Rice Football 2009: After best season in a generation, Owls bring plethora of questions in search of postseason repeat

By Meghan Hall and Jonathan Meyers     9/3/09 7:00pm

Last season, Rice's football team reached its highest high since the days of Eisenhower and leather helmets. Everyone knows the list of accomplishments: the second bowl game in three years; the first bowl victory in over 50 years, coming only three miles from campus; a pair of talents drafted into the NFL, one to Jacksonville and one to Houston. It was a magical season. No one is debating that. But that was then. As the 2009 season beckons, the questions swirling around the team are too numerous to count. Graduation wreaked havoc on the team, and the Owls are more untested as it has been in the last four years, especially on offense. The defenses' eight returning starters are comforting, but Rice has had more than its fair share of struggles on that side of the ball. Nonetheless, Conference USA, without a clearcut favorite, looks to be open to whoever wants the title the most. Here, in a position-by-position breakdown, are the reasons Rice might just make it back to the postseason.

Offensive line

The stabilizing force of the front line will be junior left tackle Scott Mitchell, whose 18 consecutive starts are the most by an Owl on the offensive line. And in 2009, his experience will be sorely needed: With the loss of three graduating seniors, this year's offensive line has a lot to prove.

---

---

"We're young on offense," Head Coach David Bailiff said. "We've got to grow up in a hurry."

Redshirt sophomore Jake Hicks brings some experience after starting 10 of 13 games last year. He split time in 2008 with fellow redshirt sophomore Tyler Parish, who should pick up more playing time this year. Redshirt senior Travis Mason also looks to gain a starting role after three years as a reserve.

The task of protecting the QB falls on the shoulders of a large group. Hicks, Mason, Mitchell and Parish average 288 lbs., seven more than last year. Thus, the team will be looking for size to help overcome the lack of experience the line has in playing together.

Running backs

Changes abound throughout most of Rice's offense, and the running backs are no exception. In good news, there is definite depth.

Redshirt sophomore Tyler Smith has the starting advantage right now. He saw action in five games in 2007 but in November of that year needed major knee surgery, earning him a redshirt year in 2008.

"That was a catastrophic knee injury where we thought at one point his career may have been over, and here he is starting," Bailiff said. "He's probably the greatest kid on the planet, because all he ever does is work hard and smile. That's what he did. He had a great attitude and worked through that injury and here he is back and starting and all his dreams are coming true. He's got some gears, some moves, some great vision, and we're really excited he's here."

Behind Smith sits redshirt freshman Shane Turner - who played in the first two games of 2008 before suffering a shoulder injury and sitting out the rest of the year - true freshman Charles Ross and seniors Jeramy Goodson and Marcus Knox.

Goodson will draw on the limited experience he gained last year as he fights for a running back role. After two catches for 14 yards in 2007, Goodson earned playing time in nine games last year. His best performance came in the Texas Bowl, where he accumulated 36 total yards.

Meanwhile, Knox brings four previous years of playing time. He started the season in 2005 but was shut down after only three games due to injury. After spending 2006 as a solely special teams player, Knox returned to the offense in 2007, where he picked up 105 total yards and scored his first touchdown against Houston.

Despite missing the last five games of the season after an injury, his teammates voted him the winner of the Billy Ed Daniels Award as the player who best exhibits the qualities wanted in a teammate. He was rewarded in 2008 by being named captain of special teams, along with his role of backup running back in the early part of the season.

Wide receivers

Senior Toren Dixon looks to receive the bulk of the receiving duties. Overshadowed by the unreal production of Jarett Dillard, Dixon is a talent in his own right: Currently ranked eighth on the all-time Owls career receptions list, he played last year behind Dillard and Casey - Nos. 1 and 3 on that list, respectively. He enjoyed ample playing time in 2007 and 2008, accumulating 1,096 yards and 10 touchdowns and looks to build upon those numbers this year.

Redshirt junior Patrick Randolph also figures to get playing time as a wide receiver after impressing the staff during camp.

"I think Patrick Randolph has had the best camp maybe of any receiver we've had," Bailiff said.

Randolph, who redshirted his first year at Rice, played in a handful of games in 2007 and started strong in 2008 before an ankle injury limited his playing time.

Seniors Corbin Smiter and Taylor Wardlow will also no doubt factor into Bailiff 's plans. Smiter started playing as a true freshman in 2006 and then was hampered by a foot injury for most of 2007. He was fourth on the team with 30 receptions in 2008 and led the team with a 16.2 yards per catch average.

Tight end Wardlow brings three years of experience, and after backing up Casey last year has been named the starting tight end. He picked up 93 yards receiving last year on nine catches, including two touchdowns against the University of Houston.

