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Rice Football 2021: NFL Owls Week 3 Stats Update

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Rice Football is well represented on 2021 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 3.

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 3 Result Week 4
Los Angeles Chargers Christian Covington (DL) at Kansas City W, 30-24 vs Las Vegas (MNF)
Denver Calvin Anderson (OL)
Bryce Callahan (CB)		 vs New York Jets W, 26-0 vs Baltimore
Pittsburgh Chris Boswell (PK) vs Cincinnati L, 24-10 at Green Bay
Detroit Jack Fox (P) vs Baltimore L, 19-17 at Chicago
Tampa Bay Nick Leverett (OL) at Los Angeles Rams L, 34-24 at New England (SNF)
Indianapolis Andrew Sendejo (Saf) at Tennessee L, 25-16 at Miami

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

Anderson saw his typical allotment of special teams snaps on Sunday against the Jets. He has yet to make an appearance with the offense yet this season.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett was a gameday inactive for the Bucs in their Week 3 game against the Rams. He has yet to appear in a game with the team this season.

Defense and Special Teams

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell was 1-of-2 on field goals against the Bengals in Week 3. His lone miss came from 42-yards. He converted his only extra point try.

Bryce Callahan – CB, Broncos

Callahan has registered at least one pass deflection in each of his past two games, including one against the Jets in Week 3. He also added one tackle in the shutout victory.

Christian Covington – DL, Chargers

Covington maintains an active role with the defense and special teams with the Chargers this season. He had three tackles in their Week 3 victory over the Chiefs.

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox was busy on Sunday against the Ravens, punting six times for an average of 45.5 yards. He put two of his kicks inside the 20 and hit a long of 59-yards.

Andrew Sendejo – S, Colts

Sendejo saw his first action on defense this season in Week 3 against the Colts, registering his first tackle which was a tackle for a loss. He also saw action on special teams.

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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The Roost Podcast | Ep 93 – Rice Football vs Texas Southern Review

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The offense led the way in the first Rice football win of the season. Matthew and Carter unpack the win and discuss the implications on both sides of the ball moving forward.

Rice football registered it’s highest point total of the Mike Bloomgren era on Saturday, exploding for 48 points on the legs of Jordan Myers and the arm of Jake Constantine. The defense was less surefooted, but managed to hold on enough to secure the win. What’s going to stick around into next week and beyond? Matthew and Carter discuss that in this week’s episode.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 93.

Episode Notes

  • Housekeeping
    • Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice. Every little bit helps.
    • Check out the Blue and Gray Preview Show every Wednesday at Noon, hosted by Matthew and Rice radio broadcaster JP Heath on the Rice Athletics Youtube Channel
    • Please support us 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 updates from fall camp, practices and more.
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  • Rice Football vs Texas Southern Game Review 
    • Jake Constantine provides stability for Rice at quarterback
    • Luke McCaffrey effective in a defined role
    • Offense does what it should do against an inferior opponent
    • Can the defense recover? Should we be concerned?
    • Expectations moving forward for both units
    • One quick look ahead at the game ahead against Southern Miss

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

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Rice Football 2021 Game Preview: Southern Miss

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Rice Football opens conference play on Saturday against Southern Miss. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Week 4 could not have gone more different for Rice football and Southern Miss. The Owls notched their first win of the season, leading from wire to wire over Texas Southern. Meanwhile, Southern Miss was shellacked by Alabama in a game that was never as close as the score seemed to indicate. Both squads sit at 1-3 with the chance to turn their seasons around with a 1-0 start in Conference USA action.

Kickoff time | 5:30 PM CT
Venue | Rice Stadium – Houston, TX
TV | ESPN3
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs Southern Miss this week’s episode of the Blue and Gray Preview Show, streaming live on Wednesday at Noon on the Rice Athletics YouTube channel. You can also catch the recap of last week’s game on The Roost Podcast, which should be released shortly. 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

Southern Miss head coach Will Hall came in with lofty goals before being punched in the mouth in his first month on the job. Sitting at 1-3., all is not lost, but the trajectory of the 2021 season could hang on what happens in the next few games. A win against Rice on Saturday and another against UTEP the following weekend would right the ship and absorb some early frustrations.

Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren finds himself in a similar spot. Also 1-3, he’s won every game he was “supposed to win”. At home against a team without an FBS win, this game could prove equally important for the Owls on their quest for the first bowl game since 2014.

