Several Owl running backs performed conspicuously well Friday, but the quarterbacks failed to provide conclusive evidence for or against any individual case.

The irony is that, of the two men who’ve appeared to exhibit superior athleticism and playmaking ability-- the Two Taylors, McHargue and Cook -- neither of them has ever played a down of college football. Meanwhile, last year’s starter, Nick Fanuzzi, though healthy in a way he never was after the ’09 Oklahoma State game, has been up and down this August, and thus able to provide both his supporters and his detractors with evidence why he should, or should not, be the Owls’ starting quarterback.

And to top it all off, the University of Texas looms as Rice’s stiffest test of the year in the season opener, so Owl coaches have far more than quarterback play to be concerned with between now and September 5.

"Offensively we started slow," Rice head coach David Bailiff said afterwards of Friday’s effort, "and a big part of that is not getting into a rhythm. We’ve got to get the quarterbacks where they’re confident over the plays that we’re sending in It was the first time for some of us coaches being on the field together in game situations."

Friday’s scrimmage began with a kickoff drill. Chris Boswell was getting good hang time and ample distance on his kickoffs. However, second rep, Shane Turner pulled a fast one on special teams strategy when he fielded a squib kick at his own 10 yard line and returned it to midfield -- yet another example of the versatility the speedy Junior has shown thus far in August drills.

Coach Bailiff exhorts Kramer Lucio as defense hustles off the field after big play (PTH photo)

Once the quarterback duels began, both duelists started out with a missed shot.

On Nick Fanuzzi's first play, the call was a flag pattern about 40 yards downfield; Nick  let it fly but missed his receiver, a curveball, low and outside.

On second and 10, an inside handoff to Tyler Smith netted 4 yards. Then a lineman jumped on third and six, making it third and 11. Plenty of deception on third and long then, as Nick pump faked to the sideline receiver and then threw a strike across the middle to Patrick Randolph, but under double coverage, the senior wideout wasn’t able to hold onto the ball.

Then it was a new possession, with Taylor Cook in. First play, zone read, and the quarterback from Eagle Lake took it outside for 12 and a first down. A couple plays later, on second and eight, Denzel Wells shot the gap and dropped Charles Ross for loss of two in the backfield, making a surehanded solo tackle.

On third down and a passing situation, Nick hit his receiver down the middle in heavy traffic for first down yardage -- and thus looked to be gaining his bearings. But the next series was marred by a mixup in the backfield, whereupon Charles Ross went down for no gain to stall the drive.

So it was less than impressive outings by both quarterback-presumptivess on their first possessions.

Taylor Cook was the first of the two to begin to show his wares. Next time around, on third and six, his short toss fizzled and wobbled harmlessly to the turf. But then going for it on fourth and six, Cook hit Randy Kitchens in heavy traffic coming out of the slot for first down yardage well executed.

On first and 10, the Owl offense drew an illegal formation penalty, so Cook tried to connect with Kitchens again on second and long. And connect with him he did, hitting him in stride curling toward the sideline and all the way to the end zone. However, the play was blown dead and TC was ruled "in the grasp." A quick video check appeared to show otherwise, and the easy teamwork shown by Cook and Kitchens (is there some kind of conceptual pun there?) bodes well for the future.

Tyler Smith gets the handoff and fights off his defender (PTH photo)

Early on in the scrimmage, defensively the linebackers appeared to have the inside running game bottled up. The defensive line was able to handle whatever the offensive line threw at them, and that appeared to be the case irrespective of position changes and personnel match ups. So it was simply left to the linebackers to stay at home and do their jobs, and the running game could not get untracked at first.

Case in point was on a typical second-down running call, where Charles Ross took the straight dive up the middle, where he was me head-on by met by Brian Stacey and John Gioffre, backed up by linebacker Willey Garley. Result: no gain. It was a trap play, but nobody was biting. Rather, the Owl defenders were simply playing assignment football.

By then it was time for frosh Michael Poynter to come in for a series, and he showed he’s not content to stand around on the sideline and just man a clipboard for the next couple of years. On his first passing play, he hit frosh Mario Hull, who leapt to make a circus catch in traffic, while he received a sandwich of heavy defensive pressure from Denzel Wells and Bryce Callahan.

Frosh Pointer did participate in perhaps the most exciting play of the evening when he tried to lay a short pass into heavy traffic five yards downfield in the slot, whereupon it was deftly picked off by Tanner Leland, a redshirt safety from Cinco Ranch. Tanner tucked it under and promptly carried the mail to the house, cutting across the field to the visitor’s sideline where he totaled 74 yards in returning the pick for the touchdown.

