The source for Rice sports news

Rice Football 2021 Defensive Player of the Year: Elijah Garcia

By

A veteran leader and one of the most consistent players on the roster, defensive lineman Elijah Garcia is our 2021 Rice Football Defensive Player of the Year.

The pandemic altered everyday life as we know it with ripple effects spreading far past the gridiron. In 2020, there were real questions about whether or not the games would be played. One year later, the question turned to who’d be available to play. Granted an extra year of eligibility by the unprecedented COVID year, defensive lineman Elijah Garcia is our 2021 Rice Football Defensive Player of the Year

There was a time when Garcia didn’t believe he’d still be on campus in the fall of 2021. Whatever doubts had lingered were erased midway through the 2020 campaign when Rice upset Marshall on the road behind a stellar defensive effort. Garcia had four tackles and a pass deflection in that game, the moment he would go on to describe made his decision to return for one more season “a no brainer.”

When it was clear he’d be back on campus, the focus returned to getting better. That drive had always been a part of what made Garcia tick, dating back to his arrival on campus. When he arrived, there were stalwarts like Zach Abercrumbia blocking his path to playing time. Then De’Braylon Carroll and Izeya Floyd both arrived in the 2019 recruiting class. If Garcia wanted to see the field, he’d have to earn it. He did.

The Roost Podcast: Third Annual Edition of The Roostie’s Rice Football Awards

Defensive line coach Cedric Calhoun put Garcia on notice when Carroll and Floyd arrived. Garcia responded by winning the starting job and leading all interior linemen with 50 tackles. He progressed to finishing second on the team in tackles in 2020 and one-upped that mark this season, racking up a team-best 67 tackles as well as career highs in sacks (five), quarterback hits (nine) and total pressures (33).

Those gaudy numbers didn’t come as a surprise to those who knew Garcia best. In the lead-up to the season, defensive coordinator Bryan Smith said Garcia was “just scratching the surface” of how good he could become.

His play spoke for itself, but Garcia did a fair amount of talking, too. Although he wasn’t named one of the team captains during the preseason, Garcia was the man asked to take the mic frequently during postgame press conferences. On those hard nights, he showed composure and poise. He was a leader, on and off the field.

How’d we do? Rice football coverage postseason survey

“In life, things are not always going to go your way, but what matters is the fight you have in you,” Garcia said following the loss to Western Kentucky that officially took six-wins and a bowl berth off the table. He’d recovered a fumble and registered six tackles during the contest. Another strong showing regardless of what the final box score reflected.

The stat sheets don’t offend do many favors to players of Garcia’s position. They do so much more to impact games than making tackles. Forcing double teams, opening up gaps for teammates to get pressure are as important to a team as tallying sacks of one’s own. Garcia had always been an asset in the former skills, this year he added the numbers, too.

Garcia is off to test the professional waters now, but that’s not that surprising. NFL scouts have been in and out of practices throughout the fall watching Garcia go through his paces.

If the growth he’s exhibited throughout his collegiate career is any indication, those scouts might not have seen the best version of Garcia that exists quite yet. He’s always had one more gear. His work on the field this season earned him our 2021 Rice Football Defensive Player of the Year honors. And the best might still be yet to come.

Support the Roost on Patreon. Join today!
Become a Patron!
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Football 2021 Offensive Player of the Year: Jordan Myers

By

Positionless, yet irreplaceable. Swiss-army man Jordan Myers was an obvious selection for our 2021 Rice Football Offensive Player of the Year.

The disjointed 2020 COVID-19 season was riddled with quirks and oddities of one kind and another. Among the most peculiar tidbits from the strange season was the number one. Rice football scored one rushing touchdown in their abbreviated five-game season, and it wasn’t scored by a running back. Sort of.

At that point in his career, Jordan Myers was still listed as a tight end on the official roster. Utilized as the short-yardage and goal line back and other similar situations in 2020, that designation would slowly morph. He worked almost exclusively with the running backs in the spring and was listed atop the depth chart entering the 2021 season.

When asked exactly what position he played during preseason media availability, Myers just shrugged. “Pretty much just wherever the team needs me,” he said. “As of right now, I’m kinda labeled as the utility player.”

Utility player is a destination occasionally reserved for that extra player on the bench of a traditional baseball team. He’s probably not good enough to be your everyday starter, but if you need a backup across the board, he can fill in sparingly well enough.

The Roost Podcast: Third Annual Edition of The Roostie’s Rice Football Awards

Head coach Mike Bloomgren would refer to him often as the team’s “swiss army knife”  ostensibly implying a similar level of versatility. Myers never really seemed to mind what terms were being tossed around regarding his position. He just showed up.

Myers saw sparse action in the Owls’ final four games of the season as he battled injuries and Ari Broussard took over the workhorse duties in the backfield.

