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Rice Football Recruiting: Bucknell RB Coleman Bennett commits to Owls

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The 2024 Rice Football recruiting class added another impact player from the Transfer Portal. Bucknell running back Coleman Bennett has committed to the Owls.

As the Early Signing Period approached it became clear the 2024 Rice football recruiting class was going to need another running back, preferably one with some experience. The Owls hit the Transfer Portal in search of that particular player and found him, landing a commitment this week from Bucknell transfer running back Coleman Bennett.

Bennett comes to South Main after a productive four-year career at Bucknell, most recently finishing seventh all of FCS in all-purpose yards per game. A speedy rusher, Bennett also led the Patriot League with 541 kick return yards, accumulating all that return yardage across just six games.

“The amount of love I received from the coaching staff really made me feel wanted,” Bennett told The Roost. “And you always want to be apart of something that makes you feel wanted.”

Bennett’s addition gives the Owls some lightning to the Owls’ high school running back commit, Rhys Phillips. Bennett can run like the wind while Phillips is more of a traditional h-back that will be utilized as a blocker in addition to his ball-carrying skills. Bennett should also be able to step into some of the role left by departing senior Juma Otoviano.

Premium: Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

Bennett’s quickness and burst jump out immediately when you glance at his highlights. He can put his foot in the ground, make one cut and explode downfield with intensity. At 6-foot, 195 pounds, his game looks rather similar to current Rice running back Dean Connors.

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Rice Women’s Basketball blasts PVAMU

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Trinity Gooden returned to the court and Rice women’s basketball rolled to a win, routing Prairie View A&M at home.

Rice women’s basketball was slow out of the gate in their last game against Gonzaga but turned things on in the second half. Even though they didn’t win that game, the Owls found a way to keep that intensity going into their next game against Prairie View A&M.

Buoyed by the return of Trinity Gooden to the lineup after a month’s absence, Rice quickly turned a minor three-point advantage into a double-digit lead. Gooden, Dominque Ennis and Maya Bokunewicz sparked that run with a three-pointer apiece. With the lead in place, the Owls would continue to add to it from that point onward.

That initial run would prove to be a harbinger of things to come as Rice women’s basketball delivered one of their most balanced attacks of the season thus far. Seven different players scored double-digit points as that 10-point lead grew to 20 and eventually to 33 points.

Final Box | Rice 85 – PVAMU 59

What they’re saying

“It feels good to get a win. It’s always good to get a win at home. I thought we played pretty well today. Again, coaches, we’re never happy, right, but I thought for three quarters, we really competed and played Rice women’s basketball [and then] we had a little bit of slippage in the fourth. What I am really proud of is that we had seven in double figures, so a well-balanced attack.

We took care of the basketball even against their pressure and only had 12 turnovers. I thought this was a good game after we had a week off for exams to get us back going and to get us in the win column and get us ready for the next one.” – Rice women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds

Key takeaway | Rounding into form

A healthy Trinity Gooden makes this team better. It also allows coach Edmonds to iron out rotations and roster combinations. Had this game been played in early November, the benches would probably have been emptied and we would have seen 15 players play in the blowout win. Instead, just 10 Owls saw action, with all of them seeing at least 10 minutes of court time apiece.

It’s clear a core group of starters and top bench pieces are forming. How players like Fatou Samb and Kennedy Clifton fit into those permutations is something this staff would prefer to figure out sooner rather than later. Saturday was a good start to those efforts.

Up Next: at Houston (Wed, Dec. 20)

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Rice Basketball coasts to road win over Northwestern St

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Rice basketball posted a second consecutive win, taking care of business on the road against Northwestern State.

Northwestern State scored the first five points on Saturday, holding Rice basketball scoreless for more than three minutes until Travis Evee got the visiting Owls on the board with a jumper, adding another point on an and-one opportunity as Rice began to vault themselves back into the game.

Rice tied the game at nine shortly afterward, then took a 15-13 lead on a three-pointer by Mekhi Mason. The shots would start falling from that point onward. Rice grew their lead to double digits in the first half with Mason delivering the final points of the frame to ensure Rice was in front by 10 at the break.

The second half was all Owls, which began with a 12-2 Rice run, stretching a sizable lead into a blowout. The game was never in doubt from that point onward a Rice utilized solid defense and just enough shooting success to post a third-consecutive victory.

Final Box | Rice 76 – Northwestern State 51

What they’re saying

“We’re really carrying things over right now from the game plan and in practice, on to the court defensively. This team has really taken a good turn defensively. They’re taking pride in it. They’re not wasting possessions. I was really proud of our overall effort and production defensively. Offensively, in the second half, we made layups that we missed in the first half. That was the difference. Any road win is a good win and I’m proud of the team.” – Rice basketball head coach Scott Pera

Key takeaway | Building blocks

Rice basketball has now held consecutive opponents to below 40 percent shooting from the field. The Owls only managed to do that once last season and Northwestern State was included in a three-game stretch of defensive prowess.

Last season serves as a subtle reminder that a good two-game run of defense does not necessarily mean that has become the norm within the program, but it’s a step that shows strong defense is in there somewhere.

On Saturday, Rice dominated the boards, outrebounding Northwestern State 45-29 and limiting shooting opportunities. When those chances did come up, Rice closed quickly and was generally able to impact shots. Northwestern State went 2-of-20 from three.

Up Next: vs Prairie View A&M – Dec. 20 (Wed.)

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Rice Football: Behind enemy lines on Texas State

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Rice Football takes on Texas State in the First Responders Bowl so we’re going behind enemy lines with the guys from the Squarin’ Around Podcast.

Andrew and Jakob of the Sqaurin’ Around Podcast, part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network, were kind enough to stop by and answer a few questions about the upcoming matchup between Rice Football and Texas State. Their answers below should shed some light on the Owls’ upcoming opponent.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Will Owls participate in Transfer Portal QB carousel?

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The Transfer Portal quarterback market is heating up. How will Rice football recruiting be involved?

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For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Special features like this are reserved for our subscribers. Have questions? You can get those answered in our monthly Q&As and get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

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