A look at the schools that are overlooked by the ESPNs of the world.


Friday, June 8, 2012

Fall Previews: Rice

Fall Preview for the Rice Owls:

QB
#16 McHargue, Taylor 6-1/205 QB RS JR Cedar Park/Vista Ridge--9 games played, 7 starts. 100-174 for 1072 yards and 8 TD.
#17 Poynter, Michael 6-1/195 QB RS JR Arlington/Lamar--No stats in 2011.
#14 Billups, Guy 6-0/180 QB RS FR Oxford, Miss./Oxford--Redshirted in 2011.
#06 Jackson, Driphus 6-0/200 QB RS FR Cedar Hill/Cedar Hill--Redshirted in 2011.
#?? Tyler Stehling QB Klein, TX Klein Collins 6'6" 203--Incoming freshman.

Junior Taylor McHargue came on in 2011 completing 57.5% of his passes for over 1000 yards in 9 games played in 2011. He is the only remaining quarterback with any experience and looks to lead the Owl offense into a good 2012 season. Junior Michael Poynter and redshirt freshman Guy Billups and Driphus Jackson all look to fight for the backup spot with Poynter having the lead in the competition.

RB
#18 Petersen, Turner 6-2/220 RB RS JR Oklahoma City, Okla./Heritage Hall--12 games played, 1 start. 102 carries for 485 yards and 5 TD. 7-11 passing for 74 yards. 7 catches for 118 yards.
#02 McGuffie, Sam 5-10/200 RB RS SR Cypress/Michigan--7 games played, 2 starts. 38 carries for 158 yards and 1 TD. 1-1 passing for 15 yards. 9 catches for 72 yards and 1 TD. 3 kickoff returns for 18.8 yard average.
#30 Eddington, Jeremy 6-2/230 RB JR Paris/Chisum--12 games played, 1 start. 25 carries for 62 yards and 2 TD. 5 catches for 34 yards. 21 kickoff returns for 20.7 yard average.
#28 Ross, Charles 6-1/230 RB RS JR Schertz/Samuel Clemens--4 games played. 12 carries for 49 yards. 3 catches for 50 yards. 8 kickoff returns for 22.1 yard average.
#31 Jackson, Broderick 5-10/210 RB RS JR Kirbyville/Tyler JC--No stats in 2011.
#23 Carter, Jayson 4-9/135 RB FR Houston/KIPP Houston--Redshirted in 2011.
#?? Brandon Hamilton RB Copperas Cove, TX Copperas Cove 5'11" 214--Incoming freshman.

The Owls look to improve a lacking running game from 2011 that didn't really see anyone step up and become the man running the football. Junior Turner Peterson is the leading returning rusher with 485 yards on the ground and 5 touchdowns. Senior Sam McGuffie (158 yards), junior Jeremy Eddington (62 yards), and junior Charles Ross (49 yards) all contributed and look to add more in the running back rotation for the Owls in 2012. Redshirt freshman Jayson Carter could come in and steal some carries after being redshirted in 2011.

TE
#82 Willson, Luke 6-5/250 TE RS SR LaSalle, Ontario, Canada/St. Thomas of Villanova--11 games played, 9 starts. 29 catches for 313 yards and 3 TD.
#03 Cook, Taylor 6-7/255 TE RS SR Eagle Lake, Texas/Miami--12 games played, 3 starts. 8 catches for 133 yards.
#48 Farley, Tanyan 6-2/230 TE RS SO Arvada, Colorado/Ralston Valley--No stats in 2011.
#45 Jones, Trevor 6-5/240 TE RS SO Prosper/Prosper--1 game played. No stats in 2011.
#?? Connor Cella TE Katy, TX James E. Taylor 6'3" 245--Incoming freshman.
#?? Reid Mitchell TE Pflugerville, TX Hendrickson 6'3" 233--Incoming freshman.

The tight end spot looks to be dominated by the Willson and Cook show. Combined, the two tight ends started all 12 games and had 37 catches for almost 450 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2011. Look for  the two to get a majority of the playing time although Farley and Jones need to step up and give Willson and Cook a rest.

