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Rice Football 2022: NFL Owls Week 7 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 7.

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 7 Result Week 8
Denver Broncos Calvin Anderson (OL) vs Jets L, 16-9 at Jaguars
Detroit Lions Jack Fox (P) at Cowboys L. 24-6 vs Dolphins
Indianapolis Colts Kylen Granson (TE) at Titans L.19-10 vs Commanders
LA Chargers Bryce Callahan (DB)
Christian Covington (DL)		 vs Seahawks L, 37-23 — BYE —
Pittsburgh Steelers Chris Boswell (PK) at Miami (SNF) L, 16-10 at Eagles
Seattle Seahawks Myles Adams (DL) at Chargers W. 37-23 vs Giants
Tampa Bay Bucs Nick Leverett (OL) at Panthers L, 21-3 vs Ravens

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

Anderson did not get the start this week, but was part of the rotation along the Broncos offensive line against the Jets. He played 20 percent of the offensive snaps, his second highest amount this season.

Kylen Gransen – TE, Colts

Gransen caught his only target on Sunday against the Titans, hauling in a six-yard reception.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett saw his most extensive usage of the season this past weekend, playing 20 snaps in the Bucs’ Week 7 game against the Panthers. It was his first action with the offense this year.

Defense

Myles Adams – DL, Seahawks

Adams was active but didn’t record any tackles in the Seahawks ‘ Week 7 win over the Chargers.

Bryce Callahan – CB, Chargers

Callahan made two tackles in the Chargers’ loss to the Seahawks on Sunday. He’s up to 19 tackles on the season.

Christian Covington – DL, Chargers

Covington was inactive again on Sunday for the Chargers’ matchup with the Seahawks. He’s been back and forth between activations since being signed to the active roster earlier this season.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

While Fox and the Lions were on bye last week, Fox was rewarded with a brand new contract, making him the NFL’s highest-paid punter. Fox delivered on Sunday with three punts, including a long of 54 yards.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell had a relatively quiet weekend, converting his lone field goal attempt from 45 yards, also knocking through his only extra point attempt.

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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The Roost Podcast | Ep 130 Rice Football vs LA Tech Recap

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Rice football rallied to top Louisiana Tech, but it was far from a perfect showing. What did we learn about this team in their grueling overtime win?

It was stressful from start to finish, but Rice football walked away from Ruston with a much-needed overtime win over Louisiana Tech. Did the Owls get lucky? Or have they turned a corner on offense after several attempts to get that side of the ball going? We discuss all that and more in this week’s show.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 130.

Episode Notes

Housekeeping

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Rice Football vs LA Tech game recap

  • The Rice defense was leaky, but survived
  • Luke McCaffrey balls out and is snubbed from Offensive Player of the Week Honors
  • TJ McMahon quietly had a really, really good game
  • The running game prospered under Juma Otoviano
  • What adjustments can they make moving forward to keep this going?
  • One quick note on Charlotte and the dismissal of head coach Will Healy.

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

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How Rice Football rallied its offense and edged past LA Tech

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Rice football fell behind, rallied late and held on for a thrilling overtime win. What changed on offense that enabled the Owls to bounce back?

The Rice football coaching staff had a full week to get ready for Louisiana Tech. Much of the game plan — at least from a 10,000-foot view — was communicated clearly. Ari Broussard was going to get a big role. The offensive line was going to be better with two familiar faces returning at guard. Yet before the halftime whistle had blown, it all seemed to have gone up in smoke.

Broussard was on the bench after two costly fumbles. The offensive line wasn’t getting much push. Excluding a fake punt run for nine yards, Rice ball carriers were averaging 2.10 yards per carry. The offense had scored seven points and turned the ball over twice. Although the Owls were only trailing 10-7, it felt like everything was going wrong. So, what went right? And how did this team turn things around and win?

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Rice Basketball Recruiting: Forward Gabe Warren commits to Owls

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The 2023 Rice Basketball Recruiting class continues to pick up steam, landing a big commitment this week from 3-star forward Gabe Warren.

Not long after securing a pledge from 4-star forward Keanu Dawes, the 2023 Rice Basketball recruiting class has doubled up. The Owls now have two members of their upcoming class. In addition to Dawes, Glendale, AZ forward Gabe Warren has committed to Rice Basketball.

Warren had already accrued nearly a dozen offers at the time of his commitment to the Owls, including offers from TCU, Sam Houston, Brown, Dartmouth and others. A Top 50 ranked small forward nationally and the No. 11 player in the state of Arizona, Warren should add some pop to the Rice program when he arrives on campus.

According to 247 Sports rankings, Warren and Dawes rank No. 2 and No. 1 all-time, respectively. The 2023 Rice Basketball recruiting class is currently slotted at No. 42 in the nation and No. 1 in Conference USA. Head coach Scott Pera and his staff have delivered two impressive additions, who enter South Main as the most highly regarded recruits in almost 10 years.

When asked about his decision and his expectations for the program, Warren didn’t beat around the bush. “The program has been slept on for too long,” he said. “Keanu and I noticed that and want to start something big.”

Standing 6-foot-6, Warren can shoot and score from all over the court. Whether from deep of at the rim, he’s an offensive weapon. He’s great off the ball but even more importantly, can create his own shot when he has the rock. He’s really fun to watch. Warren is a big get for the program and someone that will assuredly make an impact for Rice in the years to come.

