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Rice Football 2024: NFL Owls Week 8 Roundup

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Rice Football is well represented on 2024 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 8.

There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player.

Team NFL Owl(s) This Week Result Next Week
Detroit Lions Jack Fox (P) vs Titans W, 52-14 at Packers
Indianapolis Colts Kylen Granson (TE) at Texans L, 23-20 at Vikings
Pittsburgh Steelers Chris Boswell (PK)
Calvin Anderson (OL)		 vs Giants (MNF) W, 26-18 — BYE —
Seattle Seahawks Myles Adams (DL) vs Bills L, 31-10 vs Rams
Washington Commanders Luke McCaffrey (WR) vs Bears W, 18-15 at Giants

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OL, Steelers

Anderson was active for the Steelers’ Week 8 game against the Giants on Monday Night Football. He played one snap with the offense and did not see action with special teams.

Luke McCaffrey – WR, Commanders

McCaffrey was targeted twice in the Commanders’ thrilling walk-off win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, hauling in once pass for eight yards.

Kylen Granson – TE, Colts

Granson caught his first pass since Week 3 on Sunday against the Texans, taking it for four yards. Utilized heavily as a blocker, he has three receptions on the season.

Defense

Myles Adams – DL, Seahawks

Adams was inactive for the Seahawks Week 8 game against the Bills. He’s been active for three of the Seahawks’ eight games so far this year.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox punted five times on Sunday against the Titans, a surprisingly high total for a game in which the Lions scored 52 points. Fox did his part, averaging a tremendous 61 yards per punt including a long of 67 yards. He put three balls inside the 20.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell had another perfect night on Monday Night Football, converting all four of his field goal tries and going 3-for-3 on extra point attempts. He’s made 23-of-24 field goals this season.

More Owls in the NFL

From practice squads to current free agents, there are other Owls on the cusp of returning to active rosters. Find more details on current contractual agreements and former Rice football players waiting for their next opportunity here.

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Rice Football 2024 Game Preview: Navy

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With an interim coach at the helm, Rice football is preparing to take on Navy for Homecoming. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Now former Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren was relieved of his duties following a road loss to UConn last Saturday. In his place, interim head coach Pete Alamar will be tasked with leading the team this week against a Navy team also coming off a loss, albeit their first of the year. The Midshipmen fell to No. 12 Notre Dame at MetLife Stadium last weekend. Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup between Rice and Navy.

Kickoff time | 3:00 PM CT
Venue | Rice Stadium – Houston, TX
TV | ESPN2 (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Varsity Radio App (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs Navy on this week’s episode of the Blue and Gray Preview Show, kicking off live on Wednesday on the Rice Athletics YouTube channel. Look for a recap of the game on the site afterward as well as on The Roost Podcast, which should be released early next week.

Sizing up the contenders

Navy suffered its first setback in a loss to Notre Dame, but the Midshipmen are still very much alive in the race for a spot in the American Conference Championship Game. Navy has its eyes on keeping its unbeaten conference record intact and still has much to play for as the calendar enters November.

Interim coach or note, Rice football just wants the chance to play a meaningful game after this week. A seventh loss would knock Rice out of a postseason berth days removed from Halloween with nothing left to play for beyond pride. That’s not how this season was supposed to go.

Series History

All Time | Tied, 6-6
Last Five | Navy leads, 4-1
Last Meeting | Home 2009, Navy won 63-14

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Rice Football Stat Notables

Passing | Warner – 160/263 (60.8 percent), 1573 yards, 10 TD, 9 INT /  Devillier 2038 (52.6 percent), 137 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Rushing | Connors – 94 carries, 518 yards (5.5 yards per carry), 6 TD / Atkins – 24 carries, 158 yards (6.6 yards per carry), 2 TD
Receiving | Sykes – 41 receptions, 476 yards (11.6 yds/rec), 3 TD / Campbell – 22 receptions, 261 yards (11.9 yds/rec), 1 TD / Connors – 45 receptions, 295 yards (6.6 yds/rec), 1 TD
Tackles | Morris – 43, Fresch – 40, Taylor – 36
Pass Breakups | Fresch/Ahoi – 6, Taylor -3
Interceptions | Taylor/Flowers/Williams/Mutombo – 1

