2021 record: 4-8 (+2 wins from 2020)

Texas Power Poll ranking: 11 of 12

THE GOOD

Rice was two wins away from a 6-6 record and a possible bowl invitation. The Owls lost two games – North Texas and Charlotte – on consecutive weeks starting on Oct. 30 with the defeat at home against the Mean Green. The Owls are right there under head coach Mike Bloomgren. Expecting Rice to compete for conference championship is a hard ask given its prowess as an academic institution with a small alumni base but reaching bowl games and pulling a few upsets are within reach for this Rice program once it learns how to consistently win close games. 

The four wins in 2021 is the most in his four-year tenure. Rice went 2-11 in his first year back in 2018. The group won three games in 2019 and were 2-3 in a pandemic-shortened 2020 season in which the Owls lost eight contests to cancellations. The 2021 season was a series of close calls and unfortunate events such as injuries and self-induced penalties. 

The best part of the 2021 season for Rice was the play of senior defensive lineman Elijah Garcia. He was a first-team All-Conference USA selection and was on the second-team All-State team put together by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. Garcia, a San Antonio native, recorded 67 tackles, five sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, and forced one fumble. Naeem Smith led the team with four interceptions. Antonio Montero and Ikeena Enechukwu tied for the team lead with nine tackles for loss. The two combined for seven sacks. 

The play of Jordan Myers was impressive. Listed as a tight end, Myers was third on the team with 351 rushing yards and fourth on the team with 27 receptions. He led the squad with eight rushing touchdowns. He and sophomore wide receiver Jake Bailey were the most consistent offensive players on the Owls’ roster. Bailey caught a team-high 56 passes for 714 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Rice only completed 205 passes in 2021. Bailey accounted for 27.3 percent of those completions. 

Running back Ari Broussard averaged 4.9 yards a carry, which was 1.1 yard more than the team’s average. Khalan Griffin, a freshman, rushed for 400 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 114 carries. Offensive linemen Shea Baker and Jovaun Woolford were named to the Conference USA honorable mention team. 

THE BAD

Rice was forced to start three different quarterbacks during the 2021 season due to injury. Wiley Green, who started the opener against Arkansas, played in four games. The sophomore completed a team-high 65.45 percent of his passes. Green passes for 414 yards and four touchdowns to three interceptions. Luke McCaffery, a transfer with high expectations and a famous last name, was disappointing in his nine appearances. He completed just 50 percent of his passes and threw four interceptions to just two touchdowns. 

Jake Constantine, a graduate student, was the most successful of the trio. He completed 61.7 percent of his passes for a team-high 1,622 yards, eight touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Rice only threw one more touchdown (16) than interceptions (15) as a team. 

The inconsistency at quarterback, and the inability to run the ball with much success, made it difficult on the Rice offense. The Owls averaged 21.5 points per game. As a team, Rice averaged 211.67 passing yards a game. Only three players caught more than 30 passes. Only one caught more than 50.

Penalties also hurt the Owls, which is counterintuitive considering the mental ability it takes to attend Rice as a student, much less a student-athlete. Rice committed 89 penalties over 12 games, which is 7.4 a game. The Owls were penalized an average of 63.67 yards in every outing during the 2021 season.   

THE UGLY

Rice allowed 36.17 points per game in 2021. The Owls shouldn’t be faulted for allowing 44 to Houston or 58 to Texas, but even conference opponents beat up on the Rice defense. UTSA scored 45. Western Kentucky scored 42. UTEP posted 38. The Owls gave up at least 30 points to their final seven opponents. The red zone defense was one of the main issues. Rice allowed opponents to score on 50 of their 59 trips to the red zone, and 41 of those scores were touchdowns. Conversely, Rice only made 38 trips to the opponent’s red zone, scoring on 28 of those possessions. 

The field goal kicking was also a point of concern. The Owls were 5 of 11 on field goals as a team. The kickers were only 2 of 8 beyond 40 yards with a long of 41 on the season. 

TEAM GRADES 

Quarterback: C

Running back: C+

Wide receiver/tight end: C

Offensive line: C

Defensive line: B-

Linebacker: C-

Cornerback: C-

Safety: C

BIGGEST OFFSEASON QUESTION

How does Rice sure up its defense? 

Recruiting offensive playmakers is a challenge for the Owls. Rice is rarely faulted for not fielding an explosive offense or averaging 30 points a game. But the defense should be sound. That wasn’t true in 2021. Rice was awful defensively, and that must change if the program wants to reach a bowl game in 2022. The defense allowed 6.7 yards per play compared to 5.3 by the Rice offense. Teams threw the ball for 273.83 yards a game and averaged 4.8 yards a rush. Those numbers must be lowered in the next campaign. 

WAY TOO EARLY 2022 OUTLOOK

There are pieces in place for Rice to improve on its four-win total from 2021 if the Owls can stay healthy at quarterback, play better defense, and commit fewer errors such as penalties and missed field goals. The Owls were two overtime losses away from six wins, so the group is close to breaking through. Green looked like a promising young quarterback in his four appearances. The running back duo of Broussard and Griffin should only improve. Bailey and Enechukwu are only sophomores. To reach six wins, Rice likely needs five conference wins because the out-of-conference schedule is tough. Rice opens the season with a trip to USC. The Owls also face Louisiana and Houston prior to C-USA play. The only winnable game prior to conference, at least on paper, is a home game against McNeese.