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Rice Football: Wiley Green emerging as favorite to win Owls quarterback battle

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With all fall camp scrimmages complete, the Rice Football quarterback battle is gaining clarity and a favorite to win the starting job has emerged.

The quarterback battle will continue to be the biggest storyline through fall camp until coach Bloomgren names a starter. Although there’s no timeline set for an official announcement, incumbent Wiley Green is starting to put some distance between himself and challenger Tom Stewart.

Green had a great redzone session during scrimmage on Saturday. Stewart missed his opportunity to make a statement. He’s had his moments in camp, but done little to impress in either scrimmage setting.

Bloomgren has reserved comment as to who is the leader in the race. However, with days (rather than weeks) left between now and the season opener, the race seems to be drawing to a close.

I have become increasingly more confident that Wiley Green will be the Owls’ starting quarterback in their Week 1 game against Army.

More: Jack Fox joins The Roost Podcast to talk NFL and Rice special teams

Green stands above every other quarterback on campus in terms of his intellectual ability and command of the offense. His strong capabilities as a passer, combined with that knowledge have kept him a step ahead in the quarterback competition through fall camp.

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Stewart has talent. What he lacks is the time in the system to execute at a level equal to Green. If he continues to progress the door could open down the road. That said, the coaching staff would obviously prefer to make a selection and ride that one guy to the end of the season.

As for Jovoni Johnson, the freshman has done well in camp so far. But, as to be expected, there’s a steep learning curve with the offense. The outlook for his 2019 season looks to be akin to what Parker Towns was asked to do in brief moments last year.

Johnson will most likely have a set package which features his athleticism and ability to make plays on the ground. If the situation warrants it he could throw a pass or two. Given the current state of the quarterback room, he’s got a few guys to surpass before he’s an every game player.

The staff feels comfortable with the depth at the position and is encouraged by what they’ve seen from the unit as a whole this fall. Barring an injury, I believe this Wiley Green’s job to lose.

All practice updates will be available for all to see during fall camp. Once the regular season starts they’ll be reserved for members. Becoming a member is 100% FREE and takes 30 seconds. You can register here.

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Rice Football: 5 Position battles to watch in fall camp

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Five position battles have been a focal point of Rice Football fall camp. Here’s where the Owls stand at those key spots after the first week of camp.

1. Wide receiver

The suspension of Aaron Cephus left Rice in a tough spot at the wide receiver position. Austin Trammell will push 100 targets, but the rest of the depth chart is going to be asked to step up. August Pitre and Brad Rozner started camp with the first team.

When the team goes to split squad practice, freshman Zane Knipe works with the veterans. Jake Bailey is with the second team at the moment, but he stands out as the best player at his position in that group.

Projected starters against Army as of today: Trammell, Rozner, Pitre

2. Offensive line

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Three grad transfers in the mix make the offensive line one of the most competitive races of camp. The only position that is definitively set in stone is left tackle, where Clay Servin returns as the team’s top starter. Nick Leverett, Brian Chaffin and Cole Garcia are fighting it out for the two interior guard spots with Shea Baker the presumptive favorite to stick at center.

Learn more about each of these challengers by reading their player profiles in our 2019 Rice Football Season Preview, on sale now.

The most competitive race will come at right tackle where Uzoma Osuji and Ouachita Baptist transfer Justin Gooseberry are dueling for the starting role.

Projected starters against Army as of today: From left to right – Servin, Leverett, Baker, Garcia, Gooseberry

3. Quarterback

Wiley Green has had the inside track on the starting job in 2019 since the end of last season. He performed reasonably well in the spring and has continued to progress through fall camp. But, just like last year, the Owls brought in a grad transfer at the position to push their incumbent starter.

Through the first week of camp, it’s looking like Tom Stewart is the real deal. It was never a given that Green would be the de facto starter against Army, but recent developments make me believe this competition is going to very real and quite contentious. Stewart’s progress, plus the arrival of Jovoni Johnson could see this race draw out til the final days of camp.

