Given the nature of Rice, it’s not surprising to hear Mike Bloomgren describe the 150-year-old clash of offensive and defensive football philosophies as an ongo- ing embodiment of metaphysical contradictions.

That’s the scholarly definition for the manner in which the Owls’ defense dominated the offense for most of spring practice. Bloomgren’s less scholarly interpretation is that the defense “was freaking awesome.”

“Defense is a destructive process by nature,” the coach said. “You can have a (linebacker) Blaze Alldredge make a play when all 10 of his teammates fall down. On offense, you need all 11 to do their job to have a chance to make a play a success, and thus offense is a constructive process.”

Alldredge at linebacker was the standout along with Antonio Montero, who had one of two interceptions in the final spring scrimmage.

“We’re excited about what we can become,” Alldredge said. “We can rotate and put in guys and have confidence. Having that trust in each other can help make up for a little bit of the time we haven’t had together.”

The defensive front took a hit with the departure of graduating seniors Zack Abercrumbia and Roe Wilkins, but Bloomgren likes his depth, especially given that the Owls frequently use just two down linemen against spread-oriented Conference USA opponents.

Myles Adams (a senior from Mansfield Summit, not to be confused with freshman end Miles Adams from Houston Strake Jesuit) has big play potential, and Elijah Garcia “has great length and comes at the ball with bad intentions,” the coach said. Trey Schuman and JaVante Hubbard also had good springs.

Anthony Ekpet had four sacks last year against North Texas, and he was moved this spring from linebacker to rush end to give him a better bead on the quarterback.

Dylan Silcox, a 2018 starter who missed spring practice, and backups Garrett Grammer and JaQuez Battley, who improved in the spring, fill out the field at linebacker.

The Owls will again employ a TCU-style three-spoke secondary, and Bloomgren is high on George Nyakwol as “the big bad wolf in the middle — with the potential to get some postseason national awards.”

Treshawn Chamberlain, who had starting time last season, also returns with Prudy Calderon and Dasharm Newsome, who had a spring scrimmage interception.