11/25/2021 football Edit

Scouting Rice QBs Jake Constantine & Luke McCaffrey

Ben Carlisle • BleedTechBlue

Publisher

Jake Constantine and Luke McCraffrey could both see time at quarterback for Rice on Saturday.

Constantine has had an interesting journey after signing with Boise State out of high school.

Following the 2016 season, Constantine transferred to Ventura College in Ventura, CA.

After one season at Ventura, Constantine took his talents to Weber State where he threw for 4,428 yards and 33 TDs in 2 seasons.

The 6'2 signal caller sat out the 2020 season and joined the Rice program in the spring of 2021.

In 8 games for Rice in 2021, Constantine has completed 61% of his throws for 1,622 yards, 8 TDs and 7 INTs.

Let's take a deeper dive into some of the details to his game, per Pro Football Focus.

In 444 snaps, Constantine has a 62.9 overall grade.

Passing Depth

Behind LOS | 13/16 (81%) for 81 yards, 1 INT

Short (0-9) | 76/108 (70%) for 729 yards, 2 TDs & 4 INTs

Medium (10-19) | 30/50 (60%) for 520 yards, 4 TDs

Deep (20+) | 7/24 (29%) for 286 yards, 2 TDs & 2 INTs

Passing Pressure

Kept Clean | 103/157 (66%) for 1,247 yards, 8 TDs & 4 INTs

Under Pressure | 23/50 (46%) for 369 yards, 3 INTs

Not Blitzed | 84/135 (62%) for 1,066 yards, 6 TDs & 4 INTs

When Blitzed | 42/72 (58%) for 550 yards, 2 TDs & 3 INTs

Constantine was injured in last week's loss at UTEP and his status for Saturday is in question.

If he's unable to go, Luke McCaffrey is expected to get the start.

McCaffrey signed with Nebraska out of high school and spent two years in Lincoln before transferring to Rice this past off-season.

Luke is the son of former NFL WR Ed McCaffrey and brother of Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey.

In two years at Nebraska, McCaffrey threw for 608 yards, 3 TDs & 6 INTs. He also added 547 yards rushing and 4 TDs on the ground.

In 196 snaps in 2021, McCaffrey has a 46.7 overall grade, per Pro Football Focus.

Passing Depth

Behind LOS | 3/5 (60%) for 3 yards

Short (0-9) | 20/31 (65%) for 175 yards, 1 TD & 3 INTs

Medium (10-19) | 3/9 (33%) for 45 yards

Deep (20+) | 1/9 (11%) for 35 yards, 1 INT

Passing Pressure

Kept Clean | 17/34 (50%) for 109 yards, 2 INTs

Under Pressure | 10/23 (44%) for 149 yards, 1 TD & 2 INTs

Not Blitzed | 17/39 (44%) for 192 yards, 4 INTs

When Blitzed | 10/18 (56%) for 66 yards, 1 TD

In total, McCaffrey is 27/56 (48%) for 258 yards, 1 TD & 4 INTs in 8 games this season. He's also added 103 yards and 2 TDs on the ground.

Whether its Constantine or McCaffrey at quarterback for the Owls on Saturday, Mike Bloomgren and his staff will be looking to run the football first and foremost.

With Constantine and McCaffrey having combined for 11 interceptions Louisiana Tech is going to have chances to make some plays in the secondary.

Can the Bulldogs bounce back on the defensive side after a tough performance against Southern Miss last week?

---

Join the discussion regarding the match-up this weekend with Rice on the Tech Drive for only $9.95 a month. We are your #1 source for Louisiana Tech football throughout the 2021 season.