Signing Day Haul Shows Incredible Potential
The enthusiasm in Coach David Bailiff's voice was readily apparent as he sang the praises of the newest 16 members of the Rice Owls football team, as well as when naming new members of the Owls coaching staff. An old and a new face, in addition to David Beaty and John Reagan, who will serve as offensive coordinator and run game coordinator respectively, will join the Owls coaching staff. Chase Clement, whose passing exploits at Rice Stadium have hardly faded from Owls' fans memories, will join the staff as an offensive graduate assistant working with the quarterbacks, while former NFL Pro Bowler David Sloan will also join the Owls as a graduate assistant.
However, the new recruiting class was the cause for ceremony today, as Bailiff commented upon his staff fulfilling their task of recruiting individuals that will contribute not only on the gridiron, but also in the lecture halls as well.
“Some of them can help us next season. Each year we complete our mission of recruiting young men that will win championships and graduate.”
All 15 recruits are from the Lone Star State, and seven are from the Houston area, once again highlighting the benefits of a having a head coach with excellent ties to high school coaches all across the state. Three defensive backs, two defensive linemen, two linebackers, three offensive linemen, a running back, two wide receivers, a tight end, and two athletes, one of which will get a shot at playing quarterback
The smallest player (but the most highly touted as well) on the list of new Rice Owls is Bryce Callahan, a 5-10, 170 pound defensive back from Cypress Woods High School in nearby Cypress. Callahan was named to the First Team 5A All-State team by the Associated Press, and has two all-district selections to his credit as well. In addition to an eye-popping 136 tackles and 8 interceptions as a senior, he also scored two offensive touchdowns, and averaged over 25 yards on punt returns, thus proving to be a viable candidate to replace senior Andrew Sendejo at punt returner. Callahan was also named Honorable Mention Academic All State.
Gabe Baker, a 6-2 200 pound safety from MacArthur High in San Antonio, was unanimously named to All District 26-5A team as a senior, posting 89 tackles and one interception. Baker also was an officer in the school's chapter of the National Honor Society and a Second Team Academic All State selection.
Nico Carlson, a 6-3 270 pound defensive tackle from Katy Taylor High in Katy, joins fellow Katy resident and Rice defensive tackle, sophomore John Gioffre, as the other state wrestling champion on the Owls squad. He was a unanimous All District 17-5A selection, collecting 54 tackles and two forced fumbles as a senior
Drew Carroll brings the experience of a state champion to South Main, as the 6-4 280 pound offensive lineman from Abilene High School was a captain on the Eagles as they took the 2009 5A Division II Championship. He also is Second Team Academic All State and a member of the National Honor Society.
Jeremy Eddington played quarterback for Chisum High in Paris, but his 1,650 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior have Bailiff convinced that he will be featured as a running back in the fall. Eddington was named District 12-2A MVP, also being named to the All Red River Valley as a 6-2, 215 pound defensive end. Was a class officer his first two years of high school in addition to lettering in track and basketball.
Andy Erickson brings winning experience as well, starring on three Lake Travis High School state champion teams as a wide receiver, scoring an incredible 41 touchdowns as a senior to go along with 2,730 all purpose yards. He was named to Dave Campbell's Texas Football's 2009 All Texas High School Team and was Central Texas Player of the Year.
Erickson's teammate, Trevor Gillette, was a late afternoon addition to the Owls' class, ranked as the number two deep snapper in the nation, while starring as a 6-3 215 pound tight end. Gillette waited until just after 5 PM to fax his Letter of Intent in to the Owls' staff.
The behemoth of the recruiting class is Ian Gray, a 6-8, 325 pound offensive lineman from Pearland High School. Named to the Academic All District Team, Gray also plays basketball (currently averaging 11 points and 15 rebounds) and track for the Oilers, named to the Houston Chronicle's Houston 100. Gray would be the largest player on both the University of Texas and the University of Alabama, the two teams that played for the 2009 national championship. Bailiff talked about getting a player of Gray's size.
