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Conference USA Football 2021: Week 12 C-USA 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 12.

Team Week 12 Result Week 13
Charlotte vs Marshall L, 49-28 at Old Dominion
FAU at WKU L, 52-17 vs MTSU
FIU vs North Texas L, 49-7 at Southern Miss
LA Tech vs Southern Miss L, 35-19 at Rice
Marshall at Charlotte W, 49-28 vs WKU
MTSU vs Old Dominion L, 24-17 at FAU
North Texas at FIU W, 49-7 vs UTSA
Old Dominion at MTSU W, 24-17 vs Charlotte
Rice at UTEP L, 38-28 vs LA Tech
Southern Miss at LA Tech W, 35-19 vs FIU
UAB at UTSA L, 34-31 vs UTEP
UTEP vs Rice W, 38-28 at UAB
UTSA vs UAB W, 34-31 at North Texas
WKU vs FAU W, 52-17 at Marshall

Notable Week 12 results – Standings

It lived up to the hype

UAB and UTSA have been on a collision course for the C-USA West title since the season began. The meeting between these two C-USA heavyweights have been circled on the calendar for months, and boy, oh boy, did it deliver. UTSA quarterback Frank Harris found tight end Oscar Cardenas for the game-winning touchdown on the final play of the game. For the first time in three years, it’ll be UTSA rather than UAB repping the West in the Conference USA Championship Game.

Who needs a quarterback?

Southern Miss almost took UTSA by surprise last week when they debuted an offense centered around Frank Gore Jr. and the wildcat package. They stuck to that script against this week, this time having more than enough in the way of explosive plays to overcome Louisiana Tech and clinch their first C-USA win of the season.

Owls spiraling

It’s been a tough month to be an Owl. Both Rice and Florida Atlantic are winless in November, with FAU dropping its third straight game on Saturday and Rice falling for the fourth straight time. FAU had conference championship aspirations. Rice sought a bowl game. Both programs are returning to their roosts empty-handed.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

For the East

The West was decided in Week 12 when UTSA topped UAB. Now it’s time for the Roadrunners to learn who they’ll be playing in the conference title game. In what amounts to a semifinal on the other side of the bracket, Western Kentucky visits Marshall. Winner gets UTSA.

Miners on the move

UAB and UTEP enter the final week of the regular season with identical 7-4 records, but UAB holds a slight lead edge in the conference standings with a 5-2 record compared to the Miners at 4-3. Should UTEP find a way to pull off the upset, they’d finish second in the West, a tremendous accomplishment for a program seeking its first 8-win season for the first time since 2005, their first year in Conference USA.

Tale of two halves

Old Dominion took down an FCS team in its home opener, but otherwise lose the first six games against FBS teams. The Monarchs picked up their first FBS win against Louisiana Tech in late October and haven’t stopped since. ODU has won four in a row and needs one more win in their season finale against Charlotte to clinch bowl eligibility, an incredible opportunity after a 1-6 start.

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Erratic Rice Football season hits yet another speedbump

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Inconsistency and injuries have derailed what once promised to be an exciting season, leaving Rice football instead with a trail of hard days.

If the Surgeon General were given the task of affixing an appropriate cautionary label on the 2021 Rice football season, it might go something like this:

Warning! Ups and downs may induce whiplash.

The toll exerted by this season and by this most recent game has fans, players and coaches reeling in dismay. Seemingly every high has been met with an equally aggressive low.

When Jake Constantine hit Cedric Patterson for a 33-yard touchdown in the final seconds of the first half it gave Rice their first three-touchdown quarter since 2016. The team had halftime and the early moments of the third quarter to savor that history before allowing 24 unanswered points to UTEP and watching the game, much like several this season, slip away.

“Defensively, we couldn’t stop them,” head coach Mike Bloomgren admitted following the defeat.

Somehow the Rice defense which had held UTEP to 14 points in the first half nearly allowed double that output after the break, largely on the back of big plays and defensive breakdowns. In the second half alone, UTEP completed passes of 23, 30, and 65 yards. Despite rushing for just two total yards before halftime, the Miners churned out runs of 12, 13, 14 and 74 yards.

Staked to a halftime lead, Rice couldn’t hold on. Safety Naeem Smith, clearly disappointed with the results, said it was “just the little things for us today, whether it was lining up, tackling and different things like that.”

Those little things aren’t meant to be debilitating to this degree so late in the season. Then again, playing with an ever-depleting roster isn’t helping. But that’s the hand Rice has been dealt. A hand continues to get more challenging with every passing week.

Rice lost its leading wide receiver, Jake Bailey, midway through the third quarter. They lost their quarterback, Jake Constantine, a few drives later. Constantine’s early exit marks the fifth time Rice has lost a quarterback to injury in a game this season. They’ve only played 11 games.

