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Rice Football 2021: Charlotte presser quotes, updates and depth chart

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Rice football plays Charlotte next in a battle of 2-2 C-USA foes. Here’s what Mike Bloomgren had to say about the matchup, injury updates and depth chart notes.

This is the first of a couple of updates coming this week as Rice football prepares to take on  Charlotte. We’ll include updates from head coach Mike Bloomgren’s midweek press conference, then dig further into the details on the depth chart and what the team looks like on the field headed into the weekend.

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Rice football will be forced to make a quarterback change once again. We’ll dive into the move from Wiley Green to Jake Constantine and how this impacts the Owls this week. First, the quotes:

Press Conference Quotes

“I was really proud of how the guys attacked it (in practice). Thought they were locked into the game plan. And I was disappointed to see it not fully translate on Saturday. There were parts of it that were good. They were individual players that were really good, but certainly thought we had opportunities in every phase that we could have played better and probably would have been able to win the game had we played better.” – Mike Bloomgren on the North Texas loss

“Obviously, Wiley [Green’s] injury on our first offensive drive of the game was tough. It was tough for everybody. It was tough for me. It was tough to see Wiley hurting. He’s one of our rocks and I don’t think there was anybody on our team who wasn’t rocked by his injury. It took us a little bit of time to get past that. We eventually did. We worked through it as a team and we started playing football again.

“An update on Wiley; he will be out this week. I did talk to him. He is in great spirits. His message to the team was to go do what we said we were going to do, which is go earn an opportunity to play in a bowl game. That’s what we’re going to try to do for him.” – Mike Bloomgren on Wiley Green

“Moving forward with Jake Constantine as our starter, I thought that, again, once he got settled in, he played some good really good football. He had a great me-to-you factor with Jake Bailey and I thought Jake made some tremendous plays for us. Staying alive and then making plays when the ball was in the air to keep some drives alive and to help us end up in the box. So that was great.” – Mike Bloomgren on Jake Constantine

Depth Chart

The Rice football depth chart has one minor tweak this week, and one rather large one:

Rice Football

Quarterback changes, again

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 98 – Rice football falls to North Texas

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Rice football cooled off quickly, falling in overtime at home against North Texas only a week removed from their thrilling upset over UAB.

It was a rude awakening for Rice football against North Texas. Despite rallying in the fourth quarter to tie the game in the final seconds on the arm of their backup quarterback, the Owls were unable to finish the job and fell to 3-5 on the season. What are we to make of this team and what iteration shows up next weekend against Charlotte? Carter and Matther discuss just that on this week’s show, plus some C-USA realignment news.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 98.

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 North Texas 
    • Rice loses a starting quarterback to injury, again
    • Running game stalls out, again
    • Jake Bailey and a host of playmakers emerge on offense.
    • Adjusting to a new reality for the Rice defense in 2021
    • What adjustments can this team make moving forward?
    • Reports of potential new members in Conference USA

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: NFL Owls Week 8 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 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) Week 8 Result Week 9
LA Chargers Christian Covington (DL) vs New England L, 27-24 at Philadelphia
Denver Calvin Anderson (OL)
Bryce Callahan (CB)		 vs Washington W, 17-10 at Dallas
Pittsburgh Chris Boswell (PK) at Cleveland W, 15-10 vs Chicago
Detroit Jack Fox (P) vs Philadelphia L, 44-6 — OFF —
Tampa Bay Nick Leverett (OL) at New Orleans L, 36-27 — OFF —
Indianapolis Andrew Sendejo (Saf) vs Tennessee L, 34-31 (OT) vs NY Jets (Thr)

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

For the second time in three weeks, Anderson saw some work with the Denver offense in their Week  8 win over the Washington Football team in addition to his customary special teams snaps.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett was inactive again this week for the Bucs’ Week 8 game against the Saints. He was active for the first time of the season the week prior against the Bears. although he did not play.

Defense

Bryce Callahan – CB, Broncos

Callahan started his third game in four weeks for the Broncos in Week 8, registering three tackles before leaving the game with an injury that head coach Vic Fangio described as bad but “not bad, bad.”

Christian Covington – DL, Chargers

Covington as a productive game against the Patriots in Week 8, tying a season-high with five tackles. He’s now registered multiple tackles in each game this season.

