Next up for Rice football, a home tilt against FAU. 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 Navy game and looked ahead at their upcoming matchup with Florida Atlantic.
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 takeaway this week from the group was we expected to win at Navy. We expected to go toe-to-toe with a preseason favorite and you love that mentality. Now, I don’t know if we handled it really well there midway through the first half, so now you gotta learn how to handle that. I want that expectation. We should expect to win those games, but if it doesn’t go your way early, you gotta handle it better. Now, we did regroup at halftime. I thought that was important to see your team do that. All that’s a learning opportunity. The key is, you gotta learn. – Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on his takeaways from the Navy game
He’s the reigning Conference USA Player of the Year coming out of Western Kentucky. Very talented. Got great size. He can see the whole field. The challenge is real for our secondary.. There’s a lot of catch and throw. He doesn’t hold it long. He’s getting it out of his hand [fast]. To me, we gotta force him to drive the field. He’s going to have some completions. We’ve got to rally and tackle well. – Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on FAU quarterback Caden Veltkamp and the FAU passing offense
They’re really athletic. They have good size. They want to lock you down. They’re gonna play man, they don’t hide from it. Most people play some type of man courage against us. We expect to see an aggressive defense. That’s what Navy was against us, Charlotte at times. The formulas are similar. People are going to be aggressive, they’re going to leave us some one-on-one situations in space and we got to make some plays.–Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on what he expects from the FAU defense
In terms of playing my last year of football, I wanted to come to a place where I could use my eligibility and feel like I’m making a difference, contributing on the field and in the locker room and, obviously, getting a valuable education. – Offensive lineman Sean Sullivan on his decision to come to Rice
I’m just glad that my opportunity is here… My journey hadn’t been the most smooth, but I’ve stayed the course and done what I needed to do and now my opportunity is here and I’m just doing my best to make the most of it.- Safety Marcus Williams on his opportunity after battling injuries in prior seasons
Full Press Conference
Depth Chart
Depth Chart Notes
The only changes to the depth chart this week are reflective of adjustments from last week’s injury updates. Luke Needham, who missed the Navy game, has been taken off the two-deep for the first time this year with an injury, Peyton Farmer is listed in his place. Also on offense, Braylen Walker makes his first appearance on a regular season depth chart following his return to the field against Navy.
Walker did leave the Navy game early. Stay tuned for the weekly practice report, available to those subscribed to our Starting Lineup Tier on Patreon, which should be published later this week for news on his availability as well as the status of other players who have missed some extended time. Among those, defensive lineman Ejike Adele is the only change on the defensive two-deep after missing last week.
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