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Rice Football 2022: NFL Owls Week 9 Roundup

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Rice Football is well represented on 2022 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 9.

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) Week 9 Result Week 10
Denver Broncos Calvin Anderson (OL) — OFF —  — at Titans
Detroit Lions Jack Fox (P) vs Packers W, 15-9 at Bears
Indianapolis Colts Kylen Granson (TE) at Patriots L, 26-3 at Raiders
LA Chargers Bryce Callahan (DB)
Christian Covington (DL)		 at Falcons W, 20-17 vs Cardinals
Pittsburgh Steelers Chris Boswell (PK) — OFF —  — vs Saints
Seattle Seahawks Myles Adams (DL) at Cardinals W, 31-21 at Bucs
Tampa Bay Bucs Nick Leverett (OL) vs LA Rams W, 16-13 vs Seahawks

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

The Broncos were on bye this week.

Kylen Gransen – TE, Colts

Gransen was targeted once on Sunday but did not record a catch. He did, however, tally his first rush attempt of the season, which went for zero yards.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett earned his second start of the season on Sunday, playing every offensive snap and his usual special teams duties.

Defense

Myles Adams – DL, Seahawks

Adams was inactive this week for the Seahawks’ game against the Cardinals.

Bryce Callahan – CB, Chargers

The Chargers were on bye this week.

Christian Covington – DL, Chargers

The Chargers were on bye this week.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox punted three times in the Lions’ win over the Packers on Sunday, including al long of 47 yards and one inside the 20. He also added one tackle.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

The Steelers were on bye this week.

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 detail on current contractual agreements and former Rice football players waiting for their next opportunity here.

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Rice Basketball fall to sharp shooting Pepperdine in opener

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Rice basketball was unable to keep pace with a torrid Pepperdine shooting barrage, falling to the Waves on the road to begin their 2022-2023 season.

Pepperdine visited Houston to open last season, with the Owls winning in commanding fashion. On Monday, the two squads reversed roles. Rice flew to California, put up an early fight, but eventually fell in lopsided fashion to the home squad.

Although the game ended with a one-sided result, it didn’t start out that way, The Waves got the first bucket, a layup to open the scoring before the Owls battled back. There were brief runs through the remainder of the first half, but neither side ever led by more than six points until the final minutes before the break when Pepperdine hit a triple at the buzzer to go up eight.

At that point, there weren’t any signs of panic. Despite the deficit, Rice had seemingly kept pace on both ends of the court with Pepperdine through the first 20 minutes. The Owls’ were aggressive, showcased by quick production from freshman Mekhi Mason who had clearly been given the green light to attack the rim. His first bucket gave Rice a 4-2 lead in the first 90 seconds of play.

More: Rice Basketball Season Preview

Unfortunately for the Owls, that late three to close the first half proved to be a harbinger of things to come. Pepperdine connected on its first four threes in the second half, finishing the game 15-of-30 from long range and a staggering 62.9 percent from the floor, rendering the Owls’ most earnest comeback attempts moot. They simply could not slow down the Waves’ attack.

“Their good shooters didn’t miss shots. Sometimes it’s a make-or-miss game,” Rice basketball head coach Scott Pera said in the aftermath. And as if that wasn’t direct enough, Pera made sure to circle back and own the Owls’ own shortcomings too. “Our defense was obviously less than stellar, horrendous at times.”

The Owls’ own shooting woes only exacerbated the issue. Rice shot just 38.1 percent from the field, struggling to get into a rhythm. Rice defended extremely well against Pepperdine in their season opener last season. That wasn’t the case on Monday resulting in a crushing opening game loss.

“This is something we can’t forget,” Pera said. “This is something that cannot happen. This is [not a] kind of loss this program should be taking.”

Rice will only have a few days to look at the film and move forward, with their home opener coming later this week.

Player Spotlight | Quincy Olivari

Olivari was missed last season, so seeing him back on the court was an encouraging sign in itself. He led Rice in scoring with 15 points, converting 4-of-11 opportunities from three. Olivari had three rebounds and added six assists, tying a career-high.

Final Box | Pepperdine 106 – Rice 67

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice basketball returns home for their first game at Tudor Fieldhouse later this week where they’ll host St. Thomas in a double-header of Owls’ hoops contests. The women open their season later that evening, also at Tudor. Both games will be available to watch on CUSAtv.

