Rice football stepped back to square one in 2018. The Owls brought in head coach Mike Bloomgren from Stanford, but still struggled.

The Owls won their first and last games of the year. The middle was a little more complicated. There were encouraging performances against Power Five and AAC opponents, but the conference slate was unimpressive. Bloomgren has his work cut out to build the roster in his image.

Here’s our full postmortem and review of the 2018 Rice Owls football season.

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Rice Owls Season Recap

Final record: 2-11, 1-7 Conference-USA

Head coach: Mike Bloomgren (2-11 all at Rice)

Coordinators: OC Jerry Mack, DC Brian Smith

Offensive MVP: RB Austin Walter

Rice didn’t have much consistent offensive production, but Bloomgren used Walter all over the field. The senior led the team with 564 rushing yards on 4.2 yards a carry. He also finished No. 4 with 44 catches for 525 receiving yards. Especially with the revolving door at quarterback, Walter’s production was essential.

Defensive MVP: DT Zach Abercrumbia

Abercrumbia has announced that he’s leaving the program as a graduate transfer, and it’s easy to see why he’s so sought after. The defensive lineman finished third on the team with 55 tackles and second on the team with 4.5 tackles for loss. He did it from the defensive tackle position, despite not having strong pass rushers around him to help ease the pressure.