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Luke McCaffrey soars, lifting Rice Football past Louisiana Tech

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After a shaky start, a banner day for Luke McCaffrey helped push Rice Football to their first road win of the season, downing Louisiana Tech.

It wasn’t pretty. There were large swathes of the game that each phase — offense, defense and special teams — will want to forget. But when the dust settled, Rice football won on the road as a favorite for the first time under head coach Mike Bloomgren. Here are a few immediate reactions from the game:

Maddening offense finally figures it out

Fixing the offense was priority one this week during practice. Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren was adamant that nothing was “broken” and that the team could get things turned around. They focused their running back snaps, reconfigured the offensive line and put their trust in quarterback TJ McMahon. When it came time to play the game, it felt like things had gotten worse, not better.

A gutsy fake punt on the Owls’ first drive of the game was the only run that went longer than four yards in the first quarter. Excluding that fake, converted by fullback Micah Barnett, Rice averaged 0.6 (yes, zero point six, not a typo) yards per carry on their first three possessions. Early on, the passing game wasn’t much better. Even when accounting for two early third down conversions, McMahon started the game 3-for-8 for 23 yards.

The Roost Podcast: Stay tuned for the game recap this week – Rice Football vs LA Tech

Instead of improved, this offense looked broken for two-plus quarters. The running game wasn’t fixed, and one could argue it might even have gotten worse. No matter the combination, the offensive line hasn’t gelled to the degree it needs to for this offense to be effective. On top of that, McMahon is learning on the job and the highs and lows are being experienced in real-time.

It was encouraging to see the team start moving the ball in the second half. But we already knew they could score. We knew they had playmakers that could make plays and we’ve seen McMahon at his best. They’re just maddeningly inconsistent right now and it’s going to be hard to have much confidence in the unit until they string together a few consecutive quarters of quality play.

Fortunately for Rice football, McMahon’s high came at the right time.

The silver lining? The second half. Rice football scored 28 points in the second half and accounted for 322 yards, including 204 on the ground. The ability is there. The consistency needs to arrive soon.

When in doubt, Luke McCaffrey

Bradley Rozner caught a touchdown but was otherwise quiet. The running game was non-existent. Turnovers plagued the team all day long. Had it not been for the big play ability of Luke McCaffrey, Rice might have scored at all on Saturday. McCaffrey hasn’t been perfect in his transitional year from quarterback to wide receiver, but it’s abundantly clear that his raw speed and tremendous athleticism give this offense a spark.

McCaffrey scored the first touchdown of the day on a perfect throw from McMahon, one of his best on the day. Then McCaffrey made some magic of his own in the third quarter, breaking off a 66-yard reception after catching a pass in stride. His 77 yards after the catch was more than any other receiver on either team had receiving yards in regulation. He finished with 171 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns and a receiving score.

Outside of McCaffrey, it was McMahon and Otoviano that provided the sparks. It might not be possible to build the entire offense out of McCaffrey, and if McMahon can settle in and the running game can show any semblance of life, Rice football shouldn’t have to. But it’s nice to know that when in doubt, Rice has a guy that can make it happen.

Stop. The. Turnovers.

As if things weren’t hard enough for the offense, the unit continued to make its own job more challenging on Saturday. Rice football entered the game tied for eighth-worst in Conference USA with 13 giveaways. McMahon was second nationally with 10 interceptions.

The Owls had given the ball away too many times, but there was some hope that all the tipped passes that fell into defenders’ hands were bad luck, rather than symptoms of a growing problem. Luck or not, the issues persisted. Against Louisiana Tech, Rice fumbled four times, losing two of them. turned the ball over three times. They turned it over on downs once as well.

After a three-and-out in which the offense went backward nine yards, Broussard fumbled on a first down carry. That set the Louisiana Tech offense up on a short field from which it took a goal line pick from Sean Fresch to keep points off the board. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Broussard fumbled on the one-yard line a few drives later and was benched. Sean Fresch added a turnover on a punt return, too.

This offense is not consistent enough as it is. They can’t afford to lose possessions and spot opponents with better field positions. And it’s maddening to watch them turn things on in the second half and score points in bunches as soon as they ceased handing the ball to the other team.

The defense can’t hold on forever

Louisiana Tech entered the game averaging 34.0 points per game in conference play and 29.7 points overall. Rice held them 35 points in regulation, essentially on par with their standards. Had it not been for some opportunistic plays by this unit, Rice football might have been out of the game entirely before halftime.

The defense gave this team a chance on a day in which the offense struggled mightily, but the signs of exhaustion were there. Louisiana Tech broke off a 49-yard carry in the first quarter. The Bulldogs scored a 32-yard touchdown on a screen pass immediately following a sack that pushed them back to second-and-20.

It’s true, the defense is being asked to carry its weight and more, but lapses in concentration of that magnitude are quick to undo the positive gains accrued on the other 95 percent of their snaps. Louisiana Tech’s final fourth quarter drive was another heart-pounding reminder they’re not perfect, yet.

Rice entered Saturday tied for second-best in Conference USA with only 11 plays of 30+ yards allowed on defense, so it’s not time to hit the red-alert button just yet. But after looking dominant at times in recent weeks, there were some signs of tiredness that seeped through on Saturday, particularly on that final drive and subsequent conversion.

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