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Rice Football 2020 Game Preview: UAB

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Rice Football is soaring after a landmark victory over Marshall. Can they finish strong and beat UAB? How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Down their starting quarterback, starting running back, top wide receiver and a few starters on defense, Rice football walked into Huntington, WV last weekend and bludgeoned No. 15 Marshall in their own building. The resounding 20-0 win has Rice riding high entering their last scheduled game of an up-and-down 2020 season.

UAB just wants to play a football game. They’ve been idle since Halloween, following four cancelations.  Their last time out they lost a nailbiter to Louisiana Tech in double overtime.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 12:00 PM CT
Venue | Rice Stadium – Houston, TX
TV | ESPN3 (Streaming)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs UAB on Episode 66 of The Roost Podcast which will be released on Thursday. 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.)

Visual Preview

Make sure you check out Inside the Hedges, a weekly show with myself and former Rice football quarterback Taylor McHargue. Watch it live on Wednesday nights here or watch it at your leisure on the Rice Athletics Youtube page.

Join the Conversation

What are your keys to victory this week? What pitfalls must the Owls avoid? Did you like that third down call? Share your thoughts on the matchup on the forum and make sure you tune in Saturday for our live game blog keeping track of every score and key moment.

Sizing up the contenders

This game has a lot riding on it for both parties. Fresh off their upset over Marshall, Rice football can clinch a winning record (3-2) with a win in what is likely to be their regular season finale. Going from 3-9 to 3-2 in the midst of a pandemic with a signature win would be definitive evidence the program is on the rise.

For UAB, the win would put them even with Rice at three wins, but more importantly, give them claim to the Conference USA West Division Title. As far as the tiebreakers stand right now, a 3-1 UAB would get in over a 5-2 UTSA based on winning percentage. With a loss, the Blazers fall to 2-2 and would finish behind Rice in the conference standings.

Series History

All Time | UAB leads 5-3
Last Five | UAB leads 3-2
Last Meeting | Away 2020, UAB won 35-20

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Collins – 53/86 (61.6 percent), 802 yards passing, 10 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Otoviano – 45 carries, 195 yards (4.3 yards per carry) | Griffin – 58 carries, 215 yards (3.7 yards per carry)
Receiving | Trammell – 16 receptions, 335 yards (20.9 yards per reception), 6 TD | Myers – 15 receptions, 147 yards (9.8 yards per reception)
Tackles | Alldredge – 42, Montero – 23, Garcia – 23
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Calderon – 2 PBU / Six players tied with 1 INT

UAB Stat Notables

Passing | Lucero – 79/146 (54.1 percent), 969 yards passing, 7 TD, 8 INT
Rushing | Brown – 156 carries, 740 yards (4.7 yards per carry), 10 TD
Receiving | Watkins – 34 receptions, 468 yards (13.8 yards per reception), 3 TD | Mitchell – 26 receptions, 360 yards (13.8 yards per reception), 2 TD
Tackles | Moll – 47, Wilder – 42, Boler – 33
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Marshall, Miller – 3 PBU / Six tied with one interception

UAB X-Factor | Take care of the football

Notwithstanding any rust they might have accrued over month long wait, holding onto the football will be paramount for the Blazers this Saturday. UAB is minus-three in turnover margin this year, but they’re carelessness with the football was significantly worse over the second half of their games compared to their start.

UAB committed four turnovers in their first three games, forcing six of their own for a plus-two margin. In their last four games, which includes all three of their C-USA contests, the Blazers have committed 11 turnovers while forcing just six of their own. They’re 2-2 over that stretch.

Rice just showcased what happens when opposing teams hand them extra mistakes and the Owls probably left points on the board against Marshall. UAB can’t afford to be sloppy.

Rice X-Factor | Win on third downs

For all the Owls did right in their upset of Marshall, they didn’t fair well on third down Rice converted 5-of-13 attempts, with their first successful conversion not occurring until the final two minutes of the first half. A fourth down conversion and a defensive touchdown helped them put enough points on the board, but the Owls’ base their success on being able to stay on the field and control the clock.

In 2019, Rice was 3-2 when converting at least 42% of their third down attempts. They’re 1-0 this year, representing their win over Southern Miss in which they converted 9-of-15 third downs (60 percent).

The offense has the potential to be significantly better, no matter what skill players take the field, if they can manage to extend drives. Converting on a few more third downs will ensure that happens.

Injury Report (Subscribers only).

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Need More?