“He’s down to 325 from running the basketball court. I think Ian’s upside is absolutely tremendous. He can sit in the middle of a Suburban and open both doors at the same time, that's how long his arms are.”
Mario Hull, a former teammate of current Owl QB Taylor Cook at Rice Consolidated High School, caught 11 touchdown passes as a senior to go with 1,077 receiving yards. Hull also lettered in basketball, baseball, track, and golf.
Fred Jackson, a 5-11, 188 pound defensive back from Eisenhower High in Houston was named to the All District 19-5A squad, and served as team captain while being named the 53rd best safety in the nation by Rivals.com Jackson also shines in the classroom as well, finishing in the top 5% of his class, while being named Second Team Academic All State.
Dylan Klare played linebacker at Refugio High in Refugio, but Coach Bailiff will put his 6-3, 250 pound frame to use at defensive end. Named by Dave Campbell's Texas Football as one of the top 20 defensive linemen in Texas, Klare was a two-time Honorable Mention All State Team member, in addition to his District MVP award as a junior, along with a defensive MVP as a senior, and a state powerlifting championship as a junior. Klare also brings excellent leadership qualities, serving as the Bobcats' team captain for three years. In addition to his athletic prowess, Klare brings an impressive academic resume to Rice, as he will graduate as the class valedictorian, along with serving as a member of his school's computer science team that finished second at the state competition. He joins fellow defensive linemen, freshman Alex Lowry, as the two state power lifting champs on the roster
Cameron Nwosu is a 5-10, 223 pound linebacker from Klein Forest High school in Klein. Breaking three helmets in games his senior season, Nwosu is a fierce tackler, tallying 113 his senior year and 306 in his three seasons. He was named Defensive Player of the Year and MVP of District 13-5A as well.
Zach Patt was what Coach Bailiff called "a piece of the puzzle". The 6-2, 212 pound athlete served as Honey Grove High School's running back for three years, and was a All District 11-2A selection all four years of high school. Patt also was Academic All District.
James Radcliffe comes from nearby Cinco Ranch High School in Katy. He was Defensive MVP as a junior and a two-time All District 17-5A selection, in addition to being first on career and single-season tackles in Cinco Ranch history. Radcliffe is also a three-time member of the All-District Academic team.
Jordan Taylor is a 6-5 200 pound quarterback/athlete from Denison High School, who was named as 4A Region II Player of the Year, ranking as one of the top 20 athletes in the state by Dave Campbell's Texas Football. As a senior, he passed for 3,766 yards, 40 touchdowns, while running for 39 touchdowns and 2,500 yards during his high school career. He also plays baseball and runs track, along with being an Academic All State selection.
Justin Warren rounds out the class as a 6-4, 250 pound offensive lineman from Roosevelt High in San Antonio, who was named to the All-District 26-5A squad, along with being a Second Team Academic All State selection.
Baseball Preseason Honors
This Friday, the baseball team’s official practices start in preparation for the first series at Stanford Feb. 19. Following a 42-18 season that ended with a Super Regional loss to Louisiana State University, the preseason honors have started to roll in. The Owls hold rankings of fifth and 11th in the preseason polls by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball, respectively. The University of Texas holds the number one spot in both polls.
The reigning 2009 National Freshman of the Year, sophomore third baseman Anthony Rendon, continues to rake in the individual accolades. He was chosen by Collegiate Baseball as a third-team preseason All-America selection, while the National Collegiate Baseball Writers organization picked him for the first team. Rendon also recently won the 2010 Greater Houston Preseason College Player of the Year award, given by the Houston Athletic Committee.
And within Conference USA, Rendon—who won Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year in the conference last year—was picked by the coaches as the 2010 C-USA Preseason Baseball Player of the Year. He joins three of his teammates—junior shortstop Rick Hague, junior outfielder Chad Mozingo and sophomore pitcher Taylor Wall—on the preseason all-conference team. Rice’s four selections tied for the most of any school.