Series History

All Time | Southern Miss leads Rice 6-5
Last Five | Southern Miss leads 4-1
Last Meeting | Away, Rice won 30-6

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Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Constantine – 30/38 (79.0 percent), 351 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Myers – 43 carries, 224 yards (5.2 yards per carry)
Receiving | Myers – 15 receptions, 119 yards (7.9 yards per reception), 1 TD / Bailey – 16 receptions, 149 yards (9.3 yds/rec) / Patterson – 7 receptions, 180 yards (24.3 yds/rec)
Tackles | Montero – 33 / Smith – 25/ Garcia – 21
Pass Breakups | Smith – 3, Nyakwol/McCord/Dunbar – 2 
Interceptions | Nyakwol/Fresch/Taylor – 1

Southern Miss Stat Notables

Passing | Keyes – 31/62 (50.0 percent), 338 yards passing, 3 TD, 3 INT
Rushing | Gore Jr. – 64 carries, 281 yards (4.4 yards per carry), 1 TD
Receiving | Jones – 8 receptions, 88 yards (11.0 yards per reception), 1 TD / Gunter – 5 receptions, 85 yards (17.0 yds/rec), 0 TD
Tackles | Shorts – 27 / Stanley – 21 / Habas – 15
Interceptions | Shorts/Daniel -1
Pass Breakups | Shorts – 6 / four others tied with one

Southern Miss X-Factor | Control the line of scrimmage

Through four games, Southern Miss has the No. 20 ranked run defense in the nation. The Golden Eagles held South Alabama to 31 yards on 34 carries, Grambling to 58 yards on 26 carries and Troy to 49 yards on 32 carries. Alabama had their way with this unit, racking up 211 yards on the ground, but Rice won’t present that level of athletic challenge.

Take out the Alabama game and Southern Miss is allowing a staggering 1.5 yards per carry.

If Southern Miss can replicate that on Saturday and force the Rice offense to be one-dimensional, they’ll put the pressure on a quarterback who’s only started one career game at the FBS level. He had a strong debut, but having a running back go for 160 yards and four touchdowns by his side undoubtedly helped.

Rice X-Factor | Get to the quarterback

The Rice defense has seen its greatest level of success this season when it’s gotten pressure on the opposing quarterback. We saw what happens when they can’t get home soon enough last week when a true freshman, making his first start, torched what was presumed to be a stout secondary.

Rice faces another first-year player this week, and one that is still learning on the job. Ty Keyes was head coach Will Hall’s hand-picked man when he got the job. But for as much excitement as he’s generated in Hattiesburg, he’s thrown for 338 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in three contests. While he might live up to those lofty expectations someday, he’s not there yet. And that presents an opportunity.

The front four has had its moments. They’ll need to find that extra gear this coming Saturday. Pressure and young quarterbacks don’t mix well.

Pick ‘Em Contest (Subscribers only)

Make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. There will be swag and prizes for the top finishers at the end of the season. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and comment on this post on the Patreon page to enter. It’s that easy.

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Injury Report (Subscribers only)

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Need More?

The Roost’s 2021 Rice Football Season Preview has FIVE pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth charts, important new arrivals and positional breakdowns for every team in Conference USA sourced from local beat writers and sources on the ground who cover these teams every day. It’s the most thorough C-USA publication on the market.

One Final Thing

Rice football answered its biggest outstanding question last Saturday in their win over Texas Southern. Through their first three games, the offense hadn’t shown up. 48 points later, it’s evident that side of the ball does have the ability to perform. Whether they can do it at a similar level against a more talented opponent remains to be seen, but now we know the offense can score.

Had the offense not turned up, Rice could be looking at a defense that’s giving up 34+ points per game AND an offense that had shown no life through four games. No thanks.

Now the onus falls on Rice to combine that offense with the defense of old and a reformed special teams unit for sixty minutes. A complete game. If Rice can do that, against a conference opponent, the outlook for the rest of the season could change overnight. If they can’t, the goals they set months ago might still be in reach, but the week-to-week grind will be very real. Either way, we should learn a lot about this team this weekend.

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Rice Football: Jake Constantine delivers when Owls needed him most

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Jake Constantine quarterbacked Rice football to its first win of the 2021 season, providing stability and hope for an offense in need of direction.

When Jake Constantine took the first snap on Saturday night against Texas Southern, he made history. Constantine became the 11th different quarterback to start a game for Rice football since the 2017 season, the most of any FBS program over that time. He also launched that first ball over the heads of the Texas Southern defense for a 73-yard touchdown pass.