The Roost’s 2020 Rice Football Season Preview has four pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth charts, important new arrivals and depth chart breakdowns for every team in Conference USA. Better yet, it’s not just speculation, each profile was created with insight from local experts who cover those teams day in and day out. Pick up your copy today and get four pages and more than 1,000 words on every foe.

Pick ‘Em Contest

If you haven’t yet, make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and submit them on the forum thread to enter.

  1. How many turnovers will the Rice defense force?
    One or fewer / Two or more
  2. How many yards will the longest Rice scoring drive be?
    Over 59.5 / Under 59.5 
  3. Will there be a fourth down conversion by either team?
    Yes / No
  4. Which team completes more passes?
    Rice / UAB (or tie)
  5. Which teams score in the first quarter?
    Only Rice / Only UAB / Both teams score
  6. Who wins?
    Rice / UAB
  7. Bonus (3 pts)
    How many points does Rice score? (Must be exact)

One Final Thing

To some extent, it feels like Rice is playing with house money in this game. As long as they show up and put forth a respectable performance against the defending C-USA West Champions, the Owls will have done enough this season to prove they’re heading in the right direction.

But, if they do win, the ripple effect would be massive. A win against UAB would secure a 3-2 record, including wins over the two teams considered to be the best in the conference entering the year. They’d be one bad loss (North Texas) or one weird bounce (Middle Tennessee) away from outright clinching the West division, a 4-1 record would have been enough.

Way back when this was expected to be a normal 12-game season, going to a bowl game was the expectation. Coming one win away from playing in the conference championship game would have been widely considered a step beyond that. That’s what’s on the table for Rice against UAB.

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Conference USA Football 2020: Week 14 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 14.

Team Week 14 Result Week 15
Charlotte vs WKU W,27-19 at Marshall
FAU at Georgia Southern L, 20-3 at Southern Miss
FIU — OFF —  — — OFF —
LA Tech at North Texas W, 42-31 at TCU
Marshall vs Rice L, 20-0 vs Charlotte
MTSU — OFF —  — — OFF —
North Texas vs Louisiana Tech L, 42-31 at UTEP
Rice at Marshall W, 20-0 vs UAB
Southern Miss at UTEP PPD vs FAU
UAB — OFF —  — at Rice
UTEP vs Southern Miss PPD vs North Texas
UTSA — OFF —  — — OFF —
WKU at Charlotte L, 37-19 — OFF —

Notable Week 14 results – Standings

Rice, Rice Baby

The Rice Owls made the biggest waves on Saturday, stunning unbeaten Marshall at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in shutout fashion. The win was the Owls’ first win over a ranked team since 1997 and the first shutout of a ranked team since 1960. Mike Bloomgren & Co. made quite the statement.

Third time’s the charm

Western Kentucky at Charlotte were supposed to play last week, on a typical college football Saturday. Then the game was bumped back to Tuesday morning. And then further back to Sunday. Finally, on the third attempt, the teams actually played with Western Kentucky finishing up on top, 37-19.

Conference USA dropped the ball with scheduling

Southern Miss and UAB were both free this past weekend. Neither team had played each other yet and but both had done prep work for each other – with a previous game postponed already this year. Most importantly, neither team had announced any COVID-19 issues. UAB needs as many games as possible to prevent a messy Conference USA West Divisional Title debate. This was an easy fix and the conference just whiffed. View the entire list of C-USA postponements here.

Week 15 storylines

Who’s playing next weekend?

Per Conference USA, “A final determination of the matchups for the last weekend of the regular season (Dec. 10-12) will be made no later than Sunday, Dec. 6.” There have already been adjustments made to next week’s schedule. As of now, there are nine C-USA teams in action next weekend, with these teams open: UTSA, WKU, FIU and Middle Tennessee.

Barnstorming

While the rest of the conference was working to schedule postponed or canceled Conference USA games, Louisiana Tech went rogue and added a nonconference game with TCU. With the West likely out of reach and no clear directives issued by the conference, you can’t really blame the Bulldogs for locking up the best opponent available.

And now we wait…

The West looks like it will come down to next Saturday game between Rice and UAB. The high count of cancelations among C-USA teams makes this game the tipping point for Blazers in overall conference winning percentage, the determining factor in this year’s divisional race. If UAB wins, the Blazers’ 3-1 record would trump UTSA’s 5-2 finish and UAB would win the West Division. If Rice beats UAB, UTSA would represent the West in the championship game. The East will come down to Marshall or FAU.

Rice Football Opponent Scouting Report

A weekly update on who the Owls will be playing this season including updates on key storylines, injuries and more.

