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Rice Football 2019: Week 3 Texas Press Conference quotes

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Coming off two tough defeats, Rice Football players and head coach Mike Bloomgren prepare for their comments prior to their Week 3 game against Texas.

Texas has taken center stage at South Main. Bloomgren, along with wide receiver Brad Rozner and linebacker Blaze Alldredge, met with the media on Tuesday to discuss the upcoming Week 3 matchup.

From Mike Bloomgren

On what the team learned from the Wake Forest game …

“The bottom line is we’re not quite there yet to beat that team. We felt like we had the ability to on the field and certainly at times, it looked like we did. But, we’ve got to keep making progress. We’re just not quite there. But, once again, better day by day. I’m proud of the guys for that and the way they’re working.”

On tangible proof of progress year over year…

“There’s a lot of things, to be honest with you. The fact that we could stand toe-to-toe and the fact that we could move the ball in short-yardage. The fact that when they overloaded the box in the run game and they were running some of their pressures, we were able to attack them through the air. We had a receiver like Bradley Rozner step up and make a few big-time plays.”

On the current state of the quarterback room…

“We played a lot of quarterbacks last year and some of them are still in the program. Evan Marshman is going to be the guy that takes reps with the twos right now. We also, obviously, have JoVoni Johnson who we believe in tremendously. He’s a very talented guy who we’re going to keep growing. I don’t expect to see him in this game this weekend, but, we have some guys that we really trust with some cool tools.”

From Brad Rozner

On the ability of the Texas secondary …

“They’re obviously going to be a little faster than us, that’s kind of why they recruited so highly out of high school but we’re just gonna have to attack them like anybody else. We’re going to bring the fight to them. We’re the underdogs.”

From Blaze Alldredge

On the improvement in the defense this season…

“Giving up quick 14 points [to Wake Forest] but battling back with a stop and getting us back to that 14-14 type game shows a resilience that we didn’t have as a defense last year, in my opinion.”

“Last year I think there were times where we just felt like we couldn’t stop people, no matter what we did. And this year, we just don’t have that feeling at all. When you give up a quick 14 to Wake Forest, it’s easy to go to your sideline and go, dang, we just can’t stop these guys. Whereas instead, it’s an organized huddle where we’re like, okay, we missed these assignments, here’s what we have to sharpen up to get the stops.”

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Rice Football 2019: Owls in the NFL Week 1 Update

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Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books and several Rice Football alums made big plays. Here’s the latest from each of the NFL Owls.

There are currently six former Rice football players on NFL rosters. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player.

Week 1 results

Eagles 32 (Sendejo) – Redskins 27
Cowboys 35 (Covington) – Giants 17
Raiders 24 – Broncos 16 (Callahan)
Seahawks 21 (Ellerbee) – Bengals 20
Patriots 33 – Steelers 3 (Boswell, McDonald)

Chris Boswell, K, Steelers

Boswell converted his only field goal attempt from 19 yards. He scored the Steelers only points of the game. The Steelers host the Seahawks in Week 2.

Bryce Callahan, CB, Broncos

Callahan was questionable to participate in the Broncos’ Monday Night Football appearance against the Raiders. He did not participate. There is currently no timetable for his return. The Broncos host the Bears in Week 2.

Christian Covington, DE, Cowboys

Covington registered two tackles in the Cowboys’ Week 1 victory over the Giants. The Cowboys travel to the Redskins in Week 2.

Emmanuel Ellerbee, LB, Seahawks

Ellerbe did not log any stats for the Seahawks in their Week 1 game against the Bengals. The Seahawks travel to the Steelers in Week 2

Vance McDonald, TE, Steelers

McDonald had a fairly quiet Sunday night, as did the rest of the Steelers offense. He caught two passes for 40 yards in a loss to the Patriots. The Steelers host the Seahawks in Week 2.

Andrew Sendejo, Saf, Eagles

Sendejo finished second on the team in total tackles, notching five in the Eagles come from behind victory over the Redskins. The Eagles travel to the Falcons in Week 2 for Sunday Night Football.

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 2019 Game Preview: Week 3 vs Texas Longhorns

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Both Rice Football and Texas will be hungry for a win after suffering tough home losses in Week 2. How to watch, stats to know, x-factor picks for both teams and more.

Uncertainty at quarterback lingers for Rice following Wiley Green’s early departure from the Owls’ Week 2 loss to Wake Forest. Green was released from the hospital late Friday night after all post-injury tests came back negative. In his absence, Rice fell at home 41-21.