“We look like a MASH unit right now,” Bloomgren grimaced before adding, “But a lot of people in college football do and we still gotta be able to get our job done.”

More: Rice football rally falls short against UTEP

For better or worse, Rice football has been here before. They’re familiar with the heartbreak and the physical and emotional toll this year has taken on this team. They’ve been dealt a tough hand and, at times, have made things tougher on themselves. But the season isn’t over quite yet.

“At the end of the day, it’s football,” Smith said.”We’re going to lose guys, sadly, [we] just gotta keep working.”

They’ll have one more week of practices to do so before their final game at home against Louisiana Tech. Buckle up. If recent history is any indication, it’s going to be a bumpy ride, regardless of the result.

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Rice Football: New-look secondary learning as they go

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The Rice football secondary has been reworked and is learning on the fly, braving a “trial by fire” every week they take the field.

It’s been a challenging year for the Rice football secondary. The Owls’ seeming ever-changing combination of defensive backs took their turn at the buzzsaw that is the Western Kentucky offense last weekend and came out of it roughly the same way every other college football secondary has faired to this point: beat up.

Zappe and Co. threw for 495 yards against Rice, almost 150 more yards through the air than the most Rice had given up any previous games this season. Zappe threw for five touchdowns with just one interception, which came on Western Kentucky’s first drive of the game.

“I knew how good he was going into the game,” Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren admitted, “but watching him in person, he was phenomenal.”

The good news for Bloomgren and Rice? They don’t have to play Zappe ever again. The bad news? Western Kentucky exposed the patchwork Rice secondary, revealing it as a little bit more “work-in-progress” than the Owls would have liked to admit. The flames of the “trial by fire” Bloomgren alluded to in the week prior to the Western Kentucky game have yet to simmer down.

More: Rice Football depth chart changes and UTEP press conference notes

But the show must go on. And the Rice coaching staff hopes that these past few games will serve as valuable teaching tools for young players who could soon become household names

Those new faces like Gabe Taylor and Plae Wyatt are on the field, in part, because Rice football has been without safeties George Nyakwol and Treshawn Chamberlain for the better portion of conference play. Neither is expected back on the field anytime soon. That’s put the burden on the up-and-coming defensive backs to learn on the job.

Taylor only played football his senior year of high school and was a “COVID freshman”, a phrase used around the locker room for those that endured their first season of college ball amid so many challenges. He said he worked out three times a day for a month when he got home after last season. The drive was there, he just needed the technique, the understanding. Now he’s fifth on the team in tackles, trailing only Naeem Smith in the defensive backfield.

Wyatt’s emergence took a bit more time and a switch from safety to the hybrid “Viper” role. Bloomgren noted the Western Kentucky game was a turning point for him. “I thought he just made a big impact on the game when he got in,” Bloomgren said. “He’s getting more comfortable. Against Western Kentucky, he forced his first career fumble and registered a career-best four tackles.

Fellow safety Kirk Lockhart is quickly becoming a veteran presence. He led the team in tackles against the Hilltoppers and registered his second interception of the season. All three of those young faces — Lockhart, Taylor and Wyatt — have been forced to learn on the job, and with that has come its share of highs lows.

Preview: Rice football vs UTEP

Safeties coach Collin Spencer has seen as much. “You knew the ability was there,” he said of those up-and-coming defensive backs, “You just had to keep bring them along so that you didn’t have to worry about the mental aspect of it and you could allow them to just play and use their natural ability.”

Spencer did note the Owls have faced “some really good quarterback play” in recent weeks as the staff tried to determine which man should play which spot. They’re all smart dudes, so they can learn it. That’s not the problem,” Spencer said. “Basically the challenge is they might be learning something completely opposite at one position than the new position they’re learning, so having the discipline to stick to their new rules [is key].”

Wyatt and Lockhart both moved to the Viper position during the season from true safety spots. Freshman linebacker DJ Arkansas has transitioned into the secondary as well. Several players are in relatively new positions, and the growing pains are real.

There isn’t expected to be any further shuffling from this point onward. The Owls know what they have. Now those new faces have to take the next step. The final two opponents on the schedule, UTEP and Louisiana Tech, rank seventh and fifth, respectively in passing offense in conference games. They’re not at Western Kentucky levels, but both teams will take shots through the air.

Rice football wants to finish the season strong. The offense has scored 21 or more points in five of their last six games. The defense has given up 30 or more in four of those six contests, including 12 touchdowns through the air in that span. There’s no better time than the present to drive that touchdown number down.

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Rice Basketball Roundup: MBB over Southern, WBB over TSU

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Both Rice basketball teams were in action this week. Here’s a brief rundown of how the men and women faired and what’s next for both.

Rice Basketball

Rice basketball returned home after a tough loss to Houston and defended home court, leading wire to wire in a victory over Southern on Tuesday.