"You look at Toren Dixon, he caught 50 balls last year, [and] Corbin Smiter caught 30," Bailiff said. "We have talent, we've just got to get everyone on the same page at the same time and be able to play at game speed."

Quarterback

Turning to the quarterback position, it is clear from Bailiff 's announcement that fifth-year senior John Thomas Shepherd and sophomore Nick Fanuzzi would be named co-starters for tomorrow's game against the University of Alabama at Birmingham that much has yet to be decided at the position. Chase Clement, who graduated last season, left the campus with dozens of passing records in his pocket, and his presence will be sorely missed.

Nonetheless, the options Bailiff is presented with have not shied from the challenge. Fanuzzi, a heralded transfer from the University of Alabama, left high school as the 32nd-ranked high school quarterback, according to Scout.com. Meanwhile, Shepherd has proved to be a solid backup to Clement, filling in the gaps when the latter went down with a handful of injuries.

Despite having never tossed a touchdown in his career, Shepherd was confident that he would be able to make the most of whatever playing time he received Saturday.

"I've been named the co-starter, not 'the guy' per se, but every opportunity I get I hope to play well and lead the team to points," Shepherd said. "You have to go out there and take what the defense gives you, and you can't look to make a big play every play, because that's how you turn the ball over."

It is thought that a full-time starter will eventually be named within the first few games of the season, but for now, both candidates are solely interested in improving upon their faults and making sure that they make the most of whatever opportunities that they are given.

Shepherd said he felt he had done well so far in practice and would be able to continue that performance throughout the season.

"I feel like I've had a good fall camp," he said. "Coming out of spring, the coaches wanted me to take more shots downfield, and I've done that this fall. They want a guy who's going to keep us out of bad plays."

Shepherd is also aided by his experience with the team and familiarity with the system and said he is looking forward to keeping the high expectations set forward by last year's squad.

"It has helped having experience, being my third year in the offense," Shepherd said. "I'm knowing the ins and outs of things. There's a lot of guys I was on the second team with and now we're on the first team. Everyone keeps talking about losing Chase, James [Casey] and Jarett, but we've got a lot of guys looking to fill that role. There are a lot of young guys that are ready to get in there, and our defense is returning a lot of exper ienced guys. We expect to go to a bowl game."

Regardless of the eventual outcome of the QB race, it will be beneficial to have both competitors get invaluable game experience tomorrow.

First line of defense

Moving on to the defensive line, a unit that was hurt by injuries to senior defensive tackle Chance Talbert in the spring and sophomore Michael Smith last fall, where the Owls return almost all of their contributors from last spring, save for Arnaud Gascon- Nadon, a member of the C-USA All- Freshmen squad, who left school. The defensive ends will be anchored by juniors Scott Solomon and Cheta Ozougwu, who led the defensive line with 38 tackles last year, while Solomon was Honorable Mention C-USA last season.

Holding down the interior will be sophomore nose guard John Gioffre and Smith at defensive tackle, both of whom started one game last season. Junior Kramer Lucio and redshirt freshman Jared Williams, who has been moved from linebacker to defensive end a few times in his short career, will provide depth at the ends, while sophomore Brian Stacey and true freshman Alex Lowry will serve as the second string at the tackle and nose guard positions, respectively.

Secondary

Moving to another unit filled with experience, the Owls will rely on leadership from players in the secondary, most notably senior free safety Andrew Sendejo. Sendejo is Rice's active career leader in both tackles and interceptions and was named to the preseason All C-USA second team. Sendejo will team with junior strong safety Chris Jones, fourth on last year's team with 59 tackles, as well as sophomore safety Travis Bradshaw, who was a second-team Freshmen All-American last year. Returning at the cornerback positions are sophomores Jarrett Ben and Chris Jammer, who notably returned an interception for a game-winning touchdown in the waning moments of the game against the University of Memphis last year.

Special Teams

Lastly, the Owls return nearly all their contributors on special teams, with sophomore punter Kyle Martens, who was named to the C-USA All-Freshmen squad last season, leading the way. True freshman Chris Boswell, one of the top prep kickers in the nation last year, will handle kickoffs and field goals outside of 45 yards and longer, while senior Clark Fangmeier will handle PATs and short-to medium-distance field goals. Fangmeier needs only six PATs to set the C-USA record, and is on the Lou Groza Award Watch List for top kicker in the nation. Returning kicks will be freshman running back Charles Ross and redshirt freshman running back Shane Turner, both of whom add quickness and agility to the return game. Sendejo will continue to handle punt returns, a trend that began last year.

Twenty-positions, and a question at almost every one. As the season gets underway tomorrow, the coaching staff is hoping to have at least a few answered by game's end. And, by the end of the season, the Owls hope to make opponents forget Clement, Casey and Dillard, and instead remember Shepherd, Sendejo and Dixon.

---