Even though he missed a good chunk of time, he still finished the year with more plays from scrimmage than any other skill player on the roster. He led Rice with eight rushing touchdowns and added one more through the air. He and Cedric Patterson were the only Owls to find paydirt more than three times in 12 games. That tandem accounted for 16 of the team’s 35 touchdowns, just shy of 50 percent.

Myers rocketed up those stat sheets with a career game in Week 4 against Texas Southern. Rice football was in desperate need of a boost entering the game, having scored a combined 24 points in their first three non-conference games, all losses.

Not only did Myers show up, he rushed for 160 yards and four touchdowns and caught four passes for 48 yards. The combined 208 all-purpose yards would have ranked in the top seven among all Owls’ season totals. Myers got there in four quarters.

Bloomgren was understandably beaming in the postgame sessions following that big day. “He is exactly what I want our team to be. He is the perfect college football player in so many ways,” he said, delivering the quintessential complement every ballplayer hopes his coach will someday refrain. And honestly, it’s hard to argue with Bloomgren’s pronouncement.

How’d we do? Rice football coverage postseason survey

“He’s probably too smart to ever get into coaching, but I’d hire him the moment he did,” Bloomgren added next. Whether he goes into coaching or finds something else to apply his abilities to after a lengthy collegiate career, Myers curious combination of excellent and versatility have seemingly shown no bounds.

But despite all of the praise and the accolades he received over the course of his six-year career, Myers remains the same calm, humble guy from Dickinson, Texas that signed with Rice football prior to the arrival of this current coaching staff. “I’m just happy I can be someone the guys can lean on,” he murmured following his spectacular game against Texas Southern.

By the time he hung up his cleats, Myers had graduated from being labeled as simply a utility player. He was someone Rice could count — and did count on — in the most crucial moments. Myers was the man handed the football on fourth and short and asked to find a yard. More often than not, he did.

No Myers, wasn’t just a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none. He was a dude, and an easy selection for our 2021 Rice Football Offensive Player of the Year.

Support the Roost on Patreon. Join today!
Become a Patron!
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Football Recruiting: Transfer TE Gavin Reinwald commits to Owls

By

Former Cal tight end Gavin Reinwald has joined the 2022 Rice Football recruiting class, providing experience and depth for the Owls at the position.

It’s going to be surreal looking at the roster next season and not seeing Jordan Myers or Jaeger Bull listed anywhere on it. That’s part of what made finding a quality tight end in the Transfer Portal became somewhat of a priority for the 2022 Rice Football Recruiting class. And that’s what eventually would open up the door for the commitment of Cal transfer Gavin Reinwald.

The Owls weren’t desperate to find just anybody to play the position. Jack Bradley has emerged as a fixture on the depth chart and getting Nate Kamper back healthy for next season will provide more options in the passing game. Adding a tight end was only going to make sense if they found one that could add value in a variety of facets. Reinwald fits that bill.

A California native, Reinwald tallied 1,873 receiving yards and 30 touchdowns in high school, proof that he’s more than just someone to stick on the end of the line and block. He would go on to play in 39 games at Cal with eight starts. He tallied 31 receptions for 315 yards and four touchdowns over four years with the Golden Bears. He can line up wide and play some wide receiver if needed.

Premium: Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

Reinwald crossed paths with current Rice offensive coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo before Tuiasosopo headed to Texas. In fact, Tuiasosopo was Reinwald’s position coach in 2019 and 2020, moving over from the Cal quarterback room the two seasons prior. Tuiasosopo is very familiar with what Reinwald brings to the table, and if he feels he can be an asset for the Rice offense, it’s hard to fault him.

A graduate transfer, Reinwald will have one final season of eligibility once he arrives at South Main. Already familiar with some of the scheme which Tuiasopopo brought with him from Cal, he’s a good pickup for the Owls from the portal.

Get more recruiting and Early Singing Period coverage:
Become a Patron!
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Football 2021: NFL Owls Week 15 Stats Update

By

Rice Football is well represented on 2021 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 15.

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 15 Result Week 16
LA Chargers Christian Covington (DL) vs Kansas City (Thr) L, 34-28 (OT) at Houston
Denver Calvin Anderson (OL)
Bryce Callahan (CB)		 vs Cincinnati L, 15-10 vs Las Vegas
Pittsburgh Chris Boswell (PK) vs Tennessee W, 19-10 at Kansas City
Detroit Jack Fox (P) vs Arizona W, 30-12 at Atlanta
Tampa Bay Nick Leverett (OL) vs New Orleans (SNF) L, 9-0 at Carolina
Indianapolis Andrew Sendejo (Saf) vs New England (Sat) W, 27-17 at Arizona (SAT)

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

Anderson was placed on injured reserve following a leg injury suffered in the Broncos’ Week 13 loss to the Chiefs. He did not play in their Week 15 game against the Bengals.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett did not see action against the Bills. He has been activated each week following the Week 12 game against the Colts where he played 85 percent of the snaps.

