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Conference USA Football: Reaction and “Snubs” from All-Conference team

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The 2020 Conference USA Football Coaches All-Conference teams are out. Which players should have had their names mentioned?

Before we really get going, let’s all agree that all-conference lists are inherently subjective. The 2020 Conference USA Football Coaches Preseason Teams was never going to make every fan base happy. And frankly, it wasn’t supposed to achieve those ends.

It was meant to recognize athletes who have proven themselves to be the best their conference has to offer. With that as the ground rules, there are a few “snubs” that deserved recognition on this list of C-USA’s best in some form or another.

Asher O’Hara – QB, Middle Tennesse

If I were building a team from scratch with Conference USA quarterbacks, Chris Robison from FAU would have been my first pick, judging by on-field ability alone. He’s no longer on the Owls’ roster. Asher O’Hara would have been my second.

O’Hara carried the Middle Tennesee offense on his back last season, willing an injury-plagued team within a few unfortunate bounces of bowl eligibility. He’s dangerous with his legs and his arms, and he’s still getting better. His 1,058 rushing yards were more than five times any other player on his team.

Instead, Jack Abraham gets the nod. The Southern Miss quarterback has shown flashes of being a top-notch player, but his abundance of elite pass catchers and inconsistencies make it hard for me to anoint him the best quarterback in the conference. Top 5? Sure. No. 1? That’s a tough sell. Charlotte’s Chris Reynolds has an argument to be made for him, too.

Victor Tucker – WR, Charlotte

If the conference included an all-purpose slot or one more nomination for a receiver, Tucker would have been the next name mentioned. All three of the guys mentioned in front of him are equally as deserving, but Tucker isn’t far behind by much, if at all.

Tucker has already secured a place among the best receivers in Charlotte football history. He’s the second leading returning receiver in the conference entering 2020, trailing only UAB’s Austin Watkins. He’s a home run threat that will continue to be a key cog in the 49ers’ offense in 2020.

Brontae Harris – CB, UAB

Harris not making the cut for the preseason list is explainable. He missed the entirety of his junior season with a foot injury. It’s hard for players to stay on these lists when they miss that many games, to some extent it really is “out of sight, out of mind”. So perhaps Harris being omitted isn’t quite a “snub”, but he’s worthy of the honor.

Pro Football Focus graded Harris as the highest-rated corner during his redshirt sophomore season, his last healthy year. Entering 2019 he was named to the Jim Thorpe Award preseason watch list, just as he was this season. He’s an elite corner who won’t be overlooked if he gets in a full season in 2020.

You can get all our conference preseason team picks in The Roost’s 2020 Conference USA Season Preview, available now for $5.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 47 – 2020 Rice Football Season Outlook and COVID-19 updates

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The 2020 Rice Football season has been pushed back. This week’s edition of The Roost Podcast focuses on the impacts of COVID-19 on the sport as a whole.

It seemed like no sooner had we hit stop on the Rice Football Offense and Defense Preview shows than did something change. The Owls lost a projected starter in the secondary to the Transfer Portal this week. Carter and Matthew walked through the impact that will have on the team this season before opening things up for a more far-reaching discussion concerning the state of college football.

Conferences are beginning to draw up plans for a spring season. The Big Ten is fighting through PR disasters and the NCAA is working to clear up eligibility questions for athletes, some of which are scheduled to compete in the next few weeks.

The duo wrapped everything up with a Rice football-inspired game.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 47.

Episode 47 Notes

  • Housekeeping — We hit on some takeaways from spring practice in this episode. You can find previous (and future) practice reports and all our recruiting updates on our Premium page, reserved for our Patreon subscribers. Make sure you hit the button and subscribe so you don’t miss what’s happening behind the scenes. As always, thanks to all of you who have followed the show on Twitter and left a review on iTunes. It’s quick, but it makes a difference.

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  • Rice/COVID-19 Updates
    • Starting corner Tyrae Thornton entered the Transfer Portal: How does that impact the Owls and what can Rice expect in the secondary without him?
    • SWAC puts out a spring schedule: Big Ten making plans for a possible January start.
    • NCAA weighing eligibility ruling: Proposition would allow all athletes an extra year of eligibility regardless of how many games they play in the 2020-2021 academic year.
  • Looking ahead at the future of Rice football game
    • Carter and Matthew debated the future of the program in a fun game
    • The rules were simple: What’s more likely to happen?
Blaze Alldredge wins C-USA Defensive MVP Rice has the No. 1 run defense in C-USA
Mike Collins has multiple 300yd passing games Someone other than Juma leads team in rushing TDs
Two Rice WRs surpass 1,000 yards Rice finishes +10 in turnover margin
Rice makes the C-USA title game Rice goes below .500 in Conference play
Rice signs the No. 1 recruiting class in C-USA Rice beats a P5 non-conference opponent
Rice wins a conference title in football first Rice wins a conference title in baseball first
Rice finds a multi-year starter at QB Rice has a player Drafted in Top 3 rounds of NFL Draft

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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BREAKING: Rice Football vs Lamar canceled

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Rice football won’t open its season against Lamar after all. The two programs have agreed to cancel their game.

The Southland Conference announced the cancelation of its 2020 fall football season last week, leaving the possibility for non-conference play up to each member institution. At that time, Rice was the only remaining opponent on the Lamar schedule. That game has since been canceled.

In a release from the university, Lamar announced the decision: “Lamar University and Rice have agreed to cancel their football game, which was originally scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 26, in Houston.”

On July 30, Rice football lost its first game. The SEC’s decision to move to a conference-only scheduled put an end to a scheduled matchup with LSU. Rice then made the move to delay games against Houston and Army, buying themselves three more weeks of runway before their season began.

The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our Extended Offseason Interview Series

The cancellation of the Lamar contest leaves Rice without any non-conference games on their schedule. Rice Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard indicated the door was still open for Rice to add a non-conference game to their schedule if the logistics made sense. That additional opponent would almost certainly be Army or Houston.

Rice currently has an open date on October 17. Army’s previously scheduled game against Eastern Michigan was canceled, making the Black Knights available that weekend. Houston is scheduled to take on BYU in Provo, UT on that Friday, October 16th.

There’s plenty of time between now and October. Rice has football games to play before they have to act on the possibility of filling that open week. For the time being, Rice has eight conference games on the schedule and that’s it.

Rice football is now tentatively set to open the 2020 season on the road at Marshall on October 3. The Owls’ home opener would be the week later against UAB on October 10.

Whether there is football this fall or not, there’s going to be plenty to process as everyone works to find a new equilibrium in college sports. Stay current on those updates and following the always-active recruiting cycle by subscribing to The Roost on Patreon today.

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Rice Baseball: 2020 MLB Owls update – August 20

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The 2020 MLB season is in full swing and Rice baseball alums are having great years. Here’s the latest from the MLB Owls from this week.

Jon Duplantier is in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ player pool but is currently rehabbing. There hasn’t been a clear indication yet as to when he might rejoin the team. Here are updates on the three former Rice baseball alums currently active.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

It took Rendon a while to get going, but once he was on, the balls went flying off his bat. From August 10 to August 16, a span of six games, Rendon launched five home runs and tallied seven RBI. His OPS during that stretch was an unbelievable 1.738. Somehow the Angels managed to go 2-4 during those games, but his work with the bat was not to blame.

Through August 20, Rendon is hitting .289 with 10 extra-base hits, 20 walks and 18 strikeouts. His OPS is 1.028.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

It’s been a phenomenal start to the 2920 season for Tyler Duffey, and his rapid ascent has not gone unnoticed. National outlets are picking up his feel-good story, including The Athletic ($) who published an excellent feature on the former Rice baseball hurler’s journey up til now.