WR
#88 McDonald, Vance 6-5/260 WR SR Winnie/East Chambers--12 games played, 11 starts. 1 carry for 13 yards. 43 catches for 532 yards and 5 TD.
#85 Hull, Mario 6-1/205 WR RS SO Altair/Rice Consolidated--12 games played, 2 starts. 1 carry for -11 yards. 17 catches for 181 yards. 16 punt returns for 10.2 yard average. 3 kickoff returns for 24.7 yard average.
#81 Moore, Donte 6-0/180 WR RS JR Manor/Manor--11 games played, 8 starts. 13 catches for 109 yards and 1 TD. 1 kickoff return for 8 yards.
#15 Taylor, Jordan 6-5/210 WR RS SO Denison/Denison--5 games played. 10 catches for 72 yards and 2 TD. 2-2 passing for 77 yards.
#84 Kubiak, Klein 6-1/195 WR JR Houston/Strake Jesuit--12 games played. 4 catches for 35 yards.
#83 Gautreaux, Andre 6-0/195 WR RS JR Friendswood/Friendswood--11 games played, 4 starts. 2 carries for 39 yards. 14 catches for 177 yards and 1 TD. 5 kickoff returns for 16.6 yard average.
#89 Fletcher, Christian 6-2/215 WR RS SO Fort Worth/Trinity Valley--2 games played.
#05 Gibson, Lovett 6-2/195 WR RS FR Cedar Hill/Cedar Hill--Redshirted in 2011.
#80 Peterson, Grant 6-6/230 WR RS FR Austin/Westwood--Redshirted in 2011.
#12 Walker, J.J. 6-0/170 WR RS FR Linden/Linden-Kildare--Redshirted in 2011.
#?? Andre Anderson WR Cedar Hill, TX Cedar Hill 5'11" 191--Incoming freshman.
#?? Dennis Parks WR Converse, TX Judson 6'2" 183--Incoming freshman.

The Rice wide receivers look to improve on a 2011 season that was good but not great. Senior Vance McDonald (43 catches) and sophomore Mario Hull (17 catches must combine for closer to 90 catches than the 60 they combined for in 2011. The receiving corps as a whole has only has a combined 101 catches spread throughout 6 players, so there is a good chance for one of the 5 redshirt or true freshmen to make an impact.

OL
79 Hodde, Jon 6-7/300 LT RS JR Burton/Burton--4 games played, 4 starts.
72 Gray, Ian 6-8/320 LG RS SO Pearland/Pearland--9 games played, 1 start.
76 Carroll, Drew 6-4/280 RG RS SO Abilene/Abilene--12 games played, 10 starts.
75 Warren, Justin 6-3/295 RT RS SO San Antonio/Roosevelt--2 games played.
53 Richards, Nate 6-4/305 C RS JR Keller/Trinity Valley CC--No stats in 2011.
55 Carlson, Nico 6-3/270 OL RS SO Katy/Taylor--8 games played. 1 tackle.
70 Janisch, Bobby 6-5/295 OL RS JR Houston/Jersey Village--No stats in 2011.
60 Simonette, Matt 6-2/300 OL RS SO Bellaire/Bellaire--1 game played.
73 Poehlmann, John 6-5/265 OL RS FR Brenham/Brenham--Redshirted in 2011.
77 Reue, Andrew 6-5/280 OL RS FR Austin/St. Michaels Academy--Redshirted in 2011.
74 Williams, Caleb 6-3/275 OL RS FR Thompsons/Terry--Redshirted in 2011.
65 Wofford, Matt 6-7/300 OL RS FR Cedar Park/Cedar Park--Redshirted in 2011.
#?? Connor Patterson OL Tomball, TX Tomball 6'4" 287--Incoming freshman.
#?? Brandon Dawkins OL Plano, TX Prestonwood Christian Academy 6'6" 305--Incoming freshman.
#?? Nate Richards OL Athens, TX Trinity Valley C.C. 6'4" 305--Incoming freshman.
#?? Spencer Stanley OL Fort Worth, TX Trinity Valley School 6'4" 261--Incoming freshman.

With a combined 15 starts among the returning offensive linemen, Rice may struggle in the trenches this fall. Sophomore Drew Carroll is the leader with 10 starts as a redshirt freshman in 2011 and looking to add to that total in 2012. Junior Jon Hodde and sophomore Ian Gray combine for the other 5 starts and looked to be entrenched into the starting lineup this fall. Justin Warren and Nate Richards look to round out the line although there are 4 redshirt freshmen waiting for playing time and could jump Warren or Richards and start this fall.

