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Rice Football 2023: NFL Owls Week 1 Roundup

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Rice Football is well represented on 2023 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 1.

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

Team NFL Owl(s) Week 1 Result Week 2
Denver Broncos Elijah Garcia (DL) vs Raiders L, 17-16 vs Commanders
Detroit Lions Jack Fox (P) at Chiefs (TNF) W, 21-20 vs Seahawks
Indianapolis Colts Kylen Granson (TE) vs Jaguars L, 31-21 at Texans
New England Patriots Calvin Anderson (OL) vs Eagles L, 25-20 vs Dolphins
Pittsburgh Steelers Chris Boswell (PK) vs 49ers L, 30-7 vs Browns (MNF)
Seattle Seahawks Myles Adams (DL) vs Rams L, 30-13 at Lions
Tampa Bay Bucs Nick Leverett (OL) at Vikings W, 20-17 vs Bears

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Patriots

Anderson made his first start of the season at right tackle for the Patriots.

Kylen Gransen – TE, Colts

Gransen finished second on the team in receptions in Week 1 and third in targets, hauling in four passes for 39 yards against the Jaguars. Only leading receiver Michael Pittman was more involved in the offense through the air.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett was active but did not play for the Bucs’ in their Week 1 victory over the Vikings.

Defense

Myles Adams – DL, Seahawks

Adams saw a few snaps on defense in the Seahawks in Week 1 against the Rams, but did not record any stats.

Elijah Garcia – DL, Broncos

Garcia had a pair of tackles in the Broncos’ Week 1 loss to the Raiders. He saw some early action in the redzone, too.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox was instrumental in the Lions’ upset win over the Chiefs on opening night. He punted five times, pinning Kansas City inside the 20 on three separate occasions and registering a long of 61 yards on his longest punt of the night.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell’s action on Sunday was short and sweet. He was called upon once to convert an extra point try following the Steelers’ long touchdown of the afternoon and did so without incident. He did not attempt any other kicks.

More Owls in the NFL

From practice squads to current free agents, there are other 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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“An environment you’ll never forget”: Rice Football reacts to UH win

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Rice football earned a monumental program victory on Saturday, upsetting Houston to win the Bayou Bucket and sending South Main into celebration.

On Saturday night in the Brian Patterson Center, Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren and his players attempted to put into words the significance of the Owls’ double-overtime victory over the University of Houston.

There were the obvious talking points — Rice’s first victory in the series in eight tries, the first win over Houston since 2010 and the first Power 5 victory for Rice since 2013 — but the emotions emanating from South Main transcended what could be easily described.

“The quietest guys were jumping around and screaming,” corner Tre’shon Devones said, attempting to describe the postgame locker room. “I think I saw new personalities from people I’ve never seen before. You have guys that have only said like two or three words since I’ve been here and now they’re just jumping around, screaming. Some of them have some good dance moves. I didn’t know that either.”

“It was just an environment you’ll never forget.”

Bloomgren and his staff have been searching for a moment like this since he was hired prior to the 2018 season. Since his arrival, Rice had lost to Houston by final scores of 45-27, 44-7 and 34-27.

On Saturday, the Owls broke through. Rice scored 28 unanswered points, allowed 35 points in a row, and then stopped Houston on a two-point try in the fourth quarter to seal the monumental win that, for many on South Main, went beyond words.

“How beautiful is football, right?” wide receiver Luke McCaffrey asked with an almost stunned smile.

The win will go down as the most significant of the Bloomgren era to date.  “We’ve been close a lot of times,” Bloomgren admitted. On Saturday, they finished.

When asked to pinpoint what made this team different and what made this game unique, Bloomgren pointed to the unity he saw in his players. “This isn’t just about today, it’s not just about this week of prep, it’s all the things we do,” he said. “This is the cumulative effect of a bunch of guys making the decision to fight for each other. It’s a great result and really cool for this program.”

And how much fun was the post-game celebration? Bloomgren likened it to “a club that I don’t go to anymore,” laughing and smiling as he worked to keep his traditional even-keel demeanor.

Bloomgren talked about the progression he’s seen the program go through under his tenure at the Owls’ helm. From losing big to losing small to winning small and, hopefully, to soon winning big. Whether or not Saturday’s win counts in the small or big category is in the eye of the beholder, but nobody in the room seemed to care which it was as they hoisted the Bayou Bucket trophy high.

But it was after that raucous celebration and euphoric locker room that the why finally began to crystalize. When Devones took his turn at the microphone he shared a difference he saw in this team that he gleaned through the midst of the celebrations.

“The difference between now and then,” Devones said of prior Rice teams he’s been on, “Today when we won, we had people going around already thinking about things we can get better at. That’s a real stepping stone that I’ve seen. That just goes to show the mentality of the team now.”

“Yeah, we’re okay with winning, but this needs to be the standard now.”

There are no current games scheduled between Rice and Houston, although both administrations have publically expressed their desire to keep the series going. Regardless of when the next Bucket is played, though, a new high has been reached. If the Owls can turn that mountaintop into the new standard they’ll be more than ready to defend their trophy the next time they meet the Cougars.

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American Conference Football 2023: Week 2 Roundup

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American Conference Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 2.

