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The Roost Podcast | Ep 14 – Special interview with Calvin Anderson

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Former Rice football offensive lineman Calvin Anderson stopped by The Roost Podcast for a special interview with Matthew and Carter.

Despite the school’s smaller enrollment numbers, Rice Football has continued to churn out NFL talent. The Owls have several players in the NFL, CFL and XFL and should have more in the way in the coming years.

Current Denver Broncos offensive lineman Calvin Anderson, who recently made his home at South Main before stops in Austin and a few NFL practice squads, knows how crazy that journey can be first hand. Join us and Calvin as we talk about life in the NFL, Rubik’s cubes and what it’s like to practice against Von Miller in this special edition of The Roost Podcast.

Don’t miss our Southern Miss preview

This is the second podcast we’ve put out this week. We opted to split the show up instead of putting together a longer single show. Be sure to give the UTSA recap and Southern Miss preview show a listen as well. In that episode we work through the fallout of another heartbreaking loss and discuss what things Rice football needs to do going forward to find the breakthrough they’ve been searching for all season. Should Owls fans have hope? We think so.

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.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Rice Football Recruiting: New targets emerging in 2020 class 🔒

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The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class continues to take shape with new targets emerging as the Owls work to finish off a strong class.

The results on the field haven’t been to the Owls’ liking, but things are looking up on the 2020 Rice Football recruiting front. The current commits remain locked in. The family atmosphere is already building with the next wave of Owls who are ready to make their own marks at South Main.

The most recent addition, defensive end Jalen Reeves, committed to the Owls in September over a slew of prominent programs. Here are a few additional targets who could join the 2020 Rice Football class:

Daylin McLemore – QB – Junipero Serra HS (CA)

Rice moved on their quarterback of the 2021 class recently, offering Cibolo Steele dual-threat Wyatt Begeal. At the same time, the Owls were doing their homework on a 2020 quarterback they have interest in. There have been a few names pop up here, but McLemore seems to have moved into the forefront of the Owls’ focus at the quarterback position. He has good touch through the air and some wheels, too.

Armaj Adams-Reed – OT – Desoto HS (TX)

Adams picked up a Rice offer last week following a visit from the Rice staff during the bye week. From Desoto HS, Reed is a tremendous athlete at the offensive line position and he looks the part. The 6-foot-5, 315-pound holds down the blindside for his school and could serve the Owls well at the next level.

Will Sheppard – WR – Mandeville HS (LA)

The Owls will be selective about when it comes to the right pass catchers to round out the 2020 class. Sheppard clears that bar and could be a difference-maker at the position for the Owls. For that reason, he’s been near the top of that list and has been pursued by Rice for several months now.

River Woods – DB – Dallas Episcopal HS (TX)

Woods has been in the mix for a while now. The two-way player from Dallas remains a priority for the Owls on the recruiting front. Reinforcing the secondary will be an emphasis in this class, making the looks into Woods important.

Mike Leone – OT – Hun School (NJ)

Pulling Mike Leone out of New Jersey would be a big pickup for the Owls. He’s a highly regarded offensive line recruit who is currently committed to Yale, but his offer list seems to be growing quickly. Rice has beaten out Power 5 schools already to land some of their top members in the 2020 class. Snagging Leone would require some work, but Rice is certainly in the mix.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep. 13 – 2019 UTSA Review, Southern Miss Preview

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Rice Football must regroup and move on after a tough loss to UTSA. Carter and Matthew debrief the game and preview the Owls’ next opponent: Southern Miss.

The most recent Rice football outing produced results that were hard to swallow. But, as they say, the show must go on. There’s plenty of things to break down from the UTSA game. We start there and move on to the Owls’ upcoming matchup with Southern Miss.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, Give a listen to Episode 13 below.

Episode 13 Notes

  • News and notes —  Rice Men’s Basketball starts up on Oct. 31. Anthony Rendon is crushing it in the world series. Stay tuned for a special podcast dropping tomorrow with a guest Rice fans will enjoy.
  • UTSA Review — Turnovers have become a serious problem for the Owls and getting to the passer remains an issue as well. On the plus side, Bradley Rozner is emerging as a go-to guy and Blaze Alldredge continues to make play after play.
  • Previewing the Southern Miss game — Jack Abraham and the Southern Miss offense are going to pose a big challenge for the Rice defense. The Owls have been improved against the pass this season, but they’re going to have to stay disciplined for a full sixty minutes to contain one of the most lethal units in C-USA. On the other side of the ball, Rice should find some of their success.

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.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Rice Football 2019: Week 9 Southern Miss Press Conference quotes

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Rice Football head coach Mike Bloomgren made closing comments on the UTSA game and set the stage for the Owls Week 9 game against Southern Miss.

