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Rice Basketball Recruiting: 2020 Center Mylyjael Poteat commits to Owls

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The 2020 Rice Basketball recruiting class got bigger and better with their second commitment of the class, adding center Mylyjael Poteat from North Carolina.

With the 2019-2020 Rice basketball season drawing near, the Owls are working to make their team better on multiple fronts. Those on campus started practice last week, prepping for the upcoming campaign. At the same time, the 2020 Rice basketball recruiting class is growing.

After adding 6-foot-4 forward Cameron Sheffield in the spring, Rice picked up their second commitment in their 2020 class on Monday. 6-foot-9 center Mylyjael Poteat from the Burlington School in North Carolina has made his pledge to the Owls. His commitment makes Rice the only C-USA school with multiple players commitment to their 2020 class.

In addition to Rice, Poteat had offers from American, Boston University, Dartmouth, Brown, Lehigh and Radford. He had also received interest from Penn and Wofford.

On the court, there’s a lot to like about Poteat’s game. For a guy of his size, he moves well. He’s trimmed about 25 pounds since August, checking in closer to 250 pounds. The slimmer Poteat has good hands and great footwork in the paint. He’s going to be a tremendous defender with some good touch on the offensive side of his game.

More: View the complete 2019-2020 Rice basketball schedule

Poteat is athletic, giving him a great base to build on as he continues to develop. His potential by the time he gets to Rice will only climb higher as he continues to work. If you’re Rice, you want to get talented players with upside. Poteat checks both boxes.

Poteat said he “fell in love with the entire staff and team” and was “impressed with what goes on behind the scenes in terms of player development.” When asked how he knew Rice was the place he wanted to be, Poteat was emphatic. “[Rice is] a great university where I really see myself flourishing.”

A 2020 Rice basketball preview is in the works. We’ll have it up on the site in the coming weeks before the Owls tip off their season in a home exhibition against St. Edwards on Halloween night at 7:00 p.m.

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Rice Baseball: MLB Owls end regular season on high notes

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The regular season is complete. Some former Rice Baseball stars had big seasons and a few MLB Owls have playoff games coming soon.

Three Rice baseball products have playoff games to prepare for. Two others missed out on October baseball, but had some great moments throughout the year. Here’s an end-of-regular-season round up.

JT Chargois – Los Angeles Dodgers

Regular season stats: 1-0, 21.1 IP, 28 K, 5 BB, 6.33 ERA

Chargois last appearance with the Dodgers came on August 15th, his 21st outing for the big league team of the season. He was optioned to AAA following that game and finished out the season with AAA Oklahoma City Dodgers, making three appearances. He’s on the bubble for the Dodgers’ postseason roster.

The Dodgers have clinched the NL West and play next in the NLDS on Thursday, Oct. 5 against the winner of the NL Wildcard Game between the Brewers and the Nationals.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Regular season stats: 5-1, 16 Holds, 57.2 IP, 82 K, 14 BB, 2.50 ERA

Duffey just capped off the best major league season of his career. The Twins’ reliever posted career highs in appearances (58), strikeouts per nine innings (12.8), WHIP (1.01) and ERA (2.50). He’s been the team’s primary set up man, paving the way for closer Taylor Rogers. The duo has become one of the better late game tandems in the major leagues.

The Twins have clinched the AL Central and play next in the ALDS against the Yankees. Game 1 is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 4 on FS1.

Jon Duplantier – Arizona Diamondbacks

Regular season stats: 1-1, 1 Save, 34.0 IP, 31 K, 18 BB, 4.76 ERA

Duplantier was back and forth between AAA and the majors this season with a few stints on the injured list sprinkled in between. He finished the season with Diamondbacks, hurling three scoreless innings in a 19-inning victory over the Saint Louis Cardinals. He earned his first MLB win over the Braves on May 9.

The Diamondbacks missed the playoffs.