At that point in the proceedings, Tanner had outscored all four Rice quarterbacks by a count of 7-3.

Taylor McHargue then came in for the first time on the day, running an offensive unit sprinkled with players mixed in from various spots on the depth chart. Since he was the fourth Owl quarterback to enter the fray, one must assume that Taylor Mac at this point is running fourth team, what with his time off missed due to injury.

Going against the bulk of the first-team defense, McHargue sputtered on the ground game. On third and five, Taylor Mac gave the inside handoff to Tyler Smith, who cut the corner and cleared for the first down in a nice bit of running. But Tyler's first down run was the exception in this possession, as McHargue’s running plays appearing to set up slowly, with linemen and linebackers in the backfield to disrupt the flow.

Nick Fanuzzi next came back in, working from a short field. From the 35 yard line he hit Luke Willson across the middle for 11 yards and a first down. But on two subsequent running plays up the middle there was nothing doing. Then on third and nine, Fanuzzi hit Klein Kubiak on a curl pattern for 11 yards downfield and a first down at the 11 yard line. Kubiak ran an alert pattern – as he has shown consistency in doing -- knowing just where to set up for the first down.

Jeremy Eddington then took the handoff up the middle but was stopped by Cody Bauer, who sloughed off his blocker and met the tackler in the backfield head on. Then on second and 10, Fanuzzi ran the fade route but overthrew Randy Kitchens who was covered by redshirt safety Paul Porras.

On third and ten, Nick, Fanuzzi overthrew Klein Kubiak who had briefly gotten open about five yards deep in the end zone. It was a makeable play, but no connection, and the offense had to rely on Chris Boswell to chip in a field goal from 28 yards out.

Taylor Cook came in on the next series, with play beginning at the 25, long field. On first down, TC completed a flare pass to Tyler Smith, who’d circled out of the backfield; however, the blocking pattern did not sufficiently developed in front of Tyler and the play went only for a couple of yards. But it sure looked good when first set up.

Big Vance McDonald hauls one in and tucks it under before bulling forward for first-down yaradge (PTH photo)

Next possession, on third and long, Nick Fanuzzi took a straight, three-step drop, firing a bullet to Pierre Beasley on a down-and-in pattern for 12 and the first down. Beasley made a great catch sandwiched between two defenders -- one wonders where he’s been hiding that can of stick’um he's apparently been going without for the past several seasons.

In fact, Pierre has had an excellent August, and his renewed efforts are likely one big reason that Owl coaches thought it safe to move Denzel Wells from his receiver spot to the defensive backfield.

After Taylor Cook failed to move the team his next turn, Taylor McHargue came in, running both with and against most of the first unit "O" and "D." First play, operating from his 30, T Mac ran the option wide, with a delayed pitch to Jeremy Eddington, who burned it down the sideline for 18 yards and the first down. Next play, Mac tested the outside himself, quickly turning the corner and pushing upfield for 8 yards.

It was at that point that the average observer in the stands would have had to conclude that McHargue had looked better than Cook and Fanuzzi.

Afterwards, Coach Bailiff made note of Taylor Mac’s occasional tentativeness, but added that the redshirt freshman has been catching up quickly after an early ankle injury. "He needs reps," he said. "He’s learning, he’s picking it up – he just missed the first ten practices."

The next rep once again went to the true freshman Eddington, who took a delayed handoff, appeared to be covered by the blitzing defending linebacker, but juked his defender, made a cut, and turn it upfield for a 12 yard gain. This play was all Eddington.

With a new set of downs at the 42 yard line, McHargue continue to run the team. First play, zone read and the indicators told him to cut inside, and he did so, and picked up 9 more yards in very Chase Clement- like fashion.

Next play, T Mac  set up in the pocket, which immediately began to collapse. Under a heavy rush, the redshirt frosh made a spin move and broke free, quickly hitting the sideline, which the defense conveniently had left uncovered, enabling T Mac to streak in for the touchdown run from 30 yards out.

True, McHargue’s feats were all tempered by the contact prohibition against red-jerseyed quarterbacks, but his actions appeared full-bore and not the result of any holdback by the defense.

Next time around, Nick Fanuzzi came back in with the number one line and second-string receiving corps against a mish-mash of defenders. On first and ten he hit Vance McDonald on a quick out, and the big tight end twisted and turned for first down yardage.

Operating from his 38, Nick connected with Pat Randolph who made an athletic grab down the sideline and fought off his defender while staying inbounds for an additional 10 yards – the senior wideout’s best showing of the evening.

