2010 Spring Practice page
Blue 47, Grey 41

Skill positions excel with big plays while defense takes back seat to quarterbacks battle; McGuffie bides time, explodes; McDonald roars

Freshman QB Michael Poynter gets off screen pass that resulted in 70-yard catch and run by Sam McGuffie (PTH photo) Klein Kubiak leaps high to haul in touchdown pass on fade route (PTH photo) Vance McDonald makes over-the-shoulder catch to set up field goal (PTH photo) Charles Ross is in for the touchdown, running out of two-back set (MA photo) New AD Rick Greenspan (L) shares a conversation on the sideline with interim AD David Sayler (MA photo) Tyler Parish exerts a little pull to help Taylor Cook get off pass (MA photo)

HOUSTON (Mar. 27) – Would it be that the last big play late in the fourth quarter of this Rice Spring Game turned out to be the first presentiment of big things to come in the fall.

Not content to rest on a ho-hum day of 10 yards in seven carries, supertransfer Sam McGuffie exploded for a 70-yard pass-and-run that caused by far the biggest cheers, and gasps, of the day among the several hundred onlookers.

The sophomore running back previously had been frustrated by, shall we say, offensive line ‘issues,’ and spent much of his time dancing around the backfield looking for a crease to dash through.  But this time, he took matters into his own hands, reversing his field after hauling in a short pass from Michael Poynter, breaking several tackles  as he roared down the opposite sideline.

Thus unfolded the major highlight of a stylized ‘game,’ in some ways, though, actually, a hyper-controlled scrimmage, which ended with the offense on the prevailing side of a 47-41 score, calculated as much by defensive stops and big plays as by offensive scoring.

That one play diverted somewhat from the major offensive goings-on of the day, and that was the battle of the two Taylors.

With quarterback Nick Fanuzzi sidelined with minor injuries, the Miami transfer Taylor Cook and the redshirt freshman Taylor McHargue shared the spotlight. The two took turns running the first team offense, with McHargue completing  8 of 11 passes for 126 yards and three TDS while rushing for 25 yards, and the big guy, Cook (6-7, 240, Eagle Lake Rice Consolidated) connecting for 12 out of 18 for 111 yards and one touchdown.

McHargue started with the hotter hand, leading his team down the field for a score on his first try, while Cook, though seemingly more confined to a play set that emphasized pocket passing and handoffs to Sam McGuffie, came on strong as the game progressed.

TM came across as the veritable Chase Clement clone he’s been said to be, with no sacrifice in speed and rocket arm.  TC, meanwhile, epitomized the cliché ‘field general,’ directing his offense on and off the field while standing half-a-head taller than his counterparts.

“There’s a battle;  there’s definitely a battle going on,” Rice offensive coordinator David Beaty told us afterwards. “And once again, every one of them brings some great intangibles to the table.”

“And it’s ongoing, until we figure out who we think has separated himself from the pack.  We’re not ready to name that starter yet, but these guys know that they’re competing.  And you  also have to remember that we’re 13 deep into 15 practices right now, with a new offense for them, so you know they’re still doing a lot of learning.”

“I’m fired up about the guys that I had because they’re all great talents and they want to study the game and they want to do the job.  We’ll see who wins it.”

BigMac led receivers with impressive performance

Among the receiving corps, big tight end Vance McDonald went to the head of the class this day, hauling in five receptions for 69 yards and one TD.  The 6-5, 250-pounder from East Chambers hauled in one pass on a perfect, no-look, over-the-shoulder routine from Taylor Cook, which set up a 46-yard field goal by Chris Boswell. Late in the game on a crossing route, Big Mac hurtled goalward like a freight train, outrunning a couple of smaller, one would expect speedier, defenders en route to the pylon 21 yards downfield.

Boswell’s place-kicking showed promise, as his 46-yarder was high and clean, and he narrowly missed a 51-yard try into the wind, as well.

In all, 12 different receivers caught balls for the Owls, with four different guys hauling in touchdown passes.  A big reason for that were the multiple receivers and the effective routes featured in the Beaty offensive set – this, too, out of a relatively simplified playbook.

Especially notable was a 65-yard McHargue to 6-2, 195-pound redshirt frosh Derek Clark scoring bomb on a straight post pattern. Another:  Greyshirt frosh Klein Kubiak (yes, he’s the son of that Kubiak) recorded the first offensive score of the day with a 13-yard end-zone fade amid heavy traffic.  Corbin Smiter also recorded a touchdown grab on the day, a seven-yarder from McHargue.

While Sam McGuffie was relatively quiet on the rushing end,   junior Tyler Smith stood out as the hardest-rushing Owl on the day, garnering 53 yards on seven carries.  Tyler’s gained bulk in the weight room during the off-season, and it showed as he exhibited more of a power-running style than his previous shift-and-slash emphasis.  Two-back set, anybody?  In fact, the last score of the game did come on a two-back formation, Charles Ross taking the inside handoff and slashing up the middle 12 yards for the score.

Defensive unit hampered by red-cross jersey

Defensively, the Grey team appeared to be more hampered by red-cross team defections than the offense, as Travis Bradshaw and Joseph Leary’s sidelining clearly affected secondary play, with greener hands giving up scores on what the films will likely show as defensive breakdowns.

Still, the defensive line appeared to manhandle the Owl OL at times, spending a lot of time in the backfield,  especially defending the run.   One thing was clear:  as far as playing as a unit was concerned, the DL was head-and-shoulders ahead of the OL.  Nontheless, the Rice Road Graders picked up a compliment from OC David Beaty.

“Honestly, coming into the day, I wanted to see our offensive line improve; and do a better job of holding up the protection and coming off the ball," he said.  "Before I look at the tape, I’m thinking they did a much better job of that today, but I did put the challenge to those guys out there to improve -- and I thought they did a much better job today, so I was pleased with that.”