Navy Stat Notables

Passing | Horvath – 53/85 (63.3 percent), 976 yards, 10 TD, 2 INT
Rushing | Horvath – 93 carries, 750 yards (8.1 yards per carry), 11 TD / Tecza – 61 carries, 339 yards (5.6 yards per carry), 7 TD
Receiving | Heidenreich – 25 receptions, 495 yards (19.8 yds/rec), 5 TD / Chatman- 10 receptions, 198 yards (19.8 yds/rec), 3 TD / Tecza – 6 receptions, 115 yards (19.2 yds/rec), 1 TD
Tackles | Ramos – 83, Jacob – 55, Campbell – 43
Pass Breakups | Peele- 4, Campbell/Lame – 3
Interceptions | Peele – 3, Lane – 2, Five others tied with one

Navy X-Factor | Play clean football

Entering their game against Notre Dame the Midshipmen had yet to turn the ball over against FBS opponents this season. They turned the ball over a staggering six times against the Irish and were summarily handed their first defeat of the season. When this team plays their brand of football and stays on schedule, the option-based scheme is hard to handle. They didn’t march to a 6-0 start on accident. 

Navy has a plan. And when they’ve been able to execute that plan this year, it’s been hard to overcome. Even a strong Rice defense will be tested by this scheme. But unless the Owls can get the Middies off their script, it’s going to be a tall task to overcome this system. 

Rice X-Factor | Keep up

The Rice defense has come alive in the last several weeks and hasn’t allowed an opponent to surpass 27 points since the Army game six weeks ago after allowing three straight FBS teams to surpass that mark. They then held Tulane and UConn to two offensive touchdowns apiece. But as good as the defense is, points are going to be a requirement against this Navy team, that’s just the reality.

Holding Navy to two offensive touchdowns would be a dream, yet it probably won’t be enough unless the Rice offense can get their act together and return fire. No matter who ends up playing quarterback, Rice has to find a way to keep up. Otherwise this one could get ugly in a hurry.

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One Final Thing

The die has been cast and Rice football is in the market for a new head coach. Unlike in the professional ranks, though, there are no incentives for losing out. There is no high draft pick awaiting the Owls at the end of this rainbow and thus, every win they can steal from this point onward is a credit to the players and the coaching staff remaining in the building. 

We covered a lot of ground in our emergency Roost Pod following Bloomgren’s firing. I hope you’ll give it a listen here. If you’re on the hunt for coaching search nuggets, I’d encourage you to subscribe on Patreon as that begins to develop in the weeks ahead.

As far as the game at hand is concerned, while an interim head coach typically signals a season gone askew, that doesn’t mean this team has quit on the season. Effort was never the problem under Bloomgren. And Rice knows firsthand the dangers of overlooking a team with an interim-tagged leader. The Owls lost to Charlotte days removed from the firing of Will Heally two years back.

A loss on Saturday would be forgotten. A win, however, would be remarkable. Ranked or not, this would be one heck of a victory given all this team has gone through to this point in the year. The odds are stacked against them. They’re without their head coach. But that didn’t stop that Charlotte team and one would hope the effort inside the walls of the Brian Patterson Center won’t be crushed by another round of bad news, no matter how significant. 

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The Roost Podcast | BREAKING NEWS: Rice Football fires Mike Bloomgren

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Following a loss to UConn, Rice football has fired head coach Mike Bloomgren. We share our thoughts on the timing and what’s next for the program.

Mike Bloomgren has been relieved of his duties as the head coach of Rice Football. He leaves the Owls midway through his seventh season after compiling a 24-52 record. Given the direction this season had taken, this result isn’t surprising. What does the timing of the decision mean and where do the Owls go from here?

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 190.

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 as is the Luv-Ya-Owls shirt. Make sure you check out the brand-new sailor hat (pictured below) as you shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

You can also grab the Luv-Ya-Owls shirt if you haven’t picked one up yet!

Homefield

Patreon

Get exclusive insight on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes practice updates, analysis and more. Your support matters and makes The Roost better.

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Recapping Rice Football fires Mike Bloomgren

  • First reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, The Roost was able to independently confirm the news of Bloomgren’s dismissal on Sunday
  • Logistics: Pete Alamar takes over as interim head coach
  • Why now? What about the timing of the decision made sense and what questions remain unanswered?
  • What’s next for Rice?

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.



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BREAKING: Rice Football to part ways with Mike Bloomgren

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Mike Bloomgren will no longer be the head coach of Rice Football, effective immediately. The Owls are making a leadership change within the program.

The Roost can confirm reports, first from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, that Mike Bloomgren has been fired. This decision comes in the days following another disheartening loss, this time to UConn, sinking the Owls’ record to 2-6 on the season.

