Operation Sports Forums - View Single Post - The Years of Rice and Sugar: An NCAA 12 Alternate History Dynasty

mate04 · 08-05-2023, 11:53 PM

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Fall Camp and Preseason Outlook
Article By: Tommy Rustfield of HootOwlNetwork.com

With Joe Mothers's first fall camp underway as new head coach of the Rice Owls there is a lot to look upon for the coming 2011 season. First of all is the growing pains of the new offensive system that Mothers is installing. When asked about what his offensive will look like this fall, he's been quoted in an interview as saying to "...watch any Nebraska game from the 90s". While this scheme has been proven in the past, how well this system will translate to modern SWC football has yet to be determined. While culture takes time to build and have the athletes buy in, it seems like this new staff has brought new energy to the program. While the fruits of their labor might not pay off this season or the next, if the AD and the boosters stay patient then they might have a slightly successful few seasons on their hands compared to the last decade of failure.

Position Summaries

Quarterback: The QBs on this roster are all similar in talent but it's not the most impressive talent. Ryan Fields is the assumed leader of this group with seniority being his main advantage. The lack of impressiveness of others at his position and the fact that he's probably the fastest QB they got will probably give him the week 1 start.

Running back: Ryan Wise is probably the only bright spot in a rather bleak RB room and offense for that matter. The 6'0 200lbs redshirt Junior is built like a receiver and can catch the ball like one too. He has solid speed and great acceleration with the only thing preventing him from playing for a bigger school is his field awareness. Wise will be this team's workhorse back because the guys that will be spelling in for him won't be doing much.

Fullback: You can't have the Nebraska I-Bone style without the fullback. Over Coach Mother's tenure this group will fill up but all they have right now is Sophomore Ty Luke. Junior TE Ken McKinney will also be seeing some time at that position for a more athletic weapon at that spot, but Luke is seen as the better blocker which means he will get the majority of snaps.

Wide Receiver: Only 4 WRs will see time this year if all goes to plan. Any other program would be holding walk-on tryouts to fill the empty spots, but the new run centric and 21/12 personnel-based system is allowing Rice to get away with the low number this year until they can fill the ranks in the upcoming recruiting class. Not one of the eligible WRs have been able to prove that they deserve a starting spot, letting this battle come down to the smallest of things. Junior Antonio Barnes and Senior Justin Harris have impressed coaches the most with their blocking abilities standing tall above that of the other two receivers. While I would love to see a WR earn his job for his playmaking ability, with this level of talent what will earn the starting jobs this year will be run blocking talent.

Tight End: Junior Dan Patrick will be the man heading this TE squad this coming season. Standing at 6'5, Patrick has nice hands and blocking ability that will be of great use to this offense. These abilities earned him Preseason 2nd Team All-Conference. As talked about for the FBs, Ken McKinney's so-so blocking ability might have this team stick to personnel groupings that wont require more than one TE.

Offensive Line: The OL this year brings some surprising promise. While power conference wise, below average, this is an old and experienced squad. This line is very run blocking focused and have just lucked their way into a very run focused system. Junior C Logan Watkins and Senior RG George McNair earned 1st and 2nd Team All-Conference respectively. But once this senior class leaves new talent will have to be brought in at these positions because as it stands now this bench is terrible.

Defensive Line: The 4 men that will be playing D-Line are in for quite the tough season. Varied in age and overall low in talent, when you look at this schedule, you'll have to highlight the team that WON'T run all over this line instead of the vice versa.

Linebackers: The LBs don't fair much better in terms of ability. This group is lead by Senior MLB Jason Lowe who will be flanked by Junior Rashaad Bradley and Sophomore Vincent Thomas at the OLB positions. The backers represent the overall summary of this team... undertalented and urgently needing new guys.

Defensive Backs: To defend against the offensive powers of the SWC the DB group is probably the best thing Rice has to throw at them. Corners are headlined by Senior Cam Fellows who earned 1st Team All-Conference honors. He's the slowest of the starting cornerbacks but makes up for it with his 6'1 frame and solid technique. Senior Darrius Wilson will be the starting FS for the Owls this year and is another DB with length and surprisingly good athleticism. At the SS spots in this 4-2-5 system we have Junior Donald Johnson who's pretty much a carbon copy of his FS counterpart. His partner in crime will be Senior Jeff Richardson who is quite lack luster compared to the other safeties.

Special Teams: Senior Jon Kerr will bring consistent punting to a team that will probably do a lot of it. Kicker Sophomore Brian Duncan is young and will probably not be nailing anything beyond 45 yards, but he could be a solid player at that spot for his remaining years here. Ryan Wise will take on the return duties for the Owls, while not named to 1st team All-Conference for RB he did earn it for Returner.

Around the Conference

The SWC will look to be a four-way scrap for the top spot between #9 A&M, #14 TCU, #18 Arky, and #22 Texas. One team I personally think could be a sleeper is SMU who is projected 8th despite having a solid squad on paper. Rice is projected 9th, only in front of the boys from Denton of North Texas. While no big hopes this year for the Owls perhaps we can play spoiler for a team or two. My recommendation for Rice fans this year is maintain hope for the future and enjoy watching Ryan Wise carry this team.