Brock Holt – Boston Red Sox

Regular season stats: .298 BA, 76 hits, 19 XBH, 28 BB, 55 K

Holt’s 2019 campaign was one of his best in his eight-year MLB career. The utility infielder for the Red Sox posted career highs in batting average (.298) and on-base percentage (.371). Including designated hitter, Holt played seven different positions this year, playing every spot on the diamond except for pitcher, catcher and center field.

The Red Sox missed the playoffs.

Anthony Rendon – Washington Nationals

Regular season stats: .319 BA, 174 hits, 81 XBH, 34 HR, 80 BB, 86 K

First-time All-Star Anthony Rendon led the national league in RBI (126) and doubles (44), pacing the Nationals’ furious September push for a playoff spot. Rendon isn’t under contract with the Nationals beyond this season, making his banner year a potentially lucrative one. First things first, though, Rendon and the Nationals have at least one more game to play.

More: Redefining culture Matt Bragga’s biggest win in Year 1

The Nationals earned a spot in the NL Wildcard game where they’ll play the Brewers. That game is scheduled for 7:08 PM CT on Tuesday, Oct. 1 and will air on TBS.

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Rice Football: Owls frustrated after dropping winnable game

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Rice Football never trailed in regulation but left their own stadium without a win. That’s not something that will sit well with any Owls.

“This week was huge for us. This was supposed to be our breakout game… and it really stinks that we couldn’t finish it.” A Rice football team captain, Austin Trammell’s disappointed words were weighty as they hung in the air during a postgame press conference which lasted just over 10 minutes. Question were fired away. They were met with honest, frustrated answers.

Trammell said the goal of this week was to show everyone the Owls are “a lot better than our record shows.” Although they never trailed in regulation, they’ll have to wait at least one more week.

In a season littered with moral victories, Saturday’s overtime loss to Louisiana Tech doesn’t quite qualify. Once more, the Rice defense was superb, holding their opponent to multiple scores less than their season average through regulation. The offense didn’t hold up their end.

Rice scored touchdowns on their first two possessions. Then Mike Bloomgren stuck to the predetermined script, swapping quarterback Wiley Green for backup Tom Stewart. And all the momentum Rice had generated up to that point began to disintegrate. After a three and out, Stewart moved the ball down the field and into the redzone. That possession ended in an interception, the first thrown by a Rice quarterback this season.

In a game which ended in overtime, Rice could ill afford to leave points on the field. They did with that interception, a missed field goal and a three-play overtime possession which ended in a field goal instead of a touchdown.

More: Takeaways from Rice’s OT loss to Louisiana Tech 

“I’m sure there will be some calls that I regret as we watch this film, there’s no doubt about that,” Bloomgren admitted, “I don’t know if anybody in our program will watch this film and not have any regrets at their job or their position. I think we’ll all have things we wish we had done different.”

If Rice doesn’t throw that interception and instead kicks that field goal, they might have avoided overtime altogether. The same is true if they’d converted that missed attempt. The Owls might not have watch J’Mar Smith end the game with his overtime touchdown run had they found a way to get the ball into the endzone on their first overtime possession. Instead, Rice football is surrounded with “ifs”.

Bloomgren is tired of those “ifs”. He, more than anyone, wants answers to the Owls’ inefficiencies on the offensive side of the ball. Ultimately, he’s the one that’s going to have to. If Rice had a few mulligans, they could be sitting at 3-2. Instead, they’re a painful 0-5. But it’s the same team that sat in the locker room at the Patterson Center on Saturday night and began to process another tough defeat.

Regardless, they’re still fighting. Results aside, the Owls unquestionably continued to battle eright up until the final whistle. They’re playing for four quarters.

Trammell’s sneak peek into the mindset of the team proved to be a fitting way to end his comments. “Usually most people need that extra push, but our team right now,” he said,” everyone is in. Everyone is fully in. Everyone’s after the same goal, the same mission”

United, Rice football isn’t throwing the towel any time soon. They’ll take it in, breakdown the film, and move on, knowing they’re closer to breaking through than their now 0-5 record reflects.