Owls Get Old Face At New Position
Project Z has ended. Ed Zaunbrecher has left his position at offensive coordinator of the Owls to "pursue other interests". Enter David Beaty, former wide receivers coach at Rice, who oversaw NFL talent such as Jarett Dillard and James Casey during the 2006 and 2007 seasons, facilitating the move of the latter to the wide receiver/tight end position. After 2007, Beaty moved on to the University of Kansas, coaching record-breaking wide receivers such as Kerry Meier, who caught a school record 102 passes in 2008, as well as Dezmon Briscoe who flourished under Beaty's leadership, catching 24 touchdowns in 2008 and 2009 combined.
Beaty will inherit an anemic offense that struggled to find a leader for the first half of the season, and subsequently ranked near the bottom of every offensive category. Beaty will participate in the little that is left of the recruiting process in preparation for signing day on February 3, as well as spring practices. For now, Owls fans must wait to see if two David B's are better than one.
Colwick Makes Bowerman Watch List
Junior pole vaulter Jason Colwick is already receiving accolades even before he begins the 2010 indoor track and field season. The defending national champion was named to the 2010 Bowerman Award Pre-Season Watch List. For those not familiar with the honor, the Bowerman Award (named for University of Oregon track and field coach Bill Bowerman) is given to the top male and top female collegiate athlete in track and field. The other nine male athletes named to the list included senior Ashton Eaton of the University of Oregon, a two-time champion in the decathlon (and considered to be one of the great young athletes in the world), along with German Fernandez of Oklahoma State University, a sophomore who holds several junior records in the mile, and was the outdoor champion in the 1500 meter event in 2009.
Football Final Grades
With the Owls finishing up the 2009 campaign two weeks ago, it's time to look back at how the individual units on the football team graded out for the entire year.
Running Backs: The running backs finished out the year by reminding people of great Rice running backs of yesteryear. Freshman Charles Ross did his best impression of 1991 Doak Walker Award winner Trevor Cobb, by becoming the first freshman since Cobb to lead the team in rushing. Ross finished with 491 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards per carry and was named to the All-CUSA Freshmen squad. Sophomore Tyler Smith helped remind people of his brother, Quinton Smith, Jr. (the second leading career rusher in Rice history), by rushing for 428 yards and 1 touchdown in 8 games after missing games early in the season with turf toe. With both of these players having two or more years of eligibility remaining, along with the addition of redshirt freshman Sam McGuffie next season, the Owls backfield should be one of the offense’s strong suits next year. Grade: B-
Wide Receivers: Quarterback Nick Fanuzzi was somewhat able to develop a rapport on the gridiron with seniors Toren Dixon and Taylor Wardlow, as well as junior Patrick Randolph. Dixon’s four combined touchdowns against SMU and Tulane allowed him to finish his career on a high note, finishing third on Rice’s career receptions list. Randolph finished the season nicely with 136 yards and 2 touchdowns in the last 5 games, while Wardlow had a lackluster second half (97 yards). Grade: C-
Quarterbacks: Sophomore Nick Fanuzzi shined in his last five games, throwing for seven touchdowns and only four interceptions, while gaining confidence in performances such as his 250 yard and three touchdown effort against SMU. However, Fanuzzi, touted in high school as a dual-threat quarterback, has shown little mobility, which can only partially be attributed to a young offensive line. His awareness in the pocket, as well as his ability to make accurate throws under duress is something that should be addressed in the spring. Grade: C
Offensive Line: Even with the offensive line in constant flux due to injuries, this group managed to show some progress during the latter half of the season. Junior left tackle Scott Mitchell showed his versatility, playing both tackle positions when necessary, and was rewarded with second-team All-CUSA honors. Sophomore right guard Jake Hicks was a member of the All-CUSA honorable mention squad, but maturation will be expected next year from a group that allowed 30 sacks this year. Grade: C+
Defensive Line: With senior defensive tackle Chance Talbert limited to six games due to nagging back spasms, sophomore Mike Smith took over starting duties, finishing with 24 tackles. Junior defensive end Scott Solomon was named to the All-CUSA second team for his 63 tackle performance coupled with 6.5 sacks. His partner in crime at defensive end, junior Cheta Ozougwu, contributed 55 tackles and 4.5 sacks as well. Overall, the line did a satisfactory job of making the most of the talent that it had. Grade: B