In a game of runs, Rice basketball struck first and was able to finish late to stay perfect on their home court. Rice opened up a 20-6 lead in the first half only to see Southern claw away to make it an eight-point differential at halftime. The Owls outscored Southern 24-10 early in the second half, taking a 55-31 before Southern once again chipped away.

The Rice lead dwindled to as little as five, but Terrance McBride delivered four free throws, two each to bookend three-pointers from Travis Evee and Carl Pierre, as Rice ran away late, winning by a final score of 81-63.

What they’re saying

“All the coaches really harped on it all week how this was a game guys gotta be aggressive, try to take advantage of mismatches and go to work. I tried to come out and be aggressive and look to get some easy buckets down low.” – Max Fiedler on his mindset entering the game

“We ended the first half 0-for-10, so that was the first drought. And then drought is when they made their run….Flustered us for a second. We gained our composure. We got layups, got some stops and wore them down eventually. I’m really proud of our guys’ mature response to that.” – Scott Pera on Southern’s second half run

Key takeaway

Rice basketball was without Quincy Olivar in this game, still recovering from a wrist injury. Even without their leading three-point man, the reinsertion of Chris Mullins into the starting lineup proved equally important. Rice weathered their opponents’ best punches and was able to rely on several different players to respond. The win moves the Owls to 2-1 on the season.

Up Next: at New Orleans – Friday, Nov. 19 at 7:00 p.m.

Rice Women's Basketball

Rice women’s basketball held serve against intra-city foe Texas Southern, flashing their defense on their way to a 2-1 start.

Malia Fisher (13 points, 13 rebounds) and Catelyn Crosthwait (17 points) led the way for Rice women’s basketball, who bounced back from a tough loss to Louisiana with a comfortable win over Texas Southern. Rice used a strong first quarter, edging TSU 15-9, and another big push out of halftime to set up a double-digit lead for the final 10 minutes.

What they’re saying

“It has definitely been an adjustment, I will say. Being so far from home, it’s nice having so many people here that care about you and that just surround you with family. Just being able to play on the court with a new team and new coaches, it’s a lot of fun.” – Malia Fisher on her early impressions of Rice

“It was good to get back out there. Obviously, Saturday left a bad taste in my mouth. I haven’t slept very much since so it was good to get back out on the court and compete and get a win under our belt.

It was a sloppy one, which I knew that this team, the way they played, it would make it be a sloppy game. But I was a little disappointed in our energy level. I’m not really sure.. I feel like we kind of just started out pretty slow, had a really great third quarter, which was fun to watch and then kind of fell back off again. So, young team, inexperienced team. We gott figure out a way to put together 40 minutes, for sure.” – Lindsay Edmond’s on the team’s continued growth

Key takeaway

Earlier this week Rice women’s basketball led Louisiana 53-41 after three quarters before the Ragin’ Cajuns caught fire, finishing 8-for-8 down the stretch to knock off the Owls at home. Rice held a similar lead against Texas Southern, but this team held on finished things out with a strong fourth quarter. For a young team learning the ropes, the juxtaposition of these games and the growth exhibited are huge.

Up Next: vs Oklahoma St. – Saturday, Nov. 20 at 2:00 p.m.

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Rice Football 2021: NFL Owls Week 10 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 10.

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 10 Result Week 11
LA Chargers Christian Covington (DL) vs Minnesota L, 27-20 at Pittsburgh (SNF)
Denver Calvin Anderson (OL)
Bryce Callahan (CB)		 vs Philadelphia L, 30-13 — OFF —
Pittsburgh Chris Boswell (PK) vs Detroit T, 16-16 vs LA Chargers (SNF)
Detroit Jack Fox (P) at Pittsburgh T, 16-16 vs Cleveland
Tampa Bay Nick Leverett (OL) at Washington L, 29-19 vs NY Giants (MNF)
Indianapolis Andrew Sendejo (Saf) vs Jacksonville W, 23-17 at Buffalo

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

Anderson drew his second consecutive start on Sunday. He’s now played every offensive snap for the Broncos in back-to-back weeks as well as his usual reps on special teams.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett was inactive for the Buccaneers’ Week 10 game against the Washington Football team.

Defense

Bryce Callahan – CB, Broncos

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

Christian Covington – DL, Chargers

Covington did not record a tackle in the Chargers’ Week 10 game against the Vikings. That was the first game he’s appeared in this season with registering at least two tackles.

Andrew Sendejo – S, Colts

Sendejo finished second on the team with seven tackles in the Colts’ Week 10 victory over the Jaguars. That ties a season-high.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Two former Rice football special teamers squared off in Week 10. Fox punted 10 times with a long of 61 yards. That’s the most punts Fox has kicked in a single game in his NFL career, smashing a previous high of eight punts set on Dec. 26 against Tampa Bay last season.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell built off a strong previous week, knocking through three field goals and one extra point. He contributed to 10 of the team’s 16 points by himself.

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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