Things didn’t work out much better for Texas. Starting quarterback Sam Ehlinger is still healthy, but the Longhorns lost a one-score slugfest with LSU in one of the more prominent games of last weekend. The defeat hasn’t killed the lofty aspirations in Austin, but it did eliminate any margin of error this team had with conference play looming.

Here’s an outlook on both sides prior to their Week 3 clash:

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 7:00 PM CT
Venu | NRG Stadium – Houston, Tx
TV | CBS Sports Network
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)
Streaming | CBSSN Online

Audio Preview

Episode 7 of The Roost Podcast is live now. 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.) This week Carter and I broke down the good and the bad from the Wake Forest game, talked with someone who covered a recent upset of a highly ranked Big 12 team and moved on to Week 3, discussing how Rice matches up with Texas.

Sizing up the contenders

Despite the early results, Rice looks to be ahead of schedule in their continued rebuild. Texas will be their biggest challenge yet, a battle that coach Mike Bloomgren isn’t willing to cede despite the sizable odds in the Longhorns’ favor.

“I almost hate hearing how much better we are than last year right now,” Bloomgren declared following the Wake Forest game. “I want to find a way to win a game. I want these guys to feel what that’s like in the locker room. I want to beat somebody we ‘should’.”

Texas is in a completely different place. Their missed opportunity for a statement win put a damper on and College Football Playoff aspirations. The Longhorns can’t afford another loss, especially with a date against Oklahoma looming in conference play.

This game is shaping up to be a battle of David vs Goliath. Louisiana Tech fought (and lost) that battle in the season opener in Week 1. Rice has the added advantage of playing the game in Houston. Look for more on the formula to slay a college football giant later in the week.

Series History

All Time | Texas leads 72-21
Last Five | Texas leads 5-0
Last Meeting | Away 2015, Texas won 56-24

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Stewart – 19/30 (63.3 percent), 185 yards passing, 1 TD, 0 INT
Rushing | Ellerbe – 14 carries, 106 yards (7.6 yards per carry), 1 TD
Receiving | Trammell – 10 receptions, 107 yards (10.7 yards per reception), 1 TD
Tackles | Ekpe – 17, Montero – 15
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Alldredge – 2 PBU, Ellis – 1 PBU

Texas Stat Notables

Passing | Ehlinger – 59/85 (69.4 percent), 677 yards passing, 8 TD, 0 INT
Rushing | Ingram – 21 carries, 107 yards (5.1 yards per carry)
Receiving | Duvernay – 21 receptions, 209 yards (10.0 yards per reception), 3 TD
Tackles | Sterns – 17, Foster – 15
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Green – 2 PBU, Ossai – 2 INT, Overshown – 1 INT

Texas X-Factor | The front seven

The Longhorn secondary was abused by Joe Burrow and the newly prolific LSU passing attack. The Tigers moved the ball at will through the air, something which should encourage the Owls’ own fledgling passing attack. Still, how Texas responds against the Owls running backs will dictate how this game is played.

Texas was stout against the run in their first two games, allowing 2.8 yards per carry to Louisiana Tech and 3.5 yards per carry to LSU. It remains to be seen if that ground success was a product, at least in part, to their leaky secondary. Both prior opponents threw for more than 300 yards and at least two touchdowns.

We’ve seen teams struggle against teams devoted to running the football. Army went into the Big House and came dangerously close to knocking off Michigan in Week 2. If Texas wants to avoid a scare, they must quell the Owls’ rushing attack.

Rice X-Factor | The ground game

The uncertainty at quarterback will push the Owls to learn on their rushing attack against the Longhorns. Rice is confident in backup quarterback Tom Stewart, but he doesn’t yet have the same mastery of the offense that Wiley Green does. Whoever starts, Rice has to get back to their identity.

“I don’t know that you’ve seen exactly what our offense should look like,” Bloomgren said. The Owls’ first two games couldn’t have been more different on the ground. Rice rushed for 6.0 yards per carry against Army, but 1.8 per carry against Wake Forest. Bloomgren called the offensive blueprint against Army “really close” to what he expected the offense to look like, with the caveat the Owls needed to be more efficient the air.

With so much uncertainty around the Rice offense, running the ball well against Texas is paramount. The backfield is deep; five different Owls registered four or more carries against Wake Forest. All of the rushers would benefit from better blocking in the run game from the offensive line.

Injury Report

The latest update on the status of Wiley Green, receivers Zane Knipe and Jake Bailey and others is available here.

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 Texas.