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Rice Football: Mike Bloomgren all smiles after banner day

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On Saturday Rice football knocked off previously unbeaten Marshall in what could become a defining moment for head coach Mike Bloomgren and the Owls.

Not long after the team had finished celebrating on the field, Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren tucked away into a side room for the now conventional zoom postgame session with the media. Even with his face cloaked by a mask, it was easy to see his cheekbones raise in a triumphant smile.

“I can’t remember the last time I’ve been more proud of a team,” he said, his first words following the Owls’ first win over a ranked team on the road in almost 30 years.

His face glowed when he mentioned impressive showings by individual performers. There was JoVoni Johnson’s poise under adversity, Naeem Smith’s pick-six in his first game back from injury, former walk-on Ari Broussard’s game-sealing fourth quarter runs. And so much more.

That moment brought back memories of another cramped road game press conference. One in a much different context in San Antonio, Tx last November. Following a loss to UTSA that left his team 0-7, Bloomgren’s ever even-keeled speech was crystal clear.

“We’ve made progress,” he said on that painful night. “We want to make the progress that matters. We want to get one in the left column. And we’re going to keep working towards that.”

14 months later, not only has Bloomgren “got one in the left column”, he’s built something resembling the program he’s been seeking since he arrived at South Main.

More: Rice football stuns undefeated Marshall

Including the Owls’ blown lead and subsequent seventh consecutive loss against UTSA last fall, Rice football has gotten off to a shaky 2-18 start. Two more losses in the two games that followed sent the Owls’ record to 2-20. But when the switch flipped. On the road against Middle Tennessee, things started to change.

After winning 10 percent of his first 22 games, Bloomgren and Co. have won five of their last seven, and that includes a loss that saw a rogue football bounces off four uprights. Even with the bad bounces, that’s a 71.4 percent clip that includes the Owls’ landmark win over Marshall.

Which brings us back to Saturday.

“We were exactly who we wanted to be,” Bloomgren said. “It was intellectual brutality all over the field.”

Intellectual Brutality. The exertion of one’s mind and willpower over the man in front of you. The drum beat of this program from the moment Bloomgren first arrived on campus. At long last, coming into focus. It wasn’t perfect. There’s still a lot of work to be done. But today, even if for just a few hours, “who we should be”, as linebacker Blaze Alldredge described it, was on full display.

“Belief and trust have been our mantra for a few weeks now, even though we haven’t got the play,” he acknowledged with a grin. Even if it were only himself and his players that kept that faith, the results speak volumes. And more importantly, it gives this team a foundation to build on for the future. A future beyond pandemics causing last-minute cancelations and of seasons with fewer injuries and fewer bad bounces.

Rice football took a big step on Saturday. A step that was a long time coming.

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The Roost Podcast | Rice Football stuns Marshall – Emergency Pod

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Rice football came into Saturday as a three-touchdown underdog but walked away winners. More on the Owls’ massive upset win.

It had been a tough year for Rice football. Injuries and postponements had kept this team from any sort of rhythm. When we broke the news that starting quarterback Mike Collins would not play for the Owls against Marshall, things looked to be turning for the worst.

Then the game started and Rice football delivered their most impactful win of the Mike Bloomgren era.

This one was too important to wait until midweek to record. Carter and Matthew breakdown the big moments and key turning points in Rice’s 20-0 win over No. 15 Marshall at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 64.

Episode Notes

  • Housekeeping — Don’t miss this opportunity to subscribe on Patreon. There’s a lot more in store for this football program.
    Become a Patron!
  • Rice football upsets Marshall
    • JoVoni Johnson starts in place of Mike Collins (injury)
    • Defense registers five interceptions. Owls had six in 12 games last season.
    • Charlie Mendes draws late pass interference flag on fake punt
    • Jake Bailey almost scores a one-handed touchdown grab
    • Significance of this win for the Rice football program
  • Firsts
    • The victory was the first by a Texas school at Marshall in 14 tries.
    • Rice defeated a ranked opponent for the first time since a 27-14 win over No. 21 BYU on Nov. 11, 1997 (30 games).
    • Rice defeated a ranked opponent on the road for the first time since a 20-7 win at No. 8 Baylor on Oct. 12, 1991 (32 games).
    • Rice shut out a ranked opponent for the first time since a 7-0 victory over No. 16 Texas on Oct. 22, 1960.
    • Rice shut out a ranked opponent on the road for the first time since defeating No. 18 Florida, 10-0, on Oct. 8, 1960.

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Shutout and Shutdown: Rice football stuns undefeated Marshall

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On a chilly Saturday morning, Rice Football stunned the college football world, knocking off an undefeated, ranked Marshall squad on the road.