Andrew Sendejo – S, Colts

Sendejo has been a fixture in the Colts’ starting defense since he got fully acclimated to the team. He had a season-high eight tackles against the Titans in Week 8, also registering his first forced fumble of the year.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Despite his team trailing the Eagles from the fun, Fox only punted three times this week, including a long of 58-yards and pinning Philadelphia inside the 20 on two separate occasions.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

After putting his initial attempt through the pipes, Boswell was injured on a fake field goal attempt in the second quarter and did not return to the game.

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 Football 2021 Game Preview: Charlotte

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Rice Football needs a bounce-back win in the worst way as they travel to Charlotte for a Week 10 tilt. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Both Charlotte and Rice football would rather forget their last trips to the gridiron. Charlotte was dismantled by Western Kentucky, falling on the road by a final score of 45-13. Rice played their opponent, North Texas, much closer, but an overtime loss was no more satisfying given the expectations they carried into the game. Both teams need a reset in the worst way. Here’s what you need to know:

Kickoff time | 2:30 PM CT
Venue | Jerry Richardson Stadium – Charlotte, NC
TV | ESPN+
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs Charlotte 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

Charlotte and Rice each enter this game .500 in C-USA action with four more games to play. The winner is still probably on the outside looking in regarding a potential trip to the conference championship game, but the loser is in danger of tumbling even further down the standings.

Each program has flashed moments of success. Charlotte upset Duke earlier in the season. Rice knocked off UAB. Neither has been able to channel those everything-went-right games into the type of consistency they need to regularly win conference games so far. After being viewed as up-and-coming programs entering the 2020 season, this game has the potential to reinforce those aspirations or crush them, depending on who ends up on which side of the result.

Series History

All Time | Rice leads Charlotte, 2-0
Last Five | Rice leads Charlotte, 2-0
Last Meeting | Away 2016, Rice won 22-21

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Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Constantine – 65/96 (67.7 percent), 806 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT
Rushing | Myers – 82 carries, 316 yards (3.9 yards per carry), 7 TD
Receiving | Bailey – 39 receptions, 433 yards (11.1 yds/rec), 2 TD / Patterson – 20 receptions, 296 yards (14.8 yds/rec), 2 TD
Tackles | Montero – 54 / Smith – 44 / Garcia – 44
Pass Breakups | McCord/Dunbar – 5, Smith – 4
Interceptions | Smith/Nyakwol – 2, Four others tied with one

Charlotte Stat Notables

Passing | Reynolds – 127/192 (66.2 percent), 1537 yards passing, 16 TD, 5 INT
Rushing | Camp – 74 carries, 451 yards (6.1 yards per carry), 3 TD / Byrd – 92 carries, 375 yards (4.1 ypc), 1 TD
Receiving | DuBose – 37 receptions, 561 yards (15.2 yards per reception), 5 TD / Tucker – 40 receptions, 553 yards (13.8 yds/rec), 2 TD
Tackles | Murray – 55 / Watts – 45 / Alexander – 41
Interceptions | Alexander -2, Two tied with one apiece
Pass Breakups | Creamer – 4, Rogers – 3, Ursery – 3

Charlotte X-Factor | Take a few shots, and convert on them

Charlotte has one of the better “intermediate” offenses in Conference USA. The 49ers aren’t quite explosive — they’ve tallied six plays of 30+ yards against conference foes, tied for the second-fewest in Conference USA — but they have a knack for getting 10 yards, and they do it almost as well as anyone else in the league.

Charlotte’s 62 plays of 10+ yards rank third in Conference USA play. While they don’t hit home runs very often, they’ll nickel and dime defenses all the way down the field. If they do start producing players further down the field, the offense can get dangerous, quickly.

A veteran quarterback and two playmaking wide receivers have the ability to give the Rice defense all sorts of trouble. If they do, not only will they be ready to trade punches with the Owls, they might be able to deliver a few knockout blows of their own.

Rice X-Factor | Jake Constantine

Constantine hasn’t been perfect this season, but he’s been a key piece in two of the Owls’ three wins this year. He rallied the team last week, showing off some schoolyard improvisation skills to will the team down the field and force overtime.