Projected starters against Army as of today: Green

4. Special Teams

While the rest of the aforementioned position battles project to be close, each of them features some sort of frontrunner rather by way of seniority or familiarity with the Owls’ schemes. Two of the most prominent special teams jobs are wide open.

Adam Nunez and Chris Barnes have both had strong fall camps at punter. Nunez was a multi-year starter at TCU; Barnes sat behind current-NFLer Jack Fox. There’s probably not a wrong answer here. The kicker spot features more uncertainty. Will Harrison has experience but wasn’t accurate this spring. Incoming freshman Zach Hoban has an impressive highlight reel, but he’s never produced at the college level.

Projected starters against Army as of today: Punter – Adam Nunez, Kicker – Zach Hoban

5. Corner

The emergence of Andrew Bird late last season was huge for the Owls’ secondary which lost several veterans this offseason. Back alongside Bird are D’Angelo Ellis and Tyrae Thornton, both of whom have had their ups and downs. One of the two is going to start opposite Bird out the gate. Who that will be remains to be seen. This is one of the spots where we could see freshmen emerge early to play meaningful snaps.

Projected starters against Army as of today: Bird, Ellis

All practice updates will be available for all to see during fall camp. Once the regular season starts they’ll be reserved for members. Becoming a member is 100% FREE and takes 30 seconds. You can register here.

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Rice Football: What we know about the Owls quarterback battle

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Rice football is back on the practice field and, once again, the Owls are holding auditions for their starting quarterback job. Here’s the latest entering camp.

What do we know?

The Rice football staff kept things close to the vest when it came to selecting a starting quarterback last season. Vanderbilt transfer Shawn Stankavage wasn’t officially named the starter until after the season had begun and he’d led the team to their first victory. The players in the mix for the 2019 job are different, but the staff intends to approach things the same way.

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Bloomgren refused to rule anyone out by name at the start of fall camp, saying “They all bring something to the table. It’ll be interesting to see how this thing unfolds. We’re going to give them really good chances to get reps with the first group.”

When pressed on who was going to get those chances, Bloomgren highlighted incumbent starter Wiley Green as well as Evan Marshman and incoming grad transfer Tom Stewart from Harvard. Those were the three who took reps with the first team out of the gate. That’s the pool the staff is looking for to start the season opener against Army. Sort of.

Who is Jovoni Johnson?

Johnson was the only quarterback Rice signed in the 2019 class. He’s got a long way to go to learn the offense, but he’s done everything he can since arriving on campus. Quarterbacks coach Robbie Picazo called him “a special, special human being and a great leader that guys really gravitate to.” Bloomgren said he was “seemingly special” and a phenomenal athlete with “a howitzer for an arm.”

That leads to excitement. From what I’m hearing, no member of the incoming class has been more impressive since arriving on campus than Johnson. But, we’re just days into fall camp.

Read more about each of the Owls’ quarterbacks in our 2019 Rice Football Season Preview

Green, who won the starting job at the end of last season, didn’t appear in a game until late October. His hindrance wasn’t ability — the staff always believed in that aspect of his game — but rater his ability to process and work through the offense.

“This is a complex offense for the quarterback,” Picazo said, “We put a lot on their plate which I think is outstanding, but it does mean there’s a learning curve.”

More than likely we’ll continue to hear a lot about Johnson as camp progresses. As of right now, though, I’d peg his chances of winning the starting job in August at 5 percent. That’s not because he’s not talented enough to do so, but because of that learning curve and the significant head start of the veterans competing with him. It’s a situation to monitor. Things could change by the time October arrives.

Who is Tom Stewart?

Stewart was the offensive MVP for Harvard last season, an offense which included a host of talented playmakers. Now he’s looking to follow in the footsteps of Shawn Stankavage and win the Rice job in his lone season on campus. He’s got work to do before he achieves that goal.

“I’m just trying to take that one day at a time,” he said after the first practice session. “Today was kind of humbling, getting back on the field.” Stewart broke his foot in the offseason. He doesn’t show any signs of wear now, but the long road back to recovery has been challenging.

He’s going to have his work cut out for him, but it’s too early to rule him out of the competition yet. The coaching staff is just now getting their first looks at him in person and evaluating what he could bring to the offense.

