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The Roost Podcast | Ep 161 – Rice Football falls to USF

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Rice Football came back to earth this weekend, dropping their AAC conference opener to South Florida in painful fashion.

A halftime lead would not be enough for Rice football on the road. The Owls lost quarterback JT Daniels at the tail end of the third quarter and were unable to keep pace with a USF offense that began to score at will. For better or worse, there was a lot to talk trough this week. Let’s recap the game.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 161.

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.

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Recapping Rice Football vs South Florida

  • JT Daniels was phenomenal
  • State of the quarterback position right now
  • Rawson MacNeill makes a statement
  • The running game remains a concern
  • How much of the defensive woes are systemic? Or was USF that good?
  • What’s the prognosis for this team moving forward?

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.

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Rice Football 2023: NFL Owls Week 3 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 3.

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 3 Result Week 4
Denver Broncos Elijah Garcia (DL) at Dolphins L, 70-20 at Bears
Detroit Lions Jack Fox (P) vs Falcons W, 20-6 at Packers
Indianapolis Colts Kylen Granson (TE) at Ravens W, 22-19 (OT) vs Rams
New England Patriots Calvin Anderson (OL) at Jets W, 15-10 at Cowboys
Pittsburgh Steelers Chris Boswell (PK) at Raiders (SNF) W, 23-18 at Texans
Seattle Seahawks Myles Adams (DL) vs Panthers W, 37-27 at Giants (MNF)
Tampa Bay Bucs Nick Leverett (OL) vs Eagles (MNF) L, 25-11 at Saints

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Patriots

Anderson saw only special teams duty this week after starting each of the Patriots’ first two games.

Kylen Granson – TE, Colts

A week removed from his first NFL touchdown, Granson caught two passes for nine yards. That didn’t spoil the fun week he had prior, including this photo shoot with the ball.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett was active for the Bucs again this week, but did not see action in their Week 3 game against the Eagles.

Defense

Myles Adams – DL, Seahawks

For the third consecutive game, Adams was active but did not record any statistics.

Elijah Garcia – DL, Broncos

After being inactive in Week 2, Garcia was active in the Broncos’ Week 3 game against the Dolphins but did not register any tackles.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox was busy on Sunday, punting six times against the Falcons. He placed three balls inside the 20 and had a long of 62 yards.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell was stellar once again, drilling a 57-yard field goal on Sunday Night football, one of three field goals he made on the night, helping propel the Steelers over the Raiders.

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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“We were not at our best”: Rice Football wrestling with AAC opening dud

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Rice football did not impress in their first-ever American Conference game, squandering a halftime lead in disappointing fashion.

Even before star quarterback JT Daniels left the game with an injury in the third quarter, it was a disappointing showing across the board for Rice football in its first-ever American Conference game. The Owls defense got torched for a staggering 597 yards. The running game posted just one (not a typo, that’s literally just one) total yard on the ground. Special teams contributed two missed field goals and a series of well below-average punts.

“Every phase of this game that we played today, offense, defense special teams, we were not at our best, to say the least,” head coach Mike Bloomgren said in the aftermath, specifically singling out his teams’ second half performance.

The Owls led 14-13 at halftime and were outgaining the Bulls while limiting their opponents to just 2-of-5 conversions on third down. When the second half arrived, everything fell apart, starting with the opening series in which USF raced down the field and took the lead before the team was (mentally) back from halftime.

USF scored touchdowns on three successive drives in the second half. Slicing and dicing a Rice defense that had no answers. Rice lost one-on-one matchups over and over again.

“I didn’t think anybody could do that to our defense,” Bloomgren said, stunned.

Even though it reached 29 points, the offense had its own woes. Bloomgren said he decided to “scrap the run game” because of how the Owls were having success down the field. That fizzled when Daniels left, giving way to backup quarterback AJ Padgett who took some time to settle into the game. Unfortunately for the Owls, time was not on their side.