For the first time since 1995, Rice football pitched a shutout. On that day 25 years ago, Rice blanked UNLV 38-0. Fast-forward to 2020 where the Owls have now held No. 15 Marshall off the scoreboard in the biggest win of the Mike Bloomgren era. Marshall had never been shut out at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. Now they have.

The last time Rice shutout a ranked opponent? October 22, 1960, when they beat No. 16 Texas, 7-0.

In some ways, the 2020 Owls’ 20-0 win over a ranked Marshall team came out of nowhere. But for those watching the program quietly add talent and take the right steps, it served as validation for three years of hard work. There will be plenty more to unpack from this win in the days to come, for now, a few immediate reactions from the Owls’ big win.

Playing against the odds

Rice had lost its last 32 games against ranked opponents entering their game against Marshall. If that wasn’t enough to qualify as adversity, the absences of quarterback Mike Collins, wide receiver Austin Trammell and linebacker Antonio Montero upped the challenge by a significant margin.

Depending on where you looked, Rice was somewhere between a 21 and a 25 point underdog on Saturday. They weren’t expected to keep it close, let alone contend. Surprise.

When the deck is stacked against you to that degree, you need two things: execution and luck. Rice got both on Saturday. They kept Marshall quarterback Grant Wells off balance from the start, forcing five interceptions.

On the luck front, they were extremely fortunate to receive the latest flag I’ve ever seen throw on a fake punt attempt. Charlie Mendes caught the snap and threw a deep shot down the left sideline. The ball fell to the turf, primarily because the Marshall defender was mugging the would-be Rice receiver. Initially, no flag was thrown, but after a brief conference, the officials changed their minds. Rice got three points off the reversal, extending their lead to two scores, 10-0.

A questionable fumble call against Jake Bailey in the second half and a missed field goal were two of the unluckier moments for the Owls, but for the most part, Rice took advantage of their opportunities and left themselves enough breathing room to overcome those obstacles.

Dominant defense sets the tone

Despite the odds, Rice was not intimidated. They did just about everything right to engineer the upset.

The Owls held on fourth down on Marshall’s opening possession. The forced turnover on downs marked the 13th consecutive game in which Rice had kept their opponent scoreless on their opening drive. Check.

They extended the defensive success by controlling the clock on offense and shutting out Marshall in the first quarter. Rice has yet to allow a point in the first quarter this season. Check.

You could tell the physicality and the effort was different. The defense featured a few creative blitz combinations, but for the most part, it was a strong game from the Rice defensive line against a vaunted Marshall offensive line.

Bloomgren said Marshall’s biggest strength was their ability to line up and “whip the dude in front of them”. Rice just didn’t let that happen. Quite the opposite, in fact. In every phase of the game, Rice football whipped Marshall.

If the play-to-play grind wasn’t enough, safety Naeem Smith delivered the knockout blow in his first action of the season, putting Rice ahead 20-0 on this pick-six.

Rice had six interceptions in 12 games last season. Blaze Alldredge, Josh Pearcy, Andrew Bird, Treshawn Chamberlain and Smith each had a pick on Saturday against a quarterback that had only thrown four in seven games this season.

Special, special teams

Rice muffed three punts in their first three games and suffered the infamous quadruple-doink against Middle Tennessee. That phase of the game had thwarted the Owls’ chances this season. Against Marshall, they were crucial to the Owls’ success.

Collin Riccitelli converted two of three field goals. Mendes’ execution of the fake punt pass set Rice up for a score. Mendes pinned Marshall deep on one of his few punts of the day. Then, with Marshall backed up in their own endzone, Bailey returned a punt to the Marshall to the Marshall 27 to set up another score.

The coverage units were lights out. When they did punt, Mendes was masterful. Apart from a missed field goal, this unit played some of their best football of the entire season.

Signature win

Months ago when we thought Rice football would be playing a full 12 game season, a bowl game was set as the expectation for this team. If the Owls could achieve that it would be proof the team was making progress and heading in the right direction.

When that schedule was scrapped, the means of evaluating progress became much more challenging. For one, we didn’t know how many games Rice would play this year. We didn’t know who those games would be against. And we didn’t know which players Rice would have. Losing Brad Rozner to an injury before the Owls first game compounded things even more.

But this win—knocking off a ranked opponent on the road without your starting quarterback and best wide receiver—proves “the process” as Bloomgren likes to call it, is working. Rice just beat the best team in Conference USA. They’ve proved they can do it. Now they need to show that effort and poise consistently.

Digging deeper (Subscribers only)

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