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April 20, 2007 > Sports > Defense takes Spring Game 26-18

Defense takes Spring Game 26-18

By Nathan Bledsoe | Thresher Editorial Staff

The football team concluded two weeks of spring practices by pitting the offense and defense against each other in the annual Spring Football Game. Held Saturday at Rice Stadium, the game itself was thrilling enough — the defense got three straight sacks in the game’s final series to preserve a 26-18 victory — but wins and losses were not the main point. Rather, first-year head coach David Bailiff and his coaching staff wanted to evaluate how the team fared in game conditions.

Bailiff said he thought the defense showed marked improvement with its last-minute stand.

“I was really excited about the defense,” Bailiff said. “The other 14 practices, when we’ve done the two-minute drill, the offense has just run down the field and scored.”

Freshman defensive end James Casey was a pleasant surprise in the spring game. A 22-year-old who spent the past four years playing minor-league baseball, Casey wreaked havoc in the backfield, constantly putting pressure on sophomore quarterback Chase Clement. Even though he has been out of football for a while, Casey should be a good fit for the new 4-2-5 defense Bailiff will employ next season.

The switch from last year’s 3-3-5 stack to the 4-2-5 puts one more defensive lineman on the field and removes a linebacker. Having the four-man line allows smaller, quicker defensive ends, like the 6-foot, 4-inch, 245-pound Casey, to disrupt the edge.

Casey said his time away from football will help him this season.

“I couldn’t imagine coming here straight out of high school,” he said. “I’m so much more mature now.”

Moving to a four-man front should help against the run, but it will put a burden on the young players. Both the offensive and defensive line are thin this year, and new recruits must fill in the two-deep rosters.

The running game has attracted the most attention so far on offense. With Quinton Smith, last year’s leading rusher, graduating this semester, a three-way battle has emerged for the starting running back spot. Sophomore Marcus Knox is a key competitor — he led all runners with 68 yards, including a 49-yard cutback scamper that was the longest play during the game. Also looking for carries are junior Bio Bilaye-Benibo and sophomore C.J. Ugokwe. The running game was inconsistent in the scrimmage, possibly because of a slight change in the blocking schemes.

Although the coaching staff has slightly tweaked those schemes, fans should not expect the offense to look radically different from last year’s unit. Bailiff and offensive coordinator Tom Herman plan to continue running a spread offense with multiple receiver sets.

The main weapon in the Owls’ offense, junior All-American receiver Jarett Dillard, saw little playing time in the spring game, catching just one pass for 10 yards. The coaches limited Dillard’s playing time because they saw no need to risk significant injury for one of their prized assets. And Dillard’s near-absence allowed other receivers to shine. Clement competed 17 passes to 9 different receivers, throwing for 188 yards and a touchdown. Both senior Joel Armstrong and sophomore Toren Dixon played well for the offense, combining for 9 catches and 96 yards.

The Owls are also concerned about an open punting spot. Senior Jared Scruggs averaged almost 39 yards per punt last year, a huge void Rice needs to fill. Junior Luke Juist filled in for the spring game, punting seven times for 224 yards.

The spring featured a new scoring system to fix the problems associated with pitting the offense and defense against each other. The system awarded points to the defense for plays like sacks, three-and-out possessions by the offense and turnovers. The offense got points for explosive plays and drives sustained for three or more first downs, as well as normal scoring plays.

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