Coach David Bailiff has been struggling the last couple of years. He led the program to a second consecutive 4-8 mark last season and Rice is just 10-26 overall since their miraculous 10-3 run in 2008. Notwithstanding their win totals, the Owls nearly came third in the West last year. They won consecutive league contests against UTEP and Tulane at home, before losing to Southern Methodist in an 24-27 thriller in the season finale.
Bailiff will possibly have to go thru another tough year with only 10 starters coming back.
Offense:
Sophomore Taylor McHargue began the season as the starting QB, but he was eventually replaced by senior Nick Fanuzzi. McHargue threw for 1,072 yards with 8 TDs to 5 picks as the starter. With Fanuzzi departed, McHargue appears poised to once more take the starting quarterback spot for Rice. Redshirt freshman Driphus Jackson and true freshman Tyler Stehling are the other options at quarterback.
The running game has been a steady plus for the Owls the previous 2 years. They managed 151.0 yards/game last season behind Tyler Smith's excellent play leading the program with 860 yards and 5 TDs. Backup Turner Peterson was also ready to get 485 yards and 5 scores. Smith has since moved on and while his not being around may sting, they do welcome back Charlie Ross, who had to utilize a medical redshirt last season.
The injury of previous Michigan transfer Sam McGuffie allowed Smith and Peterson to get some valuable game time, as he was limited to just 230 total yards. This year, the Owls plan on starting him at the slot receiver, giving Rice a pretty steady receiving group with the return of top wide receiver 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 season. Their lack of experience could injure them moving on, but they do add gifted junior college transfer Nate Richards, who is anticipated to start at center.
Defense:
Rice has struggled to defend opposing teams in recent years, as they surrendered just over 33 points and 183 yards/game. They also had a tough time limiting the pass as they permitted 279 yards/contest. With just five starters coming back, it looks as if the Owls will once again give up over 30.0 points/game and give up close to 500 yards of total offense.
The defensive line will be the unit that loses a lot in player personnel, as they must find a fill-in for 2nd Team All-C-USA defensive end Scott Solomon, as well as both starting defensive tackles. While they return five of their top 8 from last season, none of those guys had more than a sack last year.
The linebacker spot should be much improved moving forward, as they return their top tackler in Cameron Nwosu. While they lose Justin Allen, they're expecting a big season out of former LSU transfer Kyle Prater. Also returning from a redshirt is Trey Briggs.
The Owls are one of the few programs who run a 4-2-5 scheme the great majority of the time. They fundamentally use what they call their KAT position as a third safety/linebacker. The Owls have fought against the pass in recent years, but they ought to improve despite losing 2 starters. They welcome back 2nd Team Freshman All-American corner Bryce Callahan, together with KAT Paul Porras and FS Corey Frazier.
Conference USA Prediction - 5th in the West
Unfortunately for the Owls, they simply do not have enough talent returning on both sides of the ball to be competitive in the extremely powerful West. Making things tougher for Rice is the indisputable fact that they have just three true home games. 2 of those home games are against major teams in SMU and Southern Miss. The only foes they can realistically beat is a home game against Marshall and a road game at Tulane.
Bailiff will possibly have to go thru another tough year with only 10 starters coming back.
Offense:
Sophomore Taylor McHargue began the season as the starting QB, but he was eventually replaced by senior Nick Fanuzzi. McHargue threw for 1,072 yards with 8 TDs to 5 picks as the starter. With Fanuzzi departed, McHargue appears poised to once more take the starting quarterback spot for Rice. Redshirt freshman Driphus Jackson and true freshman Tyler Stehling are the other options at quarterback.
The running game has been a steady plus for the Owls the previous 2 years. They managed 151.0 yards/game last season behind Tyler Smith's excellent play leading the program with 860 yards and 5 TDs. Backup Turner Peterson was also ready to get 485 yards and 5 scores. Smith has since moved on and while his not being around may sting, they do welcome back Charlie Ross, who had to utilize a medical redshirt last season.
The injury of previous Michigan transfer Sam McGuffie allowed Smith and Peterson to get some valuable game time, as he was limited to just 230 total yards. This year, the Owls plan on starting him at the slot receiver, giving Rice a pretty steady receiving group with the return of top wide receiver 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 season. Their lack of experience could injure them moving on, but they do add gifted junior college transfer Nate Richards, who is anticipated to start at center.
Defense:
Rice has struggled to defend opposing teams in recent years, as they surrendered just over 33 points and 183 yards/game. They also had a tough time limiting the pass as they permitted 279 yards/contest. With just five starters coming back, it looks as if the Owls will once again give up over 30.0 points/game and give up close to 500 yards of total offense.
The defensive line will be the unit that loses a lot in player personnel, as they must find a fill-in for 2nd Team All-C-USA defensive end Scott Solomon, as well as both starting defensive tackles. While they return five of their top 8 from last season, none of those guys had more than a sack last year.
The linebacker spot should be much improved moving forward, as they return their top tackler in Cameron Nwosu. While they lose Justin Allen, they're expecting a big season out of former LSU transfer Kyle Prater. Also returning from a redshirt is Trey Briggs.
The Owls are one of the few programs who run a 4-2-5 scheme the great majority of the time. They fundamentally use what they call their KAT position as a third safety/linebacker. The Owls have fought against the pass in recent years, but they ought to improve despite losing 2 starters. They welcome back 2nd Team Freshman All-American corner Bryce Callahan, together with KAT Paul Porras and FS Corey Frazier.
Conference USA Prediction - 5th in the West
Unfortunately for the Owls, they simply do not have enough talent returning on both sides of the ball to be competitive in the extremely powerful West. Making things tougher for Rice is the indisputable fact that they have just three true home games. 2 of those home games are against major teams in SMU and Southern Miss. The only foes they can realistically beat is a home game against Marshall and a road game at Tulane.