Next up for Rice Football: a road trip to Florida Atlantic. Here’s what head coach Scott Abell had to say about the matchup and a few depth chart notes.
Head coach Scott Abell and a set of players met with the media for their customary weekly availability. They recapped the Tulsa game and looked ahead at their upcoming matchup with Florida Atlantic.
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We touch on those items, then dig into the Rice football depth chart and what the team looks like heading into the weekend. First, the quotes:
Press Conference Quotes
I think the first thing is you got to get over that hump and our players have to feel that success. They have to see in that moment, and then we have to create opportunities in practice that I feel like that, which is easier said than done. How do you create sudden change opportunities in practice where there’s a momentum switch for part of your team, and how do they handle that?
We’re diving into that, because you want them to experience that before it happens on Saturday. You know, because the easy and the hard answer is you’ve got to get over that hump and then understand what it took to do that to do it over and over and over. I think the first part of that I would tell you is not to lose the momentum when you have it. When you have an opponent up 10-0, how do you put your foot down? How did we make that 14 to nothing, instead of getting a field goal there?
We’ve got to find those moments in the game that give us some breathing room to help us keep that momentum. Because the way we’re built right now, along with how the roster’s built and the program’s built and the injuries. Getting in those fourth quarters where you’re trying to score late or stop a score late is probably really tough for us. For many reasons. The youth that’s out there and the lack of depth that’s out there. One of the focuses will be when we have our opponent on the ropes, we’ve got to double down right there.” – Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on momentum and preparing the team for challenging moments
I think they’re pretty explosive down the field passing game. They’ve worked together, coach Kittley and the quarterback, they’ve been together. They started at Western Kentucky and then separated for a year and came back together. He’s very mature. Got a really strong arm. Can throw the ball downfield and has guys that can go get it. – Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on the FAU offense
I think he’s a guy who will play on Sunday. He’s big. He’s strong. Got great pocket presence, and he will be a pocket passer in the NFL, the right fit will be important to him, but he has those traits. Arm strength. Size. Very high IQ, football-wise. – Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on FAU QB Caden Veltkamp
One big thing that we have to emphasize as corners and just the secondary is just really getting our head back. These quarterbacks are very good in this conference, they can put the ball in a very good spot, so every week we have to just key into where the ball position the ball placement is going to be, back shoulder, over the top, we just have get our head back because these quarterbacks can make these great passes so as a corner, we just have to just turn around and get our head back, get some interceptions. – Corner Jamir Benjamin on the focus of the Owls’ secondary this week
I think our position group, we kind of know what our role is. We’re not going to be the most targeted group on the offense. We know that. We’re fine with that. Our job is to get our job done, set blocks, work inside the trenches. And then, when our opportunities come, we just got to take advantage of it. – Tight end Preston Zinter on the production of the tight end room this season
Press Conference
There was no video of the press conference available this week.
Depth Chart
Depth Chart Notes
There was one change to the offensive depth chart with guard Colter Alberding, a standout performer in the spring before suffering an injury, has taken the backup guard spot in place of Ian Bothwell, who is injured and missed the Tulsa game.
On defense, the injury to defensive tackle Dillan Botts pushed Brayden Bays into the starting lineup last weekend. That’s where he stays to start this week with Botts’ availability uncertain. We’ll have updates for those subscribed to our Starting Lineup Tier on Patreon in our practice notes later this week.
The only other changes were the addition of Caden VerMaas as the backup to AJ Brown at the free safety position. Previously, Bailey Fletcher had been listed as the backup there, but with his move to corner more or less full-time, VerMaas has reentered the picture. Additionally, Jordan Clark is now listed as the backup to Max Mosey as the primary kick returner, with Ben Grice out for the foreseeable future.