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Rice Football 2020 Practice Report: First depth chart and injury updates

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The first depth chart of the 2020 Rice Football season has been published. There weren’t many surprises, but some of those starters weren’t at practice.

I won’t bury the lede, here’s the first depth chart for Rice Football this season. For the most part, it’s chalk. The upperclassmen and vets are in the same spots as they were last season with the freshmen and new names at the bottom of the ranks with room to move upward in the next couple of weeks.

Beyond the depth chart, this update has some important injury updates, including a key player that Rice might be without for a significant amount of time. Later in the week, I’ll have a few early camp standouts.

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Rice Football, depth chart

Depth chart takeaways

1. Special Teams

If Jordan Myers really does take over the primary punt return duties this year he’ll be one of the first tight ends to fill that role that I can remember. An OR designation at the punter spot was also somewhat of a surprise. It’s still going to be Charlie Mendes’ job to lose, but it sounds like it’s going to be a real battle between the redshirt freshmen and Stanford transfer Collin Riccitelli.

2. Quarterback

If it wasn’t evident before, this is officially a two-horse race. As mentioned in the previous update, the man out in front early is

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Rice Football 2020: Owls in the NFL Week 3 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 3.

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

Week 3 results

Cleveland (Sendejo) def. Washington, 34-20
Cincinnati (Covington) tied Philadelphia, 23-23
Pittsburgh (Boswell, McDonald) def. Houston (Gaines), 28-21
Tampa Bay def. Denver (Anderson, Callahan), 28-10
Detroit (Fox) def. Arizona, 26-23
Seattle (Willson) def. Dallas, 38-31

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

Anderson has seen his action primarily on special teams this season with the Broncos. He was active again on Sunday in the Broncos’ Week 3 loss to the Bucs. The Broncos visit the Jets for Thursday Night Football in Week 4.

Vance McDonald – TE, Steelers

McDonald set a season-high three receptions for 36 yards in the Steelers’ Week 3 win over the Texans. Two of his grabs moved the chains and led to scoring drives. He threw some impactful blocks and made a difference in the running game as well. The Steelers visit the Titans in Week 4.

Luke Willson – TE, Seahawks

Willson was inactive for the Seahawks’ Week 3 win over the Cowboys. The Seahawks visit the Dolphins in Week 4.

Defense and Special Teams

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell was perfect again on Sunday, converting a pair of extra points and two field goals, including a long of 33 yards. The Steelers visit the Titans in Week 4.

Bryce Callahan – CB, Broncos

Callahan nearly blocked a field goal against the Bucs in Week 3, but drew an offsides flag. He had three tackles in the loss. The Broncos visit the Jets for Thursday Night Football in Week 4.

Christian Covington – DL, Bengals

Covington was dealing with a biceps injury during the week but still managed to suit up against the Eagles. He had one tackle in the tie. The Bengals host the Jaguars in Week 4.

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox picked up his first professional victory on Sunday, helping the Lions beat the Cardinals on the road. Fox booted punts of 65, 60, 54 and 43 yards. His only punt shorter than 50 yards was downed on the two-yard line.

Oh, and here’s some kudos for Fox from PFF Analyst Anthony Treash from last week.

https://twitter.com/PFF_Anthony/status/1309218958025920514

The Lions host the Saints in Week 4.

Phillip Gaines – CB, Texans

Gaines registered two tackles in the Texans’ Week 3 loss to the Steelers. The Texans host the Vikings in Week 4.

Andrew Sendejo – Saf, Browns

Sendejo finished third on the team on the team with five tackles against Washington in Week 3. He’s up to 19 total tackles for the season, 15 solo. The Browns visit the Cowboys in Week 4.

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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Rice Football 2020: First week of fall camp practice notes

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Rice football wrapped up its first padded practice of fall camp on Saturday. Here are a few early impressions of the Owls.

We made it. Thank you to all who have subscribed so far, hoping we’d get to real football. I had to pinch myself on Friday and Saturday as I watched Rice Football practice for the first time in sixth months. If you haven’t subscribed yet, check out this sneak peek for a better idea of the content you’ll have access to. I’ll also be giving away a free copy of the 2020 Rice Football Season Preview to one new subscriber this week.

Alright, now that we’ve gotten the housekeeping out of the way, fall camp is going to be just as unusual as the rollercoaster ride of an offseason which preceded it. Rice football is three practices into its preseason and it’s been different too. Community Gatorade cup distributions have been replaced with individual water coolers. Social distancing is being taken very seriously.

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Through all of those changes, there have been a few meaningful takeaways from the first few days of camp. Starting with the quarterback battle…

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Conference USA Football 2020: Week 4 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 4.