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 different Owls register a reception?
    Over 4.5 / Under 4.5
  2. Who scores first?
    Rice / Texas
  3. How many yards will the Owls’ longest scoring drive be?
    Over 59.5 / Under 59.5
  4. Will the Rice defense intercept Sam Ehlinger?
    Yes / No
  5. Will Texas rush for a touchdown?
    Yes / No
  6. Who wins?
    Rice / Texas

One Final Thing

The non-conference portion of the Rice football schedule was always going to be a learning time for this team. Big picture questions like how hard this team will fight and what the capabilities of the offense and defense in Year 2 were what the Owls needed to understand before conference play arrived. The results on the field, although important, were not and should not be the end-all-be-all in this case. That holds true for the game against Texas.

What Rice does need to do against Texas is fight. Unlike against Army, the Owls seemed to go quiet on both sides of the ball in the third quarter against Wake Forest. Defensive errors and three consecutive three and outs were not a sign of progress, rather of a team that looked emotionally and physically worn down.

The challenges only get tougher against a ranked opponent in Week 3. But, given the circumstances, Rice has largely played well in their first two games. This will be one more chance for Rice to make a statement, both to the college football world and to themselves.

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Conference USA Football 2019: Week 2 C-USA roundup

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Rice football couldn’t get past Wake Forest in their 2019 home opener. Much of the rest of Conference USA football didn’t fare much better in Week 2.

Team Week 2 Result Week 3
Charlotte at App St L, 41-56 vs UMass
FAU vs No. 18 UCF L, 48-14 at Ball St
FIU vs WKU L, 20-14 vs New Hampshire
LaTech vs Grambling W, 20-14 at Bowling Green
Marshall at No. 24 Boise St L, 14 -7 vs Ohio
MTSU vs Tennessee St W, 45-26 vs Duke
North Texas at SMU L, 49-27 at Cal
ODU at Virginia Tech L, 31-17 — OFF —
Rice vs Wake Forest L, 41-21 vs No. 9 Texas
Southern Miss at Mississippi St L, 38-15 at Troy
UAB at Akron W, 31-20 — OFF —
UTEP at Texas Tech L, 38-3 — OFF —
UTSA at Baylor L, 63-14 vs Army
WKU at FIU W, 20-14 vs Louisville

Notable Week 2 results

Scary stuff

Rice quarterback Wiley Green was down on the field for almost 15 minutes following a helmet-to-helmet collision with a Wake Forest defender on Friday night. He would leave the game and be transported to the hospital, where all post-injury testing came back negative. Rice would lose the game 41-21 with backup Tom Stewart accounting for a touchdown apiece through the air and on the ground in Green’s absence.

Sun not shining for Florida teams

Florida Atlantic and FIU were both projected to be among the upper echelon of C-USA East teams. Two weeks into the young season, both schools from the Sunshine State are 0-2. Florida Atlantic’s losses (Ohio State and UCF) have been more forgivable. It might be time to panic for FIU fans after dropping their first conference game to a Western Kentucky squad that fell to an FCS opponent in Week 1.

Isaiah still Green

Another C-USA East hopeful took a tumble in Week 2. The Marshall Thundering Herd went toe-to-toe with Boise State on the blue turf, including one final chance to tie the game midway through the fourth quarter. From midfield, sophomore quarterback Isaiah Green was picked off. Boise burned up the rest of the clock, winning 14-7. Once again, C-USA narrowly misses out on a signature win.

Week 3 storylines

Time for Fine?

North Texas quarterback Mason Fine has Heisman Trophy aspirations, but the Mean Green have a rigorous schedule and suffered their first loss in Week 2 against SMU. Keeping pace in C-USA is still in play, but any chances of fulfilling a New Year’s Six Bowl or more could fall away if North Texas misses on their marquee non-conference game. They trounced Arkansas on the road last year. Can they pull off another Power 5 upset against a stingy Cal team who knocked off Washington on Saturday night?

Give me a break

The quirky 2019 schedule has afforded teams two off weeks during the season instead of the traditional one. Old Dominion, UAB and UTEP each have their first off week in Week 3. All three of those teams enter their first respite with at least one win while UAB stands atop C-USA as the only 2-0 squad.

No rest for the weary

Most of C-USA suffered a loss in Week 2. Those losing teams won’t find much comfort from their schedules next weekend. Rice trades Wake Forest for a date with Texas. UTSA, who was rolled by Baylor, draws Army next. Southern Miss gets a feisty Troy team and Middle Tennessee trades Tennessee State for Duke. It could be another long weekend in C-USA.

