Rice finds a way to balance Gael Ochoa and Jacurri Brown in QB room

Rice installed its signature shotgun option offense last season, following the arrival of head coach Scott Abell. In year two, Abell hand-picked a quarterback seemingly tailor-made for his unique system.

He landed on Jacurri Brown, whose mobility was on full display during previous stops at Miami (FL) and UCF. Brown also arrived chasing a hunger, eager to capitalize on a new opportunity and reestablish himself as an FBS starteing quarterback.

The fit appeared perfect. Brown quickly became the centerpiece of the offense, delivering extraordinary performances as a dual-threat quarterback on a weekly basis. He threw for 121 yards and rushed for 128 against Western Michigan. Seven days later, he totaled 119 passing yards and 141 rushing yards against Fresno State. Brown eclipsed 95 rushing yards in four of his first five starts with the Owls, and nothing was slowing him down.

It all culminated against Tulsa on Oct. 17, when he unleashed a superhuman effort to account for 146 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns before halftime. But an untimely ankle injury prevented Brown from finishing the masterpiece.

One week later, Rice turned to backup quarterback Gael Ochoa. The UNLV transfer had never started a collegiate game, but his first opportunity against Florida Atlantic was a recordbreaking one. In a 51-49 shootout loss, Ochoa erupted for 259 rushing yards and four touchdowns on just 12 carries. His 21.6 rushing average set a new single-game American Conference record. His rushing total ranked second in Rice history and marked the most productive outing by an FBS quarterback since Bert Emanuel Jr. rushed for 293 yards in 2022. All four of Ochoa’s rushing touchdowns covered more than 50 yards, and he even added a 71-yard passing touchdown in an explosive performance.

“I think it was that third touchdown I kind of came off the sideline, and realized, ‘Man, I put up three already,’” Ochoa recalled of his first start. “It’s crazy, but I give a lot of credit to my o-line and my receivers and running backs. For that game, I kind of felt like everything was clicking right for us.”

The sudden breakout raised an intriguing question: Whathappens when Brown becomes available again, and two of Rice’s most talented players occupy the same position? Especially a position where only player can take a snap at a time.

Prior to the Week 10 matchup at North Texas, Abell indicated that both quarterbacks would see the field. But one week later ahead of a home game against Tulane, the head coach selected a different approach for his offense.

“Gael will be our starting quarterback,” Abell said. “I think everybody knows that now. My thoughts on his performance — it was a game two performance. Coming out of the gates game one, it’s usually easier on an athlete. People don’t know quite what to expect or what are the expectations. So game two, especially after you have a day that is like none other in game one, now the expectations are maybe a little unreal for Gael.”

Ochoa made his second start against the American Conference-leading Mean Green on Nov. 7. The redshirt sophomore couldn’t replicate the impossible standard set by his first start, but still turned in a productive follow-up act, managing 172 passing yards on an 8-of-13 showing, delivering one touchdown and one interception. He added 47 yards on the ground while leading the Owls to their third-highest scoring output against an FBS opponent this season.

“I think he did a lot of good things. I think he made a lot of good decisions in our option game,” Abell said. “The part that separated him from week one to week two for him was he wasn’t as clean with the football as we need to be. That will be a point of emphasis for all of our quarterbacks each and every week… I think our scheme is being executed at a pretty high level. We’ve shown that we can control a clock, but it’s been the football on the ground, the missed pitch, or occasional interception that has slowed us down. That is really gonna be the point of emphasis for the offense this week and for Gael.”

With Ochoa cemented as the new starter, Brown’s role became the next question. Abell understood the team’s original QB1 was far too talented to leave on the sidelines.

Against North Texas, Abell inserted Brown in a variety of roles, utilizing him as a running back, wide receiver, and tight end. Brown rushed six times for 17 yards and led Rice in receiving, hauling in two passes for 55 yards. His signature highlight involved fighting through a pass interference penalty for a 42-yard reception on a post pattern, propelling the Owls on a third quarter scoring drive.

Brown spent less than a week preparing for the role as Rice’s offensive polymath, but he quickly demonstrated his potential as a route runner and explosive receiving threat. Abell believes the position is a natural fit for Brown, a senior who has aspirations to play at the next level.