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Rice Football 2022 Game Preview: WKU

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Rice football is one win away from bowl eligibility as they travel to play Western Kentucky. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Both Rice football and Western Kentucky enter their upcoming matchup fresh off a win. The Owls rallied late to beat UTEP while WKU routed Charlotte. Both programs would like nothing more than to keep up their winning ways with another victory this weekend. Here’s everything you need to know about this week’s game.

Kickoff time | 1:00 PM CT
Venue | LT Smith Stadium – Bowling Green, KY
TV | ESPN+ (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs WKU on this week’s episode of the Blue and Gray Preview Show, streaming live on Wednesday at Noon 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. Find us on the podcast page or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. (And consider leaving us a 5-star review while you’re at it.)

Sizing up the contenders

Western Kentucky is officially bowl eligible after a beatdown of Charlotte last weekend. The Hilltoppers are playing for an outside shot at a conference championship game appearance, although they’ll need some help to get there.

On the other sideline, Rice football is one win away from a trip to the postseason. The Owls (3-2) are also a win away from being third place in the conference standings, leapfrogging WKU with a win. As the calendar turns to November, there’s plenty at stake for both programs.

Series History

All Time | WKU leads, 3-0
Last Five | WKU leads, 3-0
Last Meeting | Home 2021, WKU won 42-21

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Rice Football Stat Notables

Passing | McMahon – 152/255 (59.6 percent), 2037 yards, 18 TD, 12 INT
Rushing | Montgomery – 59 carries, 391 yards (6.6 yards per carry), 0 TD / Broussard – 91 carries, 251 yards (2.8 yards per carry), 9 TD
Receiving | Rozner – 33 receptions, 721 yards (21.9 yds/rec), 8 TDs / McCaffrey – 51 receptions, 656 yards (12.9 yds/rec), 6 TD / Esdale – 26 receptions, 313 yards (12.1 yds/rec), 0 TD
Tackles | Conti – 53 / Morrison – 49 / Taylor – 44
Pass Breakups | Dunbar – 7  / Fresch – 5 / Taylor – 4
Interceptions | Taylor – 2 / Morrison, Nyakwol, Chamberlain, Fresch – 1

WKU Stat Notables

Passing | Reed – 276/407 (67.8 percent), 3171 yards, 28 TD, 6 INT
Rushing | Robichaux- 65 carries, 458 yards (6.7 yards per carry), 3 TD / Ervin-Poindexter – 82 carries, 357 yards (4.4 ypc), 3 TD
Receiving | Corley – 64 receptions, 863 yards (13.5 yards per reception), 7 TD / Davis – 56 receptions, 755 yards (13.5 yds/rec), 6 TD
Tackles | Knight – 84 / Hylton – 66 / Wallerstedt – 58
Pass Breakups | Hailassie – 8 / Williams – 5 / Evans, Simpkins – 3
Interceptions | Stout – 3 / Hailassie, Oliver – 2 / Six tied with one each

WKU X-Factor | Stay on schedule

It comes as no surprise that Western Kentucky has kept its point-scoring machine rolling, even with a new quarterback at the controls. The Hilltoppers lead conference USA with 37.2 points per game. One subtle secret to their success has been their ability to avoid negative plays.

Western Kentucky ranks first in Conference USA in tackles for a loss allowed. They rank third in sacks allowed (just 1.2o per game) and lead the league in turnover margin. All offenses are naturally more effective when they don’t have to overcome mistakes and negative plays. That doesn’t mean the Hilltoppers can’t, but they haven’t had to do so very often.

Getting Western Kentucky off schedule and forcing them to make plays in pressure situations is a must if Rice is going to pick up this road win. Letting Austin Reed sit back and pick the defense apart won’t work.

Rice X-Factor | Win third down

Third down has been a problem for Rice football, on both sides of the field. The offense converted third down at one of their most proficient rates of the season against UTEP (61.5 percent) and the Owls won, moving to 3-0 in games in which they’ve converted at least 50 percent of their third down opportunities on offense.

The defensive side has been problematic, though. Excluding the Charlotte game, Rice has been fairly effective on first and second down. It’s been third down that has given this defense trouble, particularly on third and long.

Since the bye week, a span of four games, Rice is holdings its opponents to a 31 percent conversion rate on third and short (four yards or less). On third and medium and third and long (5+ yards to go), Rice opponents are converting on 40 percent of their tries. That’s backward. The further to go, the less often it should be occurring. The Rice defense needs to find ways to get off the field.