Linebackers: While the linebacker corps experienced inconsistencies in their starting lineup, the 10 games started by senior Terrance Garmon (55 tackles, 2 sacks) allowed for a measure of certainty in a unit that was decimated by injuries the first half of the season. Junior Justin Hill had an excellent first season at linebacker (43 tackles, 1 sack) after moving from running back in the fall. Still, the linebackers allowed too many opposing running backs to work their way into the secondary, and were largely ineffective at defending the passing game. Grade: B-
Secondary: Despite sophomore strong safety Travis Bradshaw leading the nation in solo tackles with 121, the secondary experienced too many problems, ranking 115th nationally, causing sophomore cornerbacks Chris Jammer and Jarrett Ben to be replaced in the starting lineup by true freshmen Kevin Gaddis (an all-CUSA freshman team selection) and Phillip Gaines. Senior free safety Andrew Sendejo’s final round as an Owl was curtailed by a high ankle sprain, leaving him in a tie for second on Rice’s career tackles list. Grade: C+
Special Teams: Really the only unit that regressed during the latter half of the season. Senior placekicker Clark Fangmeier made only three of seven field goals during his last five games as an Owl, finishing eight for thirteen on the season. Sophomore punter Kyle Martens continued his breakthrough season before missing the final two games with an injury. Sophomore Shane Turner gave the Owls a reliable kick returner, averaging 23.8 yards per return. Grade: B+
Coaching: The Owls certainly looked like a different team in the final five games, as they were competitive in the three of the games. However, the debacle against the University of Houston was completely inexcusable. Despite the fact that Houston was a top 25 team for the majority of the season, there is no justification for losing that game by a score of 73-14, in which the Cougars could have reached the century mark if they so desired. The coaching staff’s preparation markedly improved in the second half, but David Bailiff’s decision to stick with his guns and keep everyone on the coaching staff will only make a stellar record in the 2010 season that much more of a necessity. Grade: D+
The End of the BCS Mess?
Instead of more discussion of our poor 2-10 football team—which I’m sure would be just as happy to move on and pretend this season didn’t happen—let’s talk about some big guns in D-1 college football. Which is, oh wait, the only major NCAA sport not decided by a playoff system.
After the major Florida-Alabama game last weekend, the BCS people got their wish: There were two undefeated teams, ranked No. 1 and No. 2, from major conferences. Hurrah for them! I guess it is just too bad, then, for Cincinnati, Texas Christian, and Boise State, all of which are also undefeated. We mostly get to hear the grousing of purple-clad Horned Frogs fans of TCU (which, by the way, holds one of my awards for best college T-shirt: "We do it froggy-style"). But surely people from Cincinnati and Boise State, which by the way is 38-1 over the past three years, are also rightfully upset.
Maybe in a couple of years all this controversy will be behind us, for on Wednesday the Energy and Commerce Committee in the House of Representatives passed H.R. 390, the College Football Playoffs Act. This act would, in effect, “prohibit, as an unfair and deceptive act or practice, the promotion, marketing, and advertising of any post-season NCAA Division I football game as a national championship game unless such game is the culmination of a fair and equitable playoff system.”
Sure, some protest that it is not the job of Congress to mess with college football, but as bill co-sponsor Illinois Democrat Bobby Rush says, “We can walk across the street and chew gum at the same time. We can do a number of things at the same time.” After all, according to the bill, “the competitions involve and affect interstate commerce and are therefore within Congress’s constitutional authority to regulate.”
No one can deny that there’s big money at stake, and the division of it isn't quite fair. In January 2008, the estimated economic impact on the cities that hosted the 5 big bowls was $12 billion. And in 2008-2009, the six big conferences (ACC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-10, SEC) received $18.3 million each. What about the non-automatic qualifying conferences (Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West, Sun Belt Conference, and WAC)? They shared $18.3 million, which is double what the amount would have been if Utah had not played in the Sugar Bowl.