More: Rice Football game preview for Week 9 vs Southern Miss

Wide receiver Austin Trammell and linebacker Blaze Alldredge joined Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren at the podium on Tuesday. The trio made closing comments on the UTSA game and looked ahead to their Week 9 game against Southern Miss.

From Mike Bloomgren

On the team’s performance against UTSA…

“I thought we had a great two weeks of prep going into it. Very simply, we didn’t come out the other side like we wanted to. We took another team to deep water in this conference. Our kids are fighting and doing some great things. From a 10,000-foot level, you can’t turn the ball over in conference play in college football and win games.”

On the resilience of the Rice football team…

“The good news is these kids are working. They’ve come back. They’re resilient. They’re bright kids. They realize how close we are. They’ve come back to it and they’ve attacked this thing the right way. I told them yesterday that we’re doing the right things. There’s no question in my mind that we’re doing the things to win with the right people in the building. I think we’ve got an unbelievable coaching staff and we’ve just got to find a way to push through. That’s kind of been our charge all week.”

On how the coaching staff has responded this week…

“I think these coaches have been rock solid. They’ve been the same people every day. They come in here, they’ve taught, they’ve demanded and they’ve really stayed in lockstep with me on the process. They’ve been trying to control the things that we can control. Everybody who’s a part of this program was down after that game on Saturday. But, there’s no panic, if that makes sense. You can change so many things, you can change your approach. You can come in here, yell and scream. There’s just none of that. It’s process-driven and we’re not going to let that game beat us this week. We’re going to move on. We’re going to do the things that we know win games.”

On the plan at quarterback…

“Wiley [Green] prepares so well. For whatever reason, obviously, we lost two snaps and the first play of the third quarter was just a very critical error. Quarterbacks, like head coaches, get too much credit and too much blame. Very simply, that’s what’s going on right now. It’s not because we’re not winning games. and we’re saying it’s Wiley’s fault or anything like that. It’s just the fact that the ball went to the other team three times when we had it the other night. Very simply, that’s why we’re making the change. Tom (Stewart) will be our starting quarterback going forward.

“I don’t have a plan for either [Evan Marshman or JoVoni Johnson] to be the quarterback of the football team. We could see a scenario where JoVoni comes into games again. Obviously, he had a great start to his college football career, breaking off that run. During the bye week, he threw it exceptionally well. He threw the deep ball exceptionally well. We have a lot of trust in JoVoni. We’ll just see how he plays. We’ll likely have a role for JoVoni as we go forward while keeping an eye on that redshirt as well.”

On the play of the offensive line against Southern Miss…

“I love the way our offensive line is progressing. I think they are doing a great job. So, I think we’re going to match up fine. But, how will we handle movement as a front unit? What will we do to solve their movement patterns with our pads, with violence? That’s going to be what opens up holes. From a protection standpoint, they’re relentless. We’ve got to do a great job protecting to let our receivers go make plays down the field any time we chose to throw the ball.”

From WR Austin Trammell

On the focus of the team going forward …

“It’s hard, losing a game like that. It takes a lot of mental toughness to come back from that and to keep pushing and keep fighting. But at the end of the day, we’re doing this for every guy on our team and doing it for all the seniors that have five games left. And I think our guys understand that.

We want to finish the season, doing everything the right way, giving everything we have to win games, because that’s why we’re here. That’s why we’re playing college football. That’s why we came to Rice University because we want to win games. And so that’s our full focus this week and that’s what’s kind of motivating guys and keeping us going. We have five opportunities to get five wins, and to let these seniors leave with some success under their belt.

From LB Blaze Alldredge

On the team’s goals for the rest of the season…

“In terms of goals, you have to recalibrate a little bit. You come out with the goal of obviously winning conference and to make a bowl game. And when things like that start to come out of reach, it’s important to recalibrate your goals instead of just kind of becoming goal-less.

And when you don’t start to set new goals for yourself, that’s when you find the people that will rest and just think about next season, and just keep those same goals, and say, ‘Oh well, we still have the same goals, just for next season.” So when you get to this point in the season, it really becomes about pride and loving your brother. I think that we have a tight team that’s very close to one another. That is more than capable of going out and winning games.”

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Rice Football 2019 Game Preview: Week 9 vs Southern Miss

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Rice Football returns home in Week 9 to take on Southern Miss. How to watch, stats to know, x-factor picks for both teams and more.

Neither Rice football nor Southern Miss enters Week 9 on a high note. The Owls fell on the road as favorites to an up and down UTSA squad. Southern Miss dropped a shootout to C-USA West-leading Louisiana Tech.

Both teams are hungry for a win on Saturday, with the stakes high in regards to expectations for both programs. Here’s what you need to know about both Rice and their opponent and before this Week 9 battle.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 12:00 PM CT
Venu | Rice Stadium – Houston, Tx
TV | ESPN+ Streaming ($)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio Preview

We’ll preview the Southern Miss game on Episode 13 of The Roost Podcast which will be released on Wednesday. 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

Close games have gone against Rice football this season. The Owls’ seven consecutive defeats have been their own doing in many respects, but they’ve played well enough in spurts to have more than one win under their belts to this point. The Owls are still hungry and should come out swinging.