Defense

Bryce Callahan – CB, Broncos

Callahan was activated from IR last week and saw his first game action since Week 8 against the Bengals. He was credited with two tackles.

Christian Covington – DL, Chargers

Covington saw action against the Chiefs this past weekend but did not register any tackles. That’s only the second time this season he’s played but not recorded a stat line.

Andrew Sendejo – S, Colts

Sendejo registered four tackles and a pass deflection in the Colts’ Week 15 win over the Patriots.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox punted three times against the Cardinals on Sunday, booting a long of 55 yards and placing one punt inside the 20-yard line.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell attempted a single-game season-high five goals against the Titans in Week 15, converting on four of them. Including one extra point, Boswell scored 12 of the team’s 19 points.

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.

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

Recent Posts

Rice Football 2021 Special Teams Players of the Year: Sean Fresch, Juma Otoviano

By

Returners Sean Fresch and Juma Otoviano were the brightest spots on special teams and our pick for Rice Football Special Teams Players of the year.

Encouraging moments from the Rice football special teams unit were few and far between this season. After ranking near the top of the nation in special teams efficiency over the early years of Mike Bloomgren’s tenure, the Owls hit a rough patch. The kicking game struggled. The punt team was more or less just okay. Coverage was solid, but it was the return game that created the biggest sparks.

Traditionally, The Roost’s Rice Football Special Teams Player of the Year has been reserved for one standout. Jack Fox, Garrett Grammer and Charlie Mendes were previous honorees. This year, we’ve expanded the award to recognize two individuals, Sean Fresch and Juma Otoviano, who each provided game-changing sparks that set Rice up for success and led to Rice wins.

First, Fresch, who opened the season as the leading punt return man for Rice and was one of the most effective specialists Rice has had in that space in a decade. Fresch returned 10 punts this year for 99 yards, averaging 9.9 yards per return. That exceeded the best marks of Austin Trammell, a staple at the punt return spot for Rice in recent years.

In fact, you have to go all the way back to 2011 when Mario Hull. who returned 16 punts for 163 yards, posted a better average per return (10.2) than Fresch did this season.

The consistent ability to gain yardage on returns was encouraging, but Fresch flashed a growing maturity in his understanding of when not to return kicks, too. He developed a knack for luring defenders away from balls booted toward the endzone, feigning a fair catch as the punt rolled harmlessly past the endline for a touchback.

The Roost Podcast: Third Annual Edition of The Roostie’s Rice Football Awards

It was Fresch’s final return of the 2021 Rice football season that stands out the most. Trailing Louisiana Tech 31-28, Fresch stood at the Rice 34-yard line to receive a booming kick from Tech’s Cesar Barajas. Fresch made the first guy miss and turned on the jets, racing past a sea of Bulldogs to the Louisiana Tech 18-yard line, for a 48-yard return. Rice would score the game-winning touchdown four plays later.

“We’re been waiting for one of those the whole season. pretty much.” Fresch said. “I made the first couple of guys miss and then I had to just follow behind my blockers at that point. It just gets easier after you make the first couple of guys miss. It was just open grass from there.”

Down to their fourth quarterback of the year, with less than 90 seconds on the clock, the short field provided by Fresch and the return game was absolutely crucial to the come-from-behind victory.

Fresch also played a role on kick-off returns, averaging 22.6 yards per return. He was joined by Juma Otoviano, who averaged 22.4 yards per return. That tandem combined for 28 of the 30 kick returns Rice had this season. It was on a kick-off return where Otoviano delivered his defining moment.

How’d we do? Rice football coverage postseason survey

Otoviano had fallen down the running back depth chart this season and taken over scout team duties with an injury to freshman running back Christian Francisco. He had one carry and zero returns through the Owls’ first six games of the season. But his hard work behind the scenes had been noticed. That’s why he was the man who stood on the edge of the endzone and received the opening kickoff at UAB.

Otoviano reached up, secured the ball and took off. He would finally be brought down 50 yards later right at the midfield stripe. That burst sparked an eruption on the Rice bench and spurred the offense onto a 50-yard scoring drive to put Rice in front of the defending conference champions.

Starting fast was incredibly important for Rice football in 2021. More often than not, when they’d fallen behind, it signaled another loss. That’s part of what made this return so impactful. It put Rice in the driver’s seat for their most impressive win of the year. Otoviano became a mainstay on kick returns from that point onward.

Support the Roost on Patreon. Join today!
Become a Patron!
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts