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Rice Football 2023: Charlotte presser quotes and depth chart

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Rice football visits Charlotte 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 the UTSA game and looked ahead at their upcoming matchup with Charlotte.

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

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’ve talked a lot in the last couple days about entering playoff football and that’s always exciting. You get an opportunity to wake up every day and kind of bounce out of bed. It’s just exciting to get those opportunities and we know we need to go 1-0 this week. We know we have a very talented opponent on the other side in Charlotte and Biff Poggi’s team. We’re going to prepare the right way and we’re going to go there and expect to go 1-0 this week.”– Mike Bloomgren on the team’s mindset

“It was great to have JT out at practice yesterday. He was in the bubble, able to be out there and hang out a little bit. I don’t know for sure, we’ll see. We’d love to have him back, there’s no doubt about that. If he gets cleared, we expect to play him.” – Mike Bloomgren on the status of JT Daniels

“What’s been interesting is to see how there offense has evolved. They went five straight games with scoring no more than 16 points and in their last two contests they went 33 and 38. They are definitely on an upswing. Making the change at quarterback to Trexler Ivery has seemed to give them a little bit of a boost and a little more stability maybe, but what they did in this last game to give themselves a chance against Memphis is they ran it down their throats.” – Mike Bloomgren on the Charlotte offense

“I think this is a great team and it’s far and away the best team I’ve been apart of since I’ve been here. I’m very grateful to be here and be a leader… It’s going to be a great opportunity that we have in front of us this Saturday, the Saturday following and hopefully the one coming up following that. That’s the only goal that we have is to win football games, go 1-0 this week and get to that bowl game and win it.” – Defensive lineman Izeya Floyd on the team’s goals right now

“We have to focus on the first game ahead of us. We can’t be so involved in the larger scheme that we miss the little details. Something that we’ve been talking about and focusing on is taking one step at a time, focusing on how we can improve every practice.” – Offensive lineman Ethan Onianwa on how the team is approaching earning bowl eligiblity

Depth Chart

Rice Football

Depth Chart Notes

There were no changes to the official depth chart this week. That’s been the norm more often than not, with only significant injuries causing major fluctuations in the most recent updates. Now, who is actually going to play versus who is listed as the starter could be another question entirely. That’s something that might come down to kickoff in some cases, with most being able to sort out by the end of the week.

Make sure you read our Thursday practice report, reserved for subscribers, for the latest on the Rice football quarterback situation as well as other key injury notes and updates. Bloomgren has already announced he does not expect running back Juma Otoviano or tight end Elijah Mojarro to be available this week.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 167 – Rice Football rolled by Roadrunners

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Rice football stayed close for a half, but couldn’t overcome a disastrous third quarter against UTSA, falling to the Roadrunners yet again.

For the eighth straight time, Rice football lost to UTSA. After being blown out in the last two contests with the Roadrunners, the Owls kept it close this time around with a backup quarterback under center. In this week’s episode, we debrief the game, talk about the offense, the encouraging defensive gameplan and debate what to do with targeting.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 167.

Episode Notes

DCTF

The Roost Podcast is now part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner.

Homefield

We’re thrilled to partner with Homefield Apparel, the premier proprietor of college football clothing. First-time buyers can use the code ROOST for 15% off their order. The Owls hoodie is a personal favorite. So is the brand new Luv-Ya-Owls shirt. Shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

Homefield

Patreon

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Recapping Rice Football vs UTSA

  • The offense was out of sync from the start, quarterback included
  • Not enough big plays made by skill position players
  • The defensive gameplan was creative and largely effective
  • You kept Frank Harris in check!… but did not score
  • Nobody knows what targeting is anymore
  • What’s next for Rice football and bowl aspirations

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.ri

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Rice Football 2023: NFL Owls Week 10 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 10.

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) This Week Result Next Week
Denver Broncos Elijah Garcia (DL) at Bills (MNF) W, 24-22 vs Vikings (SNF)
Detroit Lions Jack Fox (P) at Chargers W, 41-38 vs Bears
Indianapolis Colts Kylen Granson (TE) at Patriots W, 10-6  — BYE —
Los Angeles Rams Austin Trammell (WR)  — BYE —  — vs Seahawks
New England Patriots Calvin Anderson (OL) vs Colts L, 10-6  — BYE —
Pittsburgh Steelers Chris Boswell (PK) vs Packers W, 23-19 at Browns
Seattle Seahawks Myles Adams (DL) vs Commanders W, 29-26 at Rams
Tampa Bay Bucs Nick Leverett (OL) vs Titans W, 20-6 at 49ers

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Patriots

Anderson was active for the Patriots’ Week 10 game against the Colts but did not play.

Kylen Granson – TE, Colts

Granson was targeted twice in the Colts’ Week 10 win over the Patriots, hauling in one pass for five yards.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett was active for the Bucs’ Week 10 game against the Titans but did not play.

Austin Trammell – WR, Rams

Trammel and the Rams were on bye in Week 10.

Defense

Myles Adams – DL, Seahawks

Adams was inactive for the Seahawks Week 10 game against the Commanders.

Elijah Garcia – DL, Broncos

Garcia was inactive for the Broncos’ Monday Night Football contest against the Bills.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

In a barnburner of a game, Fox was only called upon once. He delivered on his lone punt of the afternoon, booting it 29 yards and allowing the coverage unit time to down the ball at the eight-yard line.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell continues to be automatic for the Steelers this season. He connected on all three of his field goal tries on the afternoon, including a long of 49 yards while also converting a pair of extra points.

