By MOISEKAPENDA BOWER
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
If Rice coach Ken Hatfield had any doubt about the eagerness of the 2005 Owls, they were dismissed 20 minutes before the first team meeting.
At 5:40 p.m. Wednesday, the 96 players who reported to fall camp that morning were in attendance and attentive.
There were no stragglers, only a singular focus on the business at hand.
"We kept them for two hours," Hatfield said. "We had the administrative things that you've got to get through the very first day. It was hot in there and we didn't hear a squeak or a complaint, which shows they're interested in being the best they can be."
The enthusiasm that accompanied the opening of fall practice at Rice was a product of several factors, notably the excitement generated from a switch in conference affiliations from the Western Athletic Conference to Conference USA, the hubbub created over the tweaking of the offense, and the fact Hatfield will deviate from his practice of redshirting his freshman class.
"We told all of our freshmen to be ready to play ... and then we'll worry about redshirting later on," Hatfield said. "I don't want them going into the fall thinking, 'Well, I'll be redshirted and it'll take me two years before I'll play.' That isn't the way it is."
Something's in the air
Whether Hatfield will be forced to rely on true freshmen this season remains to be seen. What is a certainty is the Owls are implementing a shotgun set to their option offense.
"The mentality around the locker room is more exciting. Everybody is ready to get started and see what this new offense is going to bring to the table," junior left guard Cory Laxen said. "We looked really good in the spring, and we're ready to put our abilities toward something that's going to count. It's crazy the excitement that's going on now."
The Owls will have 30 practices to absorb whatever wasn't perfected during spring drills and sharpen the skills that eroded over the summer in advance of their season opener at UCLA on Sept. 10.
For the offense, that means the further jelling of a line that features six players on the two-deep depth chart who have fewer than two seasons of playing experience.
Hatfield lauded the potential of his backfield, which includes quarterbacks Joel Armstrong and Chase Clement and A-backs Quinton Smith, Marcus Rucker, Bio Bilaye-Benibo and Thomas Lott, but he targeted the continued development of his inexperienced split ends as one of many focuses of fall camp.
Split ends at center stage
Redshirt freshman Jared Dillard showed promise during the spring, and junior Andy Hall enjoyed several highlights as a reserve over the past two seasons, but neither has been a focal point offensively.
Their acclimation to the modified offense during the coming weeks will be vital to Hatfield's goals of passing the ball more efficiently.
Armstrong's role is critical. After taking the reins of the offense as a redshirt freshman midway through last season, he enters camp with confidence.
"I place more of the responsibility on my shoulders this year," Armstrong said. "I don't want to compare it to high school, but it gives me the same feeling of where if I play good, then we play good. If we don't have a good season, then I can pretty much put that on myself."
Owls Left Tackle Carter Out for the Season
With the loss of six senior offensive linemen who paved the way for Rice to lead the nation in rushing in 2004, the Owls could ill afford to lose one of their few experienced blockers.
On Friday, Rice coach Ken Hatfield announced that junior left tackle David Carter will no longer play football for the Owls because of a series of shoulder injuries.
"After consultation with our doctors and his doctors over the summer, he decided that his shoulders would not be able to hold up, especially as an offensive linemen," Hatfield said. "He'll be helping the team in another capacity, but he won't be able to play anymore."
Carter (6-6, 300) has had multiple surgeries on his shoulders, and when pain lingered during the offseason, he decided to call it a career. Carter played in 20 games with the Owls, including three starts at right tackle over the final three games last season. He entered fall workouts as the projected starter at left tackle.
"It's a shame ... ," Hatfield said. "He was going to be a good player for us."
Carter's backup, Nathan Miller, transferred over the summer. Sophomore Robby Heos moves to left tackle.