With Wiley Green likely to miss extended time after suffering an ankle injury last week and the running game struggling to get going this year, Constantine is going to have to take charge. If he doesn’t, it’s hard to decipher how the Rice offense is going to find enough success to win on the road without his help.

If he plays as well as he’s played up to this point, Rice will put points on the board. And that’s something Charlotte does not want any part of this year. The 49ers rank second to last in conference play, allowing 38.8 points per game.

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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One Final Thing

Up until last week, Rice hadn’t lost a game to someone they were “supposed to beat” and they’d engineered one of their most memorable upsets in recent memory when they took down UAB on the road. Not that oddsmakers would have had faith in the Owls before, but now they’ve put Rice back in the underdog role. Given how this team faired last week, easing up the pressure can’t be a bad thing.

Still, this team has to be feeling some pressure. They’re on the precipice of losing control of a postseason bowl appearance. To get there, Rice needs to win three of four, a feat they’ve done once already this year. They haven’t won three in a row yet, though, a feat the Owls’ haven’t achieved since the final three games of the 2019 season. For a team that has been erratic from week to week, preserving that margin of error seems like an absolute necessity.

Whether it’s a coincidence or not that the Owls have been more proficient on the road than they have been at home doesn’t really matter. All that matters right now is finding a way to win this game. After the UAB win, it was easy to think ahead at what could be. Now that luxury has passed and all eyes have to be on Charlotte. The wiggle room is running out.

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Conference USA Football 2021: Week 9 C-USA 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 9.

Team Week 9 Result Week 10
Charlotte at WKU L, 45-13 vs Rice
FAU vs UTEP W, 28-25 vs Marshall
FIU at Marshall L, 38-0 vs Old Dominion
LA Tech at Old Dominion L, 23-20 at UAB
Marshall vs FIU W, 38-0 at FAU
MTSU vs Southern Miss W, 35-10 at WKU
North Texas at Rice W, 30-24 at Southern Miss
Old Dominion vs LA Tech W, 23-20 at FIU
Rice vs North Texas L, 30-24 at Charlotte
Southern Miss at MTSU L, 35-10 vs North Texas
UAB — OFF —  — vs LA Tech
UTEP at FAU L, 28-25 vs UTSA
UTSA — OFF —  — at UTEP
WKU at Charlotte W, 45-13 vs MTSU

Notable Week 9 results – Standings

Sayonara FIU and Southern Miss

Southern Miss fans hoping for a quick turnaround under a new head coach have been in for a rough awakening. On a different, but equally taxing note, FIU fans have joined the Golden Eagle faithful awaiting as the only fanbases still awaiting their first conference win of the season. How bad is it? FIU head coach declined to speak with the media following his team’s shutout loss to Marshall.

Not so old Dominion Monarchs

For the first time since 2018, Old Dominion has beaten an FBS opponent. Louisiana Tech earned the honors on Saturday, dropping their fourth consecutive game after a 2-2 start to the season. The Bulldogs have six losses on the season and four of them have come by one score or less.

A wild week off

While working to fend off all comers for the services of head coach Jeff Traylor, UTSA fans also had the luxury of scouting box scores. Earning a Top 25 ranking last week, they were able to watch No. 19 SMU and No. 21 San Diego State suffer losses, opening the door for UTSA to climb higher as one of the top G5 teams in the nation.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Sun Bowl Showdown

ESPN2 picked up what has the makings to be an exciting contest in the desert next weekend when a ranked UTSA squad visits a UTEP team coming off a tough road loss at FAU. The Miners were extremely competitive and still sit within one game in the loss column of UTSA in the standings. Whoever wins Saturday will control their own destiny in the West.

Up or down?

Every team has four conference games in the books so far. Of the 14 teams (currently) in Conference USA, only three hold .500 records (Rice, MTSU and Charlotte). The Owls and 49ers face each other next weekend, with the chance to separate themselves from the middle of the pack. The winner of this won gets one step closer to bowl contention while the loser faces a much steeper battle.

Battle for the East

Western Kentucky, Marshall and FAU sit in a three-way tie for first place atop the East Division. At least one of that trio won’t be there when the dust settles next week. Marshall travels to FAU in a pivotal game for the division title while WKU draws MTSU at home. There are several weeks left in the season, but this weekend will be huge.

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