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Where does Rice football fit in the realignment mix?

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Conference realignment continues to be a hot-button topic in college football news. Where does Rice football fit in the mix? Could the Owls be on the move?

Quiet for almost a decade, the sleeping giant of college football realignment was spurred awake earlier this year when Texas and Oklahoma bolted for the SEC, seemingly out of the blue. That shift set off a domino effect. The Big 12 scooped up BYU, Houston, UCF and Cincinnati which left the American on the lookout. More chaos is certain to follow.

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Conference USA Football: Highlights from the midpoint of the 2021 season

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We’re roughly halfway through the 2021 Conference USA football season. Here are a few highlights from the first half and some musings on what’s to come.

As is always the case, it’s been an eventual year for Conference USA football. While realignment rumors swirl around the sport and teams jockey for position on the field, there have been several intriguing results. With approximately half the season in the books, here are some of the top moments and storylines from C-USA.

1. Power 5 upset No. 1 – Charlotte knocks off Duke (Week 1)

It was a tough 2020 for Charlotte and head coach Will Healy. The up-and-coming star in the coaching ranks lost some luster as his team struggled through the season. But any signs of trouble were vanquished immediately upon the start of 2021. Not only did Charlotte beat Duke — their first win over a Power 5 program in school history — they engineered two go-ahead fourth quarter drives to do so.

2. Power 5 upset No. 2 – UTSA upsets Illinois (Week 2)

Not to be outdone,  UTSA and Jeff Traylor doubled C-USA’s Power 5 win total the next weekend. The Roadrunners were so impressive early that ESPN FPI gave them better than a 50 percent chance of winning with the score tied 0-0 in the waning minutes of the first quarter. Frank Harris and Zakhari Franklin would go on to seal the deal.

3. Outlook on title contenders

The West seems fairly straightforward at this point, even though five teams sit at 1-0 in C-USA action. UTSA is 5-0 on the season and 1-0 in C-USA action so far with a highly anticipated matchup against Western Kentucky looming. UAB is 3-2 with losses to Georgia and Liberty, which can largely be written off as understandable. UTEP is 4-1 (?!?) but their four wins have come against opponents with a collective record of 4-17.

In the East, things are significantly more muddled. Charlotte and FAU are the lone unbeaten in C-USA play and the only teams on the season with records above .500. Preseason favorite Marshall is 2-3 (0-1) and Western Kentucky hasn’t played any conference games thus far. At this point, the race is completely wide open.

4. Early conference MVP favorites

To date, only three players have repeated in the three weekly conference awards. Charlotte quarterback Chris Reynolds and Western Kentucky quarterback Bailey Zappe are two-time Offensive Player of the Week recipients. UTSA punter Hunter Duplessis has taken home the Special Teams Player of the Week on two occasions. He’s probably the front-runner for the season-long aware at this point. No defensive players have repeated yet.

More: Week 5 Conference USA Football roundup

It’s only a matter of time before UTSA running back Sincere McCormick takes home an Offensive POTW award. He leads the conference in rushing attempts and rushing yards. No singular pass catcher has emerged as truly dominant, although there have been some flashes and elite play from UTSA’s Joshua Cephus and UTEP’s Jacob Cowing, among others. Right now, it’s probably a three-way race between Reynolds, Zappe and McCormick with room for others to enter down the road.

Things are much more wide open on the defensive side of the ball. MTSU’s Reed Blankenship leads the conference in tackles with 46. Josh Carr from Southern Miss has four sacks, with a host of other players tied with three apiece. Others like UTSA’s Rashad Wisdom and Rice’s George Nyakwol have had less to show on the stat sheet, but very productive performances on this field.

5. Conference USA as we know it

Realignment has been at the forefront of the 2021 college football season. Reports have tabbed UAB as a heavy favorite to earn an invitation to the AAC, at the very least. UTSA could be in the running as well. Meanwhile, just about every program in the conference has their hopes set on getting to green pastures, somewhere, anywhere. All of that to say we could be nearing the end of Conference USA as we know. Soak up every ODU/UTEP matchup while we’ve still got it.

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Rice Basketball Recruiting: Owls putting together strong 2022 class

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The 2022 Rice basketball recruiting class is coming together quite nicely with two players already in the fold for the Owls so far.