Stewart is confident, but at the end of the day, he wants to make the team better however he can. “I think we’re all naturally competitive guys. We’re all college quarterbacks. We all want to be the best we can be and having a high standard in that room makes everyone better,” he said. “I think all of us approach it the right way and we’re just really focused on making the team better.”

What happens next?

Bloomgren summed up the battle with his trademarked one-liner: “It’s going to be a meritocracy”. That comes as no surprise. I’d be surprised if we get a clear indicator from the coaching staff any time soon. Until then, we’ll keep you posted as this battle continues into camp.

If the Owls had to play a game tomorrow, this is how the depth chart would most likely look:

  1. Green
  2. Stewart
  3. Marshman
  4. Towns
  5. Johnson

All practice updates will be available for all to see during fall camp. Once the regular season starts they’ll be reserved for members. Becoming a member is 100% FREE and takes 30 seconds. You can register here.

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

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Rice Football: Will there be one quarterback in 2019?

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As the 2019 Rice Football season approaches there remains one unspoken pressing question. Can the Owls ride one quarterback this year?

A rotten combination of poor performance, bad luck and injuries through the Rice football quarterback room into chaos for most of the 2018 season. The players themselves were as calm and collected as possible, but the lack of clarity at the position as a whole did the team no favors as they tried to win football games.

More: Mobility key for Owls quarterbacks in 2019

Three different quarterbacks started games for the Owls last season. Vanderbilt grad transfer Shawn Stankavage got the first shot, starting the first seven games until he was injured in the Owls loss to UAB. Evan Marshman, who took over in the second half of the UAB game, didn’t make it through his start the following week either. He went down against FIU, opening up the door to Wiley Green.

Green led the way for the next two games, losses to North Texas and UTEP. Stankavage returned, effectively allowing Green to keep his redshirt as the veteran started the final two road games of the year against Louisiana Tech and LSU. Finally, Green capped off the season with a win at home over Old Dominion.

Confusing? That’s because Rice changed starting quarterbacks four times in the final six weeks of the season before ultimately landing back on Green.

Green will battle for the starting job in 2019 with incoming Harvard grad transfer Tom Stewart. (Read more about that battle and what to expect from each player in the fall in our 2019 Rice Football Season Preview). Regardless of who wins the job, sticking with one guy would be a much-needed change of pace. Barring injuries, the Owls look to be on the right track.

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2019 Rice Football Season Preview by The Roost

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The staff of The Roost is pleased to announce the release of the 2019 Rice Football Season Preview, a 143-page digital magazine detailing everything you could imagine about the Owls’ upcoming season.

This preview is the culmination of months of research, interviews and analysis. Consider it your one-stop-shop as you prepare for the Owls’ 2019 season.

Available as a downloadable PDF for on-the-go access, this preview contains the following:

1. A breakdown of every position group on the team

Who are the favorites to start entering fall camp? What sort of production should you expect from returning starters? Which of the incoming transfer players should make their mark the quickest? Answers to all of those questions are included, as well as notes on every single player on the 102-man roster.

2. An exclusive interview with head coach Mike Bloomgren

We sat down with coach to get his honest evaluation of where the Rice football program is right now and how he views the progress the team is making as they approach 2019. He’s sticking to a process, one which he remains confident will bring success to South Main.

3. Previews of each 2019 opponent and all 14 CUSA Teams

Supported by local beat writers and experts who cover each team, this section has a wealth of knowledge about every CUSA Team and all the Owls’ 2019 opponents.

Rice fans will want to familiarize themselves with the teams they’ll be facing this year. Get to know which players each squad will have to replace, which newcomers could make noise in 2019 and what outstanding questions those in the know have about their respective squads.

4. A complete 2019 Conference USA Football Preview

Available separately to purchase, everyone who purchases the 2019 Rice Football Season Preview will also get The Roost’s 2019 Conference USA Football Preview. We made our picks for preseason honors, top games to watch in 2019 and a closer look at how every team in the conference stacks up.

Don’t need any more convincing? Get a copy for yourself today

Buy Now

 

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