Coach David Bailiff has been having problems the past few seasons. He led the team to a second consecutive 4-8 mark in 2011 and Rice is just 10-26 overall since their spellbinding 10-3 run in 2008. In spite of their win totals, the Owls just about came 3rd in the West last year. They won two straight league contests versus UTEP and Tulane at home, before bowing down to Southern Methodist in an 24-27 thriller in the season finale.
Bailiff will likely have to go through another down season with only 10 starters coming back.
Offense:
Sophomore Taylor McHargue opened the year as the starting quarterback, but he was finally replaced by senior Nick Fanuzzi. McHargue threw for 1,072 yards with 8 scores to 5 picks as the starter. With Fanuzzi departed, McHargue seems poised to once more take the starting quarterback position for Rice. Redshirt freshman Driphus Jackson and true freshman Tyler Stehling are the other choices at quarterback.
The ground game has been a steady plus for the Owls the previous two years. They ran for 151.0 yards/game last year behind Tyler Smith's excellent play leading the team with 860 yards and five touchdowns. Backup Turner Peterson was also in a position to get 485 yards and five TDs. Smith has since then moved on and while his departure may hurt, they do get back Charlie Ross, who had to utilize a medical redshirt last season.
The injury of previous Michigan transfer Sam McGuffie permitted Smith and Peterson to get some valuable experience, as he was limited to just 230 total yards. This season, the Owls plan on starting him at the slot receiver, giving Rice a pretty steady receiving group with the return of top wide out Vance McDonald and starting tight end Luke Willson.
The offensive line has one lone starter returning in sophomore right guard Drew Carroll, who started 10 games last year. Their inexperience could injure them moving forward, but they do add gifted junior college transfer Nate Richards, who is predicted to start at center.
Defense:
Rice has been struggling to defend opposing schools in recent times, as they allowed just over 33 points and 183 yards/game. They also had difficulty preventing the pass as they surrendered 279 yards/contest. With just 5 starters coming back, it appears like the Owls will yet again permit over 30.0 points/game and give close up to 500 yards of total offense.
The defensive line will be the unit that loses a lot in player personnel, as they must replace 2nd Team All-C-USA defensive end Scott Solomon, as well as both starting defensive tackles. While they return 5 of their top eight from last year, none of those guys had more than a bag last year.
The linebacker spot figures to be much improved moving on, as they return their best tackler in Cameron Nwosu. While they lose Justin Allen, they are expecting a gigantic season out of previous LSU transfer Kyle Prater. Also returning from a redshirt is Trey Briggs.
The Owls are one of the few schools who run a 4-2-5 scheme the great majority of the time. They essentially use what they call their KAT position as a 3rd safety/linebacker. The Owls have fought against the pass lately, but they should improve in spite of losing 2 starters. They get back 2nd Team Freshman All-American corner Bryce Callahan, with KAT Paul Porras and FS Corey Frazier.
Conference USA Prediction - 5th West Division
Unfortunately for the Owls, they simply do not have enough talent returning on both sides of the ball to be competitive in the very strong West. Making things more difficult for Rice is the proven fact that they have just 3 true home games. 2 of those home games are against tough opponents in SMU and Southern Miss. The sole opponents they can realistically beat is a home game against Marshall and a road game at Tulane.
Bailiff will likely have to go through another down season with only 10 starters coming back.
Offense:
Sophomore Taylor McHargue opened the year as the starting quarterback, but he was finally replaced by senior Nick Fanuzzi. McHargue threw for 1,072 yards with 8 scores to 5 picks as the starter. With Fanuzzi departed, McHargue seems poised to once more take the starting quarterback position for Rice. Redshirt freshman Driphus Jackson and true freshman Tyler Stehling are the other choices at quarterback.
The ground game has been a steady plus for the Owls the previous two years. They ran for 151.0 yards/game last year behind Tyler Smith's excellent play leading the team with 860 yards and five touchdowns. Backup Turner Peterson was also in a position to get 485 yards and five TDs. Smith has since then moved on and while his departure may hurt, they do get back Charlie Ross, who had to utilize a medical redshirt last season.
The injury of previous Michigan transfer Sam McGuffie permitted Smith and Peterson to get some valuable experience, as he was limited to just 230 total yards. This season, the Owls plan on starting him at the slot receiver, giving Rice a pretty steady receiving group with the return of top wide out Vance McDonald and starting tight end Luke Willson.
The offensive line has one lone starter returning in sophomore right guard Drew Carroll, who started 10 games last year. Their inexperience could injure them moving forward, but they do add gifted junior college transfer Nate Richards, who is predicted to start at center.
Defense:
Rice has been struggling to defend opposing schools in recent times, as they allowed just over 33 points and 183 yards/game. They also had difficulty preventing the pass as they surrendered 279 yards/contest. With just 5 starters coming back, it appears like the Owls will yet again permit over 30.0 points/game and give close up to 500 yards of total offense.
The defensive line will be the unit that loses a lot in player personnel, as they must replace 2nd Team All-C-USA defensive end Scott Solomon, as well as both starting defensive tackles. While they return 5 of their top eight from last year, none of those guys had more than a bag last year.
The linebacker spot figures to be much improved moving on, as they return their best tackler in Cameron Nwosu. While they lose Justin Allen, they are expecting a gigantic season out of previous LSU transfer Kyle Prater. Also returning from a redshirt is Trey Briggs.
The Owls are one of the few schools who run a 4-2-5 scheme the great majority of the time. They essentially use what they call their KAT position as a 3rd safety/linebacker. The Owls have fought against the pass lately, but they should improve in spite of losing 2 starters. They get back 2nd Team Freshman All-American corner Bryce Callahan, with KAT Paul Porras and FS Corey Frazier.
Conference USA Prediction - 5th West Division
Unfortunately for the Owls, they simply do not have enough talent returning on both sides of the ball to be competitive in the very strong West. Making things more difficult for Rice is the proven fact that they have just 3 true home games. 2 of those home games are against tough opponents in SMU and Southern Miss. The sole opponents they can realistically beat is a home game against Marshall and a road game at Tulane.
About the Author:
Jack Jones offers prophecies on all the college football programs over at his website BetFirms Picks.
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