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Rice Football 2022: NFL Owls Week 17 Roundup

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Rice Football is well represented on 2022 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 17.

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 17 Result Week 18
Denver Broncos Calvin Anderson (OL)
Elijah Garcia (DL)		 at Chiefs L, 27-24 vs Chargers
Detroit Lions Jack Fox (P) at Lions L, 41-10 at Packers
Indianapolis Colts Kylen Granson (TE) at Giants L, 38-10 vs Texans
LA Chargers Bryce Callahan (DB)
Christian Covington (DL)		 vs Rams W, 31-10 at Broncos
LA Rams Austin Trammell (WR) at Chargers L, 31-10 at Seahawks
Pittsburgh Steelers Chris Boswell (PK) at Ravens W, 16-13 vs Browns
Seattle Seahawks Myles Adams (DL) vs Jets W, 23-6 vs Rams
Tampa Bay Bucs Nick Leverett (OL) vs Panthers W, 30-24 at Falcons

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

Anderson has now appeared in all 16 of the Broncos’ games this season, including seven starts. He was in a reserve role in Week 16 and inactive in Week 17.

Kylen Granson – TE, Colts

Granson has missed each of the past two games while dealing with an ankle injury.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett started his ninth consecutive game this weekend. He’s appeared in every game for the Bucs since Week 7.

Austin Trammell – WR, Rams

Trammell has played a small role on the Rams’ offense in the past two weeks while being active on special teams. He’s appeared in five consecutive games.

Defense

Myles Adams – DL, Seahawks

Adams has been a part of the Seahawks’ core rotation on the defensive line over the last several weeks, managing three tackles in Week 16 against the Chiefs and two more against the Jets in Week 17.

Bryce Callahan – CB, Chargers

Callahan has six total tackles across his past two games and continues to be a key component of the Chargers’ secondary.

Christian Covington – DL, Chargers

Covington was placed on Injured Reserve after suffering a pec injury in the Chargers’ Week 10 game against the 49ers. He hasn’t played since but shared part of his recovery process on social media this week.

Elijah Gacia – DT, Broncos

After being signed off the Rams practice square a few weeks ago, Garcia saw his first action with the Broncos this week, playing seven snaps against the Chiefs in Week 17.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox punted three times on Sunday with a long of 60 yards. He put one ball inside the 20 and averaged 50 yards per punt.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell made three of four kicks on Sunday, including a long of 51 yards and an extra point. Boswell’s final field goal of the day put the Steelers within striking distance against the Ravens, setting up a game-winning drive.

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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Rice Football 2022 Defensive Newcomer of the Year: Chris Conti

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One of the few transfer additions on defense, linebacker Chris Conti quickly became a mainstay and our 2022 Rice Football Defensive Newcomer of the Year.

Rice football received commitments from two transfer linebackers from the Transfer Portal last winter. The hope, at least among the coaching staff, was that both would play meaningful roles for the Owls this coming season and beyond. But only one of them made it to campus and thus, though unspoken, a heaping mantle of expectations was unconsciously placed upon his shoulders.

Fortunately for everyone, Chris Conti had wide shoulders and was ready for the challenge.

The Rutgers transfer was a late addition to the portal, finding mutual interest from the Owls early on. By the time he announced his commitment, spring football was winding down. He didn’t arrived on campus until workouts in the summer, putting him behind the proverbial eight ball when it came to learning and mastering the Owls’ defensive schemes. That never seemed to phase him, though.

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Defensive Coordinator Brian Smith referred to Conti as someone with “starting ability” in the days leading up to fall camp, betting on talent that hadn’t seen the field very much at his previous stop. The high school film was exciting, but that had been so long ago.

Conti arrived on campus with three years of eligibility remaining. The hope was always that he’d become a key piece in the Owls’ linebacker room. How quickly that happened was up to him.

As it turned out, it wouldn’t take much time at all. Conti started his first game in a Rice uniform on the road against USC, making four tackles, tied for third-most on the team. From there, the ascent began.

”He’s playing exceptionally well. He’s still getting more and more comfortable with the system every day.” head coach Mike Bloomgren said following Conti’s second game against McNeese State. “I’m not sure he’s where he’ll be three weeks from now.”

Bloomgren did go on to note that the base package Rice deployed against McNeese State was the only reason Conti wasn’t officially listed as a starter in that contest. Bloomgren reiterated Conti had already earned a starting spot and Conti quickly backed up that praise.

Podcast: More superlatives and awards on the Fourth Annual Roosties

He would officially be tabbed as the starter in 11 of 12 games during the 2022 season. He had a season-best 11 tackles against Houston and things started to really click.

“I’ll be honest, I love the culture. I love the guys,” Conti said. “Right when I came they brought me in with open arms and I’ve loved every second of it.”