The typically even-keeled Luke McCaffrey, who reeled in nine passes for a career-best 199 yards, owned up to the team’s lackluster day. “I don’t think next Saturday can come soon enough,” he said. “I think this is one of those games you want to make up for.”

Rice plays its first AAC home game next Saturday against East Carolina. JT Daniels’ status is uncertain, but no matter who plays quarterback, Rice has a lot to fix before they return to the field again.

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American Conference Football 2023: Week 4 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 4.

Team Record  This Week Result Up Next
Charlotte 1-3 at Florida L, 22-7 at SMU
ECU 1-3 vs Gardner Webb W, 44-0 at Rice
FAU 1-3 at Illinois L, 23-17  —
Memphis 3-1 at Missouri L, 34-27 vs Boise St
Navy 1-2  — vs USF
North Texas 1-2  — vs ACU
Rice 2-2 at USF L, 42-29 vs ECU
SMU 2-2 at TCU L, 34-17 vs Charlotte
Temple 2-3 vs Miami L, 41-7 at Tulsa
Tulane 3-1 vs Nicholls W, 36-7 vs UAB
Tulsa 2-2 at N. Illinois W, 22-14 vs Temple
UAB 1-3 at Georgia L, 49-21 at Tulane
USF 2-2 vs Rice W, 42-29 at Navy
UTSA 1-3 at Tennessee L, 45-14  —

Notable Results (Standings)

First place Bulls

Losers of their last 18 games against FBS opponents, a streak that dated back to the 2021 season, USF has found the win column. The Bulls rallied from a first-half deficit, throwing all over the Rice defense en route to a huge conference win for first-year head coach Alex Golesh. Picked to finish 13th in the league before the season, USF is currently tied for first.

Skilletless

In what was the final scheduled meeting between TCU and SMU, the Horned Frogs claimed the Iron Skillet for the foreseeable future. This rivalry is, ostensibly, a casualty of conference realignment, despite there seeming to be plenty of workable solutions to continue the series. Alas, the Mustangs might not get a chance to avenge this loss anytime soon.

Almost upset

Memphis briefly led Missouri 10-7 in the early goings of their game and mostly played catch-up from that point onward, never falling more than two scores behind, but running out of time after their final fourth quarter touchdown. FAU’s bid was more heartbreaking. After taking a 10-0 lead, they allowed 23 unanswered points before a drive in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter got them back within one score.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Can the Owls bounce back?

Entering Week 5, East Carolina and Rice share one combined FBS win. The Owls upset Houston to win the Bayou Bucket, but some of the wind was knocked out of their sails when quarterback JT Daniels was injured in the second half against USF. Both programs could use a conference win to keep things from going sideways, setting up a particularly important midseason bout.

Where does Memphis rank?

Boise State has been the gold standard for Group of Five football for decades now. The Broncos have struggled this season, but edged San Diego State in Week 4 and played UCF to the wire a few weeks ago. The G5 spot in the New Year’s Six is up for grabs. If Memphis wants to make their case they belong, this might be one of their best remaining chances.

First-year fortunes?

Navy put a scare into Memphis two weeks ago and USF is riding high off their first AAC win. One of these two first-year head coaches can extend their case and send a message they’re ahead of schedule with a win on Saturday. Which one will it be?

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Rice Football 2023: South Florida Game Week Practice Report

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Rice football hits the road for their first-ever AAC game against South Florida. Here’s what we learned from practice this week.

Hoping to be 3-1 for the first time since 2001, Rice football heads to Florida to take on USF and first-year head coach Alex Golesh this weekend. The Owls had plenty of film to review following the Texas Southern win and had a few changes to make as a result.

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This week’s roundup focuses on how Rice football plans to address the tempo USF plays with as well as some potential personnel decisions at linebacker and running back that could be intriguing as the team prepares for Week 4.

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Tempo, tempo, tempo

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