A look at next week’s opponent: Rice,
A new four-deep back rotation complements QB.
HOUSTON — Sometimes, the athlete says it best.
“In the past, we have had the one back that’s been the main horse, but now we have a whole stable of backs that have their own particular and specific technique,” Rice running back Darik Dillard said.
The Owls, who are the Texas Longhorns’ next opponents, are deep at running back. Most of the focus is on quarterback Driphus Jackson’s arm and the many options at wide receiver, but Owls running backs coach Anthony Steward has worked up a four-deep back rotation.
Rice beat Wagner 56-16 in its season opener at home Saturday, thanks largely to Jackson’s feet instead of his throwing arm. He went 10 of 19 with one interception and called his passing game “unacceptable.”
Jackson spun, dodged, jumped and sprinted across the synthetic turf at Rice Stadium. He mostly optioned to Dillard, except for one play that led to a 43-yard touchdown run for Jackson, the longest of his career.
“He was supposed to pitch the ball on that one, weren’t you, Driphus?” Owls coach David Bailiff said while looking at his fifth-year starter in the postgame news conference.
“I don’t remember,” Jackson smiled.
Last year, Rice regu- larly featured Dillard and Jowan Davis. This season, they will be complemented by Sam Stewart and Austin Walter, who take the speed of the unit to another level.
“We’ve been working so much harder,” Davis said. “We have a lot of young guys. We’ve been increasing different things we need to work on. It’s just going to be a good year this year.”
Davis and Dillard carried the load last season, so the depth at running back is a nod toward improved recruitment of better athletes.
“Being able to see them take the reps and see the huge learning curve and how quickly they’re learning just shows us how promising a future we have depth-wise at running back,” Dillard said.
In 2014, Dillard rushed 134 times for 652 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also finished with 17 catches for 163 yards and a TD. Davis had 340 carries for 1,432 yards and nine touchdowns last season.
Since last season, they’ve focused on overall improvement. Davis’ strength is his athleticism.
“I feel my running ability is one of my strongest attributes and being able to get out in the passing game and also my protection,” he said. “I feel like it’s stepped up tremendously.”
As for Dillard, his strength is his ability to continue through a hole that doesn’t seem to exist.
“When I get out in the passing game, I want to be a sure-hands guy,” he said. “I want to always be counted on to catch the ball.”