McHargue earning valid comparisons to Clement

It's far too early in the career of Rice sophomore quarterback Taylor McHargue to draw parallels with Owls legend Chase Clement, but similarities exist and McHargue shouldn't eschew the comparisons. McHargue, like Clement, secured the starting job as a redshirt freshman and, like Clement, brought an enticing bravado to the position, an arrogance that was more engaging that enraging. McHargue and Clement are students of the game and natural leaders of men, both possessing characteristics that inspire others to gravitate toward them. They possess modest arms and agile feet, the ideal blend of steely-eyed calm and testicular fortitude to embrace and thrive under the pressure accompanying the gig. And, perhaps circumstantially, McHargue was issued the same No. 16 that Clement made memorable from 2005-08. "I got here and they gave me 16 and there wasn't much said about it," McHargue said. "I knew who he was. Whether or not there was any greater purpose or reason behind it I don't know. "I'd like to try to build on the legacy of that number. When he found out I had it he told me not to bring shame to it, so I've got to live up to that." The conversations between McHargue and Clement have been far more frequent and extensive. As McHargue embarks on his second season as Owls' starter, he is armed with advice supplied by Clement, who capped his career atop every passing category in program annals and currently stars for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League. When Clement occasionally dropped by Owls practice in 2009, the redshirting McHargue bent his ear. After Clement temporarily joined the staff as a quality control coach the following spring, McHargue picked his brain. While Clement doesn't have as many opportunities to pick up the phone and share his wisdom, that doesn't prevent McHargue from making the most of their infrequent yet deeply valued conversations. "I try to talk to him as much as possible," McHargue said of Clement. "He's definitely busy now but he's had great advice about how to be a quarterback, how to go through being a multi-year starter; just the challenges it presents being a young guy. Just anything that comes with the position because he dealt with it all here." McHargue is just starting the process of dealing with all that comes from being behind center. His dual threat skill set made him a perfect fit for the Owls' spread offense, and the unapologetic confidence he displayed in the midst of a quarterback competition with ballyhooed transfers Nick Fanuzzi (Alabama) and Taylor Cook (Miami, Fla.) bolstered the notion that McHargue had that it' factor successful quarterbacks need. And after missing the bulk of the first 10 games last season due to the usually toxic combination of inconsistency and injuries, McHargue validated the confidence Rice coach David Bailiff showed in naming McHargue the starter prior to the 2010 opener against Texas by returning from a shoulder problem and performing brilliantly against East Carolina and UAB. McHargue rushed for 155 yards and a touchdown during those two victories while passing for 345 yards and four scores against the Pirates and Blazers. He was presented retroactively as the missing piece to the Owls' offensive puzzle, leaving no doubt as to who would be the starter heading into this campaign. But with just two completed starts over two years on campus under his belt, McHargue wasn't in position to take his unquestioned status for granted. Plenty of work remained in order to round out the rsum. "It was more difficult to say stuff to guys," McHargue said, reflecting back on last season. "I'm confident in my abilities, but as a redshirt freshman it's tough maybe to call a guy out for whatever. I understand that even at the quarterback position, as a young guy they may look down upon that or you may get some negative feedback from it. "Having a whole year as the No. 1 guy allows you to be more comfortable because with guys, you earn their respect." If the sample size of two victorious starts wasn't enough to impress his veteran teammates, McHargue made strides to confirm his leadership credentials during the summer conditioning program. He committed fully to getting stronger and faster and projecting maturity. When his understudy, touted freshman Driphus Jackson, arrived on campus, McHargue showed him the ropes and revealed how a motivated quarterback works on the field, in the weight room, and in film study. Suddenly there was documentation to support that McHargue swagger. His initiative and dedication caught the eyes of anyone paying attention. McHargue was doing all of the right things to those who mattered. "You get your respect from your players a lot of times in the summer when you're out here working out," Owls quarterbacks coach Larry Edmondson said. "You've got to take charge because the coaches can't be there, and he did that this summer. I think he won a lot of guys over just for the simple fact he took Driphus under his wing and taught him. "He had Driphus (in the film room) and they were watching tape. He was doing it for himself, too, but he was bringing Driphus along. I think the other guys see that, because Driphus goes and reverberates that with all the other freshmen, and now, all of a sudden, he has instant credibility with all of the new guys." What McHargue shared with Jackson was his thirst for knowledge, his quest to glean work habits from the most successful quarterbacks. Not only does McHargue maintain a mentor-tutor relationship with Clement, he saddled up alongside Boise State senior quarterback Kellen Moore during the Manning Passing Academy in Thibodaux, La., last month. Moore, like Clement, is slight in stature and bereft of a cannon. But he studies the game dutifully and loves the game fully, and his dedication to his craft is one reason behind a glowing 38-2 record as a starter. It would be easy for McHargue to consider what Clement and Moore have accomplished as aberrant, as destinations so exotic that the distance seems daunting. Instead, he's embarking on an enthralling journey. "I think it's exciting to me. I'm seeing results of just spending time in the same offense," McHargue said. "I'm becoming more and more comfortable, and it's exciting knowing I have three full seasons left. I can't imagine that being in that fifth year and that feeling Chase is talking about where he told me he saw everything. He knew what (defenses) were doing before they did it. That's what I'm training for, preparing for, trying to get to that point at some point in my career." McHargue spoke with such a knowing tone that it's as if he has foreseen a path unencumbered by obstacles. That brazen self-confidence is only part of the puzzle, with his ability poised to blossom only if nurtured by ceaseless labor both mentally and physically. There is a process ahead for McHargue to accomplish all that he desires, but he is not deterred. "It's going to be a process. Chase was a process," Bailiff said. "Chase, at the start of his senior year about halfway through it came up to me and said, Coach, I finally get it.' So as great as he was, he was still improving throughout his entire career. "He's in the office everyday like Chase was. He's also, during breaks in class, liable to come and watch some video. He's always in my office just to visit and talk, and if you look he's got a natural leadership to where people gravitate to him and listen to him. He had that when he got here." Follow me on Twitter at FSH_Owls