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Know Your Foe: Rice Football vs FAU

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FAU is next up on the 2025 Rice football schedule so we’re going behind enemy lines with Owls’ insider Garon Bach from The Owl Nest.

Owls’ insider Garon Bach was kind enough to stop by and answer a few questions about the upcoming matchup between Rice Football and FAU The answers below should shed some light on the Owls’ upcoming opponent.

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 Football 2025: FAU Game Week Practice Notes

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Getting the offense going, and quickly, was the focus on the practice field for Rice football this week, as was a renewed focus on triple option concepts.

We’re just five games into head coach Scott Abell’s tenure at the helm of Rice football and the short runway leaves the offense with obvious room for growth. How do they prioritize what to focus on from week to week and how do they find ways to get more points on the board more quickly? We dug into both items in this week’s practice notes.

The Opening Script

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Rice Football 2025: FAU presser quotes and depth chart

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Next up for Rice football, a home tilt against FAU. Here’s what head coach Scott Abell had to say about the matchup and a few depth chart notes.

Head coach Scott Abell and a set of players met with the media for their customary weekly availability. They recapped the Navy game and looked ahead at their upcoming matchup with Florida Atlantic.

The Roost Podcast: Rice Football vs Navy Game Recap

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

I think the takeaway this week from the group was we expected to win at Navy. We expected to go toe-to-toe with a preseason favorite and you love that mentality. Now, I don’t know if we handled it really well there midway through the first half, so now you gotta learn how to handle that. I want that expectation. We should expect to win those games, but if it doesn’t go your way early, you gotta handle it better. Now, we did regroup at halftime. I thought that was important to see your team do that. All that’s a learning opportunity. The key is, you gotta learn. – Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on his takeaways from the Navy game

He’s the reigning Conference USA Player of the Year coming out of Western Kentucky. Very talented. Got great size. He can see the whole field. The challenge is real for our secondary.. There’s a lot of catch and throw. He doesn’t hold it long. He’s getting it out of his hand [fast]. To me, we gotta force him to drive the field. He’s going to have some completions. We’ve got to rally and tackle well. – Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on FAU quarterback Caden Veltkamp and the FAU passing offense

They’re really athletic. They have good size. They want to lock you down. They’re gonna play man, they don’t hide from it. Most people play some type of man courage against us. We expect to see an aggressive defense. That’s what Navy was against us, Charlotte at times. The formulas are similar. People are going to be aggressive, they’re going to leave us some one-on-one situations in space and we got to make some plays.– Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on what he expects from the FAU defense

In terms of playing my last year of football, I wanted to come to a place where I could use my eligibility and feel like I’m making a difference, contributing on the field and in the locker room and, obviously, getting a valuable education. – Offensive lineman Sean Sullivan on his decision to come to Rice

I’m just glad that my opportunity is here… My journey hadn’t been the most smooth, but I’ve stayed the course and done what I needed to do and now my opportunity is here and I’m just doing my best to make the most of it.- Safety Marcus Williams on his opportunity after battling injuries in prior seasons

Full Press Conference

Depth Chart

Depth Chart Notes

The only changes to the depth chart this week are reflective of adjustments from last week’s injury updates. Luke Needham, who missed the Navy game, has been taken off the two-deep for the first time this year with an injury, Peyton Farmer is listed in his place. Also on offense, Braylen Walker makes his first appearance on a regular season depth chart following his return to the field against Navy.

Walker did leave the Navy game early. Stay tuned for the weekly practice report, available to those subscribed to our Starting Lineup Tier on Patreon, which should be published later this week for news on his availability as well as the status of other players who have missed some extended time. Among those, defensive lineman Ejike Adele is the only change on the defensive two-deep after missing last week.

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Rice Football 2025: NFL Owls Week 4 Roundup

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Rice Football is well represented on 2025 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 4.

There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player.

TeamNFL Owl(s)This WeekResultNext Week
Washington CommandersLuke McCaffrey (WR)at FalconsL, 34-27at Chargers
Philadelphia EaglesKylen Granson (TE)at BucsW, 31-25vs Broncos
New York GiantsElijah Garcia (DL)vs ChargersW, 21-18at Saints
Jacksonville JaguarsAustin Trammell (WR)at 49ersW, 26-21vs Chiefs (MNF)
Detroit LionsJack Fox (P)vs BrownsW, 34-10at Bengals
Green Bay PackersBrant Banks (OL)at CowboysT, 40-40— BYE —
Pittsburgh SteelersChris Boswell (PK)
Calvin Anderson (OL)		vs VikingsW, 24-10— BYE —

Defense

Elijah Garcia – DL, Giants

Garcia saw action on both defense and special teams this week against the Chargers but did not record any statistics.

Offense

Luke McCaffrey – WR, Commanders

McCaffrey did not find the endzone during his rookie year, but now has reached paydirt on back-to-back Sundays, hauling in a touchdown reception against the Falcons this weekend. He’s also become a mainstay on special teams, totaling 285 return yards on nine kickoff returns so far this season.

Calvin Anderson – OL, Steelers

Anderson saw his first action of the season this week against the Vikings in Europe, playing five snaps with the Steelers’ special teams.

Brant Banks – OL, Packers

Banks saw his second bout of action this week, playing a few snaps on special teams in the Packers’ Week 4 marathon tie against the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.

Austin Trammell – WR, Jaguars

Trammell was promoted from the practice squad this week and active for the Jaguars’ game against the 49ers but did not see the field.

Kylen Granson – TE, Eagles

Granson saw limited usage on offense this week, instead logging a season high 23 snaps on special teams in the Eagles’ Week 4 win over the Bucs.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox punted five times in the Lions’ Week 4 victory over the Browns, averaging a 44.2 yards per kick with a long of 53 yards. He pinned all five of his kicks inside the 20 yard line.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell is no longer perfect on field goal attempts this year after having one kick blocked against the Vikings on Sunday. He is 6-of-7 on field goals this season.

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 details on current contractual agreements and former Rice football players waiting for their next opportunity here.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 214 – Rice Football sunk by Navy

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Navy handed Rice football its first conference loss, winning in both trenches and controlling the game. Jason Metko joins us to react to the loss.

Rice football fell to 3-2 with a road loss against Navy. The game was rather one-sided, serving as an education for this program on just how far they have to go to reach the standard for option football as its being played in the FBS right now. Still, there were some encouraging nuggets to salvage from the defeat. Sideline analyst Jason Metko joins the show to help us dig into all of it. You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 214.

Episode Notes

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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 as is the Luv-Ya-Owls shirt. Make sure you check out the sailor hat (pictured below) as you shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

Homefield

Rice Football vs Navy Game Recap

  • Crisis Averted: Owls avoid what could have been a blowout
  • Offense has some growing up to do, and that’s probably okay
  • Chase Jenkins could probably learn a lot from Blake Horvath
  • Defense has been great, in spite of their third down woes
  • A turnover check? And Plae Wyatt’s big moment

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s College Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner. If it’s happening in college football in Texas, we’re talking about it. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

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