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September 3, 2004 > Sports > Football: Offense

Football: Offense

Deep backfield, experienced line give Henderson options

By Adam Tabakin | Thresher staff

The season cannot start soon enough for the football team.

The Owls found success at the end of last season when coaches scrapped complicated four-wideout sets and instead opted to run the triple option almost exclusively, resulting in Rice scoring at least 40 points in four of its last five games. Not coincidentally, the Owls also won four of those last five games.

“A big reason for our turnaround was we started doing what we do best,” junior halfback Thomas Lott said. “We stopped trying to pretend that we were running the option and … just [ran] the option. We cut the playbook in half, and we were just doing what we do best instead of doing a lot of things at a mediocre level.”

After a 1-6 start, Rice rebounded to finish 5-7, including a respectable 5-3 record in the Western Athletic Conference, good enough for a fourth-place tie among the league’s 10 teams.

“I think the thing that’s good is that we played our best football at the end of the year, and a lot of those guys are coming back,” head coach Ken Hatfield said. “I think the great finish we had carried over into the off-season. … We got a lot out of our weight room and a lot out of our spring practice and even early in our fall practice.”

Experience will help the offense, which returns seven starters from last season, and 10 of this season’s 11 projected starters have started at least one game at Rice. Such experience is crucial for a team which relies so heavily on its rushing game — the Owls averaged 316.7 rushing yards per game last year, second best in the country — especially among offensive linemen, who must make the precise blocks necessary to run the option effectively.

“Right now, we have four senior starters on the line, and the four of us played together a lot last year,” senior offensive tackle Scott Mayhew said. “On the offensive line, you really have to know how each other plays to react to different situations, so playing in game situations is a real advantage. Also it helps to get the game speed, — that’s a huge factor in college football.”

Mayhew will play alongside senior guard Michael Meador, senior center Ross Huebel, sophomore guard Cory Laxen and senior tackle Greg Wilson, while junior Joe Don Wood will line up at tight end.

In the backfield, Rice loses fullback Robbie Beck and three-year starting quarterback Kyle Herm (Sid ‘04) but returns Lott, senior halfback Joe Moore, senior fullback Ed Bailey, sophomore halfback Quinton Smith and sophomore halfback Marcus Rucker, each of whom ran for at least 200 yards in 2003.

“Thomas Lott, Joe Moore and Ed Bailey are all good, experienced players with outstanding speed and toughness,” Hatfield said. “We’ve got five guys who played a lot last year at running back, and I think that experience is going to be invaluable, especially early in the season.”

Also returning in the backfield for the Owls are senior fullback Jordan Kramer, senior halfback Clint Hatfield, sophomore halfback Mike Falco and sophomore fullback Andrew Cates.

Lott said he thinks the depth at running back will alleviate any pressure on him to duplicate his performance from last year, when he averaged 7.3 yards per carry, second best in Division I-A.

“If one guy comes out tired or hurt, another one can come right in his place,” Lott said. “Mentally, I’m further ahead of where I was last year about this time. I know what to do now and have a better grasp of the offense, so I don’t see any reason why I can’t [be just as successful this year].”

Senior quarterback Greg Henderson, who has rushed for at least 300 yards in each of the last three seasons, will lead the offense. Henderson — who has a strong arm for an option quarterback — started five games last year when Herm was sidelined with a shoulder injury but struggled in making the quick decisions required to effectively run the option.

“I’ve taken a different approach to [playing], where I’ve got to believe that I can go and be the man this year,” Henderson said. “People look to the quarterback as the leader — just getting ready mentally and physically, making sure everybody works hard. I feel like I’m ready for all the responsibilities that come with it.”

The Owls’ limited passing attack will be highlighted by deep threats, including junior Marcus Battle — the team’s leading receiver in 2003 — and senior track and field All-America Ben Wiggins, who showed his potential on the gridiron when he caught three passes for

168 yards and two touchdowns at SMU last year. Hatfield said he expects the team’s rushing game to open spaces for the occasional pass.

“Primarily we will run the ball because it’s the thing we do best, and the better you’re running the ball, the better you should be able to hold the ball,” Hatfield said. “So the better we can run it, the more opportunities we’ll have to make big plays in the passing game. Most of the receivers have been around for a couple of years and worked with Greg, so I think we have a chance to be a lot more effective in our passing game because all those receivers now feel comfortable with their positions.”

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