Team Week 4 Result Week 5
Charlotte vs Georgia state CANCELED at FAU
FAU vs USF CANCELED vs Charlotte
FIU at Liberty L, 36-34 — OFF —
LA Tech vs HBU W, 66-38 at BYU
Marshall — OFF —  — — OFF —
MTSU at UTSA L, 37-35 vs WKU
North Texas at Houston CANCELED vs USM
Rice — OFF —  — — OFF —
Southern Miss vs Tulane L, 66-24 at North Texas
UAB at S. Alabama W, 42-10 vs UTSA
UTEP at ULM W, 31-6 — OFF —
UTSA vs MTSU W, 37-35 at UAB
WKU — OFF —  — at MTSU

Notable Week 4 results – Standings

Blazers prove to be the team to beat in the West

UAB had the unenviable task of traveling to play a hot South Alabama team without starting quarterback Tyler Johnston. Not only did the Blazers rise to the occasion, backup Bryson Lucero slung the ball all over the yard, racking up 319 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, Spencer Brown became the program leader in rushing touchdowns. The defense was stout, holding USA to 3-for-12 on third down. UAB looks every bit the contender many expected them to be.

Rice is back

After delaying their season multiple times, Rice football has returned to practice. The Owls began fall camp this week and are on schedule to open their 2020 season against Middle Tennessee on Oct. 24. The Owls currently have six games on their schedule.

THREE WIN UTEP

UTEP started out strong with a pair of wins over FCS schools, equally their win total over the past two seasons. Saturday the Miners further impressed, thumping Louisiana Monroe on the road. Gavin Hardison threw for 302 yards. Deion Hankins rushed for 118 yards and three scores. It wasn’t a perfect performance, but it was a big win for the UTEP program and head coach Dana Dimel.

Week 5 storylines

Third time’s the charm

Postponements have been a weekly occurrence in college football this year and it doesn’t seem like something that will be going away any time soon. The loss of games has been more impactful to some programs than others. FAU and Rice are the only active C-USA teams who haven’t played a game yet this season. FAU will try for their debut next week against Charlotte after losing potential openers against Georgia Southern and South Florida.

Roadrunner gut check

A 3-0 start has UTSA fans riding high. Given the circumstances, it certainly seems like Jeff Traylor has done a phenomenal job in his first few months in San Antonio. Week 5 will put that growth to the test as the Roadrunners visit the UAB Blazers. An upset there could turn a feel-good start into legitimate conference title aspirations.

Last tune-up for Louisiana Tech

Louisiana Tech overcame significant adversity to win their season-opening game against Southern Miss in the final seconds. After downing HBU this week, the Bulldogs get a challenging test in Week 5 against a BYU squad that was only recently added to the schedule. Showing clear improvement against the Cougars (and maybe settling on a QB1) could but them in a great place before returning to conference play.

 

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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College Football and COVID-19: Mid September Roundup

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College football is back, but this season has been far from normal. Here’s a roundup of the key stories around the nation.

We’re almost a month into the 2020 college football season and it’s been one heck of a roller coaster ride. With all the twists and turns, it was time for a quick update on the impacts COVID-19 is having on the season.

If you want to look back at the up-and-down news cycle, you can check out the late-July edition of this update here, the early August edition here or the mid-August update here or are most recent update here.

Rice Football is back!

As first reported by The Roost, Rice football has returned to practice and is on track to play their first game on Oct. 24 against Middle Tennessee. The Owls were the last team in Conference USA that intends to play this season to start fall camp.

Cancelations are mounting

Through three weeks of football, roughly 75% of the games scheduled as of Week 1 had been played. With a cancelation rate trending toward 25%, the odds of any team completing a full schedule are slim. This weekend saw multiple games (Houston at Baylor, Florida Atlantic at Georgia Southern) postponed the day before kickoff.

Schedules are fluid

UTSA was finishing a football game on Saturday when they found out who they would be playing in Week 4. The Roadrunners were originally scheduled to play Memphis, but that game was lost because of positive tests in the Memphis program. No sooner had that game been canceled than did Conference USA slide in Middle Tennessee into the off date. So much for games needing to be scheduled years in advance.

The SEC starts up this weekend

The Big 12 and ACC have already played games in a staggered fashion. The SEC opted to return all at once with marquee games including Mike Leach’s debut against No. 6 LSU, Mo. 23 Kentucky at No. 8 Auburn, and No. 16 Tennessee at South Carolina.

The Big Ten is back … with its third schedule of the year 

After the rumblings of a return proved true, the Big Ten announced their return to play protocols and conference schedule this week. Nebraska, who had led the charge to get back on the field, opens with Ohio State and hosts Penn State later in the season too.

Pac-12 and Mountain West announced return plans of their own

Once the Big Ten announced they would play this fall, the Pac-12 quickly changed its tune. There are more hurdles to jump through in California and Oregon before the westernmost conference returns to action, but things seem to be trending that way. The league will resume play the weekend of Nov. 6. The Mountain West, after initially shutting things down with the Pac-12, will start their season on Oct. 24.

Conference USA is running out of quarterbacks

Injuries to Charlotte’s Chris Robison and UAB’s Tyler Johnston put an already precarious quarterback situation into further uncertainty. Jack Abraham at Southern Miss and Asher O’Hara at Middle Tennessee are now the only healthy returning starters in the conference. We discussed the new hierarchy of C-USA signal callers in this week’s podcast.

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