For as bumpy as the journey has been for Constantine and for Rice, something clicked for both parties in the Owls’ first win of the 2021 season. Constantine, who was making his first start since falling to No. 2 James Madison in the FCS Playoffs in 2019, looked like he’d been calling shots in the Rice offense for years. He completed 78.3 percent of his passes, throwing for 271 yards, one score and one interception.

Only once since head coach Mike Bloomgren arrived on campus had a Rice quarterback been that efficient, Tom Stewart also went 18-for-23 against Middle Tennessee in 2019. Bloomgren took notice. “From an efficiency standpoint,” Bloomgren recalled from his Rice tenure, “it’s one of the better [quarterback performances].”

He went on to mention a string of outings from Mike Collins last season, citing that as “the standard we’re trying to get to.” Collins completed 61.6 percent of his passes in three games at Rice with 10 touchdowns and just one interception before injuries ended his collegiate career.

More: Rice football downs Texas Southern for first win

Constantine hasn’t gotten to that mark quite yet, but still led the offense on seven touchdown drives, several of which were capped off by a quartet of touchdown runs from Jordan Myers. Rice scored touchdowns on five of six trips to the redzone.

Both Bloomgren and his quarterback lamented Constantine’s lone interception. Still, the tone remained upbeat. For the first time in four tries, Rice had won, and won behind a strong showing from the offense, rather than its defense.

For Constantine, it was the continuation of his own lofty standard. Now in his fourth season as a collegiate starter, he has yet to lose a regular-season game at home, dating back to his days as a freshman at Ventura College. His only blemish in front of his own fanbase came in a playoff game during his sophomore year. “I love winning,” Constantine says with a smile. “We just need to keep moving forward.”

Moving forward, building on one good game and turning it into two, then three will be the focal point as Rice football returns to action against Southern Miss next week. “We want to be a well-oiled machine,” Bloomgren said as he closed out his postgame comments. “We want to be able to put all three phases out there for 60 minutes. I certainly don’t think we’ve put that kind of performance on the field this year, but that’s what we’re working towards.”

Myers, who was responsible for half of those points on his own, is confident they can sustain that success, in large part because of the man pulling the trigger. “That’s the type of QB we need,” he said.

Bloomgren promised to evaluate the film but was confident the split between Constantine and the more mobile Luke McCaffrey paid off well. Has Rice found the right combination to rejuvenate their offense? 48 points, the most scored by a Rice offense at any point under Bloomgren’s leadership, is a good start.

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Rice Baseball: 2021 MLB Owls update – Sep 25

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The 2021 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are busy on the mound and at the plate. Here’s the latest from the MLB Owls from this week.

Glen Otto – Texas Rangers

Otto made what could be his final start of the season on Thursday against the Orioles. He pitched five innings, striking out seven and allowing two runs. The Rangers offered him no support on offense, leaving Otto with his third loss of the season despite a relatively strong outing.

Through September 25, Otto has a 8.02 ERA with a 1.547 WHIP. He’s averaging 11.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

Brock Holt – Texas Rangers

Holt played sparingly for the Rangers this week, appearing in two games where we went a combined 1-for-7 with and RBI.

Through September 25, Holt is hitting .206 with 15 extra-base hits, 22 walks and 45 strikeouts. His OPS is .575 and he’s collected 20 RBI.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey has been locked-in throughout the month of September, throwing a scoreless frame in each of his eight single-inning outings this month. That included three spotless innings this week in which he struck out five batters, allowing no walks and no hits along the way.

Through September 25, Duffey has a 3.39 ERA with a 1.269 WHIP. He’s averaging 8.9 strikeouts per nine innings.

Lucas Luetge – New York Yankees

Luetge made two appearances this week, allowing two hits and one run last Sunday in a blowout loss to the Indians. He rebounded with a quick, one-batter-one-out performance on Saturday night, inducing an inning-ending line out from Kyle Shwarber that helped preserved what would turn into a thrilling Yankees win.

Through September 25, Luetge has a 2.73 ERA with a 1.125 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

J.T. Chargois – Tampa Bay Rays

Chargois earned his sixth win of the season, and his fifth with the Rays on Wednesday. He worked a scoreless fourth inning against the Blue Jays, striking out two. He also picked up his 14th hold of the year on Monday, also against the Blue Jays.

Through September 25, Chargois has a 2.44 ERA with a 1.026 WHIP. He’s averaging 8.7 strikeouts per nine innings.

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