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Conference USA Football 2022: Week 4 Roundup

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Conference USA Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 4.

Team Week 4 Result Up Next
Charlotte at South Carolina L, 56-20 vs UTEP
FAU at Purdue L, 28-26 at North Texas
FIU at WKU L, 73-0 at New Mexcio St
LA Tech at South Alabama L, 38-14 — OFF —
MTSU at Miami W, 45-31 vs UTSA
North Texas at Memphis L, 44-34 vs FAU
Rice at Houston L, 34-27 vs UAB
UAB — OFF —  — at Rice
UTEP vs Boise St W, 27-10 at Charlotte
UTSA vs Texas So. W, 52-24 at MTSU
WKU vs FIU W, 73-0 vs Troy

Notable Week 4 results – Standings

Upset in the Desert

Early in the week, the sky felt like it might start falling in El Paso. Sitting at 1-3 with a matchup looming against Boise State (which thumped UTEP 54-13 last season) had folks in the desert on high alert. Instead, celebrations ensued as the Miners handled the Broncos with surprising ease, righting their season and sending shockwaves through the country late Friday night.

Upset at the Beach

UTEP’s wasn’t the only shocker of the weekend in Conference USA. The next day Middle Tennessee blasted a raked Miami team in their own stadium, dropping 45 points on the Hurricanes and doing it in style. The Blue Raiders completed a 71-yard touchdown pass, an 89-yard pass, a 69-yard pass and a 98-yard touchdown pass on their way to the emphatic victory.

Several more near-misses

Those would be the only major upsets for the conference this weekend, but several other C-USA squads came close. Rice led Houston in the fourth quarter of the Bayou Bucket and had what could have been the game-tying touchdown fall incomplete in the endzone. Florida Atlantic took Purdue to the brink on the road while Charlotte gave South Carolina a scare, entering halftime down just one score.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Buckle Up in Murfreesboro

UTSA pushed past an early scare against Texas Southern this weekend and went on to win with relatively comfort, but that paled in comparison to Middle Tennessee’s historic win. Picked to finish significantly higher in the standings than the Blue Raiders, the Roadrunners had better get back to the film room quickly. Their next game just got a lot tougher.

Battling for a bowl

Charlotte has one win on the season. UTEP has two. Both programs have a long way to go if they’re going to reach bowl eligibility and while it wouldn’t be too surprising if one of them were able to get hot and make a run, that task gets harder for the loser of this game. We’re way too early in the season for this to be a make-or-break contest, but the margin gets thinner for the team that comes out behind in this one.

Bring on the rematch

Rice shocked the country when they knocked off UAB last season. To do so required nearly a perfect effort, excelling in all phases, which resulted in the narrowest of margins. Rice might not have put together a perfect game yet this season, but early returns suggest the Owls might be feisty enough to battle with the Blazers regardless. Winner might just have a shot at a deep C-USA run.

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Rice Football 22: UH Insider gives his take on Owls vs Cougars

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Rice Football is set for a big game this weekend against the Houston Cougars. The guys from the Scott & Hollman Pawdcast tell us what to expect.

Sam and Dustin, hosts of the Scott & Hollman Pawdcast who cover all things UH Athletics, were kind enough to stop by and answer a few questions about the upcoming matchup between Rice Football and Houston. The answers below are from Sam:

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For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Special features like this are reserved for our subscribers. Have questions? You can get those answered in our monthly Q&As and get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

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Rice Baseball: 2022 MLB Owls update – Sep 22

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The 2022 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are busy on the mound and at the plate. Here’s the latest from the MLB Owls.

J.T. Chargois – Tampa Bay Rays

Chargois was busy this week, hurling three scoreless innings against a pair of Lone Star teams. Last Friday, he struck out two in a one-inning outing against the Rangers. He then struck out on batter apiece in one-inning appearances against the Astros on Monday and Tuesday.

Through September 22, Chargois has a 2.76 ERA with a .980 WHIP. He’s averaging 6.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

Lucas Luetge – New York Yankees

Luetge appeared in two games this week, hurling a combined 2.1 innings. He allowed one earned run to the Brewers last Friday and one earned run to the Pirates on Wednesday, his longer appearance (two innings) in which he also tallied three strikeouts.

Through September 22, Luetge has a 2.82 ERA with a 1.307 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

Glenn Otto – Texas Rangers

Otto was saddled with a loss this week, his first since August 5. He’d won his previous two decisions. This time around, Otto allowed four runs (thanks to two home runs) in a 5-3 loss to the Rays.