Team Week 2 Result Record Up Next
Charlotte vs Maryland L, 38-20 1-1 vs Georgia St
ECU vs Marshall L, 31-13 0-2 at App St
FAU vs Ohio L, 17-10 1-1 at Clemson
Memphis at Arkansas St W, 37-3 2-0 vs Navy
Navy vs Wagner W, 24-0 1-1 at Memphis
North Texas at FIU L, 46-39 0-2 at LA Tech
Rice vs Houston W, 43-41 (2OT) 1-1 vs Texas So
SMU at Oklahoma L, 28-11 1-1 vs PVAMU
Temple at Rutgers L, 36-7 1-2 vs Norfolk St
Tulane vs Ole Miss L, 37-20 1-1 at So. Miss
Tulsa at Washington L, 43-10 1-1 vs Oklahoma
UAB at Georgia So L, 49-35 1-1 vs Louisiana
USF vs FAMU W, 38-24 1-1 vs Alabama
UTSA vs TXST W, 20-13 1-1 vs Army

Notable Results (Standings)

Rice claims Bayou Bucket

For the first time since 2010, a span of 12 seasons and seven consecutive series losses, Rice football took down Houston to claim the Bayou Bucket. The Owls jumped out to a 28-0 lead, allowed 35 unanswered points and then prevailed in double overtime. Head coach Mike Bloomgren celebrated afterward with a not-so-subtle shot at his counterpart across town.

Prattless Letdown

Tulane dropped a heartbreaker to Ole Miss at home in a game that was much closer than the final score might indicate. Playing without star quarterback Michael Pratt, who was unable to go with an injury, Tulane played Ole Miss to a 17-10 lead at halftime and a 17-17 tie entering the fourth quarter before the Rebels were able to pull away. No Pratt really was a buzzkill in what was otherwise an exciting game.

Harris hurt, but not defeated

On a day when another of the conference’s top quarterbacks was unable to go, UTSA passer Frank Harris delivered a scare to the near-record crowd at hand to see the Roadrunners take on the upstart Texas State Bobcats. Harris left the game briefly but was able to return, finishing the game and leading UTSA to victory despite playing hobbled the rest of the way.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

The big boys are coming to town

There are a handful of additional opportunities for Power 5 wins for the AAC next week, but two of those games come at home. Tulsa will host Oklahoma and South Florida will host Alabama. Both will be long shots to pull off a stunner, but getting to play in front of your home crowd certainly can’t hurt.

The going stays tough

There are only two winless AAC teams remaining entering Week 3. North Texas, who just lost to former Conference USA foe FIU on the road this past Saturday turns around and travels to another former C-USA rival next weekend when they visit Louisiana Tech. That’s a game new head coach Eric Morris simply has to find a way to win. Meanwhile, ECU has an even tougher test, taking on an Appalachian State squad that took North Carolina to overtime.

Make it count

The first conference game will be played next weekend when Navy visits Memphis. The bulk of conference play will start for most squads in Week 4, but for at least a week, one of these two squads will officially be atop the conference standings.

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Rice Football: Behind enemy lines with Houston’s Pawdcast

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Houston is next up on the 2023 Rice football schedule so we’re going behind enemy lines with Houston insider Sam Razz from the Scott and Holman Pawdcast.

Coogs’ insider Sam Razz from the Scott and Holman Pawdcast was kind enough to stop by and answer a few questions about the upcoming season-opening matchup between Rice Football and Houston. The answers below should shed some light on the Owls’ upcoming opponent.

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Rice Football 2023: Houston presser quotes and depth chart

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Rice football hosts Houston this week. Here’s what Mike Bloomgren had to say about the matchup at hand and a few depth chart notes.

Head coach Mike Bloomgren and a set of players met with the media for their customary weekly availability. They recapped last week’s game and looked ahead at their upcoming matchup with Houston.

Listen Now: The Roost Pod – Breaking down Rice Football vs Texas

We touch on those items, then dig into the Rice football depth chart and what the team looks like heading into the weekend. First, the quotes:

Press Conference Quotes

“We got a great rivalry game coming up, great traditions versus the team right across town. Celebrating the Bayou Bucket is always a great time…. We certainly recognize that coach Holgerson’s team is very talented and we know that it’s going to be a game where we have to play good, clean football for 60 minutes if we want to get the results we want.” – Mike Bloomgren on playing Houston

“The stadiums are four and a half miles apart, driving on roads. It’s probably more like three [miles] as the crow flies. And you’ll hear from [Myron Morrison and Chike Anigbogu], the fact that they’re going to play a lot of their old teammates, a lot of guys they played against in high school. Anytime you play a team in Texas, that’s really cool. But in your own city. That’s fun. The rivalry is real.” – Mike Bloomgren on the Bayou Bucket Rivalry

“One thing that I find encouragement in is a lot of the big plays and explosives that they had are the result of self-inflicted wounds that are something that is very fixable on our end. Those are things, like we mentioned that big jump from week one to week two, very flexible errors were made that weren’t even as much physical as they were mental. That’s going to be completely patched up in our next game.” – Linebacker Myron Morrison on areas to improve on defense after Texas

“That’s everything. That’s a goal I’ve had since I started playing football. Just knowing that my guys have faith in me and my love for them is reciprocated. It’s huge.”
– Linebacker Chike Anigbogu on being named captain this year

Depth Chart

Rice Football

Depth Chart Notes

There weren’t any changes to the official depth chart this week. Everything ties out exactly to how things looked entering the season opener against Texas. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Owls’ will approach their personnel plans the same way — for that stay tuned to our practice update later in the week for our subscribers.

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