When it was Taylor Cook’s turn at the helm against a predominantly second-string defense, he deftly executed an inside handoff to Shane Turner who bounced across the scrimmage line and kept going for 15 yards and first down.

Next play was option left, a pitch to Turner at the hash mark, and he burned upfield for 9 yards in a play where both QB and running back got outside and turned it up quickly – or at least so it seemed.

With a new first down, it was a quarterback keeper all the way and Taylor Cook used his wheels to make it 15 yards downfield for another set of downs.

Then came a draw play to Shane Turner up the middle, but this time the linebackers stayed home and made the tackle after short yardage.

On second and long, Cook tried an old-fashioned bootleg, but the defensive coverage stayed home and nailed him after a couple. No matter, as on second and long, Turner Peterson camped out in the flat, took a quick flip, made some moves, and got 18 more yards.

The offense went to that same well on the other side the next play, but this time it was nothing doing as Matt Nordstrom and Tanner Shuck were there to drop the receiver after a short gain.

Still, the offense was knocking at the door a couple of plays later, facing third and three from the 5 yard line after Roddy Maginot got first down yardage with his reception and sprint down the sideline.

Good time for a fade pattern, right? Yup, as Taylor Cook attempted to hit Klein Kubiak deep in the corner of the end zone, but the ball was underthrown and intercepted by Philip Gaines to end the threat.

In fairness, Taylor Cook thought he had a freebie on that play. "We work hard on trying the draw people offside," Coach Bailiff explained, "and I think Taylor thought we’d had that D lineman jump; so he went to the fade. They didn’t throw the flag, but he thought we had a free play. But our corner Phillip Gaines really competed for the ball; he really came down with it. And those are cases where playmakers have to make plays. We really count on Phillip Gaines. He’s a playmaker."

Next series, with a short field, setting up at the 20, it was once again Shane Turner’s turn to shine. On second down and six, he took the inside handoff and, on the heels of a nice block (where we didn’t get the lineman’s number), he immediately found daylight, accelerated pass the one linebacker had a chance at him, pulled into the clear and scored from 20 yards out. This was the most impressive running play of the day, and once again, it was credited to Shane Turner.

In so doing, the oft-injured Turner showed he is not going to be kept off the field this season – his contributions both in the offensive backfield and on special teams return have been superior.

Back to the action. Fanuzzi in, first and 10 from the 11 yard line. On second and 10 from there, zone read results in inside handoff to Turner Peterson but only a couple of yards picked up. It's third and five. From there, Fanuzzi tries for Maginot across the middle. The play is well set up; the pass is well-thrown, but diminutive corner Martin Uwah comes in from nowhere to bat down the pass right in front of the receiver, and break up the play.

Next score was set up by Taylor Dupree, who made a catch off his shoe tops; then hit the sideline, threading his way to the five yard line for a first and goal. Behind Taylor Cook, from there, an apparent screen pass does not develop. Third and goal, Tyler Smith takes a direct handoff and takes it inside the one. There on fourth down, Cook lines up with a full backfield, takes the snap and follows his blocking back into the end zone for the score.

For the second half of the scrimmage, Rice coaches appeared to be probing and testing to see who could get the ball across the goal line in fairly short yardage situations, starting at the 25 or 35 yard line, when opportunity knocks via a turnover or punt or kick return. This was an area in which the Rice offense was woefully deficient last season, and the Rice offenses coaches are clearly looking for solutions.

Next, with McHargue back in, and in a goal line situation, Paul Porras and Martin Uwah team up to make the tackle short of the goal line. But on the next play, T Mac throws the fade, and he gets Klein Kubiak in the corner of the end zone for the touchdown.

Once again starting from the 25, short-field, Tyler Smith gets the call, breaking through the line and cutting quickly to the outside, but before he can cut it downfield toward the end zone, he’s wrapped up by Alex Francis and Jared Williams.

However, Tyler Smith on the dive finds daylight and with his size and quickness, fights all the way down to the 2 yard line, and the Owls score one play later.

With Fanuzzi back in, once again it was a short field situation. On the deep straight drop, Nick hita Roddy Maginot down the sideline on the flag pattern, Roddy pulling the ball and over his shoulder. The result was the prettiest pass play of the day by Nick Fanuzzi – ruled ‘no catch,’ however.

But then on the next play, Fanuzzi sets up in the pocket and stays and stays until he earns a coverage sack.  It's Jekyll and Hyde.

That was the way the scrimmage ended, with an air of quiet satisfaction, but persistent uncertainly, wafting over the Rice Stadium turf.

Never fear, Coach Bailiff insisted – his staff, he said, is well on the way to getting that lineup set for opening day. Including quarterback.