08-05-2023, 11:53 PM	#2
mate04 Rookie OVR: 0 Join Date: Dec 2018	Re: The Years of Rice and Sugar: An NCAA 12 Alternate History Dynasty 20230806_003501138_iOS.jpg Fall Camp and Preseason Outlook Article By: Tommy Rustfield of HootOwlNetwork.com With Joe Mothers's first fall camp underway as new head coach of the Rice Owls there is a lot to look upon for the coming 2011 season. First of all is the growing pains of the new offensive system that Mothers is installing. When asked about what his offensive will look like this fall, he's been quoted in an interview as saying to "...watch any Nebraska game from the 90s". While this scheme has been proven in the past, how well this system will translate to modern SWC football has yet to be determined. While culture takes time to build and have the athletes buy in, it seems like this new staff has brought new energy to the program. While the fruits of their labor might not pay off this season or the next, if the AD and the boosters stay patient then they might have a slightly successful few seasons on their hands compared to the last decade of failure. Position Summaries Quarterback: The QBs on this roster are all similar in talent but it's not the most impressive talent. Ryan Fields is the assumed leader of this group with seniority being his main advantage. The lack of impressiveness of others at his position and the fact that he's probably the fastest QB they got will probably give him the week 1 start. Running back: Ryan Wise is probably the only bright spot in a rather bleak RB room and offense for that matter. The 6'0 200lbs redshirt Junior is built like a receiver and can catch the ball like one too. He has solid speed and great acceleration with the only thing preventing him from playing for a bigger school is his field awareness. Wise will be this team's workhorse back because the guys that will be spelling in for him won't be doing much. Fullback: You can't have the Nebraska I-Bone style without the fullback. Over Coach Mother's tenure this group will fill up but all they have right now is Sophomore Ty Luke. Junior TE Ken McKinney will also be seeing some time at that position for a more athletic weapon at that spot, but Luke is seen as the better blocker which means he will get the majority of snaps. Wide Receiver: Only 4 WRs will see time this year if all goes to plan. Any other program would be holding walk-on tryouts to fill the empty spots, but the new run centric and 21/12 personnel-based system is allowing Rice to get away with the low number this year until they can fill the ranks in the upcoming recruiting class. Not one of the eligible WRs have been able to prove that they deserve a starting spot, letting this battle come down to the smallest of things. Junior Antonio Barnes and Senior Justin Harris have impressed coaches the most with their blocking abilities standing tall above that of the other two receivers. While I would love to see a WR earn his job for his playmaking ability, with this level of talent what will earn the starting jobs this year will be run blocking talent. Tight End: Junior Dan Patrick will be the man heading this TE squad this coming season. Standing at 6'5, Patrick has nice hands and blocking ability that will be of great use to this offense. These abilities earned him Preseason 2nd Team All-Conference. As talked about for the FBs, Ken McKinney's so-so blocking ability might have this team stick to personnel groupings that wont require more than one TE. Offensive Line: The OL this year brings some surprising promise. While power conference wise, below average, this is an old and experienced squad. This line is very run blocking focused and have just lucked their way into a very run focused system. Junior C Logan Watkins and Senior RG George McNair earned 1st and 2nd Team All-Conference respectively. But once this senior class leaves new talent will have to be brought in at these positions because as it stands now this bench is terrible. Defensive Line: The 4 men that will be playing D-Line are in for quite the tough season. Varied in age and overall low in talent, when you look at this schedule, you'll have to highlight the team that WON'T run all over this line instead of the vice versa. Linebackers: The LBs don't fair much better in terms of ability. This group is lead by Senior MLB Jason Lowe who will be flanked by Junior Rashaad Bradley and Sophomore Vincent Thomas at the OLB positions. The backers represent the overall summary of this team... undertalented and urgently needing new guys. Defensive Backs: To defend against the offensive powers of the SWC the DB group is probably the best thing Rice has to throw at them. Corners are headlined by Senior Cam Fellows who earned 1st Team All-Conference honors. He's the slowest of the starting cornerbacks but makes up for it with his 6'1 frame and solid technique. Senior Darrius Wilson will be the starting FS for the Owls this year and is another DB with length and surprisingly good athleticism. At the SS spots in this 4-2-5 system we have Junior Donald Johnson who's pretty much a carbon copy of his FS counterpart. His partner in crime will be Senior Jeff Richardson who is quite lack luster compared to the other safeties. Special Teams: Senior Jon Kerr will bring consistent punting to a team that will probably do a lot of it. Kicker Sophomore Brian Duncan is young and will probably not be nailing anything beyond 45 yards, but he could be a solid player at that spot for his remaining years here. Ryan Wise will take on the return duties for the Owls, while not named to 1st team All-Conference for RB he did earn it for Returner. Around the Conference The SWC will look to be a four-way scrap for the top spot between #9 A&M, #14 TCU, #18 Arky, and #22 Texas. One team I personally think could be a sleeper is SMU who is projected 8th despite having a solid squad on paper. Rice is projected 9th, only in front of the boys from Denton of North Texas. While no big hopes this year for the Owls perhaps we can play spoiler for a team or two. My recommendation for Rice fans this year is maintain hope for the future and enjoy watching Ryan Wise carry this team.