Conti would reach double digits tackles again a few weeks later against Louisiana Tech. Throughout the year he added four tackles for a loss and one sack. For someone Rice had hoped would become an important piece, he became a key cog for the Rice defense.

After a parade of reliable all-conference caliber linebackers that have passed through the Rice football locker room in recent years, finding someone who could fill those shoes was a daunting task. The Owls found at least one such man in Conti. And fortunately enough, he still has two more seasons of eligibility to make a difference at South Main.

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Rice Basketball Roundup: MBB and WBB sweep UTEP

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Both Rice basketball teams were in action on New Year’s Eve. Here’s a brief rundown of how the men and women faired and what’s next for both.

Rice Basketball

Rice basketball capped off a 2-0 road trip on Saturday, taking down UTEP in overtime. It was their ninth win in their last 10 games.

Days removed from a big road win at Western Kentucky, Rice basketball found itself in an early hole in El Paso against UTEP. The Miners were up 20-15 just past the halfway mark of the first half. Not only did Rice do enough to narrow the deficit, the Owls’ finally got their shots to fall, going on a 16-0 run over the next six minutes and entering halftime with a 32-25 lead.

Rice was able to hold UTEP at bay for much of the second frame, taking their advantage to as many as 15 points. It wouldn’t last long, though. UTEP responded with a 12-0 run and then, with Rice up by 12 with 3:23 to go, UTEP finished the half on a 14-2 run to force overtime. On a day which Rice missed seven free throws, they made enough down the stretch in OT to secure the win with Quincy Olivari delivering the final pair.

Final Box | Rice 72 – UTEP 67

Key takeaway | If Rice can win games like this… watch out

Quincy Olivari and Travis Evee are the most dangerous shooters the Owls have. They went 8-of-34 from the field on Saturday… and Rice still won. The Owls have quietly won nine of their last 10 with the only loss in that timeframe coming to a Top 10 Texas team in overtime. Rice has proven they can take the nation’s best to extra minutes and win on the road in conference play, twice in one weekend.

“Our kids had resolved. They dealt with adversity. They made plays when they had to,” head coach Scott Pera said.

Pera has this team playing great basketball as they enter the meat of conference play. Already with 11 wins, they’re five wins shy of matching Pera’s best mark at Rice (16) with 17 games left to play before the Conference USA Tournament.

Up Next: vs Louisiana Tech – Thursday, Jan. 5 at 7:00 p.m.

Rice Women's Basketball

Rice women’s basketball took charge of a close game late, powering past UTEP to earn their first conference win of the season.

It wasn’t until past the 4-minute mark in the third quarter that the margin between Rice women’s basketball and the UTEP Miners exceeded five points. The close game had reached a six-point UTEP advantage courtesy of a three-pointer, which proceeded a quick Rice rally to tie the game by the time the quarter reached its conclusion.

Then Rice put on the clamps. UTEP made two shots from the floor in the fourth quarter on 22.2 percent shooting. Rice held them scoreless in the final 3:05, meanwhile, Rice scored the final eight points of the game, ending with a nine-point advantage, the largest by either team in the game.

Final Box | Rice 62 – UTEP 53

Key takeaway | Winning on defense

Head coach Lindsay Edmonds was quick to give much of the credit to the Owls’ work on defense. “I thought we hung our hats more on defense and rebounding this game, which is what we’ve been focusing on since we dropped the last one,” she said. Rice did outrebound UTEP eight to six in the pivotal fourth quarter, finishing just shy of even on the game (UTEP had 32 boards to Rice’s 30.)

Rice held UTEP to 34.6 percent shooting for the game, their best defensive showing since holding Texas Southern to 23.3 percent shooting on November 23. The 53 points allowed was the second fewest scored on Rice this year, better than only Texas Southern’s 49 points. It wasn’t a perfect defensive performance, but it was much better than the Owls have had in recent weeks, and most importantly, it was best when it mattered the most.  

Up Next: at Louisiana Tech – Thursday, Jan. 5 at 6:00 p.m.

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Rice Athletics: Top 10 Moments from 2022

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2022 was filled with highs and lows for Rice Athletics. The Roost picked out 10 moments that stood out the most along the way.

10. Rice Swimming wins Open Water Title

Ella Dyson led the way for Rice swimming in Open Water Championship, finishing the 5K course in first place, becoming the first Rice swimmer to win an individual championship in the history of the event. It was enough to propel the Owls to a team title at the event, its first since 2019.

9. Men’s Tennis boasts Freshman of the Year

Haoyuan Huang went 17-5 record in singles in his first year in college tennis. His 13-3 mark at the first line was the best mark at the top position in the lineup by a Rice freshman since former All-American Richard Barker was 15-8 in 2001.