The Owls tend toward of conservative approach on offense; So far it hasn’t worked. They need to find a way to finish, a way to turn three-and-outs into downfield successes, and more importantly, into points. Until that happens, Rice could continue to find themselves in this uncomfortable position.

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Conference USA Football 2019: Week 5 C-USA roundup

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Rice football fell in overtime, but they weren’t the only Conference USA Football to come down on the wrong end of a close game in Week 5.

Team Week 5 Result Week 6
Charlotte vs FAU L, 45-27 — OFF —
FAU at Charlotte W, 45-27 — OFF —
FIU — OFF —  — vs UMass
LA Tech at Rice W, 23-20 (OT) — OFF —
Marshall vs Cincinnati L, 52-15 at MTSU
MTSU at No. 14 Iowa L, 48-3 vs Marshall
North Texas vs Houston L, 46-25 — OFF —
ODU vs East Carolina L, 24-21 vs WKU
Rice vs Louisiana Tech L, 23-20 (OT) at UAB
Southern Miss vs UTEP W, 31-13 — OFF —
UAB at WKU L, 20-13 vs Rice
UTEP at Southern Miss L, 31-13 vs UTSA
UTSA — OFF —  — at UTEP
WKU vs UAB W, 20-13 at ODU

Notable Week 5 results – Standings

South Main’s first chance at victory soured late

The bottom line was the same for Rice football in Week 5 as it was in the Owls’ first four games. Defeat. This time the Owls pushed their heartbreak further than 60 minutes, falling in overtime to Louisiana Tech in a game in which they left too many points on the board.

Blazers bow out of the ranks of the undefeated

UAB was the lone remaining unbeaten in Conference USA, but wins over Alabama State, Akron and South Alabama weren’t on par with the level of competition they’ll face in Conference USA. Finally faced with their first big test, the Blazers came up short — to a Western Kentucky team which fell to an FCS squad not that long ago. The Hilltoppers have improved a lot, but UAB fans have reason to be concerned.

FAU could be on to something

Early losses to Ohio State and UCF took the early spotlight off the Owls this season. Since then, they scored 40+ points in three consecutive games. FAU routed a quietly impressive Charlotte squad. Now 1-0 in C-USA, the Owls are squarely back in the race for a division crown, especially considering the struggles of Marshall and FIU.

Week 6 storylines

Time to sound the alarm?

Both 1-3, UTSA and UTEP meet in a telling Week 6 matchup. The winner earns their first conference victory of the season while the loser falls to 0-2 with a rigorous slate ahead of them. It’s pretty early in the season to call anything a “must win”, but both teams will have an extra push to lock this one down.

Brick by brick

It’s been a long season for FIU. The Panthers sit at 1-3 with a close win over New Hampshire their only bright spot. The road to salvaging the season and getting back on track starts Saturday against a 1-4 UMass squad who earned their first win over 0-4 Akron last week. If there’s such a thing as a must-win game, this is it.

Take 5

Thanks to the extended calendar this season, each Conference USA Football team will have two open weeks. The first big wave comes in Week 6 with five teams each taking their first open weekend at the same time — Charlotte, FAU, Louisiana Tech, North Texas and Southern Miss. This is the second-most idle teams C-USA will have this season. Six teams are off in Week 12.

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Rice Football: Mistakes cost Owls in overtime loss to LA Tech

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Despite never trailing in regulation, Rice Football dropped their conference opener in overtime to Louisiana Tech in agonizing fashion.

Two quick touchdowns, a full 60 minutes of defensive intensity and just enough oomph at the end couldn’t push Rice over Louisiana Tech on Saturday night. Here are a few immediate thoughts from the loss:

Picture perfect start

Entering Saturday’s game with Louisiana Tech, Rice hadn’t done well with their opening possessions: punt, fumble, punt, punt. Not only did the Owls reverse that trend quickly against the Bulldogs they looked almost as good as they have on offense all season.