This bill has a long road ahead of it in the Senate—although President Obama has said publicly several times he is in favor of a playoff system—and wouldn’t take into effect until January 31, 2011 according to the current bill. So we might as well look forward to the fun games in our flawed system and appreciate it before it’s gone.
Dec. 28 Independence Bowl: A&M v. Georgia, ESPN2
Dec. 31 Armed Forces Bowl: Houston v. Air Force, ESPN
Dec. 31 Texas Bowl: Rice Missouri v. Navy, ESPN
Jan. 1 Rose Bowl: Ohio State v. Oregon, ABC
Jan. 1 Sugar Bowl: Florida v. Cincinnati, FOX
Jan. 4 Fiesta Bowl (aka the National Championship for Small Conferences): TCU v. Boise State, FOX
Jan. 5 Orange Bowl: Iowa v. Georgia Tech, FOX
Jan. 7 National Championship: Texas v. Alabama, ABC
(Go Horns.)
Volleyball Team Drops NCAA Match to TCU
Riding a nine-match winning streak and looking to win their first NCAA Tournament match ever, the volleyball team entered last Friday's match against TCU with high expectations.
The first set only encouraged the Owls' dream of advancing, as the team built a 24-23. However, three straight kills by TCU gave the Horned Frogs a 1 set to none advantage.
A shell shocked Rice squad with no momentum could only watch as TCU opened a large advantage early in the set. The Owls were unable to fight back, eventually dropping the 2nd set 25-13.
Facing a 2-0 deficit, and with their season on the line, Rice fought valiantly in third set but the Owls were unable to get it done late once again, dropping the set 2725, and the match 3 sets to none.
With the loss, the team's season was finished, and the end of the season is the perfect time for reflection. Though the team may have a bitter taste with how their season ended, the 2009 campaign must be considered a success. Rice won 20+ games this past year, and made their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance after winning the C-USA Tournament on their home court.
Yet the team has even greater for potential next year. While Natalie Bogan, Channing Grigsby, Jessie Boulavsky, and Jenn McClean have all exhausted their eligibility, the team returns many key players. Setter Meredith Schamun, responsible for directing the team's offense returns, as does libero Tracey Lam, the heart of the team's defense. Ashleigh McCord will return following a strong finish to her sophomore season, and the comeback of Caroline Gill, who sat out the second half of the season due to a foot injury, will aid the team as well.
While the year may have ended unfavorably for the volleyball team, hopefully they use it as motivation as they prepare to defend their conference title and continue their ascent in the world of collegiate volleyball.
Volleyball Team Takes C-USA Tournament Title
Capping off a remarkable three-day run, the volleyball team defeated Tulsa on Sunday afternoon to win the Conference-USA championship and the accompanying NCAA Tournament berth.
The four-set victory was perhaps Rice's finest of the year. The Owls finished the first set strong to take a 1-0 lead before Tulsa surged ahead in the second set to take a 19-9 lead. With a 1-1 tie appearing imminent, fate intervened. Rice started to get every break, and the crowd at Tudor helped push the Owls back into the match. Kills by Ashleigh McCord and Jenn McClean gave Rice the second set in dramatic fashion.
After the exhausting second set, Rice appeared to come out slow in the third set, and a late run by Tulsa gave the Golden Hurricane the set, bringing the small group of Tulsa fans to the their feet. However, the Owls came back to win the fourth set, giving them their first C-USA championship since they joined the league in 2004.
Setter Meredith Schamun was named the tournament's MVP, an honor clearly deserved. Schamun had a match-high 49 assists in the final, while also playing a crafty game to keep the Golden Hurricane on their toes. Fellow Owls McClean and Tracey Lam both made the all-tournament team. Both upperclassmen posted strong defensive performances in the finale, each notching double-digit digs.
