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Rice Football 2020 Practice Notes: Breaking down the wide receivers

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The Rice football receiving corps is running low on bodies. How will the Owls move forward and who will take the field against Southern Miss?

I was paying close attention to the wide receivers at practice this week and had some time to catch up with Rice football wide receivers coach Mike Kershaw. Between the injuries Rice had coming into the season opener against Middle Tennessee and the loss of a starter in the opener itself, the need for answers at the position has never been more pressing.

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Beyond the individuals, there’s also some insight below on the offense as a whole as a result of the thinned out receiving corps. How the Owls will line up against Southern Miss could be impacted by their limited numbers. If you’re looking for a deeper dive, I dug into the reasons I believe the offensive uptick can continue despite the injuries in this month’s All-American Q&A.

And then there were five…

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Is this Rice Football offense for real? All-American Q&A

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All-American Level subscribers on Patreon get access to a monthly Q&A with me. The October edition focuses on the sustainability of the Rice football offense.

Q. Rice football scored 34 points against Middle Tennessee. Was the offensive “explosion” caused by how bad MTSU’s defense was or because the Rice offense has actually figured things out?

A.  The story almost writes itself, doesn’t it? Journeyman quarterback transfers to a small school for one last ride. He steps onto the field and leads the team to more points in his debut than the school had scored in the previous 27 contests.

Rice last scored at least 34 points in a losing effort against Southern Miss in 2017. With the Owls set to face the Golden Eagles the weekend after this new offensive outburst, it’s only fitting this question arises.

So, can the Rice offense keep it up?

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 58 – Rice Football vs MTSU Recap, USM Preview

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Carter and Matthew breakdown the Rice football loss to Middle Tennessee and preview the Owls upcoming game against Southern Miss.

The first game didn’t go how Rice football fans would have hoped, but there’s a lot more to unpack in the Middle Tennessee loss than just the final score. Carter and Matthew work through the refreshingly potent offense and what to take from the defensive struggles.

From there, they discuss how what we learned from that game will impact the Owls’ upcoming road trip to Hattiesburg to face a Southern Miss team on their third head coach of the season.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 58.

Episode 58 Notes

  • Housekeeping — Don’t miss this opportunity to subscribe on Patreon. You’ll get practice reports, and new this week, film room sessions from Carter. He breaks down the biggest plays from the Owls’ games. You’ll also get recruiting news and the latest analysis and updates on all things relating to Rice Athletics.
    Become a Patron!
  • Conference USA news and notes
    • Conference USA had no games canceled in Week 8, but already two canceled in Week 9.
    • Marshall is the last remaining unbeaten C-USA squad, ranked No. 19 in the AP Poll
  • Rice Football vs Middle Tennessee game preview
    • Quadruple doink could be a once in a millennium event
    • Mike Collins started slow, but played well in debut game
    • Defense had missteps, but injuries and rust played a big part
    • Despite mistakes, still had a chance to win
  • Rice Football vs Southern Miss game recap
    • Interim coach Scottie Walden is headed to Austin Peay. Southern Miss will turn to its third head coach of the season
    • Jack Abraham is the probable start, but nothing set in stone yet with COVID protocols. Backup Tate Whatley could miss the game.
    • The Southern Miss defense is really bad.

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 2020 Practice Notes: Post MTSU presser, changes and injuries

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Rice football returned to the practice field this week determined to put the MTSU game behind them. Here’s where things stand headed into Week 9.

The season is back in full swing and we’ve got a full slate of Rice football updates on deck for everyone this week. I’ll include a few snippets from today’s press conference here as well as updates from practice on Monday.

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Press conference notes and quotes

“Last week’s game obviously didn’t go the way we wanted it to. There’s no denying that. We didn’t get the result we wanted and we’re in a results-oriented business. The hard part about that is I look at it, and I thought our kids played incredibly hard from the start of the game, through overtime, through both overtimes. But as we said, the outcome wasn’t what we wanted. There’s a lot of things we need to clean up between game one and game two so that we don’t feel that way again. And that’s exactly what we’re trying to do. We’re committed to doing that.” –  Coach Mike Bloomgren

“I think what hurt us most on the defensive end is when we got a little more passive … that’s just the wrong mentality for us to have. That’s not who we are. We’re aggressive. We’re dominant. And just taking our foot off the gas pedal at all, is just not who we are.” – LB Blaze Alldredge

Looking back at it, we left way too many points on the board. The game should never have been that close. We should never have been in the position to need to score a last second touchdown, and that falls on me. But, talking to the offensive line, and the running backs and the receivers and everybody, we all know that we left too many points on the board, and we just got to get fixed.” – QB Mike Collins

What to look for this week from practice

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Rice Football 2020: Owls in the NFL Week 7 Update

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Rice Football is well represented on 2020 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 7.

There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player.

Week 7 results

Pittsburgh (Boswell, McDonald) def. Tennessee, 27-24
Cleveland (Sendejo) def. Cincinnati (Covington), 37-34
Kansas City def. Denver (Anderson, Callahan), 43-16
Detroit (Fox) def. Atlanta, 23-22
Green Bay def. Houston (Gaines), 35-20
Seattle (Willson) vs Arizona

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

Anderson has played in every game for Denver this season with all of his snaps coming on special teams. That’s how he was used again on Sunday in the Broncos’ loss to the Chiefs. The Broncos host the Chargers in Week 8.

Vance McDonald – TE, Steelers

McDonald caught two passes for 14 yards against the Titans in Week 7, including a nine-yard first down grab. He’s now caught multiple passes in four of six games this season. The Broncos visit the Ravens in Week 8.

Luke Willson – TE, Seahawks

Luke Willson was inactive for the Seahawks’ Week 7 Sunday Night Football game against the Cardinals. The Seahawks host the 49ers in Week 8.

Defense and Special Teams

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell had another perfect outing on Sunday, connecting on both of his field goal tries including a long of 38 yards, including what would become the game-sealing kick in the third quarter. He also went 3-for-3 on extra points. The Steelers host the Ravens in Week 8.

Bryce Callahan – CB, Broncos

Callahan was all over the field against the Chiefs in Week 7. He had five tackles, tied for second most on the team and scooped up a fumble recovery. The Broncos visit the Ravens in Week 8.

Christian Covington – DL, Bengals

Covington drew another start for the Bengals in Week 7, registering two tackles in the loss to the Cleveland Browns. He’s started the last four games for Cincinnati and has multiple tackles in five of seven games this season. The Bengals host the Titans in Week 8.

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox had another monster outing against the Falcons in Week 7. He punted three times, including a long of 67 yards, averaging 59 yards per punt. He put two balls inside the 20. The Lions host the Colts in Week 8.

Phillip Gaines – CB, Texans

Gaines had a season-high in tackles in the Texans’ Week 7 loss to the Packers with five. The Texans are on bye in Week 8.

Andrew Sendejo – Saf, Browns

Sendejo had six tackles in the Browns’ victory over the Bengals in Week 7. He’s now had at least four tackles in six of seven games this season. The Browns host the Raiders in Week 8.

More Owls in the NFL

From practice squads to current free agents, there are others 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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