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What’s next? Joe Karlgaard talks Rice Football, Mike Bloomgren and the future

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Rice Athletic director Joe Karlgaard sat down with The Roost to discuss Mike Bloomgren, the 2021 Rice football season and the future of the Owls’ program.

It’s almost impossible to distill the 2021 Rice football season down to a single storyline, topic or number. For better or worse, the year was more complicated and unpredictable than many of the Owls’ faithful would have wished. The program found itself at a 4-8 record after the dust settled, prompting questions and a very real amount of soul searching.

What happened to a team that had bowl aspirations four months prior? And deeper still, will this team find its way again? Is Mike Bloomgren the right man for Rice football moving forward, and if so, why?

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There will be a much-too-long offseason to address those concerns. But before we get too far removed from the campaign in question, some immediate answers seemed prudent.

In an effort to get a clear snapshot of where the program is right now and why Rice fans should have faith in its future, I spent an hour with Rice Athletics Director Joe Karlgaard. What follows are some notes from our conversation, hopefully shedding some light on the program and digging into some of the hard questions it is understandably facing after an underwhelming season.

Hear from Karlgaard below, and stay tuned to The Roost for important recruiting updates regarding the Early Signing Period, postseason superlatives and more.

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The Roost’s 2021 Rice Football coverage postseason survey

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The 2021 Rice Football season has come to an end and we’d like to know how we did. Respond for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card.

At its best, the Rice football season delivered unforgettable moments. The Owls upset UAB on the road and came from behind to beat Louisiana Tech in the season finale. But with those highs, came crushing lows, multiple overtime defeats and two shutout losses.

The Roost was here through it all, and we’re committed to making sure our coverage improves, regardless of what happens for the Owls on the field. We’ve just released The Roosties, our third annual postseason award show. More 2021 season superlatives are on the way, as well as Early Signing Period coverage and a host of other sports — basketball, baseball and beyond.

But before we get there, one last look at Rice football and this past fall. Please consider filling out the brief 10 question survey below. Tell us what you liked and what we can do better. As a small thanks, we’re giving out a $10 Amazon gift card to one lucky respondent. Your candor is appreciated. The Roost wouldn’t be what it was without our growing community.

This site, podcast and future projects are all self-funded. If you’ve enjoyed The Roost, please consider subscribing on Patreon or making a one-time donation here.

For a direct link to the survey, click here. The Password is Rice2021.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 103 – The Roostie’s 2021 Rice Football Awards

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Another Rice football season is in the books, which means it’s time to give out The Roosties, our third annual awards for top players, moments and games.

Stay tuned to the site through the month of December as we release our more traditional Rice football postseason awards. If you’re looking for the Team MVP, the offensive newcomer of the year, things like that — they’re coming.

But first, we’re going a bit off script and handing out our third annual edition of The Roosties. These awards celebrate (and mourn) the less conventional aspects of the season. From the one play we just want back to the player that we did not see coming, we’ll cover all the ins and outs of the season and more on this fresh spin on postseason awards.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 103.

Episode Notes

  • Housekeeping
    • Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice. Every little bit helps.
    • Please support us on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes updates from fall camp, practices and more.
      Become a Patron!
  • The Roosties – The third annual edition of our Rice football postseason award shows, The Roosties highlight some of our favorite players, moments and stories from the 2021 season. Tune in for the following awards:
    • Favorite Play
    • Player You Were Most Wrong About
    • Most Improved Unit
    • Play/Game You Most Want to Redo
    • Player You’ll Miss the Most
    • Out of Nowhere Star
    • Most Valuable Transfer
    • Most Head Scratching Moment
    • Most Dominant Game
    • Player You’re Most Looking Forward to in 2020

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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Rice Football 2021: NFL Owls Week 13 Stats Update

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Rice Football is well represented on 2021 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 13.

