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Who are your breakout picks for Rice Football in 2020? All-American Q&A

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All-American Level subscribers on Patreon get access to a monthly Q&A with me. The September edition focuses on Rice football breakout picks.

Q. Who are one or two of your sleeper picks for impact players for Rice this year?

A. First, I referenced a few names to watch in the Season Preview — WR, Zane Knipe, RB Khalan Griffin and DE Jalen Reeves. Those were the trio I tagged as “rising stars” who could make big waves on the team in 2020. I’m going beyond the names most likely to be listed in the two-deep. Here’s one from each side of the ball.

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Rice Baseball: 2020 MLB Owls – End of regular season update

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The 2020 MLB season is winding down and Rice baseball alums are heating up. Here’s the latest on the MLB Owls at the end of the regular season.

The 60-ish game regular season has come to an end with one former Rice baseball alum still aiming for a World Series ring. Tyler Duffey’s Minnesota Twins are the last team standing with an Owl on the roster. Anthony Rendon’s Angels, Brock Holt’s Nationals, and Jon Duplantier’s Diamondbacks missed the cut this time around.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Anthony Rendon’s first season on the west coast didn’t end as planned, but the former World Series champ turned in a banner year nonetheless. Rendon finished second in the American League in WAR (wins above replacement), trailing only Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez. Rendon even topped his teammate and former MVP Mike Trout, edging him by two spots (Trout finished fifth).

Rendon was far and away one of the most impactful additions the Angels made during the offseason. Unfortunately, the pitching staff didn’t match the production at the plate. The Angels were 13th in the AL with a 5.09 team ERA.

Rendon finished the season with a .286 average and a career-best .418 on-base percentage. His .915 OPS marks the fourth consecutive season with an OPS better than .900. He hit nine home runs, 11 doubles and walked 38 times to his 31 strikeouts.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey celebrated with his teammates on Sunday after clinching the division. “I think having the banner, having that pennant up, matters,” he said. “Second place means you got in, third place whatever, but having that banner with that year on it, that’s forever. And that’s something we all think is very special.”

The ace reliever was an integral part of the Twins winning achieving that feat. Only he and fellow reliever matt Wisler posted season-long ERAs below 2.00 and Duffey did it with a stunning .792 WHIP.

Duffey finished the regular season with 31 strikeouts in 22 appearances. He struck out 11.6 batters per nine innings and allowed just two home runs all season. He didn’t throw a single wild pitch.

The Twins host the Astros for a best three series this week. The schedule is as follows:

  • Tues. 2:00 p.m. ET (ABC)
  • Wed. 1:00 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
  • Thr. (if necessary)

Brock Holt – Washington Nationals

Holt’s 2020 season was a tale of two halves. It started in Milwaukee with the Brewers where, for whatever reason, Holt never quite acclimated at the plate. He was released and signed with the Washington Nationals where he looked much more like his old self.

With a brief stint on the paternity list and away from the game, Holt saw his batting average double as he began to heat up at the plate. Holt finished the season hitting .209 (.262 with the Nats). He hit five extra base hits (all in DC) and played all around the diamond.

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Rice Football 2020: Owls in the NFL Week 3 Update

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Rice Football is well represented on 2020 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 3.

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

Week 3 results

Cleveland (Sendejo) def. Washington, 34-20
Cincinnati (Covington) tied Philadelphia, 23-23
Pittsburgh (Boswell, McDonald) def. Houston (Gaines), 28-21
Tampa Bay def. Denver (Anderson, Callahan), 28-10
Detroit (Fox) def. Arizona, 26-23
Seattle (Willson) def. Dallas, 38-31

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

Anderson has seen his action primarily on special teams this season with the Broncos. He was active again on Sunday in the Broncos’ Week 3 loss to the Bucs. The Broncos visit the Jets for Thursday Night Football in Week 4.

Vance McDonald – TE, Steelers

McDonald set a season-high three receptions for 36 yards in the Steelers’ Week 3 win over the Texans. Two of his grabs moved the chains and led to scoring drives. He threw some impactful blocks and made a difference in the running game as well. The Steelers visit the Titans in Week 4.

Luke Willson – TE, Seahawks

Willson was inactive for the Seahawks’ Week 3 win over the Cowboys. The Seahawks visit the Dolphins in Week 4.

Defense and Special Teams

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell was perfect again on Sunday, converting a pair of extra points and two field goals, including a long of 33 yards. The Steelers visit the Titans in Week 4.

Bryce Callahan – CB, Broncos

Callahan nearly blocked a field goal against the Bucs in Week 3, but drew an offsides flag. He had three tackles in the loss. The Broncos visit the Jets for Thursday Night Football in Week 4.

Christian Covington – DL, Bengals

Covington was dealing with a biceps injury during the week but still managed to suit up against the Eagles. He had one tackle in the tie. The Bengals host the Jaguars in Week 4.

