Football looks to maintain forward progress in 2024
Francesca Nemati / Thresher
Rice football players line up during last year’s home game against the University of Houston. This year’s first home game will be against Sam Houston State University on Aug. 31 at 6 p.m.
“Forward progress” is a football term that refers to the distance a player advances forward while possessing the ball. Once a player’s momentum has been impeded and they are tackled backward, their forward progress is deemed to have stopped and the ball is spotted at that point on the field.
But forward progress could take on an alternate meaning in Houston this fall as Rice Football embarks on a 12-game schedule.
The Owls’ year-by-year winning percentage has increased every season since Mike Bloomgren took the head coaching job in 2017 (excluding the 2020 season when the season was condensed to five games due to COVID-19).
Rice went 2-11 in Bloomgren’s first year at the helm. Fast forward to 2023 and the Owls finished with a 6-6 record. With an 0.500 finish, Rice clinched a bowl game for the second consecutive season. However, unlike the 2022 team, the 2023 Owls secured the additional contest based on their record alone, rather than academic merit.
Now, with Bloomgren entering his seventh season as head coach, the program reaches a pivotal point. Will the Owls improve their win total yet again, or will forward progress be halted?
Additions and subtractions headlined a busy offseason for Rice ahead of its second season in the American Athletic Conference. The Owls enter 2024 without impactful players like quarterback J.T. Daniels (retired), wide receiver Luke McCaffrey (drafted) and defensive end Coleman Coco (graduated).
Rice was busy in the transfer portal, with its biggest commitment coming from junior quarterback E.J. Warner. The son of NFL legend Kurt Warner transferred from intra-conference opponent Temple University. The younger Warner completed 57.5 % of his passes for 3,076 yards, 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season in the AAC.
Other notable transfers include redshirt junior defensive end Michael Daley (from Brigham Young University) and sophomore punter Alex Bacchetta (from Penn State University) who joined the Owls in the spring semester, and versatile graduate offensive lineman Chad Lindberg (from the University of Georgia) .
Bloomgren previously expressed his belief that joining the AAC gave Rice a boost in the recruiting process.
“I don’t know if we could have got in these conversations [with recruits] before the AAC,” Bloomgren said.
Bloomgren added that the Owls played nine games on national television last year, so the additional exposure across the country helped introduce Rice to potential transfers and high school recruits.
“You just talk about how much more cache that is, playing teams that people know,” he said. “That just makes us a lot more attractive to a recruit.”
However, the transfer portal can hurt a program as well. Cornerback Tre’Shon Devones transferred to Duke University after a standout season with the Owls in which he registered 45 tackles, two interceptions and 11 passes defended. Defensive lineman De’Braylon Carroll departed for Texas Tech University after tallying 47 tackles, nine tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in his final season at Rice. Cornerback Jordan Dunbar made 55 tackles between 2021 and 2022, redshirted last year and has since transferred to Kansas State University.
Rice welcomes back many returning players on all sides of the ball, including senior running back Dean Connors and redshirt senior outside linebacker Josh Pearcy. Both players were recognized among Dave Campbell’s Texas Football’s 50 Most Important Players in Texas College Football. Warner also made the list.
Connors led the Owls’ backfield in 2023, tallying 771 rushing yards, 403 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He showed poise as a runner, receiver and blocker, making him a strong candidate to play all three downs this upcoming season.
Pearcy has missed just one game over the last three seasons, making 152 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks along the way. He registered one forced fumble in each of those three campaigns.
The offense will also try to replace McCaffrey at wide receiver. Redshirt sophomore Rawson MacNeill, sophomore Landon Ransom-Goelz and senior Kobie Campbell are candidates to lead that effort. The passing attack will also funnel through senior tight end Boden Groen.
Defensively, Pearcy and redshirt sophomore Izeya Floyd will make a big impact up front while redshirt seniors Chris Conti and Myron Morrison anchor the linebacking core. Redshirt junior Plae Wyatt, senior Gabe Taylor and versatile senior Sean Fresch will headline the defensive backs.
Special teams was one of Rice’s biggest weaknesses in 2023. Punter Conor Hunt’s 35.9 net yards per kick was the 11th-lowest among all FBS punters (minimum 20 attempts). Primary kicker Tim Horn made just eight of 12 field goal attempts, which ranked 20th-worst among all FBS kickers (minimum 10 attempts). Job security may be at an all-time low for Hunt and Horn as they face competition from Bacchetta and redshirt sophomore Enock Gota, respectively.
A long offseason of recruiting, practice and preparation will come to an end when the Owls open up their season with a home game against non-conference opponent Sam Houston State University.
The Sam Houston Bearkats had one of the worst offenses in Conference USA last year but could improve in 2024 after upgrading at quarterback and returning several offensive linemen to bolster their running game.
The Bearkats had a stout defensive line last season but could take a step back in 2024 with new faces tasked to take on larger roles. The linebacking core has plenty of experience and could prove to be the strength of Sam Houston’s defense, provided they’re not stretched thin helping out the defensive line.
Rice’s clash with Sam Houston kicks off on Saturday, Aug. 31, at 6 p.m. on ESPN+. Rice will enter as 10-point favorites, according to DraftKings.
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