Rice dedicated to improving
BuffZone.com
It was on a punt return that Brenden Rice first showed his explosiveness last season.
When the Colorado receiver thinks about standing at the goal line to field a kickoff, though, that’s what gets him excited.
“That ball, just looking at the ball in the air and the twists and turns, oh my goodness,” he said. “It’s something different.”
As a true freshman last season, Rice showed that he might be something different for the Buffaloes. With a 6-foot-3, 205-pound frame, solid speed and exceptional genes, Rice had a debut season in 2020 that was electric at times, and might just be the launching point for a stellar career at CU.
The son of NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, who is considered by many to be the greatest receiver to ever play the game, Rice caught six passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns, returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown and averaged 18.5 yards on two kickoff returns in CU’s COVID-19-shortened season.
Despite playing among a group loaded with talent, Rice scored on three of the nine times he touched the ball.
“Being under the wing of KD Nixon and people like Maurice Bell, Vontae Shenault, the confidence factor is everything in the wide receiver game,” Rice said. “You see (former NFL star) Chad Ochocinco, and all these great wide receivers; if you don’t have confidence, you can’t take that next step.
“As soon as I caught my first touchdown, I got my feel for the game and it truly balanced out, and I felt as though I can truly come in here and make an impact, day in and day out in every single game.”
Rice said he doesn’t feel any pressure, though.
“I know what I do on and off the field,” he said. “I know the time I put into this game and everything. I take notes from him, I take notes from other receivers – Brandon Marshall, all these bigname receivers, all these big body receivers. Just applying it to my game and truly going out there and making the plays, making the right blocks and executing everything down to the bare minimum. There’s no pressure at all.”
It also helps that he’s got plenty of people around him – head coach Karl Dorrell, offensive coordinator/receivers coach Darrin Chiaverini, and his talented teammates – to keep his ego in check.
“Most definitely, they put my humility in check always,” Rice said. “But at the same time I came in here and I don’t have a lot of ego to my name, especially after … the way I was raised all my life and also being in shadows all my life. I have a lot to work for, the standards I want to grow to. I just want to build every single day, day in and day out. I can’t take nothing for granted. I take all the coaching I can. I try to go be the best player I can every single day.”