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The Roost Podcast | Ep 172 – Rice Football Offseason Roundup

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A lot has happened since the Rice football season ended. The Owls have signed new players, added a new assistant and more. We recap the news.

Once again, Rice football has made program history, signing the highest-rated class in school history. That feat included a couple of big wins in the run up to National Signing Day including stud North Shore defensive back Lavonte Johnson, Westfield running back Taji Atkins and more.

We recap signing day, discuss the latest on the transfer front and discuss the state of the Rice roster, coaching staff and more as we creep closer and closer to spring football.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 172.

Episode Notes

DCTF

The Roost Podcast is now part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner.

Homefield

We’re thrilled to partner with Homefield Apparel, the premier proprietor of college football clothing. First-time buyers can use the code ROOST for 15% off their order. The Owls hoodie is a personal favorite. So is the brand new Luv-Ya-Owls shirt. Shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

Homefield

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Rice Football Offseason Roundup

  • 2024 Rice Football recruiting class superlatives
  • Lavonte Johnson, Taji Atkins and key new additions
  • Recruiting rankings: do we buy them? Why or why not?
  • Roster review: what gaps do the Owls have?
  • Luke McCaffrey shows out at the Senior Bowl, gets Combine invite
  • Basketball seasons winding down
  • Baseball starting
  • Shop at Homefield

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Rice Women’s Basketball drops home tilt to Temple

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Rice Women’s Basketball fell behind early to Temple and couldn’t mount a comeback, dropping their third straight as the conference tournament looms.

Temple didn’t waste any time asserting their intentions on Sunday afternoon. As Rice women’s basketball slowly took their time ramping up, the visiting Owls jumped out to a 13-4 lead, putting the home team on notice. Rice volleyed back, evening the score at 16-apiece before Temple turned on the gas once again. By the time the first quarter ended, Rice was trailing by 10 points.

The Rice deficit hovered around that double-digit mark for most of the next three quarters. They had a tough time slowing down Temple guard Tarriyonna Gary, who led the visiting Owls with 20 points and knocked down all five of her attempts from three.

The long ball would prove to be too much for Rice to overcome. Every time Rice thought they’d cut into the deficit, Temple delivered a back-breaking three. Rice made 4-of-16 from deep. Temple converted 10-of-17.

A furious fourth quarter rally proved to be too little, too late for the home team. Trailing by 17 after a Temple three, Rice went on a 10-2 run, but they still trailed by nine. Malia Fisher led Rice in scoring, finishing with 24 points and eight rebounds, a valiant effort, but eventually, the clock would run out.

Final Box | Temple 75 – Rice 66

Key takeaway | Crunch time

Entering Sunday, the top six teams in the AAC were separated by one combined game in the win column. With four double-byes available for the conference tournament, the margin was razor-thin. That made Sunday’s defeat particularly costly.

Now sitting at 9-7, they hold the tiebreaker over ECU, South Florid and Tulsa, but lack the tiebreaker against Temple, UAB and Charlotte with a game against North Texas looming. The double-bye is still within reach, but how these next few games go will play a significant role in determining who gets the extra rest. Rice cannot afford another loss.

Up Next: vs North Texas (Saturday, Mar. 2)

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Starting pitching propels Rice Baseball to series win over Louisiana

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Rice Baseball picked up a much-needed series win, taking two of three from Louisiana on the road behind dominant starting pitching.

FRIDAY | Rice 2 – Louisiana 1

Following a bumpy start in the regular season opener, Parker Smith dazzled in start number two of the year. He delivered a fantastic seven-inning, one-run, four-hit performance that kept Louisiana at bay while the Rice offense managed to sneak across two singular runs, one in the first and another in the third.

More: Parker Smith’s journey to Rice baseball ace

“We had opportunities to really blow this game open,” head coach Jose Cruz Jr. said. “At the end of the day we have Parker Smith out there and Parker through a gem.”

Manny Garza was credited with both RBIs. Davion Hickson came through with a two-inning save, retiring six of the eight batters he faced to secure the Owls’ first win of the season.

