’s storybook ending came to a close with 145 carries, 771 yards and eight rushing touchdowns. He also added 11 receptions for 48 yards and two receiving scores. Not only was it the best statistical season of his career, Walter led the running back room once filled with hero-like figures who he looked up to. And now his younger teammates were looking up to him.

Even at the mountain top, Walter was his characteristic humble self.”It’s never about me, me, me. It’s about us,” he said with a smile, refusing to admit Rice football wouldn’t be where it is right now without his efforts, both on and off the field.

Offensive coordinator Jerry Mack synthesized what Walter meant to this team quite well. “When you got a guy like [Aston Walter],” Mack said, “when he talks people just listen, just for the simple fact they know he’s battled tested and he’s been through so much in his career.

That career ended in El Paso, Texas on the very field he lost his junior season. This time, instead of accruing another redshirt, Walter went out with a bang. He paced Rice with 149 rushing yards and one touchdown which came from 30 yards out. Things had finally come full circle. A fitting way for a player who’s career had transformed from a part-time role to a core offensive weapon.

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Rice Football 2019 Defensive Player of the Year: Treshawn Chamberlain

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The most unique positions on the Owls’ depth chart belongs to Treshawn Chamberlain. The starting viper is the Rice Football Defensive Player of the Year.

You won’t find “viper” etched on most college depth charts. Not only does Rice football employ the versatile position, but they’ve also found the perfect man for the job. 2019 Rice Football Defensive Player of the Year Treshawn Chamberlain excelled at the spot this season.

Rice defensive coordinator Brian Smith adapted the Viper position after working under Don Brown at Michigan. At its core, the position solves a problem that has been forced upon defenses in the modern era of spread offenses. How do you prepare for the pass and stop the run at the same time? Short answer: find a guy who can do both. Players like that don’t grow on trees, making finding someone with that skillset a challenge in itself.

In his role, Chamberlain has to wear multiple hats. Like the linebackers, he has to feel comfortable playing near to the line of scrimmage. At the same time, he must be prepared to drop back and cover a pass catcher. Given where he lines up on the field, that requires the speed to keep up with shifty players in the slot. Whereas some players have similar responsibilities from down to down, Chamberlain’s assignments might yo-yo back and forth within the span of a single possession.

That’s a tall order, but the expectations were clear from the start. “He brings a physical presence to the defense and [we’re] looking for some big things from him,” Smith said of Chamberlain prior to the beginning of the season. Smith knew the secondary wasn’t going to be able to make the jump it needed to without improved play across the board. Chamberlain was to serve as the linchpin, bridging the gap between the secondary and the front seven.

The specialized position came with a learning curve. Chamberlain didn’t start his first game until midway through the 2018 season. Once he did, he became a mainstay in the defensive depth chart. He registered a career-best 10 tackles at Tiger Stadium against LSU last season, paving the way for his highly anticipated 2019 campaign.

From the hit heard ’round South Main to his 64-tackle year, Chamberlain delivered every outing of 2019. He tied Defensive Newcomer of the Year Naeem Smith for the team lead in interceptions (two) and was second on the team in passes defended (five). He was everywhere on the field at once, making plays throughout the secondary and at the line of scrimmage. Chamberlain was an enforcer.

Even with those impressive numbers, it’s hard to quantify the impact a player like Chamerblain had on this defense. The energy he brought to the defense this season went far beyond the x’s and o’s. Some players stay emotionally level from start to finish. Chamberlain is a guy that embraces the intensity of the game, playing with a passion, a swagger that gives him an edge.

“It’s what the game is all about, having fun,” he said, following arguably the biggest hit of his career in the Owls’ win over North Texas. The smile Chamberlain had on that day was reflective of the journey he’d taken to get to this point.

Prior to his commitment to Rice, Chamberlain was an under the radar defender tucked away in South Carolina only hoping for the chance to play division one football. He was a member of Mike Bloomgren’s inaugural signing class. That got his foot in the door. The rest has been up to him and the results have been tremendous.

Call him a safety. Call him a linebacker. List his name anywhere you want to on the depth chart. Chamberlain is a difference-maker. Rice football wouldn’t be the same without him.

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Rice Football 2018 Rising Star: Wiley Green

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Rice football got plenty of production from unexpected sources in 2018, but Wiley Green‘s emergence from the bottom of the depth chart should be a surprise that sticks.

On the first day of fall camp Wiley Green handed the ball off to Juma Otoviano and watched his running back scampered through the hole and take off down the field for a touchdown. There were cheers from the offense, but then everyone went back to business as usual. It was just a normal practice and the scout team had scored a touchdown. Oh, how things change.

Fast forward to mid October. Starting quarterback Shawn Stankavage is out with an injury and Evan Marshman is taking reps with the starters. After a full day of practice head coach Mike Bloomgren calls for the backup quarterback to run a two-minute drill against the first team defense.

In trots Wiley Green who promptly hurls a pass between the shoulder pads of a waiting defender and holds his breath as it falls to the turf, narrowly missing an interception. The true freshman gathers his thoughts quickly and proceeds to march the offense down before firing a touchdown into the back corner of the endzone. The sideline erupted, again.

In those two innocuous moments a young team embrace an unlikely, strong-armed quarterback, implicitly promising their allegiance should he be called upon in a live game. It turns out that time would come sooner rather than later.

We struck gold with this freshman class,” he said, “They’re the kind of people that love football and they’re the ones that are going to help us build this program.

Days after Green engineered the mock comeback he was named Rice football’s starting quarterback. Green, who began the year fifth on the quarterback depth chart, started his first collegiate game in Denton, Tx against North Texas, just miles away from where he played high school football.

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Green didn’t win that game, but he lifted the heavy underdogs into a one-score game in the fourth quarter. He threw for 204 yards, the second most of any Owl quarterback to that point in the season, adding a touchdown through the air and on the ground. His encore performance came a week later, throwing for 313 yards and two touchdowns against UTEP.

After sitting the next two games to preserve his redshirt, Green returned to the starting lineup against Old Dominion, leading the Owls to their first Conference USA victory under Bloomgren.

When asked about it, Bloomgren could only laugh with an unbelieving smile. Who would have known the scout team passer would earn the biggest win of his head coaching career to date? Bloomgren certainly didn’t see it coming himself, but never wavered in his belief of these young men closing his final press conference of the season with confidence. “We struck gold with this freshman class,” he said, “They’re the kind of people that love football and they’re the ones that are going to help us build this program.”

Green ended the season with 621 passing yards passing, three passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and four interceptions. If he has a strong fall camp he’ll likely be in line to start on opening day for Rice football in 2019. Not bad for someone who’s name was printed at the bottom of the depth chart in August.

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