Southern Miss should have some angst about this game for different reasons. The Eagles lost control of their own destiny in the C-USA West when they fell to Louisiana Tech in Week 8. That doesn’t preclude them from making the conference championship game, but it does lessen the margin of error Southern Miss has if they want to make a run. This game matters a lot to that end.

Mike Bloomgren’s first-ever C-USA game came in Hattiesburg against Southern Miss. The program has come along way since that one-sided affair. The Owls would like to prove it.

Series History

All Time | Southern Miss leads 5-4
Last Five | Southern Miss leads 4-1
Last Meeting | Away 2018, Southern Miss won 40-22

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Green – 61/116 (54.3 percent), 683 yards passing, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Walter – 110 carries, 504 yards (4.6 yards per carry), 5 TD
Receiving | Rozner – 32 receptions, 479 yards (15.0 yards per reception), 2 TD | Trammell – 37 receptions, 472 yards (12.8 yards per reception), 1 TD
Tackles | Alldredge – 59, Montero – 44, Chamberlain – 39
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Thornton – 5 PBU, Nyakwol/Chamberlain/Smith – 1 INT each

Southern Miss Stat Notables

Passing | Abraham – 155/220 (70.5), 2263 yards passing, 13 TD, 8 INT
Rushing | Harris – 58 carries, 282 yards (4.9 yards per carry), 3 TD
Receiving | Watkins – 26 receptions, 630 yards (24.2 yards per reception), 3 TD | Adams – 40 receptions, 445 yards (11.1 yards per reception), 2 TD
Tackles | Hembry – 51, Thomas – 50, Showers – 38
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Williams/Mitchell – 4 PBU each, Thomas/Mitchell – 2 INT each

Southern Miss X-Factor | Winning third downs on defense

Although they had their struggles through the air against Louisiana Tech, the Southern Miss defense is still regarded as one of the better units in C-USA. When they do have their less-than-perfect outings, they can usually rely on the offense to pick them up, a nice luxury to have.

And that’s where the crux of the entire Southern Miss gameplan rests. If the Eagles can get their defense off the field, they’re going to give that explosive offense opportunities.

The Rice defense has been improved through the air this season, but it isn’t quite at the level it needs to be to stop high powered arms like Abraham consistently. More possessions for Southern Miss likely mean more points. That could go by the wayside if Rice football can milk the clock and play keep away from Abraham and Co.

Rice X-Factor | Winning the turnover battle

Rice football handed away 14 points against UTSA with a pick-six and a goal line fumble. They lost by four points. The Owls’ average margin of defeat when winning the turnover battle this season is 7.5 points. Somewhat surprisingly, their margin of defeat when losing the turnover battle is -7.3.

Army and Baylor turned the ball over more times than Rice. The Owls almost won as significant underdogs thanks to the additional opportunities. Rice came just as close — even closer, actually — but gave the ball away more often than they took it against Louisiana Tech, UAB and UTSA.

It’s not unfathomable to posit Rice having another win or two had they managed to play some of their conference opponents level in the turnover department. Southern Miss turns the ball over at the third-highest rate in C-USA. Rice must capitalize.

Injury Report

Rice left the UTSA game more banged up than they’ve been at any point this season. Austin Walter, Naeem Smith and Andrew Bird all left the game for some duration of time with injuries. Their status for this weekend’s game against Southern Miss, as well as updates for other key players is available in the latest injury update.

Need More?

The Roost’s 2019 Rice Football Season Preview has four pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth chart, important new arrivals and depth chart breakdowns for each foe. 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. Will Rice score on their opening drive of the game?
    Yes / No
  2. How many points will Rice allow?
    Over 29.5 / Under 29.5
  3. Will Rice win the turnover battle?
    Yes (or tie) / No
  4. How many sacks will the Rice defense register?
    Over 2.5 / Under 2.5
  5. In which quarter will Rice score the most points? (ties count as correct picks)
    Q1 / Q2 / Q3 / Q4
  6. Who wins?
    Rice / Southern Miss

One Final Thing

As uncomfortable as the loss which Rice suffered last weekend to UTSA felt, Saturday is a new day. And the reality is this: no team in Conference USA is unbeatable. The top and the bottom of this conference are remarkably more close together than many would care to admit.

Rice football has proven themselves more likely to play up to their better competition than in years past. The need for a victory hasn’t dissipated inside the walls at South Main, but the pressure to get over the hump hasn’t proved overwhelming either. This is a winnable game. They all are. But Rice is going to have to play a lot better than they did against UTSA if they want to have a shot.

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