Overview

Overview

The all-time leading rusher at Rutgers with 4,926 yards and 49 touchdowns on 910 carries, Rice might be short, but he proved to be the "big man on campus" in three seasons in Piscataway.

Before his Scarlet Knights' career came to an end, Rice became the first player in the 138-year history of the football program to rush for over 1,000 yards in three seasons.

"Ray Rice is not your normal guy. He is 5-9, 195 pounds and he is a very, very well-conditioned young man. He trains incredibly hard so he can do this," said Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano.

What makes Rice tough is that he runs behind his pads very well, showing the strength to consistently break tackles, uncommon for a back of his size. He is a tireless worker in practice. He greatly improved his receiving skills prior to the 2007 season, upgrading an area of his game that pro scouts felt was one of his weaknesses..

At New Rochelle High School, Rice was named to Madison Square Garden's All-Heisman Team. He was rated the 19th-best all-purpose back in the country by Rivals.com and the seventh-best player in New York by Scout.com. The All-State first-team choice added team Offensive Most Valuable Player honors as a senior and was also selected Game MVP in the Class AA championship game.

Rice rushed for 122 yards, leading New York to victory in the 2005 Governor's Bowl. During the 2004 season, he carried 112 times for 1,192 yards (10.6-yard average) and 31 touchdowns, caught 10 passes for 302 yards and five scores on offense and recorded 44 tackles with four sacks and two interceptions as a defensive back. He returned seven punts for 83 yards and four kickoffs for 276 yards (53.5-yard average), as he also kicked, converting 39 extra points and two field goals (long of 31 yards).

As a junior, Rice totaled 1,332 yards and 21 scores on the ground. In the season opener vs. White Plains High, he gained 105 yards on just four carries. He also excelled on the basketball team, starting at point guard. He led the team to the state finals in 2003-2004. He graduated with a 3.7 GPA.

Rice enrolled at Rutgers in 2005, turning down scholarship offers from Arizona State, Penn State and Syracuse. Rice earned Freshman All-American honors as he totaled 1,120 yards and five touchdowns on 195 carries (5.7-yard average) and 1,185 all-purpose yards, despite starting just five of 12 games that year. His 1,120 yards set a school freshman record and he was the team's first 1,000-yard rusher since 1994.

In 2006, Rice was a consensus All-American second-team choice, adding All-Big East Conference first-team honors. The Maxwell Award finalist became the third player ion school history to produce back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, as he ranked third in the nation with 1,794 yards on 335 attempts (5.4-yard average) and finished fifth nationally with 20 touchdowns on the ground.

That year, he piled up 1,824 all-purpose yards, despite being limited by a left ankle sprain the final month of the regular season, earning him The Daily Targum's Male Athlete of the Year. "Our success in our season came due to hard work," Rice said. "I couldn't have done what I did without my teammates, without my fellow teammate Brian Leonard and my offensive line."

As a junior, Rice became the school's first three-time 1,000-yard rusher. The second-team All-American selection and Maxwell Award finalist finished third nationally with 380 carries for 2,012 yards (5.3-yard average) and 24 touchdowns, becoming the Big East's first 2,000-yard rusher. He showed improved receiving skills, catching 25 passes for 239 yards (9.6-yard average) and a score. He ranked fifth in the country in scoring with a school record 150 points and generated 2,251 all-purpose yards, the 11th-best total in the major college ranks.

Rice decided to leave Rutgers University and enter the 2008 NFL Draft.

In 38 games at Rutgers, Rice started 37 times. He holds the school career marks with 910 attempts for 4,926 yards (5.41-yard average), 49 touchdowns and a long run of 90 yards. He made 37 catches for 334 yards (9.0 avg) and a score, setting another school record by piling up 300 points. He recorded five tackles (four solo) and amassed 5,260 all-purpose yards, an average of 138.42 yards per game.

High School

Attended New Rochelle (N.Y.) High School, playing football for head coach Lou DiRenzo...Named to Madison Square Garden's All-Heisman Team...Rated the 19th-best all-purpose back in the country by Rivals.com and the seventh-best player in New York by Scout.com...All-State first-team choice...Added team Offensive Most Valuable Player honors as a senior...Selected Game MVP in the Class AA championship game...Rushed for 122 yards, leading New York to victory in the 2005 Governor's Bowl...During the 2004 season, he carried 112 times for 1,192 yards (10.6-yard average) and 31 touchdowns, caught 10 passes for 302 yards and five scores on offense and recorded 44 tackles with four sacks and two interceptions as a defensive back...Returned seven punts for 83 yards and four kickoffs for 276 yards (53.5-yard average), as he also kicked, converting 39 extra points and two field goals (long of 31 yards)...As a junior, Rice totaled 1,332 yards and 21 scores on the ground...In the season opener vs. White Plains High, he gained 105 yards on just four carries...Also excelled on the basketball team, starting at point guard...Led the team to the state finals in 2003-2004. He also graduated with a 3.7 grade point average.

