New faces try to lift sluggish offense
Late in Rice’s Tuesday practice, redshirt freshman quarterback Parker Towns took off down the left side of the field and outran the defense to the end zone before jubilant teammates swarmed him.
It’s the sort of play coaches expected out of JoVoni Johnson when he made his first career start against Marshall last week, and the true freshman came through to an extent, rushing for 65 yards and passing for 97 yards and a touchdown.
“I was able to play with confidence,” Johnson said, adding that it felt “weird” to operate the offense instead of coming in for scripted running plays.
On Tuesday, Johnson stood off to the side wearing a boot on his left foot because of turf toe. Coaches hope to have him back after this week’s open date when the Owls (0-9) travel to Middle Tennessee State.
When he returns, Johnson will compete for the starting job. If he wins it, he’ll play Nov. 16 in an appearance that would be his last if coaches hope to extend his eligibility through a redshirt.
Johnson declined to comment on his preference as to how the rest of his season unfolds.
“We’re going to cross that road when we get there,” offensive coordinator Jerry Mack said. “We’re taking it day by day with ( Johnson). He has to get back first and show that he can operate the game plan. After (Middle Tennessee), we’ll see what happens.”
Prior to the Marshall game, Mack assumed greater control of the offense. He called more plays — after splitting that duty with coach Mike Bloomgren throughout most of the year — and exerted more control in shaping the look of the offense, illustrated by the red zone bubble screen that led to Rice’s only score in last Saturday’s 20-7 loss.
As part of that shift in approach, Mack wanted to utilize the Owls’ most mobile quarterback. In each of his four seasons as head coach at North Carolina Central, his leading passer rushed for at least 400 yards.
“It’s all quarterback driven,” Mack said. “Everything we did, from simplifying the protections, from simplifying the passing game to quarterback runs . ... Those were designated because you have a guy like JoVoni who can run and extend plays.”
Largely absent from the Marshall game was Rice’s leading rusher, Aston Walter, who had but two carries for 5 yards. Mack wanted to lean on Juma Otoviano for his ability to get to the edge, and the sophomore netted 66 yards on 14 carries. After seeing his first significant action since an early-season injury, Otoviano could continue to feature prominently in the backfield.
Up front, coaches expect center Brian Chaffin to return from an elbow injury next week.
“This week is a ‘get everybody healthy’ week,” Mack said. “Hopefully, JoVoni will be ready by next week. Whoever is the best person going forward, that’s the person who plays.”