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One Final Thing

The topsy-turvy 2022 season has maintained a steady cadence of unpredictability thus far and there’s no reason to believe that is going to stop anytime soon. Rice football isn’t the best version of themselves right now, but they’ve found ways to scratch out wins in two of their last three games, the first of which came on the road. This weekend’s road test will be an important one.

Western Kentucky isn’t quite in the same class as Marshall was in 2020 or UAB was in 2021, but the Hilltoppers have been one of the better teams in Conference USA since Tyson Helton arrived in Bowling Green. When it comes to sorting out whether Rice belongs in the top or the bottom half of the conference, the Owls have teetered back and forth from week to week.

A win on Saturday would not only clinch a bowl berth, but it would put Rice squarely in the top but it would also secure at least a .500 record in conference play. That’s a far cry from where the Owls have been in recent seasons. Rice has a few more weeks to get that elusive sixth win, but the sooner they do find it, the more notable it will be.

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Conference USA Football 2022: Week 10 Roundup

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Conference USA Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 10.

Team Week 10 Result Up Next
Charlotte vs WKU L, 59-7 at MTSU
FAU — OFF —  — at FIU
FIU at North Texas L, 52-14 vs FAU
LA Tech vs MTSU W, 40-24 at UTSA
MTSU at LA Tech L, 40-24 vs Charlotte
North Texas vs FIU W, 52-14 at UAB
Rice vs UTEP W, 37-30 at WKU
UAB vs UTSA L, 44-38 (OT) vs North Texas
UTEP at Rice L, 37-30 — OFF —
UTSA at UAB W, 44-38 (OT) vs LA Tech
WKU at Charlotte W, 59-7 vs Rice

Notable Week 10 results – Standings

Rice rallies past UTEP

The weekend started off with a bang in a thrilling back-and-forth Thursday night affair between UTEP and Rice. Both squads needed the win to move forward with realistic bowl expectations. Bradley Rozner called game with a 23-yard receiving touchdown from quarterback TJ McMahon with 25 seconds remaining in the game.

UTSA stays perfect in league play

Two conference heavyweights did not disappoint. UTSA appeared to have things salted away when Frank Harris found Zakahri Franklin in the endzone to take a 14-point lead halfway through the fourth quarter. Instead, UAB battled back to force overtime. Harris had the final say, though, tossing the game-winning touchdown to Joshua Cephus in 2OT.

Louisiana Tech finally finishes

The Bulldogs have come close to picking up their second conference win in recent weeks but were unable to finish, at least until Saturday. After dropping two straight overtime contests, Louisiana Tech delivered a dominant win over Middle Tennesee, putting the game out in the third quarter and coasting to the long-awaited win.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Keeping pace

North Texas played UTSA to the wire, but lost, putting the Roadrunners in the driver’s seat for first place in the regular season standings. The Mean Green are still in the running for a spot in the conference championship, though, making this coming weekend’s game against UAB a must-win. If they falter, that could open the door for someone else.

Coming up next?

Western Kentucky is trying to be that someone else. The Hilltoppers’ only losses of the regular season came to UTSA and North Texas. Meanwhile at 3-2, Rice has yet to play either squad. The winner of this weekend’s game stays (mathematically) alive in that hunt.

Will bowl eliminations begin?

UTEP and Louisiana Tech each sit at six losses, needing to win out to reach the postseason. The Miners are on a bye while the Bulldogs face league-leading UTSA to keep their bowl hopes alive. It’s a tall order, but should Louisiana Tech find a way, the remainder of the conference title race could be fascinating.

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2022-2023 Rice Women’s Basketball Season Preview

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The 2022-2023 Rice women’s basketball season is around the corner and the team can’t wait to build on last season’s successes.

The most common word Rice women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds would use to describe last season was whirlwind. Coming in as a first-time head coach in the midst of a program in transition with a minimal roster and the lingering challenges of COVID-19 was never going to be easy. Edmonds and her team persevered.

One year later the program seems poised to continue its ascent. For one, they have more bodies. Edmonds added the No. 1 recruiting class in Conference USA to supplement a much more experienced roster than they had at this point last season.

Edmonds joked that one of the biggest differences from last year’s squad to this one is readily apparent when you walk into the gym. “Last year we took half of a court to stretch,” she laughed. “[This year] we take up an entire sideline!”

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