Head coach Scott Pera and company have returned to Tudor Fieldhouse and turned their focus to the upcoming season. Practice tipped off last week. For the past few weeks, though, the future of the program has been at the forefront of their minds as they look to put the finishing touches on the 2022 Rice basketball recruiting class.

The Owls have assembled a two-man class thus far, drawing from programs all over the nation to find the right pieces for the upcoming class. First came Andrew King, a guard from Arizona who stuck with Rice from October until March when he announced he was decommiting from the program. At that point, Rice had already added another commitment, this time from guard Mekhi Mason.

Mason made his pledge to the Owls in January and has stuck with Rice from that point onward. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard is an aggressive scorer who looks comfortable with the ball in his hands. He’s not afraid to attack the rim and should fit in well at #GreenLightU.

The most recent commitment came from Andrew Akuchie. The forward from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Florida gives the Owls some length in this class. Although he’s comfortable in the front court, he’s able to score from multiple levels and moves fluidly up and down the court.

Once they sign and become official, those two will be available to help the Owls on the court for the starting of the 2022 season. They’ll follow a 2021 class that includes transfers Carl Pierre and Terrance McBride, as well as freshmen Jaden Geron, Damion McDowell and Jackson Peakes.

Given the turnover and uncertainty that surrounds college basketball today, it’s entirely possible, if not likely, the Owls add at least one more to this class before it’s finalized. For now, it’s a very good start.

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Rice Football 2021: NFL Owls Week 4 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 4.

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 4 Result Week 5
Los Angeles Chargers Christian Covington (DL) vs Las Vegas (MNF) W, 28-14 at Seattle
Denver Calvin Anderson (OL)
Bryce Callahan (CB)		 vs Baltimore L, 23-7 at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Chris Boswell (PK) at Green Bay L, 27-17 vs Denver
Detroit Jack Fox (P) at Chicago L, 24-14 at Minnesota
Tampa Bay Nick Leverett (OL) at New England (SNF) W, 19-17 vs Miami
Indianapolis Andrew Sendejo (Saf) at Miami W, 27-17 at Baltimore (MNF)

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

The Broncos only scored once against the Ravens, rendering Anderson’s special team usage to just one snap in Week 4.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett remained inactive for the Bucs Week 4 game against the New England Patriots. He still awaits his first regular season snaps with the defending Super Bowl champions.

Defense and Special Teams

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell made his lone field goal attempt on Sunday against the Packers, connecting from 52 yards. He added two extra points on two tries.

Bryce Callahan – CB, Broncos

Callahan registered his fourth pass deflection of the season and his seventh tackle in the Broncos’ Week 4 loss to the Ravens.

Christian Covington – DL, Chargers

Covington was extremely production on Monday Night Football. In addition to two tackles, he added one sack, one quarterback hit and one pass deflection.

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox put together another impressive outing in the Lions’ Week 4 loss to the Bears. He punted three times, averaging 55.3 yards per punt with a long of 56. He pinned two of his kicks inside the 20.

Andrew Sendejo – S, Colts

Sendejo saw his most action of the season on Sunday against the Dolphins, playing every defensive snap for the Colts. He registered one pass deflection as well as four total tackles.

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 94 – Rice Football vs Southern Miss Review

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Rice football has won two in a row, opening conference play with a win over Southern Miss. We delve into the victory in this week’s show.

Back-to-back victories has Rice football fans feeling much better about this team heading into the bye week. The Owls absolutely had to find a way to win their last two games, and they did. The offense looks much improved and the defense showed out. Special teams remain a concern. Matthew and Carter talk through all of the highs and lows in this week’s episode.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 94.

Episode Notes

  • Housekeeping
    • Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice. Every little bit helps.
    • Check out the Blue and Gray Preview Show every Wednesday at Noon, hosted by Matthew and Rice radio broadcaster JP Heath on the Rice Athletics Youtube Channel
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  • Rice Football vs Southern Miss Game Review 
    • Many of the outstanding questions about this team answered in second-straight win
    • Rice offense starts strong, creates explosive plays
    • Defensive bounces back with five sacks, four interceptions
    • Rice starts 1-0 in conference play
    • Special teams remain concerning, in multiple phases
    • Outlook on this team moving forward after the bye week

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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