DL
#97 Williams, Jared 6-2/250 DE RS SR Huntsville/Huntsville--12 games played, 11 starts. 35 tackles, 6 for loss. 1 sack, 1 interception, 1 pbu, 2 pd. 1 defensive touchdown.
#98 Thomas, Jamael 6-/270 DT RS SR Huntsville/Huntsville--11 games played. 7 tackles, 2 for loss. 1 sack.
#91 Skinner, Josh 6-4/250 DE RS JR Silsbee/Silsbee--9 games played. 3 tackles.
#93 Shahin, Hosam 6-3/290 DT RS JR Richmond, British Columbia/Hugh Boyd Secondary--12 games played. 19 tackles, 2.5 for loss. 1 sack.
#96 Klare, Dylan 6-2/270 DE JR Refugio/Refugio--12 games played, 1 start. 19 tackles, 1 for loss. 1 fumble recovery.
#90 Bauer, Cody 6-4/255 DE RS JR Pottsboro/Pottsboro--No stats in 2011.
#17 Gillette, Trevor 6-3/235 DE JR Austin/Lake Travis--11 games played. 2 tackles. 1 fumble recovery.
#40 Patt, Zach 6-2/230 DE RS SO Honey Grove/Honey Grove--9 games played. 3 tackles. 2 forced fumbles.
#59 Kiesewetter, Bobby 6-1/245 DL RS JR Katy/Cinco Ranch--No stats in 2011.
#99 Winship, Ross 6-4/275 DL RS FR The Woodlands/Klein--Redshirted in 2011.
#92 Hooper, Edwin 6-4/225 DE RS FR Nash/Texarkana Texas--Redshirted in 2011.
#94 Lee, Miles 6-4/240 DE RS FR East Bernard/East Bernard--Redshirted in 2011.
#47 Nordstrom, Brian 6-2/225 DE RS FR The Woodlands/The Woodlands--Redshirted in 2011.
#95 Sam Jr., Michael 6-2/255 DE RS FR Houston/Strake Jesuit--Redshirted in 2011.
#56 Covington, Christian 6-3/290 DT RS FR Surrey, British Columbia/Vancouver College Prep--Redshirted in 2011.
#?? Cody Henessee DT Denton, TX Guyer 6'3" 263--Incoming freshman.
#?? David Wilganowski DE Bryan, TX Rudder 6'4" 238--Incoming freshman.

While low on starts, the Owl defensive line have several players that got in the rotation in 2011 and look to improve on their totals in 2012. Senior Jared Williams led the line with 35 tackles and a defensive touchdown. Senior Jamael Thomas and juniors Josh Skinner and Hosam Shahin round out the line with 29 combined tackles in 2011. Klare, Gillette, Patt and a group of 6 redshirt freshmen will battle to get in the rotation this fall with Klare the only guarantee.

LB
#34 Nwosu, Cameron 5-10/235 SLB JR Houston/Klein Forest--12 games played, 12 starts. 108 tackles, 6 for loss. 1 sack, 1 pbu, 2 fumble recoveries, 2 forced fumbles. 2 defensive touchdowns.
#42 Kutzler, Michael 6-0/205 LB RS JR Ft. Worth/Trinity Valley--9 games played. 4 tackles. 1 fumble recovery. 1 defensive touchdown.
#44 Prater, Kyle 6-1/230 LB RS SR Kerrville/LSU--12 games played. 19 tackles, 1 for loss.
#49 Briggs, Trey 6-1/235 SLB RS JR Houston/Jersey Village--No stats in 2011.
#10 Radcliffe, James 6-1/210 LB RS SO Katy/Cinco Ranch--9 games played. 2 tackles.
#35 Caswell, Trevor 6-0/200 LB RS FR Stony Point/Air Force--Redshirted in 2011.
#46 Elder, Nick 6-0/215 LB RS FR San Antonio/Central Catholic--Redshirted in 2011.
#?? Alex Lyons LB DeSoto, TX DeSoto 6'0" 220--Incoming freshman.
#?? Tabari McGaskey LB Dallas, TX Lincoln 6'0" 207--Incoming freshman.
#?? Derek Brown ATH Bay City, TX Bay City 6'3" 210--Incoming freshman.

Rice runs an interesting defense that only uses 2 linebackers that are led by junior SLB Cameron Nwosu who had 108 tackles and found the end zone on two occasions in 2011. Kutzler and Prater look to be the top candidates to join Nwosu on the field with Kutzler having the slight advantage. Radcliffe, Caswell, and Elder all look to earn playing time in the rotation or on special teams for the Owls this fall.

DB
#24 Porras, Paul 6-1/195 SS RS JR Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro--12 games played, 12 starts. 91 tackles, 5 for loss. 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 8 pbu, 2 forced fumbles.
#29 Callahan, Bryce 5-10/180 CB RS SO Cypress/Cy Woods--12 games played, 8 starts.4 punt returns for 8.5 yard average. 34 tackles, 2.5 for loss. 0.5 sacks, 6 interceptions, 9 pbu.
#20 Frazier, Corey 6-1/210 NB SR Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie--12 games played, 9 starts. 46 tackles, 3 for loss. 1 interception, 2 pbu, 1 fumble recovery.
#15 Gaines, Phillip 6-1/185 CB RS JR Converse/Judson--4 games played, 4 starts. 11 tackles, 2 for loss. 1 sack, 2 pbu.
#13 Leland, Tanner 6-2/220 FS RS JR Katy, Texas/Cinco Ranch--12 games played, 2 starts. 43 tackles. 2 pbu, 1 fumble recovery.
#25 Finner, Jaylon 5-10/195 DB SO Missouri City/Elkins--12 games played. 19 tackles. 1 pbu, 2 fumble recoveries.
#11 Hill, Malcolm 5-11/185 CB SO Plano/Frisco Liberty--12 games played. 9 tackles. 1 interception, 1 pbu.
#19 Francis, Alex 5-9/190 CB RS JR Missouri City/Hightower--10 games played. 4 tackles.
#27 Baker, Gabe 6-1/200 NB RS SO San Antonio/MacArthur--4 games played. 1 tackle.
#07 White, Julius 5-10/190 SAF SO Sugarland/Kempner--9 games played. 1 kickoff return for 20 yards. 3 tackles.
#12 Brackens, Andre 5-9/220 SAF RS JR Dallas/Parish Episcopal--5 games played. 3 kickoff returns for 19.7 yard average. 1 tackle.
#37 Travis, Drew 5-10/170 CB RS SO Pflugerville/Pflugerville--No stats in 2011.
#36 Jackson, Fred 5-10/190 DB RS FR Houston/Eisenhower--Redshirted in 2011.
#33 Laudenslager, Austin 6-0/195 SAF RS FR McKinney/North--Redshirted in 2011.
#?? John Blasingame DB Atlanta, GA Mays 5'9" 172--Incoming freshman.
#?? Justin Carter DB Birmingham, AL Spain Park 6'0" 190--Incoming freshman.
#?? Zach Espinosa DB Cedar Park, TX Cedar Park 6'2" 203--Incoming freshman.
#?? Garrett Fuhrman DB Lansing, MI Eastern High School 5'9" 170--Incoming freshman.
#?? Michael Warren DB Frankston, TX Frankston 5'10" 175--Incoming freshman.

The secondary is the most important area on defense for the Owls because of the implementation of a 4-2-5 defense that stays in nickel almost all the time. Junior strong safety Paul Porras led the secondary with 91 tackles followed by senior nickelback Corey Frazier (46 tackles) and junior free safety Tanner Leland (43 tackles). Those three will be definite starters for the Owls and look to be flanked by cornerbacks Callahan and Gaines who added a combined 45 tackles for the Rice defense. Others that will contribute in one way or another are Finner, Hill, Francis, Baker, White, Brackens, Jackson and Laudenslager.

K
#09 Boswell, Chris 6-2/210 K RS JR Keller/Fossil Ridge--12 games played. 17-21 field goals, 9-10 from inside the 40 yard line, long of 54 yards. 31-32 extra points. 59 kickoffs with 14 touchbacks. 1 tackles.
#22 Simms, Trevor 6-1/185 K RS FR Hurst/Liberty Christian--Redshirted in 2011.
#?? Cameron Decell K McKinney, TX McKinney Boyd 6'5" 207--Incoming freshman.

Junior Chris Boswell was a very impressive 17-21 on field goal attempts with only 1 miss coming from inside 40 yards. Boswell also made all but one extra point attempt and had an impressive 14 touchbacks on 59 kickoffs which will jump even high with the new kickoff rules.

P
#09 Boswell, Chris 6-2/210 K RS JR Keller/Fossil Ridge--12 games played. 1 punt for 38 yards with 1 punt landing inside the 20 yard line.
#32 Farrimond, James 6-0/205 K/P RS FR San Antonio/Churchill--Redshirted in 2011.

The punting game is a question mark as kicker Boswell is the only punter with any punts in 2011. Best case scenario is for redshirt freshman James Farrimond to take the punting job and take some pressure off of Boswell's leg in 2012.

ATH
#?? Darik Dillard ATH San Antonio, TX Macarthur 5'11" 191--Incoming freshman.
#?? Darrion Pollard ATH Gilmer, TX Gilmer 5'9" 175--Incoming freshman.
#?? Luke Turner ATH Gilmer, TX Gilmer 6'2" 212--Incoming freshman.


2012 looks to be an interesting season for Rice with a back seven on defense that is really their only experienced part of the offense or defense. The Owls have an up and down non conference schedule that could see them win 2 or possibly three non conference games with a home game versus UCLA, trips to Kansas and Louisiana Tech, and homecoming versus UTSA. The Owls only have one devastating in-conference game on the road with a trip to Tulsa and get Southern Miss, Houston, and SMU all at home. There are the ingredients for a 5 or 6 win season in 2012 although 4 wins are much more likely.

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