“For Jacurri, I think he sees there can be a future in other roles when his career at the collegiate level is done,” Abell said. “He’s 6’5”, 230. He catches a lot of scouts’ eyes when he walks through the building, when they come to practice. I think he’s a very intelligent young man. I think he knew all along, if he got a shot at the next level, it probably wouldn’t be at quarterback. So now, this gives him the opportunity to progress to that and show a lot of people what his skillsets are, and he did that Saturday.”

Perhaps the most impressive part of Brown’s transition isn’t his adaptability, but his willingness to step aside and help his understudy thrive in the same role he used to bear.

“It reemphasizes to everyone what I’ve said about JB all year — what an incredible person, an unbelievable captain for our program, an elite football player but someone who values team over himself,” Abell said. “I hope all of our young players are playing attention. We all have egos and when you see your starting quarterback — who has had some great moments this year at quarterback — because of an injury, the opportunity opened up for someone else, and now he’s learning a new position. He said, ‘Give it to me. Let me learn it. What do you need? How can I help the team?’”

Since taking over at quarterback, Ochoa has received unwavering support from Brown, making the transition into the starting role substantially easier.

“The big thing for us is we’re kind of each other’s biggest supporter,” Ochoa said. “Early on in the year, I was just cheering him on and really just letting him know that, ‘Man, this is your program. This is your team.’ And he fully embraced that. Now, it’s vice versa. As soon as I stepped into that starting job, he had nothing but support for me, nothing but help and wisdom. He has a lot of experience, so I use that to my advantage. Me and JB have been really tight since we both got here in January, and that relationship has really grown.”

Now healthy, Brown is no longer limited to supporting Ochoa from the sidelines. He’s sharing the field with him, serving as one of the quarterback’s premier weapons in the passing game, while retaining the threat of his own mobility. Ochoa believes sharing the field with another quarterback benefits the offense in a multitude of ways. The Owls can their two most dynamic athletes on the field at once, while Brown’s leadership continues to resonate throughout the huddle.

“It’s definitely a comfortable feeling,” Ochoa said. “I can look to the left and ask my guy a question real quick if I need to shore up some things. It’s very comforting knowing I’m not the only field general out there and having somebody by my side that can help me pick up these guys throughout the drives. We have a lot of long drives, so getting those guys picked up in the huddle is definitely a great asset.”

Rice isn’t the first team to deploy multiple quarterbacks on the field this season. Utah has made two-quarterback packages a staple of its offense, implementing Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin into a slew of creative concepts during its journey to the No. 2 spot in the rankings. Abell sees some similarities between the two situations but also made important contrasts.

“It’s subtly a little different,” Abell said. “(Utah) runs a little bit of an option scheme in theirs and both of theirs are probably more running back type guys, where for us, Jacurri’s a 6’5”, 230 pound hybrid. You could call him a receiver, you could call him a tight end, you could call him a quarterback. I think that makes this situation a little bit different. If both quarterbacks had a very similar skillset, we could probably tap into that. But with that said, having two quarterbacks on the field opens up possibilities for us. What will that look like? I’m not gonna jump into that, but do I draw inspiration from people like Utah who do that kind of stuff? Certainly. We do recruit athletic guys to play that position. They’re not just a thrower — they’re dual-threat guys, so this won’t be the first time that I’ve had two quarterbacks that I really want to get on the field.”

Rice remains in search of its first FBS victory in 2026, and Abell believes this setup involving both Ochoa and Brown provides the Owls their best chance to accomplish that goal. They battle Tulane this Saturday, aiming to snap an eight-game losing streak against the reigning American champion and 2025 College Football Playoff participant.

“I’m excited this week, because everyone’s more comfortable in their role,” Abell said. “Gael now knows how much I believe and trust in him… As a player, when you start a game, have an amazing game, and then the starter that you played over is back, and you say, ‘Well you’re gonna start. He’s gonna get some reps, and we’re gonna play him in a lot of positions,’ you don’t quite know what that looks like. So I think you’re gonna see everybody settle in to who they are now, including Jacurri, including Gael, and including all the guys around them.”