Through September 22, Otto has a 4.88 ERA with a 1.373 WHIP. He’s averaging 7.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

Injured List

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

The Angels announced on June 17  that Rendon would undergo surgery on his right wrist, originally expected to end his season. Recent reports indicate Rendon might be mulling a late-season return. Although things are far from certain, there’s a chance Rendon suits up for the Halos again this year. There have been no new updates on that front just yet.

Rendon left off his season hitting .228 with 15 extra-base hits, 23 walks and 32 strikeouts. His OPS is .707 and he’s collected 24 RBI.

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Rice Football 2022: Houston Game Depth Chart Notes

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Rice football has released its depth chart for its upcoming game against Houston. Here are the latest and a few notes on relevant players.

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Depth chart notes

At wide receiver, Isaiah Esdale had been listed as a backup to Luke McCaffrey at the Z position, but the reality is he’s been a starter for the last several weeks. That adjustment is catching up to how the team has been operated, nothing more, although it’s interesting to see Tyson Thompson listed as the backup at both spots since it’s been Kobie Campbell as the next man up after the top three.

As for the offensive line, Isaac Klarkowski is back on the two-deep for the first time in two weeks. If he’s able to go, that would bump Shea Baker to guard. Braedon Nutter will not be available for this game because of team discipline.

De’Braylon Carroll is listed behind Quent Titre at the defensive tackle spot. He’s working himself back into the lineup after missing most of the last two contests. Behind them, Marcus Williams has become the official backup to Treshawn Chamberlain at Viper.

Getting ready for the game

The Roost has plenty of content already up and running to get you ready for Rice football vs Houston this weekend.

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Rice Football 2022: Houston press conference quotes

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Next up, Rice football takes on Houston in the battle for the Bayou Bucket. Here’s what Mike Bloomgren and players had to say about the matchup.

Rice football Head coach Mike Bloomgren and a pair of players met with the media on Tuesday for their customary weekly availability. They previewed they revisited the Louisiana win before turning their attention to the Houston game, discussing the rivalry and how much it mattered to both sides.

An updated depth chart was not yet available, but it is expected to be released soon. Check back here for that and practice updates reserved for our Patreon subscribers. First, the quotes:

Press Conference Quotes

“It’s the next one on our schedule. It will always be a big deal in recruiting. I don’t want to go away from that fact. We recruit a lot of our team from Texas and the city itself. So, anytime you can win an in-city rivalry or any in-state game, it helps. But the thing for our team is that we have another opportunity to play together this Saturday. We’ve got another opportunity this Tuesday, today, to have the best Tuesday practice of the year and that’s what we’re focused on.” – Mike Bloomgren on the significance of this game 

“I think Clayton Tune, when he’s on, he is as hard to deal with as maybe anybody we’ve played except for [Caleb Williams]. And the thing that’s sneaky is he’s got good arm talent, he does a good job distributing the ball, but he’s a sub 11-flat 100-meter guy. He can really roll. And that’s what gets lost until he brings it out of the pocket and you’re like, ‘Oh goodness, there he goes.” – Mike Bloomgren on UH QB Clayton Tune

“Our goal this week is no different than any week. It’s a fun week. It’s a great week to be a part of this program. But our goal is to go 1-0 and not let our process change one bit. We need to understand that all the confidence that we earned from the victory last week should also be the confidence in our prep and how we go about our business week-to-week.” – Mike Bloomgren on the team’s approach this week

“I’m not from Texas. I’m not from Houston, but being a Rice football player, it’s become part of my identity. At this point, this game has started becoming more and more meaningful to me. At this point, it’s a full fledged rivalry for me. I definiely have ill feelings towards these guys and definitely want to get revenge for last year, so I’ll be playing with a lot of emotion, a lot of passion and doing it for my brothers.” – Defensive end Ikenna Enechukwu on the signficance of the rivalry

“It means a lot. Anytime you have the chance to step on the football field, it’s such a blessing… Every opportunity is a special opportunity, especially when you’re playing someone so close. I remember the whole entire offseason, you look at billboards of UH around the city and you kind of look at it with a disgusting look. To have this game, it sticks with you for a little bit longer than others.” – Wide receiver Luke McCaffrey on the signficance of the rivalry

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