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BREAKING: Transfer Quarterback Luke McCaffrey commits to Rice football

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Rice Football has a quarterback. Former Nebraska signal-caller Luke McCaffrey has committed to play for the Owls.

On the surface, the Rice football roster looks more or less complete. The Owls have one of the best defenses in Conference USA. They’ve got talented wide receivers, a couple of good running backs and an offensive line that’s been reasonably effective. What they’ve lacked, for multiple years now, is a surefire quarterback. Enter Luke McCaffrey.

McCaffrey’s college football career began in 2019 with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He played in 11 games over two seasons in Lincoln, throwing for 608 yards and three touchdowns with six interceptions. He added 540 yards and four touchdowns with his legs. He would later transfer from Nebraska to Louisville, but shortly after arriving on campus at Louisville, decided the fit wasn’t right for him.

It was at that point the Owls swooped in. Head coach Mike Bloomgren coached Luke’s older brother, Panthers’ running back Christian McCaffrey, while the two were at Stanford. That connection, combined with McCaffrey’s interest to start and the Owls nebulous quarterback situation, made for a perfect pairing between McCaffrey and Rice.

At the time of his original recruitment, McCaffrey was the No. 1 athlete in the state of Colorado, the No. 13 athlete in the nation and a four-star rated recruit. From a pure composite score perspective, when McCaffrey takes his first snap he’ll become the most highly-rated player to ever play for Rice football. That distinction is currently held by safety Gabe Taylor, who took over the top spot last season.

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McCaffrey instantly becomes the favorite to be the quarterback for the Owls in 2021. He’ll have to get caught up on the playbook and work diligently to understand the scheme, but his talent level, particularly as a runner, has the potential to revolutionize the Rice offense. This was a big get for the Owls.

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Rice Baseball: 2021 MLB Owls update – June 12

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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.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon drove in his 600th career RBI on Tuesday in the midst of a hot streak he’s been riding. Since June 1, Rendon is hitting .297 with 11 hits and 12 RBI in nine games. On Saturday he added his first home run since May 3, shown below.

https://twitter.com/jgroc/status/1403826764485480451

Through June 12, Rendon is hitting .241 with 13 extra-base hits, 18 walks and 28 strikeouts. His OPS is .687 and he’s collected 30 RBI.

Brock Holt – Texas Rangers

Brock Holt had a productive week, culminating in a walk-off hit to beat the Giants on Wednesday night. He also had a pair of multi-hit games.

Through June 12, Holt is hitting .242 with seven extra-base hits, 13 walks and 23 strikeouts. His OPS is .684 and he’s collected 11 RBI.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey had two outings this week, giving up an earned run in both appearances. That’s the first time he’s surrendered an earned run in consecutive appearances this season.

Through June 12, Duffey has a 4.50 ERA with a 1.375 WHIP. He’s averaging 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

Lucas Luetege – New York Yankees

Luetege pitched parts of two innings in a single appearance this week. Of the five batters he faced, he allowed one hit with one strikeout and one hit batsman.

Through June 12, Luetege has a 2.97 ERA with a 0.956 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

J.T. Chargois – Seattle Mariners

Chargois appeared in two games this week, earning his fifth hold of the season on Sunday and his first win of the season on Wednesday. The win came in the 10th inning of a game with Detroit following a blown save by Chargois. He struck out two in the inning.

Through June 12, Chargois has a 1.80 ERA with a 0.667 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 77 – Previewing UTSA Football with Jared Kalmus

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Season previews have arrived and Jared Kalmus of Underdog Dynasty kicks things off this week with our UTSA football preview.

Rice Football is a few months out from its 2021 season, but it’s never too early to get a leg up on the competition and prepare for the year ahead. This week Jared Kalmus of Underdog Dynasty joins the show to talk UTSA football. From where the program has been to what its become under second-year head coach Jeff Traylor, there was a lot to unpack. Be sure to stick around for the lightning round and check out his answers to a selection of UTSA and Conference USA related topics.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 77.

Episode Notes

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  • Jared Kalmus joins the show — Jared shares his insight on UTSA football under Jeff Traylor and what to expect from the Roadrunners this coming season, including:
    • What to make of UTSA’s surprising 2020 season
    • The incredible amount of depth UTSA returns in 2021
    • A Frank Harris breakthrough season
    • Expectations for the Roadrunners in the upcoming season
    • The Lightning Round

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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BREAKING: Jose Cruz Jr to be named Owls Rice baseball head coach

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A fan-favorite and productive player for the Owls many years ago, Rice baseball is expected to hire Jose Cruz Jr. as their next head coach.

A little more than two weeks from the start of their search, Rice baseball has a new head coach. The Owls will tab Jose Cruz Jr. to run their program.

Rice had options when it came to its coaching search. The Owls could have sought out an established assistant and were linked to some noteworthy candidates in recent weeks. Instead, Rice will return to its roots. Cruz. Jr checks both boxes given his relationship with the program’s past and present as well as experience playing and coaching at the highest levels.

Cruz Jr. returns to South Main where he first made his name for himself on the diamond. A three-time All-American with the Owls, Cruz Jr. went on to be selected as the No. 3 overall pick in the 1995 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. He went on  to play for several teams in his 12 year MLB career, spending most of his time with the Toronto Blue Jays.

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He most recently accepted a job as a hitting coach with the Detroit Tigers in December of 2020 where his son, Trei Cruz, was recently selected as a third round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft.

In addition to his time as a player at Rice, Cruz Jr. has been a fixture around Reckling Park in recent seasons. His sons Trei and Antonio Cruz were both members of the Owls’ team in recent seasons, giving Cruz Jr. ample reason to frequent campus and stay in touch with the program that he’ll now take over full time.

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Rice Football Burning Questions: Who steps up at wide receiver in 2021?

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The abbreviated 2020 Rice football season provided some answers regarding where the program is at. But questions remaining, starting with the receiving corps.

The injuries sustained by the Rice football wide receiving corps last season were unbelievable. Never in my time covering college football had I seen a group of pass catchers so depleted by injuries. It’s not as if there weren’t enough wideouts on the roster — there were enough bodies — they were just all hurt.

By the time Rice played its final regular season game against UAB, the Owls had one scholarship wide receiver available at practice, and he was beaten up, too. Which brings us to the 2021 season and our first of a few pieces in our Burning Questions series this offseason. Who fills that void in the passing game in 2021?

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