Rice Owls
Preview 2008 - Offense
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2008 CFN Rice Preview |
2008 Rice Offense
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2008 Rice Defense |
2008 Rice Depth
Chart
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2007 CFN Rice Preview |
2006 CFN
Rice Preview
What you need to know:
QB Chase
Clement is the catalyst of an offense that’s broken a slew of
school records over the last two seasons. A year ago, he led the
Owls in rushing as well as passing, accounting for 3,912 yards
and 37 touchdowns, showing a knack for elevating his play late
in games. The receiving corps will again give overmatched league
secondaries fits. Jarett Dillard was a Biletnikoff Award
finalist two years ago, and James Casey is a 23-year old former
professional baseball player who debuted with 46 receptions.
Bailiff’s quest to run the ball with more authority is a direct
challenge to a line that got routinely abused and is revamping
the left side.
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Returning
Leaders
Passing: Chase Clement
300-508, 3,377 yds, 29 TD, 16 INT
Rushing: Chase Clement
144 carries, 535 yds, 8 TD
Receiving: Jarett Dillard
79 catches, 1,057 yds, 14 TD
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Star
of the offense:
Senior WR Jarett Dillard
Player who has to step up and become a star: Sophomore LT
Scott Mitchell
Unsung star on the rise: Sophomore WR James Casey
Best pro prospect: Dillard
Top three all-star candidates: 1) Dillard 2) Senior QB
Chase Clement 3) Casey
Strength of the offense: The passing game, depth at
receiver
Weakness of the offense: The running game, line play
Quarterbacks
Projected Starter: Senior Chase Clement
won’t be high on any NFL draft boards next April. The Owls could
care less. They’re ecstatic to have him back in Houston for one
final season. He continued his demolition of the school record
books, going 300-of-508 for 3,377 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 16
interceptions, while adding another 535 yards and eight
touchdowns on the ground. At 6-1 and 215 pounds, he may lack the
ideal size and arm strength to make pro scouts gush, but he’s a
genuine dual-threat playmaker with a flare for the dramatic and
a knack for coming through in the clutch. Fewer forced passes
and turnovers are on his to-do list this fall.
Projected Top Reserves: Junior John Thomas
Shepherd will be Clement’s insurance policy for a second
straight season. In brief action a year ago, he appeared in two
games, completing 8-of-9 passes for 91 yards. A weaker facsimile
of Clement at 6-1 and 192 pounds, he, too, has limited arm
strength and moves well outside the pocket. He’ll use this
season as an audition for the 2009 job, holding off the true
freshmen from this year’s recruiting class.
Watch Out For…the Rice athletic department to
spend a few dollars on an ad hoc Heisman campaign as Clement
piles up numbers through the air and on the ground. The outlay
won’t bring back the hardware, naturally, but it will get the
senior some well-deserved national attention.
Strength: Clement. He can beat a defense a number
of different ways and is chock full of intangibles, like moxie,
leadership, and poise under pressure. In the new era of Owl
quarterbacks, he’ll be the standard by which future players are
judged.
Weakness: Turnovers. As bad as the Owl defense is,
the last thing it needs is to be off the sidelines too often or
trying to defend a short field. It’s up to Clement to protect
the ball, improve his reads, and cut down on last year’s 16
interceptions.
Outlook: Ever since Rice ditched the wishbone in
favor of the spread, Clement has flourished as the offensive
triggerman. He’ll rack up the numbers for a third straight year,
making good use of his quick feet and terrific corps of
receivers.
Rating: 7
Running Backs
Projected Starters: Although the Owls are a
pass-first team, moving the ball through the air would get a
whole lot easier if there was some semblance of a running game.
Rice averaged just 110 yards a game on the ground last year,
which was good for 103rd in the country. The
challenge of changing that trend falls on a quartet of runners
headed by 5-11, 213-pound junior C.J. Ugokwe. A physical,
north-south back, he ran for 263 yards and three scores on 64
carries and caught 16 passes before going down with an injury.
Healthy again, he was hitting the hole with authority in the
spring.
Projected Top Reserves: Sophomore Justin Hill
missed most of spring recovering from a shoulder injury, but
will get right back in the thick of the competition as soon as
he’s ready to go. The school’s leading returning running back,
he rushed for 321 yards and three touchdowns on 88 carries as a
true freshman. At 5-11 and 205 pounds, he’s a power back who can
slash in and out of tight spaces.
Lagging behind Ugokwe and Hill, but still in the picture, is
5-10, 202-pound Marcus Knox, who ran for 43 yards and a
touchdown on 13 carries, while contributing on special teams. A
former receiver, he has the breakaway ability and explosiveness
that the other contenders lack.
Watch Out For… junior Jeramy Goodson. The
wild card in the picture, Goodson made a smooth transition from
wide receiver in the spring. While only 5-9 and 180 pounds, he
showed the burst and wiggle the running game has been lacking
for years.
Strength: Power backs. If the Owls need to move
the pile in short yardage or near the goal line, they’ve got
three strong runners capable of delivering. Ugokwe, Hill, and
Knox are all at least 200 pounds, with the toughness to lower
their shoulder and drive for extra yards.
Weakness: Production. In their first opportunity
to replace former Owl Quinton Smith, the backs stumbled
miserably, failing to average more than four yards a carry or
produce a 400-yard rusher. If Rice needed a big run, it usually
kept the ball in the hands of QB Chase
Clement.
Outlook: While the backs aren’t as bad their
numbers, they’re also not dynamic enough to overcome an
offensive line that struggles badly in run blocking. No one
stands out in the group, raising the likelihood that a committee
will be utilized and no one back will rush for more than 500
yards for the season.
Rating: 4.5
Receivers
Projected Starters: When Chase Clement drops back
to pass, he’ll recognize plenty of familiar faces that comprise
a dynamite corps of receivers. The ringleader for a third and
final year will be 5-11, 190-pound senior Jarett Dillard,
one of the most explosive playmakers in the country. An
All-American and perennial contender for the Biletnikoff Award,
he has deep speed and the leaping ability to sky well above most
defenders. He’s developed quite a rapport with Clement over the
last two seasons, catching 170 passes for 2,304 yards and 35
touchdowns.
At the other outside receiver position will be junior Toren
Dixon, who took advantage of all the attention Dillard
received, finishing with 46 catches for 448 yards and five
touchdowns in his first full season of action. A physical 6-2,
208-pounder who uses his size as an advantage, he needs to
increase his production and start picking up more yards after
the catch.
The slot receivers in Rice’s four-wide sets will be 6-4,
245-pound sophomore James Casey at Y and 5-9, 185-pound
Tommy Henderson at the F position. Casey was one of the
program’s best stories of 2007, going from a minor league
baseball pitcher to one of the most versatile offensive weapons
on the roster. An outstanding all-around athlete, he did a
little bit of everything, eventually settling in at receiver and
catching 46 passes for 585 yards and four scores. Not to be
type-casted, he also ran for 121 yards and five touchdowns,
threw seven passes, and played some defensive end.
A reliable, scrappy option on dump-offs and short patterns,
Henderson is the least dangerous of the starting receivers.
Entering his fourth season as a starter, the converted
quarterback was fourth on the team a year ago with 36 catches
for 348 yards and three touchdowns.
Projected Top Reserves: Behind Casey at the Y is
Taylor Wardlow, a 6-6, 230-pound junior receiver with the
body of a tight end. He has good hands and considerable upside,
catching a career-high 13 passes last year for 156 yards and a
touchdown.
The Owls are intrigued by the potential of sophomore Pierre
Beasley, a terrific all-around athlete at 6-3 and 217 pounds
with the big hands needed to pull in tough catches. He learn
from Henderson in the slot for one more year before making a
serious challenge for a starting job in 2009. Rice has had
success converting quarterbacks to receiver, a trend that’ll
continue with this raw project.
The heir apparent to Dillard on the outside is 5-11, 170-pound
sophomore Patrick Randolph, a former defensive back still
adjusting to the offensive side of the ball. While he only
caught three pass for 51 yards, he has the game-breaking speed
to be a downfield threat once he gets more comfortable at the
position.
Watch Out For…this group to dominate Conference
USA secondaries on a weekly basis. Finally more than just
Dillard, the Owls can stretch defenses vertically and
horizontally with a deep and diverse ensemble of receivers.
Strength: Depth. While Dillard is the obvious
star, he now has a supporting cast that’ll make defenses rethink
doubling the All-American. Four returners caught at least 36
passes in 2007, and a third year removed from Ken Hatfield’s
wishbone has allowed the program to bolster the position through
recruiting.
Weakness: Consistency. Dillard aside, this group
will still flash signs of inexperience, running the wrong
routes, missing a block downfield, or dropping passes at
inopportune times. It’s not a glaring weakness, but it is
something the Owls would like to address this fall.
Outlook: With Clement pitching darts and Dillard
getting help from the likes of Dixon and Casey, Rice will be
home to one of the strongest receiving corps among non-BCS
programs. Casey, in particular, will be a monster in support,
eating up opposing linebackers on the underneath stuff.
Rating: 7
Offensive Line
Projected Starters: With three starters returning,
Rice is trying to patch together a line after struggling in all
facets a year ago. At center, the Owls welcome back 6-2,
275-pound senior Austin Wilkinson, who missed the latter
half of last season with mononucleosis. A fixture in the middle
over the last three seasons, he’s a heady blocker with a very
strong base, helping overcome modest size for an interior
blocker.
If Wilkinson isn’t the team’s best blocker, the honor goes to
6-4, 295-pound senior RG David Berken, a fourth-year
starter who graded out tops among the linemen in 2007. One of
the unquestioned leaders of the unit, he’ll remain at guard, but
has shown the versatility to play anywhere he’s needed
throughout his career.
On the other side of Berken at left guard is 6-3, 305-pound
senior Jimmy Miller, who slid in at center late last year
after Wilkinson went on the shelf. A seasoned veteran with three
letters and ample game experience, he won’t cower at the
prospect of being a full-time player.
Rice believes it has a building block at left tackle in 6-4,
270-pound sophomore Scott Mitchell. Shortly after
arriving, he became a regular, starting five games and earning a
spot on the Freshman All-Conference USA squad. Knowing that
Clement’s blindside is now his responsibility, he’s worked hard
in the offseason to add muscle and improve as a pass blocker.
With a strong showing in the spring, 6-4, 300-pound redshirt
freshman Tyler Parish has taken a lead in the race for
the right tackle job. One of the program’s top recruits from
2007, he already has the size and strength to compete at this
level, needing game reps to take the next step in his
maturation.
Projected Top Reserves: Parish’s chief competition
at right tackle is coming from 6-6, 290-pound junior Preston
Thompson. A seven-game starter last season, he lost ground
after sitting out the spring with an ankle injury. Like too many
of the Owls, his biggest priority will be to improve drastically
in pass protection.
Junior Travis Mason earned his first letter last year,
playing as a reserve on the offensive line and on special teams.
The 6-4, 280-pound former defensive lineman will back up Miller
at right guard, but can also play tackle if needed.
Watch Out For…a more bulked up offensive line. The
Owls have had a great offseason in the weight room, looking
considerably bigger and stronger than a year ago. The added
bulk
Strength: The interior. With Wilkinson at center
and Berken and Miller at guard, Rice has three seniors on the
inside with the experience and fundamentals to collectively form
an asset for the offense. Combined, the trio has nine letters
with the program.
Weakness: Run blocking. Pass protection hasn’t
been very good either, but the Owls were actually worse in run
blocking a year ago, rarely giving the backs any daylight or
room to make plays.
Outlook: The play of the offensive line has been
an on-going problem for the program that shows no signs of going
away, especially with a few new faces being broken in. Clement
and the backs will have to do a fair amount of improvising
because the support they get up front will again be sporadic and
inconsistent.
Rating: 4.5