Rice Owls football: Defense dominates offense in first scrimmage

Defense was the prevailing force Saturday on the Rice practice field. Chalk up a victory for the unit, which dominated the offense in the Owls’ first scrimmage of camp.
Lineman De’Braylon Carroll and end Coleman Coco were at the forefront.
“Every time I looked up, they were playing on the offensive line of scrimmage,” said coach Mike Bloomgren, starting his sixth season as Rice head coach.
It is not as if the offense did not have its moments under No. 1 quarterback J.T. Daniels, who completed a 30-yard touchdown to Boden Groen. Tim Horn was successful on three field goals of 52, 50 and 38 yards. Enock Gota was good from 28 yards.
The brightest spot offensively on Saturday was 17-year-old wide receiver Landon Ransom-Goelz, a freshman out of Byron Nelson High School in Trophy Club. The 6-0, 173-pounder joined the team in January, one of five mid-year additions who participated in spring drills.
“He just makes big plays. He goes and gets the ball. Nothing’s too big for him,” Bloomgren said.
Acclimating into the program early has been advantageous for Ransom-Goelz, who is making a push to become a contributor this season. Freshman offensive lineman Peyton Farmer of Ridge Point has also benefited from enrolling early, taking advantage of the weightlifting program.
Practice No. 10 of training camp is in the can. There are 15 practices left before the Owls’ season opener at Texas on Sept. 2. Rice is gearing up for its inaugural season in the American Athletic Conference.
But it was the defense that stood out and controlled the action on Saturday. Defensive coordinator Brian Smith said the unit is fast and playing physical.
“Overall, as a group, it’s the fastest team that we’ve had,” Smith said.
Players who have stepped up in camp leadership-wise defensively include Carroll and Coco, who has been a great addition to the unit, bringing toughness to the group. Josh Pearcy continues to practice at a high level, as has Gabe Taylor, who has switched from strong safety to free safety.
The defensive line was extremely disruptive on Saturday. On one drive, Carroll, who is playing better than he ever has, had three tackles for loss. The penetration by lineman Izeya Floyd was superb.
Rice will have four actual practices this coming week, a walkthrough on Friday, and scrimmage No. 2 on Saturday.
“If we come out of that feeling like we can’t find a way to get 11 people to do their job offensively, then there would be concern,” Bloomgren said. “I’m not concerned (offensively) in the least about where we are today. I love how we are working at training camp. I’m loving to see individual growth.”
“Now we have a chance to respond and grow,” offensive coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo said.
Rice is expected to mix up the offense in 2023. The Owls still will put a premium on running the football, which should open the play-action pass down the field. Daniels has a foothold on the starting position.
“He’s really smart and been super accurate in spring and first week of camp,” Tuiasosopo said. “He’s thrown at a high efficiency.”
Juma Otoviano and Dean Connors are neck-and-neck in competition at running back. Offensive lineman Clay Servin is having a productive camp as well.
Bloomgren expects the offense to get into form as camp progresses. But Saturday was not the unit’s day to shine. The receivers and backs dropped a high number of passes.
“It was a defensive day, the defense got the better of it,” Bloomgren said. “They played with a different tempo. That’s the way it’s been for the past three practices. We’ve got some tired (players), but the defense found another gear, and there were some errors on the offensive side.
“My message to the team was simple. We’ve got five practices, just like we’re going to have between games, before the next scrimmage.”