The Rice Thresher, Vol. 94, No. 2, Ed. 1 Friday, September 1, 2006 Page: 10 of 20
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THE RICE THRESHER FOOTBALL PREVIEW FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER 1,2006
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Owls enter '06 with new passing attack
Outdated option to be used sparingly in shotgun-based offense
"Balance" is not a term Owl fans „ A , . ..u„. . win u„„„ » * u: u
TAYLOR JOHNSON/THRESHER
Sophomore starting quarterback Chase Clement fine-tunes his form
during preseason workout drills. Clement takes over as the full-time starter,
replacing junior Joel Armstrong, who shifts to a slot receiver position in the
redesigned Rice offense.
"Balance" is not a term Owl fans
associate with the option-based
offense of former head coach Ken
Hatfield. Last season, Rice ran the
ball on 74 percent of its offensive
plays. And although nine starters
are returning from last year's squad,
fans will see an offense that looks
completely different.
The familiar faces will be in
unfamiliar positions Sophomore
Chase Clement will be the clear-cut
starter at quarterback, and former
quarterback junior Joel Armstrong
has moved to slot receiver, as have
some of the running backs, like
senior Mike Falco, whose big-play
ability and lateral quickness have
impressed coaches in camp.
Despite the focus on opening
up the offense, new offensive
coordinator Major Applewhite said
he will run the ball if necessary.
"Our offense is all about balance,
and balance to us is not about num-
bers, it's about points." Applewhite
said. "If we have to throw it 50
times we'll throw it 50 times. If we
have to run it 50 times we'll run it
50 times."
While Clement made one start in
2005 and saw considerable playing
time, tomorrow is his first game as
a full-time starter. Applewhite said
Clement impressed him in drills.
"[Clement] has played extremely
OFFENSIVE DEPTH CHART
Position
First String
Second String
Wide Receiver
Jarret Dillard
Dustin Hufsey
Slot Receiver
Joel Armstrong
Mike Falco
Left Tackle
Lute Barber
Preston Thompson
Left Guard
Robby Heos
Jimmy Miller
Center
Austin Wilkinson
David Perkins
Right Guard
David Perkins
Robby Hamilton
Right Tackle
Rolf Krueger
Chance Talbert
Tight End
Will Moss
Scott Austin
Slot Receiver
Tommy Henderson
Jeremy Goodson
Wide Receiver
Gary Anderson
John Welch
Quarterback
Chase Clement
John Sheperd
Tailback
Quinton Smith
Bio Bilaye-Benibo
Kickoff Receiver
Andray Downs
Marcus Knox
Place Kicker
Luke Juist
Jared Scruggs
Holder
Jared Scruggs
Joel Armstrong
well," Applewhite said. "He's made
good decisions with the football.
I He has) gotten better and better
at learning how to take care of the
ball."
Clement will need to showcase
that ability in order to score points
in 2006.
"Our offense is all
about balance, and
balance to us is not
about numbers, its
about points."
— Major Applewhite
Offensive coordinator
Big-play ability looks to be a
serious asset in the spread
offense, which runs on a completely
different set of principles than the
double-wingback option attack Rice
ran in the past. The option-based
attack often utilized three running
backs and at least one tight end. This
forced the defense to crowd the line of
scrimmage to defend the run. When
eight, nine or ten defenders are in this
space, the offensive linemen are faced
with complicated blocking schemes,
and the field gets congested.
Conversely, in the spread of-
fense, usually only one running back
is in the backfield, and a standard
set includes no tight end. This leaves
four receivers spread across the
field, thinning the defense and mak-
ing it easier for offensive linemen to
decipher their responsibilities.
"Spread principles are all the
same," Applewhite said. "You're
trying to clean looks up for the
offensive linemen, give them base
fronts. The more guys we bring into
the box, the more guys they bring
into the box and the more looks
you're getting."
While the position is not part
of the base set, the tight end is not
eliminated from play in the spread
offense. In fact, Rice has used the
tight ends heavily in preseason
workouts. Look for sophomore
SPREAD OFFENSE
Inside/Slot Recievers
Usually match up with
safties or linebackers.
Former backs often
flourish here.
Offensive Line
Offensive linemen stand
further apart in a spread to
open running and passing
lanes.
Tight End
In a wide-open spread, TE-
sized players often draw
favorable matchups.The tight
end usually replaces a slot
reciever in the formation.
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Wide Recievers
Often match up one-on-
one with cornerbacks.
Quarterback
Standing in the shotgun
aiiows him a better vantage
point for the passing game.
Tailback
In a standing two-point stance
next to the quarterback, vision
is greatly improved and blocks
are easier to read.
Will Moss to put up big numbers
this season.
One characteristic of the spread
offense is the countless positioning
and personnel combinations. By
varying offensive formations, a team
is able to create mismatches in both
running and passing situations.
Today's college game holds the
spread offense in high esteem, with
teams drawing influences from
Texas Tech head coach Mike
Leach's "Air Raid" scheme and Uni-
versity of Florida head coach Urban
Meyer's spread, which garnered na-
tional attention when he coached at
the University of Utah. Applewhite's
previous two stops were at Syracuse
and Texas, two schools that run
some sort of spread.
Despite the new scheme, do not
expect the Owls to abandon the
option completely. With the return-
ing players used to option football,
the team would be wasting some of
its strongest assets by eliminating
this attack. However, the option
now serves as a change-up rather
than the base play. Also look for
the team to occasionally revert to
under-center formations from its
base shotgun alignment.
Running the ball often out of
the shotgun is popular in college
football currently, as Texas did
with quarterback Vince Young and
running back Jamaal Charles last
season. While elements of such an
offense may exist in the Rice offense,
do not expect Rice to merely be a
collection of the newest trends in
college football.
'"ITiere are a lot of people who do
the spread offense well — it's just a
thought process you go through,"
Applewhite said.
With the popularity of the spread
offense expanding, many teams find
themselves running a collection
of interesting plays rather than
a cohesive playbook, a situation
Applewhite said he wants to avoid.
"There's a fine line between
cutting edge and bleeding edge,"
he said.
Applewhite explained that while
the offensive playbook is expansive,
it is not overwhelming by Division 1
standards. Offensive success for any
team moving to a new system relies
on an elusive element: Consistency.
More specifically, offensive consis-
tency relies on two components:
The play of the offensive line and
the decision making of the quar-
terback. Both the blocking scheme
and the quarterback's responsibili-
ties are completely different than
they have been in years past, and
it is crucial that the five offensive
linemen make a smooth and
complete transition.
"We run a zone-based [blocking!
scheme.... We just try to get them
out of option blocking, always block-
ing down — it's been a process,"
Applewhite said. "This offensive line
looks completely different than they
did in the spring."
Zone-based blocking, while in
itself probably the least complicated
blocking scheme that exists, allows
a team the most flexibility. Simply
put, offensive linemen in a zone
scheme block the first person to
appear in a space rather than block-
ing an individual person. Senior
offensive tackle Rolf Krueger said
the offensive line has handled the
changes well.
"I personally feel very comfort-
able with the new system," he said.
"We have practiced and worked
very hard to become comfortable
with it."
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Brown, David. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 94, No. 2, Ed. 1 Friday, September 1, 2006, newspaper, September 1, 2006; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth443027/m1/10/?q=%22%22~1: accessed June 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.