8. Men’s basketball makes a big recruiting splash

Winning on the recruiting front is the easiest way to secure wins on the court down the line, that’s what made the commitment of 4-star guard Keanu Dawes so massive this year. To earn his pledge, Rice had to beat out offers from Texas A&M, Texas Utah, BYU and Oklahoma State. Needless to say, he’s going to be a difference-maker when he arrives on campus in 2023.

7. Women’s basketball upsets Texas A&M

Rice Athletics had several big singular game wins this year but when it came to wins over teams from the Lone Star State, what the women’s basketball team did against the Maroon and White in November takes the cake. The Owls beat the Aggies in College Station for just the fourth time in program history.

6. Men’s basketball upsets UAB

Speaking of upsets, the men earned one of their most notable victories under current head coach Scott Pera way back in January, knocking off UAB — a top 50 KenPom team and a C-USA giant — at Tudor Fieldhouse. Pera was almost speechless. “I don’t remember one bigger than this,” he said at the time.

5. Rice soccer goes undefeated in conference

In 10 regular season matches, Rice soccer went a sterling 9-0-1, an undefeated record with just one tie in their final conference game of the season. The finish tied the 2017 team for the Owls’ best conference record in program history.

4. Women’s Basketball starts 9-0

A year after taking over a program in transition, head coach Lindsay Edmonds has turned Rice women’s basketball into a force. Edmonds and Co. accomplished what no coach had ever done before with a perfect nonconference record and she did it without eventual WNBA draft selection Erica Ogwumike or star center Nancy Mulky, who dazzled in the Owls’ most recent run of dominance on the court.

3. Rice football finally goes bowling

The expressed goal of the 2022 Rice football season was for it to not finish before December, specifically for the Owls to punch a ticket to a bowl game for the first time since 2014. While the Lending Tree Bowl didn’t end well, it was a meaningful milestone for the program as it wraps up its final season in Conference USA.

2. Rice volleyball sends off WKU in C-USA Tournament Finale

Rice and Western Kentucky have been the gold standard in Conference USA for quite a while, but the Owls hadn’t quite figured out how to climb into the driver’s seat in the conference with WKU in the way. The Hilltoppers defeated the Owls in the C-USA Championship match five times since 2014, including the past three seasons — at least until Rice notched the victory in their final C-USA Tournament game ever. How sweet it was.

1. Rice Athletics makes AAC invite official

After the announcement that Rice would be headed to a new conference in 2021, things started to crystalize this past summer when an official date was announced. On June 15, Rice confirmed its AAC membership would begin on July 1, 2023. No longer just an idea, it was officially official. Rice is AAC bound with some sports already completing their final C-USA contests.

Honorable Mentions…

How about you? Which of these moments from Rice Athletics did you enjoy the most? Cutting this down to 10 was challenging. Which Rice Athletics events should be added to the list?

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Rice Women’s Basketball topped by WKU, falls to 0-2 in CUSA

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Rice women’s basketball took an early lead but wasn’t able to close it out, falling at home to Western Kentucky for their second straight C-USA defeat.

After a program-best 9-0 start, Rice women’s basketball’s last game before Christmas was an uncharacteristic loss to Middle Tennesee. Afterward, head coach Lindsay Edmonds was adamant it would not be the new norm.

“I’m going to remember this feeling. I hope the players remember this feeling,” she said. “We’re ready to get back to work so that we don’t feel this feeling too often.”

Early on it seemed like the team was cognizant of that warning. The Owls were at their best from the jump, outscoring WKU 26-16 in the opening quarter, but it wouldn’t be quite that easy. WKU would cut the Rice lead to one at the half, setting up a tight ballgame down the stretch.

Katelyn Crosthwait tied the game with two minutes to go on a big three-point shot. No longer staked with a double-digit lead, Rice was going to have to up their execution if they wanted to walk out of Tudor Fieldhouse with a win. Unfortunately, turnovers and missed free throws will make Rice wait at least two more days to get that ugly taste of defeat out of their mouths.

The Owls were 5-of-10 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, finishing 13-0f-21 (62 percent) at the line for the game. They turned the ball over 21 times, including twice in the final minute, marring a winnable game.

Spotlight | Kennedy Clifton

The depth of this roster continues to impress with relatively new faces emerging for big moments and big games at every turn. On Thursday night it was Kennedy Clifton’s turn to shine. She finished with 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting (2-of-6 from three) with one rebound and one assist. On a quiet night from some of the Owls’ typical scorers, Clifton’s contributions were crucial.

Final Box | WKU 79 – Rice 74

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice women’s basketball will have one last home game to close out the year, hosting UTEP on New Year’s Eve. That’s scheduled to be a 2:00 p.m. tip-off at Tudor Fieldhouse. It will be broadcast on CUSAtv.

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