Surprising performances were turned in by redshirt freshmen safeties Tolu Akinwumi and Tanner Leland, who each registered four tackles.  Two of Tolu’s were TFLs garnered on safety blitzes.

Justin Hill was solid at middle lineback with three-and-a-half stops, while soph DE Jared Williams recovered the lone lost fumble of the afternoon from a harassed Taylor McHargue, who did suffer a minor case of bobble-itis on the afternoon.

The Owls’ leading tackler was junior safety Xavier Webb, with five, while Chris Jammer picked up four more as he showed flashes of his freshman-year brilliance at times.

Last word on the day’s performance went to Rice’s offensive and defensive coordinators.  OC David Beaty was cautiously less than far-reaching in his assessment.

“For us (coaches),  it’s just another workout,” he said,  “but I think our kids came out with good energy overall and I was pleased with that; there were some nice big plays today,  and I thought that was encouraging some guys.  There were good reads out there.”

“But there there’s going to be an awful lot that we’re going to clean up off of this tape,” he added.

Meanwhile, Defesive Coordinator Chuck Driesbach avoided all conclusions, saying that they day was about rewarding the players for a spring of hard work.   “I think the kids had fun; that’s what today was all about,” he said.  “I was glad that we got out without anybody injured; and I was especially glad to see them go out and have some fun.”

--PTH

And they're off and running....
Competition keen as first week of spring drills winds down

New offensive coordinator David Beaty gets in the thick of things and directs traffic (PTH photo)

HOUSTON (Mar. 12) – The first week of Rice football spring drills is in.  It’s really much too early to begin drawing any material conclusions, but nevertheless at least a few distinct impressions were left in the air by the routine visited by the Owls in four trips to the field, the first in the rain to the Texans’ practice bubble, the second in shorts and helmets, and the next two in pads, but with less than unbridled contact.

A viewing of a couple of these first-week sessions calls to mind something in the nature of an early-morning trip out to the racetrack paddock.  Assistant coaches were like earnest grooms and trainers, here and there putting their steeds through the traces and paces.  Frisky young racers were feeling their oats, and a general air of expectation exhibited.  There was an air of routine, but also a sense of anticipation.

It was impossible to avoid thinking about, and keeping the eyes peeled for, two men who the racing forms have charted as potential  Big Winners.  You know who they are.  Soph transfers Taylor Cook and Sam McGuffie loom large over the proceedings, both literally and figuratively.

A Miami transfer from Eagle Lake, the 6-7 Cook has gotten his weight up to the 240-pound-plus range, thus being the biggest, bulkiest quarterback candidate on the field for the Owls, and he moves with an urgency and a bit of swagger that gives clear indication he has only one role in mind for himself next fall, and that’s at the top of the heap.

McGuffie, who was the first true freshman running back in history ever to start a game for the Michigan Wolverines season before last, is a six-foot, 200-pounder, but with Popeye arms and Pegasus legs.  Having pounded the turf before 109,000 in Michigan Stadium, he appears not the least bit daunted aboutthe prospect of beating out a deep and relatively talented Owl running back corps for playing time next fall.

Thursday, McGuffie announced his stance as the man to beat as he flashed for a couple of broken-field touchdown runs, but there’s still plenty of competition in the form of a bulked-up Tyler Smith and a  seasoned Charles Ross.   All three can play; all three know they can play;  all three obviously plan to see plenty of playing time.

Taylor Cook, in the same vein, is expected to vie in a spirited three-way battle for quarterbacking reps with last year’s preferred starter Nick Fanuzzi and redshirt freshman Tyler McHargue.

If you haven’t heard by now, Fanuzzi, the Alabama transfer, toiled in silence with two bad wings as he took a terrible beating behind an inexperienced and banged-up patchwork offensive line during last year’s 2-10 campaign.   While many Owl fans rued his perceived shortcomings, the telegraphed interceptions, the vulnerability in the pocket, it turned out Nick was motoring with two collarbones that were both hanging by a piece of gristle, completing the season  on sheer guts, playing through intense pain.

One thing was clear this past week:  Nick Fanuzzi, finally, at last, feels as fit as a fiddle, and there was a frolic in his step and a grin on his face as a result.

McHargue, meanwhile, even while running through routine traces, looked remarkeably as if the second coming of Chase Clement, in both mannerism and attitude.

The battle between the two supertransfers, Cook and McGuffie, and their  not-to-be-denied competing teammates, is an event which stands to foster improvement from every man on the field.

One other unfailingly evident change from the pace and tenor of last season’s fall and spring drills lay in the drumbeat set down from the get-go by the Rice offensive coaching staff.

The OC position, of course, is now manned by the re-hired David Beaty, while the running game is being mentored by the newly-appointed  John Reagan.  Coach Beaty is a beehive of activity on the field, first softly cajoling a player with an arm around the shoulder, then grabbing the football, taking off down the field and demonstrating how it’s supposed to be done.

The sense of command David Beaty immediately exhibited while in charge of offensive proceedgins  has appeared to have its liberating effect on  Rice head coach David Bailiff, who, last week  took more the role of the in-control CEO, managing by walking around, seemingly more confident than before that his assistants have  the essential on-the-spot decisions well in hand.

Now the pad-popping begins in earnest this week.  Weather permitting – and the upcoming forecast looks good – the Owls will hold their first scrimmage on Tuesday, March 16, taking to the field at 4:00 p.m.  That gives Owlies a chance to take a look at the gridiron developments for a bit before strolling over the Reckling Park for the Rice-Texas baseball game, which starts at 6:30.

Three other practices will take place on Monday, Thursday and Friday this coming week, as the Owls begin to take aim toward their Saturday, March 27, Spring Game.

--PTH