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Rice Football: Meet Tom Stewart, the Owls’ presumptive new QB1

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For the second year under Mike Bloomgren, injuries have forced Rice football to make a change at quarterback. Meet Tom Stewart, the Owls’ tentative new QB1.

Mike Bloomgren watched with the same angst as the rest of the Rice Football team on Friday night as starting quarterback Wiley Green lay on the sideline. Green had been hit in an apparent head-to-head collision attempting to score the Owls’ first touchdown of the game. The team’s leader was down, but there was a lot of football still to be played.

So Bloomgren did what any coach would have done in that situation. He pulled the offense together, inserted the backup quarterback, and kept moving forward. This year that backup is Tom Stewart, a graduate transfer from Harvard who joined the Owls this summer.

Stewart battled. He led three touchdown drives against Wake Forest, with a fourth near-score turned away on the one-yard line. He wasn’t perfect — admitting he’d thrown too many balls low and short in his postgame comments — but he kept the Owls in the game in a trying time.

“First off, we had a lot of confidence in Tom,” Blomgren said. “This is not the first time Tom Stewart’s been in this situation. This is the world he’s lived in. Whether it’s him going into his sophomore year as a starter and getting banged up, or him going into his last year at Harvard.”

Unlike graduate transfer Shawn Stankavage who started for Rice much of last season, Stewart comes to Rice with 14 games of experience. He started his senior year, throwing for 1,614 yards and 14 touchdowns with two interceptions. On Friday, Stewart finished 19-of-30 with 185 passing yards and one touchdown. He also added a 10-yard rushing touchdown.

Rice Football, Tom Stewart
Stewart takes off for a 10-yard touchdown run, the first touchdown of his Rice football career

“It’s my first significant football since November 17th of last year.  So it’s been about 10 months since I’ve strapped the pads on and played someone else,” Stewart relayed following the loss, adding “I think I got confidence by the end of the game, that it’s the same game I’ve always been playing.”

Stewart’s team won that game. He threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns in the process.

The knock on Stewart when he transferred to Rice was never his ability; it only takes one look at his highlight film from Harvard to see his natural ability is evident. What Stewart lacked when he arrived, and has subsequently been working to master, is a complete understanding of the Rice football offense.

To call the Owls’ scheme complicated would be an understatement. As fall camp progressed, the staff could see Stewart thinking more and more as his play on the practice field grew inconsistent. He could make the throws, provided he knew where to go with the ball and who was supposed to be there to catch it.

“I think I got confidence by the end of the game, that it’s the same game I’ve always been playing.”Tom Stewart

That learning lag is what kept Stewart from ever truly having an edge in the battle for the starting quarterback job, putting him second to Green throughout camp. Now it’s real.

Stewart’s latest chance to work with the starting offense didn’t come with the benefit of a red no-contact jersey. He was sacked three times in what he called “a good learning experience… kind of getting thrown into the fire.”

It’s not going to be easy, though. If Green can’t go next week — his status is still very much so up in the air — Stewart’s first FBS start would come against a ranked Texas Longhorns squad at NRG Stadium. Wake Forest flashed plenty of speed and size on both sides of the ball. Texas is supposed to be even better.

Stewart says he’s appreciative of the chance to get his feet wet before he has to potentially play anyone else. He praised the athleticism of the Wake Forest defense, but said he kept coming back to something a former coach of his always used to say. “The essence of playing quarterback is finding the open guy and throwing it to him accurately. And if the guy’s open, it’s just like playing routes on air. You put the ball where you want and good things will happen.”

More: Takeaways from Owls’ Week 2 loss to Wake Forest

That’s easier said than done, but if the injury to Green proves to be anywhere near as serious as it looked, Stewart will get that very test. Friday’s game against the Demon Deacons will serve as Stewart’s reminder to himself, ” I was like, Oh, you know, we’re just playing football.”

There haven’t been any declarations from anyone on South Main yet, and there won’t be. Bloomgren and his staff are too seasoned to hand out free bulletin board material. But the Owls are ready to proceed with Stewart as their starter for the near future.

“We have a lot of confidence when a kid like that can get every rep. It’s gonna have tremendous value for him,” Bloomgren said, “We’ll see where it goes. But we’re going to keep coaching him and he’ll keep growing.”

Stewart is going to have to learn on the job. It won’t be easy, but the Owls have his back. 100 percent.

You can read more on Stewart and the rest of the Rice football quarterback room in The Roost’s 2019 Rice Football Season Preview
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