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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TCU snaps Rice Women’s Basketball’s nonconference win streak

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Rice women’s basketball saw a 13-game non-conference game winning streak come to an end on Sunday in Fort Worth, falling to TCU 67-42.

Baskets were at a premium on Sunday afternoon in Fort Worth, Texas. Rice women’s basketball made its first shot to take a 2-0 lead, but didn’t string together consecutive made baskets until the opening possession of the third quarter. TCU wasn’t shooting much better. The Horned Frogs edged the Owls 36.2 percent to 25.4 percent from the field, but a high-scoring game was never in the cards.

Despite the shooting woes, Rice hung tight with TCU through the first quarter of action. Things were neck-and-neck for a while until TCU went on a 17-2 run, pushing a level game to the brink of a blowout in the matter of roughly five minutes of time on the court.

Rice was able to chip away at the deficit in the opening minutes of the third quarter. Malia Fisher got the run started with back-to-back layup, others contributed a few timely shots behind her, but things went cold once again from the field shortly thereafter. Rice did not make a field goal in the final 6:20 of the third quarter. That allowed TCU to stretch the lead from 10 to 18 entering the final frame.

Without any sort of consistent offensive production, Rice had to watch TCU pull away and seal the game. The loss snaps a streak of 13 consecutive non-conference victories for the Owls.

Final Box | TCU 67 – Rice 42

Key takeaway | Who is going to step up on offense?

Rice missed four or more consecutive shots on four separate occasions in the first half against TCU. The Horned Frogs only had one such cold stretch during that period. Come the third and fourth quarters, Rice suffered through an 0-for-10 stretch from the field.

On some days, the shots are going to fall. That’s basketball. It happens. Finding ways to manufacture easy looks and get to the free throw line becomes the necessary alternative on those afternoons. Even that sort of Plan B never materialized from the Owls on Sunday.

The slow day on the offense exposed one lingering question for this team, which boasts as talented and as deep of a roster as they’ve had under head coach Lindsay Edmonds thus far: do they have a dominant scorer?

Edmonds’ teams have tended toward balanced production. No single player has carried the load on offense, it’s been a collective effort. In general, the approach makes a lot of sense and it’s worked for this program. But on days like today, Rice women’s basketball needs someone to take command and will the offense to score.

Nobody rose to the occasion against TCU. Will someone take up that mantle on the next tough day from the field? Rice is going to have more hard shooting days. They need to figure out a solution.

Up Next: vs Georgia Tech (Thr. Nov 16)

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AAC Football 2023: Week 11 Roundup

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AAC Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 11.

Team Record  This Week Result Up Next
Charlotte 3-7 (2-4) vs Memphis L, 44-38 (OT) vs Rice
ECU 2-8 (1-5) at FAU W, 22-7 at Navy
FAU 4-6 (2-4) vs ECU L, 22-7 vs Tulane
Memphis 8-2 (5-1) at Charlotte W, 44-38 (OT) vs SMU
Navy 4-5 (3-3) vs UAB W, 31-7 vs ECU
North Texas 3-7 (1-5) at SMU L, 45-21 at Tulsa
Rice 4-6 (2-4) at UTSA L, 34-14 at Charlotte
SMU 8-2 (6-0) vs North Texas W, 45-21 at Memphis
Temple 3-7 (1-5) at USF L, 27-23 at UAB
Tulane 9-1 (6-0) vs Tulsa W, 24-22 at FAU
Tulsa 3-7 (1-5) at Tulane L, 24-22 vs North Texas
UAB 3-7 (2-4) at Navy L, 31-6 vs Temple
USF 5-5 (3-3) vs Temple W, 27-23 at UTSA
UTSA 7-3 (6-0) vs Rice W, 34-14 vs USF

Notable Results (Standings)

Still Perfect

SMU, UTSA and Tulane all took care of business this week to stay unbeaten in league play. Tulane’s played some squeaker in recent weeks and this outing against Tulsa was certainly closer than it probably should have been, but the result is what matters. We’ve got a three-horse race atop the conference standings with two weeks remaining in the regular season.

Watch out for the Bulls

USF has been one of the more pleasant surprise stories in the AAC this season. The Bulls beat Temple in a close one, keeping their chances to make a bowl in Alex Golesh’s first season within the realm of possible. To be able to write that in mid-November, after the tough stretch of season’s they have in recent years, is remarkable in itself.

So long, postseason

No AAC teams clinched a postseason berth this week but four squads notched their seventh loss signalling the end of their postseason aspirations. North Texas, UAB, Temple and Charlotte are all heading for no offseason. For the Owls and 49ers, that’s not too surprising. They were picked to finish near the bottom of the league. UAB and North Texas however, to be out of the running with two weeks to play is less understandable.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Finally, a heavyweight fight

Part of the reason the AAC has three remaining unbeaten teams is the lack of compelling matchups along the way. Next week’s meeting between SMU and Memphis is one of the most compelling regular season conference games remaining for that reason, it pits the talent against talent. Memphis is still alive in the conference title game hunt and could get much closer with a win over SMU whereas the Mustangs might all but clinch a title game spot with a win.

No margin for error

Both Rice and FAU enter this coming weekend with six losses before squaring off with each other in the final weekend of the regular season. Bowl eligibility could be on the line for both squads in that game, bu they’ll have to win this coming week to get there. Rice draws Charlotte. FAU will have to upset Tulane. No small task.

Don’t sleep on the troops

Navy has an outside shot at a six-win season under first-year head coach Brian Newberry. That’s what makes their upcoming game against East Carolina so intriguing. Win that, and the Midshipmen can keep the faith. They haven’t had a .500 season since 2019.

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