SATURDAY | Rice 6 – Louisiana 1

The JD McCracken show started and ended the same way, with a strikeout. McCracken punched out 11 en route to the Owls’ first complete game since 2019 (thrown by Matt Canterino against FIU). The only run he allowed was scored on a wild pitch in the fourth inning.

On the other side, McCracken was aided by a two-run first inning to stake him to the lead, then a tricker of additional runs in the fourth and seventh. Nathan Becker broke the game open in the top of the ninth with a two-run double before McCracken walked back to the mound one more time to slam the door.

SUNDAY | Louisiana 3 – Rice 0

Unlike their previous games, Rice didn’t get the first inning lead they’ve grown accustomed to having. Instead, Louisiana scored first, putting up two runs in the third inning against Rice starter Ryland Urbanczyk. That would prove to be the lone blemish against him, but no run production whatsoever from the Owls would make it the decisive runs in the ballgame.

Rice managed just two hits, making Louisiana pitchers face two more than a minimum in an underwhelming offensive showing that netted them zero runs. The pitching staff held its own, but was still saddled with the loss.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

Rice baseball took its first series of the season and has won three of its last four games after being swept on opening weekend. Here are three takeaways from the weekend:

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1. Starting pitching rebounds in a big way

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ON DECK | vs LSU (Wed), vs Stanford (Fri-Sun)

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Rice basketball drops ECU for first AAC home win

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Winners of several big road games, Rice basketball finally made history at home on Saturday, beating ECU for the program’s first AAC home win.

With the month of March looming, Rice basketball seems to have found another gear. Days removed from a statement win in Birmingham over a red-hot UAB squad, the Owls notched a program first — their debut home win in the American Athletic Conference — taking down East Carolina at Tudor Fieldhouse by a final score of 70-52.

The game ended in a blowout, but it took a struggle to get there. Rice never led by more than four points in the first half and didn’t hold a double-digit lead until less than 10 minutes to go in the contest. Those narrow margins were due in large part to an even shooting performance from both sides.

Both ECU and Rice made 11-of-27 shots from the field in the first half. Each side had one double-digit scorer, RJ Felton from ECU and Travis Evee for Rice. Evee’s 11 first half points would prove to be an omen of even bigger things to come. He finished with a game-high 34 points, leading all scorers and turning the close game into a blowout in the later portions of regulation.

Evee delivered 16 points in the final seven minutes of the game, turning an 11-point edge into a 20-point beatdown. ECU hit one final three-pointer before the final buzzer, but the message was clear. Saturday was Rice’s day. And for the first time, an AAC win on their home court.

Final Box | Rice 70 – ECU 52

Key takeaway | Exceptional Evee

Head coach Scott Pera has reiterated on multiple occasions this team goes as its leaders go, chief among them, Travis Evee. After battling through an up-and-down season, Evee exploded on Saturday to the tune of seven made three-point shots and 34 total points. The seven threes is one three shy of the program record, currently held by Evee himself, and two others.

The eruption was no surprise to Evee. “As a shooter, I’ve got to have confidence. Whether I’ve missed two, made two in a row. I stay even-keeled,” he said. “I just trust the work I put in. Nothing really changes.”

While the process might not have changed, the results certainly did for Evee in this game. Winners of two straight, with Evee a central figure in both wins, Rice has some momentum heading into the final games of the regular season. If Evee can play like this, Rice might be dangerous after all.

“I think we’re a good team. We’ve been a good team,” Evee said after the win. “We just haven’t been able to close out these games. Haven’t been able to complete runs. I just feel like we’re putting it together right now. I feel like we’re getting hot.”

Up Next: vs Temple (Wednesday, Feb. 28)

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Rice Women’s Basketball: The most unselfish team in (the) America(n)

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Rice women’s basketball isn’t led by one singular star, instead leaning on a deep roster that shares the ball and just keeps winning games.

Rice women’s basketball is not your conventional team, at least not in today’s era of the sport where one superstar can take you a long way. The Owls sit within striking distance of the top spot in the AAC standings but you won’t find any individuals near the pinnacle of their respective leaderboards.

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