The story is worth reading, but this quote from manager Rocco Baldelli sums it up quite nicely:

“He went out there and made incredible adjustments … and turned himself into one of the best relievers in the game.”

This week, Duffey gave up his first run in his tenth inning of work.

Through August 20, Duffey has a 0.90 ERA with a .500 WHIP. He’s averaging 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

Brock Holt – Milwaukee Brewers

Widely regarded as the kind of guy you want to have in your clubhouse, Holt seems to be making the best of a tough start at the plate. So far this season there have been snippets of him lifting up his teammates and having a good laugh in the midst of the challenging first few weeks.

For one, here’s his reaction after grounding into a double play this past week.

Through August 20, Holt has three hits in 27 at bats. He has three walks and nine strikeouts.

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Rice Football: Breaking down the impact of the Tyrae Thornton transfer

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Rice Football starting corner Tyrae Thornton has entered the Transfer Portal. How will his absence impact the Owls in 2020 and beyond?

It’s been an unusual offseason in more ways than one for Rice football, but unexpected attrition has not been a problem for the Owls so far. Rice lost linebacker Anthony Ekpe to transfer, but his starting job had already been overtaken by Kenneth Orji. Like there is with every team, the roster went through a bit more churn, but on the whole, Rice wasn’t losing anyone they hadn’t previously anticipated losing.

Then starting corner Tyrae Thornton entered the Transfer Portal this week. Prior to Thornton’s decision, the most notable departure of the summer was the loss of scout team quarterback Parker Towns. He was omitted from the preseason roster released in early August. Thornton was expected to line up opposite Tre’shon Devones. Now Rice will have to adjust.

The Depth Chart Impact

Corner and the interior of the defensive line were thin spots on the roster prior to Thornton’s announcement. Planning for a two-deep without him is doable, but the margin for error (or injury) beyond that is dicey.

Andrew Bird stands to benefit with the largest increase in playing time right away. His size (6-foot-1, 181 pounds) sets him apart from the rest of the unit. He also has the benefit of being one of the more experienced returners.

I also think Jason White is going to get some more time on the outside. He started against Southern Miss last year and held his own. Don’t let his smaller stature (5-foot-8, 158 pounds) fool you. He’ll be in the mix and could have a slight edge in coverage over Bird. This would be an excellent battle to watch in fall camp had Rice started it yet.

Being able to utilize Blaze Alldredge more in coverage will be another added wrinkle to keep an eye on. Beyond those more seasoned commodities, Rice could turn to a freshman for key minutes.

Devones proved he was the most talented man for the job and won a starting job midway through last season. I wouldn’t bet against the younger contingent with guys like Sean Fresch, Lamont Narcisse and Jordan Dunbar. We’ll learn a lot about how this position will play out if/when fall camp begins.

The Roster Impact

The continuity Rice football had built this season cannot be understated. Southern Miss saw five players opt out of the 2020 season this week. Defensive end Jacques Turner, linebacker Racheem Boothe and receiver Jaylond Adams will all not play this season. Turner and Boothe have entered the Transfer Portal.

FAU, Western Kentucky, Marshall have all lost expected starting quarterback during the offseason. A slew of other programs have seen marquee players leave for one reason or another.

It’s foolish to write off the departure of Thornton as “no big deal”. Losing a starting-caliber player at any position this close to the start of the season is a tough pill to swallow.

For better or worse, it sets Rice up to hit the restart at the position a year in advance. A redshirt junior, Thornton wasn’t going to be in the long term plans for this defense. He very well might have kept the starting job had he returned next season as well, but there’s no promises he would have held off the wave of incoming players.

At best, Thornton’s absence allows for an early transition and Rice is forced only to deal with the growing pains of a younger player. At worst, the Owls’ secondary will be exposed from a weak link uncovered in the final weeks before the games begin. I lean closer toward the former.

The loss is real, but Rice is going to be okay in the long run, particularly if the season is delayed or canceled and Thronton’s replacements get an extended audition and practice in the scheme with the first team.

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