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox picked up his first professional victory on Sunday, helping the Lions beat the Cardinals on the road. Fox booted punts of 65, 60, 54 and 43 yards. His only punt shorter than 50 yards was downed on the two-yard line.

Oh, and here’s some kudos for Fox from PFF Analyst Anthony Treash from last week.

https://twitter.com/PFF_Anthony/status/1309218958025920514

The Lions host the Saints in Week 4.

Phillip Gaines – CB, Texans

Gaines registered two tackles in the Texans’ Week 3 loss to the Steelers. The Texans host the Vikings in Week 4.

Andrew Sendejo – Saf, Browns

Sendejo finished third on the team on the team with five tackles against Washington in Week 3. He’s up to 19 total tackles for the season, 15 solo. The Browns visit the Cowboys in Week 4.

More Owls in the NFL

From practice squads to current free agents, there are others 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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Rice Football 2020: First week of fall camp practice notes

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Rice football wrapped up its first padded practice of fall camp on Saturday. Here are a few early impressions of the Owls.

We made it. Thank you to all who have subscribed so far, hoping we’d get to real football. I had to pinch myself on Friday and Saturday as I watched Rice Football practice for the first time in sixth months. If you haven’t subscribed yet, check out this sneak peek for a better idea of the content you’ll have access to. I’ll also be giving away a free copy of the 2020 Rice Football Season Preview to one new subscriber this week.

Alright, now that we’ve gotten the housekeeping out of the way, fall camp is going to be just as unusual as the rollercoaster ride of an offseason which preceded it. Rice football is three practices into its preseason and it’s been different too. Community Gatorade cup distributions have been replaced with individual water coolers. Social distancing is being taken very seriously.

Practice updates reserved for subscribers. Sign in to see this content or visit our Patreon page.

Through all of those changes, there have been a few meaningful takeaways from the first few days of camp. Starting with the quarterback battle…

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Conference USA Football 2020: Week 4 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 4.

Team Week 4 Result Week 5
Charlotte vs Georgia state CANCELED at FAU
FAU vs USF CANCELED vs Charlotte
FIU at Liberty L, 36-34 — OFF —
LA Tech vs HBU W, 66-38 at BYU
Marshall — OFF —  — — OFF —
MTSU at UTSA L, 37-35 vs WKU
North Texas at Houston CANCELED vs USM
Rice — OFF —  — — OFF —
Southern Miss vs Tulane L, 66-24 at North Texas
UAB at S. Alabama W, 42-10 vs UTSA
UTEP at ULM W, 31-6 — OFF —
UTSA vs MTSU W, 37-35 at UAB
WKU — OFF —  — at MTSU

Notable Week 4 results – Standings

Blazers prove to be the team to beat in the West

UAB had the unenviable task of traveling to play a hot South Alabama team without starting quarterback Tyler Johnston. Not only did the Blazers rise to the occasion, backup Bryson Lucero slung the ball all over the yard, racking up 319 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, Spencer Brown became the program leader in rushing touchdowns. The defense was stout, holding USA to 3-for-12 on third down. UAB looks every bit the contender many expected them to be.

Rice is back

After delaying their season multiple times, Rice football has returned to practice. The Owls began fall camp this week and are on schedule to open their 2020 season against Middle Tennessee on Oct. 24. The Owls currently have six games on their schedule.

THREE WIN UTEP

UTEP started out strong with a pair of wins over FCS schools, equally their win total over the past two seasons. Saturday the Miners further impressed, thumping Louisiana Monroe on the road. Gavin Hardison threw for 302 yards. Deion Hankins rushed for 118 yards and three scores. It wasn’t a perfect performance, but it was a big win for the UTEP program and head coach Dana Dimel.

Week 5 storylines

Third time’s the charm

Postponements have been a weekly occurrence in college football this year and it doesn’t seem like something that will be going away any time soon. The loss of games has been more impactful to some programs than others. FAU and Rice are the only active C-USA teams who haven’t played a game yet this season. FAU will try for their debut next week against Charlotte after losing potential openers against Georgia Southern and South Florida.

Roadrunner gut check

A 3-0 start has UTSA fans riding high. Given the circumstances, it certainly seems like Jeff Traylor has done a phenomenal job in his first few months in San Antonio. Week 5 will put that growth to the test as the Roadrunners visit the UAB Blazers. An upset there could turn a feel-good start into legitimate conference title aspirations.

Last tune-up for Louisiana Tech

Louisiana Tech overcame significant adversity to win their season-opening game against Southern Miss in the final seconds. After downing HBU this week, the Bulldogs get a challenging test in Week 5 against a BYU squad that was only recently added to the schedule. Showing clear improvement against the Cougars (and maybe settling on a QB1) could but them in a great place before returning to conference play.

 

Rice Football Opponent Scouting Report

A weekly update on who the Owls will be playing this season including updates on key storylines, injuries and more.

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