Rice picked up three first downs, averaging 7.7 yards per play. Wiley Green was 3-for-3 for 31 yards, overcoming second and 24 following an uncharacteristic bad snap in the middle of the drive. Aston Walter finished things with a 16-yard run for the Owls first lead of the 2019 season.

The second drive went the same way. Green moved the offense methodically down the field and Walter punched it in yet again. The theory entering this game was fairly straightforward; against an evenly matched opponent, the Rice offense should succeed. On Saturday, Rice proved they could. They just couldn’t sustain the success.

Running with a vengeance

The return of tackles Clay Servin and Justin Gooseberry to the lineup paid tremendous dividends against Louisiana Tech. After struggling to average three yards per carry in their previous three games, Rice moved the ball on the ground with great success all night. Once they get fullback Reagan Williams back on the field that efficiency could get even better.

With that healthy line paving the way, Aston Walter had a career game. The sixth-year senior rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns, shattering a previous career-best 72 yards, a mark he’d matched on three separate occasions.

Charlie Booker racked up 70 yards on 21 carries, becoming the battering ram the Owls needed in the second half. Altogether, the Rice running backs averaged 4.4 yards per carry. That’s closer the kind of stat line the Owls need to see going forward, but the Owls can do better.

Rice defense stands tall again, and again, and again

As the offensive line and running game took control of the line of scrimmage on their side of the ball, the defensive front seven clamped down in parallel. J’Mar Smith and the Louisiana Tech offense looked hampered for the duration of this game.

There weren’t many clean pockets and Smith, forcing him to be perfect when he had time to throw. That’s a high bar to set for any quarterback, even a four-year starter like Smith. The Louisiana Tech offense had to resort to shorter throws and crossing routes, failing to connect on the majority of their long plays downfield.

Entering Saturday night, Smith’s longest passes of the season were 26 yards (vs Texas), 40 yards (vs Grambling State), 49 yards (vs Bowling Green) and 54 yards (vs FIU). Smith’s longest completion against Rice went for 22 yards to star wideout Adrian Hardy.

That lack of downfield success can be traced back to that dominant front seven. Rice registered three sacks on the night (including freshman De’Brayon Carroll’s first) and five quarterback hits.

Too many self-inflicted wounds

Rice has shown improvement over the course of the season, but they’re still too inconsistent on the offensive side of the ball to continually shoot themselves in the foot. Here are a few of the errors that cost Rice a game they controlled for the majority of its duration:

  • A bad snap cost Rice 14 yards of possession
  • Tom Stewart threw an interception in the endzone.
  • Rice fumbled four times
  • Will Harrison missed a 36-yard field goal.
  • Rice committed five penalties for 40 yards.
  • The defense allowed Justin Henderson to run 26-yard untouched for a touchdown
  • Austin Trammell dropped a third-down pass early in the fourth quarter
  • Rice was held to a field goal on the first possession of overtime

To have that many mistakes and still be in a position to win is a great start. More so, it’s proof that this team has a lot of work to do to get to where they want to be. After their first two drives, this felt like a game Rice could win, maybe even that they should win. Then the offense went inexplicably ice cold.

Just like the loss to Army and the loss to Baylor, Rice walks away from this game with a bad taste in their mouth. They were close, again, but couldn’t play sound enough for 60 minutes to turn walk away with the victory.

It’s Wiley Green’s job to lose

Wiley Green was near flawless in his first two drives, completing 6-of-7 passes for 62 yards and leading the offense on back-to-back touchdown drives.

As planned, Stewart entered the game on the Owls’ third offensive possession. His first drive went three and out including a pass that just missed an open receiver. Rice drove down inside the redzone on Stewart’s second drive, overcoming a fumble from Stewart in the process. That final drive ended with a poor decision by Stewart, who was intercepted in the endzone on a throw into heavy traffic.

Credit Bloomgren to sticking with his guns and playing both guys, but it’s hard to argue with what Green was able to with this offense. After looking stagnant for the better part of four games, Green got things going and led the Owls on all three of their scoring drives.

Barring injury, Green seems to give the Owls their best chance to win going forward.

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