HawgBeat's 2021 Sneak Peek: Rice (Sept. 4)

We are inching closer and closer to what everyone hopes will be a normal college football season in 2021 after the pandemic threw a wrench into last season.

It will be Year 2 of the Sam Pittman era at Arkansas. The Razorbacks are looking to build on a solid year in which they snapped their lengthy SEC losing streak and went 3-7, with three of those losses decided by a total of seven points.

Fall camp will be here before you know it and the Arkansas staff is still focused on preparing for the season, which it will undoubtedly "take one game at at time," but we can peek ahead.

HawgBeat will preview each of the Razorbacks' 12 opponents over the next few weeks, beginning with the season opener against former Southwest Conference foe Rice...

Not a subscriber? Subscribe for free for 30 days w/code HAWGS30
NEW USERS | RETURNING USERS

WHO: Rice Owls (2-3 in C-USA)

WHEN: Sept. 4

WHERE: Donald W. Reynolds Stadium (76,808)

LAST GAME: Rice played at Arkansas in 1991 where Arkansas won 20-0.

HEAD COACH: Mike Bloomgren (4th season, 7-23 record)

WHAT’S NEW: Rice recently had a few coaching changes, starting with former NFL quarterback and Cal passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Marques Tuiasosopo coming in as the offensive coordinator. Jim Jackson is overtaking the tight ends after being with UMass at an offensive line coach. Chris Monfiletto will be bumped from tight ends to the special teams coordinator.

WHO TO WATCH (OFFENSE): Redshirt junior wide receiver Bradley Rozner is back from an injury that forced him to miss the entire 2020 season. At 6-foot-5, 204 pounds, he led the Owls with 770 yards and five touchdowns on 55 receptions in 2019. He had four 100-yard receiving games in the 12-game season, which was the second-most in C-USA since 2014. His explosiveness also translates to his run blocking, with Rozner posting the best run-blocking grade in 2019 at 73.1, according to Pro Football Focus. Look for the Owls to try to get Rozner involved in the offense early in the season.

WHO TO WATCH (DEFENSE): Naeem Smith was a major factor in Rice's big win over No. 15 Marshall last season, scoring on a 36-yard pick-six. At 5-foot-11, 197 pounds, Smith brings a veteran presence to the backend of the defense with him having the most career snaps among the projected starters in the secondary. He'll be looking for a bounce back season after missing most of last year with an injury.

OVERVIEW: While Arkansas finds itself preparing for its first non-conference game since 2019, it is widely viewed as a warmup game. If this was the Chad Morris era, fans would likely need their blood pressure checked periodically throughout the game. However, Sam Pittman and his staff showed in 2020, even with a limited offseason and brutal all-SEC schedule because of the pandemic, that the team would be ready to play regardless of the opponent. On the flip side, Rice is looking for its first winning season since 2014, when it went 8-5 and won the Hawaii Bowl.

Defense is projected to be the Owls' strength, as they return 10 starters after ranking in the top 25 nationally in scoring defense (18.8 points/game, 12th) and total defense (341.6 yards/game, 23rd) - albeit against a five-game, all-CUSA schedule. A pair of "super seniors" - Smith and defensive lineman Elijah Green - are the leaders of the unit.

On the other side of the ball, Rice has a two-time honorable mention All-CUSA lineman in Shea Baker (6-1, 311), who is also a preseason first-team all-conference selection by Phil Steele. Starting all five games at right guard, he earned a 64.0 PFF grade last year and has played nearly 2,000 career snaps. He is one of seven returning offensive linemen who've played snaps, so the Owls will be looking to establish the run to set up play-action and run-pass option opportunities, which could give the Razorbacks' new-look defensive line a challenge.

Coming out of spring, the quarterback job appeared to be Wiley Green's to lose, as he was the 2019 starter and impressed Tuiasosopo during the open competition at practice. However, that may change with the summer addition of Luke McCaffery. The younger brother of NFL star Christian McCaffery, he was a backup at Nebraska the last two years and had a brief stint at Louisville before re-entering the portal and landing at Rice. Whichever player wins the starting job for the season opener will have Rozner and first-team all-conference tight end Jordan Myers to throw the ball to.

Sept. 4 - Rice
Sept. 11 - Texas
Sept. 18 - Georgia Southern
Sept. 25 - Texas A&M (Arlington, Texas)
Oct. 2 - at Georgia
Oct. 9 - at Ole Miss
Oct. 16 - Auburn
Oct. 23 - UAPB (Little Rock)
Oct. 30 - OPEN
Nov. 6 - Mississippi State
Nov. 13 - at LSU
Nov. 20 - at Alabama
Nov. 26 - Missouri