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Rice Football: Can Owls continue building under Mike Bloomgren in 2020?

By Dante Pryor

HOUSTON, TX - NOVEMBER 24: Head coach Mike Bloomgren of the Rice Owls leads the team to the field before the game against the Old Dominion Monarchs at Rice Stadium on November 24, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - NOVEMBER 24: Head coach Mike Bloomgren of the Rice Owls leads the team to the field before the game against the Old Dominion Monarchs at Rice Stadium on November 24, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /
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Brad Rozner, Rice football (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

Offense holds key to success

The Rice Owls offense has to take a step forward if they want to win more than three games this season. They’ve averaged under 20 points per game in Mike Bloomgren’s two seasons in Houston. He’s building the program the way Stanford was built, from the inside out.

In his first season at Rice, Bloomgren had to play a lot of youngsters. They played 21 true freshmen — eight of whom started — last season. They are still young, but they come into this season with real-time game experience.

The positive of playing so many young players in two years is the ability to develop an identity with your players — that identity is “intellectual brutality”. Bloomgren wants to build a physical power offense like he did at Stanford.

The Owls have to replace three starters along the offensive line and their top two rushers are gone from last season as well. The head coach has to play a lot of underclassmen, but Shea Baker could be the best center in Conference USA and they bring in grad-transfer Jovan Woolford to add depth at tackle.

Grad-transfer Mike Collins comes in to take the helm at quarterback. He could get pushed by JUCO transfer TJ McMahon, but the Owls’ staff might want to go with the veteran. He’ll have some experienced receivers this season with their two leading receivers Brad Rozner and Austin Trammel back this season.

The offense, that wants to play ball control, needs the offensive line to congeal and Collins to play well at quarterback if they want an opportunity to compete in Conference USA this year.

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