Next up, Rice football takes on Houston in the battle for the Bayou Bucket. Here’s what Mike Bloomgren and players had to say about the matchup.
Rice football Head coach Mike Bloomgren and a pair of players met with the media on Tuesday for their customary weekly availability. They previewed they revisited the Louisiana win before turning their attention to the Houston game, discussing the rivalry and how much it mattered to both sides.
An updated depth chart was not yet available, but it is expected to be released soon. Check back here for that and practice updates reserved for our Patreon subscribers. First, the quotes:
Press Conference Quotes
“It’s the next one on our schedule. It will always be a big deal in recruiting. I don’t want to go away from that fact. We recruit a lot of our team from Texas and the city itself. So, anytime you can win an in-city rivalry or any in-state game, it helps. But the thing for our team is that we have another opportunity to play together this Saturday. We’ve got another opportunity this Tuesday, today, to have the best Tuesday practice of the year and that’s what we’re focused on.” – Mike Bloomgren on the significance of this game
“I think Clayton Tune, when he’s on, he is as hard to deal with as maybe anybody we’ve played except for [Caleb Williams]. And the thing that’s sneaky is he’s got good arm talent, he does a good job distributing the ball, but he’s a sub 11-flat 100-meter guy. He can really roll. And that’s what gets lost until he brings it out of the pocket and you’re like, ‘Oh goodness, there he goes.” – Mike Bloomgren on UH QB Clayton Tune
“Our goal this week is no different than any week. It’s a fun week. It’s a great week to be a part of this program. But our goal is to go 1-0 and not let our process change one bit. We need to understand that all the confidence that we earned from the victory last week should also be the confidence in our prep and how we go about our business week-to-week.” – Mike Bloomgren on the team’s approach this week
“I’m not from Texas. I’m not from Houston, but being a Rice football player, it’s become part of my identity. At this point, this game has started becoming more and more meaningful to me. At this point, it’s a full fledged rivalry for me. I definiely have ill feelings towards these guys and definitely want to get revenge for last year, so I’ll be playing with a lot of emotion, a lot of passion and doing it for my brothers.” – Defensive end Ikenna Enechukwu on the signficance of the rivalry
“It means a lot. Anytime you have the chance to step on the football field, it’s such a blessing… Every opportunity is a special opportunity, especially when you’re playing someone so close. I remember the whole entire offseason, you look at billboards of UH around the city and you kind of look at it with a disgusting look. To have this game, it sticks with you for a little bit longer than others.” – Wide receiver Luke McCaffrey on the signficance of the rivalry