With the tournament now behind them, Rice has one more tuneup before the NCAA Tournament against LSU on Friday evening at Tudor. They will then try to improve on last year's first-round exit. The team will potentially enter the tournament on a nine-game winning streak, leading to high expectations for their tournament performance.
Spring is Coming
In addition to my normal article about Rice football last week, I quickly recapped the baseball team’s exhibition game. The team’s fall ball schedule was cut to one game this year and the team made the most of it, thrashing Texas State 14-6. (Check out the recap here for more details.) And with the beleaguered football team enjoying a bye this week, I figured it was time for the first baseball blog post of the year.
With many people eagerly looking forward to the season, official baseball practice started in early October. 22 players are returning from last year’s team that earned a 43-18 record as well a 15th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, where it won the Houston Regional before falling to Louisiana State University in the Super Regional.
The Owls lost only one offensive starter, second baseman Brock Holt, who was picked in the ninth round of the 2009 Major League Baseball amateur draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The next pick in the draft, held by the Baltimore Orioles, was star pitcher Ryan Berry. So although the two draft losses were major ones for Rice, at least the number was limited. Senior outfielder Steven Sultzbaugh, senior pitcher Mike Ojala, and senior catcher Diego Seastrunk were also drafted but remained with the team.
Rice welcomes 13 new faces to the team this year, two of whom are junior pitching transfers. Boogie Anagnostou hails from Alvin College, while Tony Cingrani comes to Rice after playing at South Suburban College.
As for the freshmen, the strong recruiting class in centered around the Houston-area and stars Michael Ratterree, an infielder from Memorial High School who will take over for Holt at second base. He was named a first team Louisville Slugger High School All-American by Collegiate Baseball and was the first team All-Greater Houston shortstop, selected by the Houston Chronicle.
You’ll have to check back in the Thresher next spring for the rest of the baseball preview, but rest assured that the future is bright.
Men’s Cross Country Finishes 3rd at Conference USA Championship
The conditions at Bear Branch Sports Park in The Woodlands, Tex. were near perfect for the Owls' race against seven other conference foes in the C-USA Championship meet, with only the soccer fields possessing a mixture of dew and the remains of the sprinklers' last cycle. Rice was able to get off to a decent start, with redshirt sophomore Michael Trejo and senior Simon Bucknell leading the way for the Owls at the beginning. However, it was relatively clear from the start that this race would belong to either Tulsa or UTEP, as both teams dominated the first ten runners through the first two kilometers of the race.
Following Trejo and Bucknell were senior Scott Zivick and redshirt freshmen Gabe Cuadra, who positioned themselves at a about the edge of the top twenty runners through the first half of the race. Redshirt freshman Matt Carey maintained a very steady pace throughout the meet, and redshirt freshman James Llamas and true freshman Sammy Abuhamra brought up the rear for the Owls.
At about the 15 minute mark, Bucknell began to distance himself from Trejo and moved up to hold even with Marshall's Mathew Schifbauer around edge of the top ten runners. Zivick moved up to run with Trejo by the edge of the 20 minute mark as Cuadra trailed just behind them. About 30 seconds back, Carey began to pick off runners who had tried to push a harder pace at the beginning than they could hold later in the race. Abuhamra also moved up to pass Llamas near the 22 minute mark.
As the race wound down, Bucknell left Schifbauer behind and moved up to compete with Tulsa's and UTEP's third runners, eventually sprinting across the finish line to finish just behind them in seventh, the first runner to cross the finish line not from Tulsa or UTEP. Trejo barely distanced himself from Zivick in the last 200 meters to finish seventeenth, with Zivick trailing six seconds behind him to come in at eighteenth. Cuadra used a great kick at the end to nearly catch up to Zivick to finish fourth for Rice, while Matt Carey kept the same quick pace he had ran the whole race to round out the scoring effort for the Owls. Abuhamra and Llamas finished sixth and seventh for Rice.
In the closest meet in C-USA history, UTEP edged the pre-race favorite Tulsa by one point, 31 to 32, to take the title,with both teams combining to place twelve of the first fourteen runners. Rice finished third with 88 points, to meet their expectations.