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 13 Result Week 14
LA Chargers Christian Covington (DL) at Cincinnati W, 41-22 vs New York Giants
Denver Calvin Anderson (OL)
Bryce Callahan (CB)		 at Kansas City (SNF) L, 22-9 vs Detroit
Pittsburgh Chris Boswell (PK) vs Baltimore W, 20-19 at Minnesota (Thr)
Detroit Jack Fox (P) vs Minnesota W, 29-27 at Denver
Tampa Bay Nick Leverett (OL) at Atlanta W, 30-17 vs Buffalo
Indianapolis Andrew Sendejo (Saf) at Houston W, 31-0  — BYE —

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

Anderson was placed on injured reserve following a leg injury suffered in the Broncos’ Week 13 loss to the Chiefs. He’ll be required to miss at least three games

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Ali Marpet returned to action for the Bucs this weekend, reverting Leverett to backup duties. He did not play against the Falcons, but he was active.

Defense

Bryce Callahan – CB, Broncos

Callahan remains on IR after a knee injury suffered in Week 8.

Christian Covington – DL, Chargers

Covington forced his first fumble of the season on Sunday against the Bengals, adding two tackles in a winning effort.

Andrew Sendejo – S, Colts

Sendejo played 87 percent of the snaps for the Colts against the Texans but did not show up in the box score. It’s the first time this season he’s been held without a tackle while playing at least 30 percent of the defensive plays.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox was only called upon three times in the Lions’ first victory of the season. He averaged 55.3 yards per punt, helped by a 62 yard long ball.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell missed an extra point against the Ravens on Sunday, but his two field goals paved the way for a fourth-quarter lead and a thrilling upset victory. His longest kick went through at 53 yards.

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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Conference USA Football 2021: Bowl Notes, Championship Game

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UTSA has won the 2021 Conference USA football championship. Now eight teams venture on to bowl season, with the first game fast approaching.

Team Opponent Bowl Time Date
MTSU Toledo Bahamas Bowl Fri. Dec. 17 11:00 a.m.
WKU App. St. Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl Sat. Dec. 18 10:00 a.m.
UTEP Fresno St. PUBG Mobile New Mexico Bowl Sat. Dec. 18 1:15 p.m.
UAB BYU Radiance Technology Independence Bowl Sat. Dec. 18 2:30 p.m.
Marshall Louisiana R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Sat. Dec. 18 8:15 p.m.
ODU Tulsa Myrtle Beach Bowl Mon. Dec. 20 1:30 p.m.
UTSA* San Diego St Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl Tue. Dec. 21 6:30 p.m.
North Texas Miami (OH) Frisco Football Classic Thr. Dec. 23 2:30 p.m.
*Won Conference USA Football Championship Game

Conference USA Championship results – Standings

The Conference USA Football Championship lived up to the hype, with USTA winning a thrilling rematch against a Western Kentucky team that came roaring back with a vengeance. It was one of those games that someone has to lose, you just hope it’s not the team you root for. Sincere McCormick walked away with game MVP honors, toting the rock 36 times for 204 yards and three scores.

One more ride

Seth Littrell was as good as gone halfway through the 2021 season, or at least that’s what it seemed. The Mean Grene reeled off a five-game winning streak, capping it off with a stunning upset of a ranked UTSA squad to clinch bowl eligibility. It now looks like he’ll be back next season after all.

Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren has also earned another season. His team dropped a pair of overtime games down the stretch, before pulling out a come-from-behind victory over Louisiana Tech in their season finale.

Hitting the reset button

There will be at least two head coaching changes in Conference USA prior to the 2022 season. Louisiana Tech announced they were parting ways with Skip Holts prior to their last game, a loss to Rice. They’ve already filled the position, hiring Texas Tech offensive coordinator Sunny Cumbie.

FIU is also making a change up top, moving on from Butch Davis in a drama-filled final few weeks. They haven’t named a replacement at this time, first opting to fill the vacant Athletic Director position. They tapped former UCF deputy AD Scott Carr to take that role. He will presumably hire his own head coach.

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