The 2024 record reflects what had become a disastrous seventh season for Bloomgren at Rice. Picked to finish seventh in the preseason media poll, the Owls’ lone win in their first five games came against FCS Texas Southern. They are now 1-3 in conference play

Bloomgren leaves Rice with a 24-52 record across seven seasons. He routinely delivered some of the best recruiting classes the program has ever seen, hauling in the top-rated class in program history on at least four separate occasions. He was one of just three coaches in program history to reach back-to-back bowl games. At the end of the day, though, he never won consistently enough to deliver on expectations.

Athletic Director Tommy McClelland released this statement:

“I want to express my sincere appreciation to Coach Bloomgren. Over his seven seasons of service as our head football coach, he has represented our university and football program with the utmost class and integrity,” said McClelland. “However, as I evaluated our program and compared our current and desired trajectory, I determined new leadership is necessary to guide us into the future.”

A national search is expected to begin immediately to find his replacement. Associate Head Coach & Special Teams Coordinator Pete Alamar will serve as the Owls’ interim head coach for the remainder of the 2024 season.

** Photo Credit: Maria Lysaker **



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AAC Football 2024: Week 9 Roundup

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AAC Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron this week.

Team Record  This Week Result Up Next
Army 7-0 (6-0) — OFF —  — vs Air Force
Charlotte 3-5 (2-2) at Memphis L, 33-28 vs Tulane
ECU 4-4 (2-2) vs Temple W, 56-34 — OFF —
FAU 2-5 (0-3) — OFF —  — vs USF
Memphis 7-1 (3-1) vs Charlotte W, 33-28 at UTSA
Navy 6-1 (4-0) vs Notre Dame L, 51-14 at Rice
North Texas 5-3 (2-2) vs Tulane L, 45-37 — OFF —
Rice 2-6 (1-4) at UConn L, 17-10 vs Navy
Temple 2-6 (1-3) at ECU L, 56-34 — OFF —
Tulane 6-2 (4-0) at North Texas W, 45-37 at Charlotte
Tulsa 3-5 (1-3) vs UTSA W, 46-45 at UAB
UAB 1-6 (0-4) — OFF —  — vs Tulsa
USF 3-4 (1-2) — OFF —  — at FAU
UTSA 3-5 (1-3) at Tulsa L, 46-45 vs Memphis

Notable Results and Storylines // (Standings)

Tulsa???

You wouldn’t be alone if you turned this game off at halftime. That’s typically what happens when one team faces a 35-7 deficit. The Golden Hurricane had other plans. Quarterback Cooper Legas threw for 333 yards and five touchdowns off the bench, rallying the home team past the reeling Roadrunners to pull off one of the more stunning finishes of the weekend.

Midshipmen mishaps

Navy hadn’t lost a fumble all season before losing five fumbles to Notre Dame on Saturday. The Middies were off their game from the start and things only continued to go downhill from there. The lone solace, the defeat came in non-conference play and Navy remains very much alive in the race for a spot in the AAC Championship Game.

Memphis keeps playing with fire

Memphis might only have one conference loss, a nailbiter to Navy, but the Tigers have struggled to get through their schedule in recent weeks, including an escape against Charlotte on Saturday. The 49ers had the lead in this game late in the fourth quarter. Mathematically, Memphis is still in the mix for a title game appearance, but they haven’t taken care of business to nearly the same degree as their one-loss-or-better counterparts.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Rivalry game?

Things get weird when rivalries are involved. That’s part of what makes college football so endearing. Army will be hoping for no wild antics this coming Saturday when they host Air Force. The Black Knights have won three of the last four in the series and five of the last even, but Air Force won 10-of-11 before that. On paper, Arny should win comfortably, but they don’t play these games on paper.

Sun Shine State Season Savers

Despite high hopes entering the year, neither Florida Atlantic nor South Florida are going to contend for a conference championship this season. Their realities are quite the opposite, actually, with postseason trips on the line in the weeks ahead. A loss in this game would significantly impact bowl game odds for the losing program making the intra-state battle all that more intriguing.

Bowl dreams on the line

Speaking of a long offseason starting sooner than they’d like, three AAC teams enter this coming week with six losses and are in danger of seeing their bowl dreams crushed a little over the midpoint of the 2024 campaign. Temple will have hope for at least one more week as the head to a bye, but Rice (vs Navy) and UAB (vs Tulsa) are playing for their postseason dreams starting Saturday.



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