Rice Football: Is 2021 when Owls return to the postseason?

New offensive coordinator and quarterback are the headlines for Rice on offense

Rice has been struggling on the offensive side of the ball for the last few seasons and that meant that it was time to shake things up. Mike Bloomgren hired Marques Tuiasosopo to go to a more NFL style and down field throwing attack, which should open up the offense.

At quarterback, things were looking pretty bleak for the Owls heading into the season until recently when former Nebraska and Louisville quarterback Luke McCaffrey decided to take his talents to Houston. McCaffrey still has a lot to prove to becoming a more complete quarterback, but he has athleticism and is a talented runner. If McCaffrey were to not win the starting job, look for Wiley Green or Weber State transfer Jake Constantine to take the job.

The running game is going to once again be led by Khalan Griffin, who rushed for 249 yards last season, but did not score any touchdowns. Griffin could be a breakout candidate for the team and he is going to be counted on to bring a spark to one of the worst rushing attacks in the conference.

At receiver, the Owls have the weapons to be a much better passing attack and the hiring of Tuiasosopo should help with that. Bradley Rozner and Jake Bailey form one of the top duos at receiver in C-USA. Rozner is the better receiver, but Bailey is one of the better all purpose players that you have probably never heard of. At tight end, they have a nice combo of Jordan Myers and Jack Bradley that are a tough cover.

The offensive line was not much of a strength last season, but it does return four of the five starters and that could be big for improvement. This offense has talent and if McCaffrey can bring more versatility to the offense, this could be the best Rice offense in a long time.