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Analysis

Analysis

Positives: Has a compact, defined frame with good chest development and room for upper-body mass...Runs at a low pad level and, despite average speed, he has the ability to take a defender out of his cleats with his cutback agility and lateral movements...Big-play type with a good head for the game, as he is quick to see coverage and shows good patience following blocks...Normal stride runner, but has the plant-and-drive agility to change directions suddenly...Makes quick decisions on the move, showing superb field vision and is very consistent in finding the cutback lanes...Runs with good balance, showing the strength to power through the pile...Works hard for extra yardage and is a tough runner who won't back down (might be encouraged to run out of bounds to protect his body)...Takes plays from the chalkboard to the playing field...Understands the game well and will put in the extra hours watching game film...Self-motivated type that does not need monitoring...May lack sudden moves, but has quick feet and a sudden step in and out of the hole...Lowers his pads, squares his shoulders and has very good pick-and-slide agility when trying to locate the rush lane...Lacks long finishing speed, but will set up a defender with head fakes and loose hips before accelerating for extra yardage...Because of his balance and low center of gravity, defenders have problems getting him down upon initial contact...Has a sharp, short burst and uses his leg drive properly to cut upfield before getting to the corner...Hits the crease hard and has the vision to work his way through traffic...Aggressive inside runner with the weaving ability to escape from the pile, doing a nice job of maintaining his pad level for leverage after locating the rush lane...Rare to see him run "tall" or leave the ball exposed...Despite lacking ideal bulk, he is efficient slamming the ball up the middle of the line, as he maintains balance running through the pile and displays impressive power when making initial contact...His leg drive constantly keeps him moving forward...While he has just average perimeter speed, he gets the corner turned well on the option and will execute fakes to juke out his man and break free in the open (can get chased down)...Still learning how to develop a better second gear, but with his vision reading blocks in space, he is capable of making the long run...Smart, instinctive runner who quickly finds the crease and has the strength to bounce off isolated tacklers...Has improved his ball-handling and ball-security issues running with the ball in a crowd...Shows good flexibility and concentration extending for the ball outside his frame and, while still a work in progress, he can get open and provide production on swings and screens (just not able to track the ball on deep routes)...Will lower his shoulder and break through tackles, as his low center of gravity and above-average balance allow him to squirm past the initial tackle...Won't shy away from contact blocking in-line, but is much more effective as a cut blocker in space...Has the strength to sustain blocks vs. second-level defenders (lacks bulk to hold ground firmly vs. the bull rush)...Has good change-of-direction balance when trying to pick up stunts and protect the pocket.

Negatives: Lacks ideal size (more than an inch shorter than he was listed at Rutgers), but he is a powerful runner with good body lean and the leg strength to break arm tackles...Has made some recent improvement with his timed speed, but can be caught from behind due to his lack of a sudden burst...Has been generally durable throughout his career with no major injuries, but has averaged 27.5 carries per game over the last two years, a very high amount, and his body won't withstand that type of punishment at the next level...Has good hands, but lacks good route-running ability (struggles to track the ball over his outside shoulder), as he has been used mostly on controlled routes (needs to take crisper breaks rather than soft-angle cuts)...Is a willing blocker, but his obvious lack of size sees him get pushed around doing that chore in the backfield...Is just an adequate cut blocker who must do a better job of taking proper angles...While he has good acceleration, is not considered explosive and his short legs allow striding defenders to run him down from behind.

Compares To: EMMITT SMITH-ex-Dallas...Rice needs to bulk up and does not have the route-running skills Smith displayed, but both are deceptive runners in that they use power along with a small man's body to play a big man's game. Rice has been durable throughout his career, but 910 rushing attempts will scare off a few teams, as they might fear he is approaching a "break-down" stage. He has the low center of gravity, keen field vision and the pick-and-slide agility that kept Smith in the league for well over a decade. If he can continue to improve on his weaknesses -- receiving skills, speed -- he could be a nice find for a team that could use an outside runner in a coop with a bruising inside runner.

Injury Report

2006: Rice sprained his ankle and limped off with cramping late in the Connecticut game (10/29) after a lineman fell on his leg.

2007: Had a bone chip removed from his right ankle in a mid May surgical procedure.

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