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College Football and COVID-19: Mid-August Roundup

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This week has brought plenty of updates as to the status of the upcoming college football season amid a pandemic. Here are a few highlights.

I can barely keep up with the fast-paced news cycles in college football. The end of July was hard to process. The first two weeks of August have been equally agonizing. If it feels like a lot is going on, that’s because it is.

For reference, you can check out the late-July edition here and the early August edition here. Here’s the latest.

Rice football delays its season

Rice football was the second Conference USA program to make a significant change in their upcoming schedule. After Old Dominion canceled its season, Rice opted to delay its season, postponing games against Houston and Army in early September, tentatively planning to start their season on September 26. The Owls are looking for opportunities to reschedule both of those canceled games.

Major cancelations

At the time of this publication, 54 FBS programs have canceled their 2020 fall seasons. Many hope to play in the spring, and Purdue’s Jeff Brohm has already put together a rather complete plan as to how to make that happen.

Here are the conferences/teams who won’t’ be playing this fall:

  • MAC
  • Big Ten
  • Pac-12
  • Mountain West
  • UConn
  • UMass
  • Old Dominion
  • New Mexico State

We now have more bowl spots available than teams planning to play in the fall.

FCS calls it mostly quits, but not quite

By the time Thursday afternoon had come and gone, the last of the FCS conferences had put an end to their league schedules. Several were allowing their teams to pursue non-conference games, ostensibly in search of the payday to help stave off the remaining costs associated with the forgone season. That left a dozen or so matchups between FBS and FCS teams on the schedule, including the revised Rice football season opener vs Lamar.

NCAA cancels fall championships

With members schools dropping left and right, it seemed like only a matter of time before this went official: the NCAA has canceled fall championships. The largest caveat, and its a big one, is FBS football. That’s the only fall sport that doesn’t fall under the NCAA Championship umbrella. For the time being, a College Football Playoff is still in the cards.

Last but not least … good news?

Progress on a cheaper COVID-19 test with results in the span of a few hours could be on the horizon. For as little as $10 per person, programs could test all personnel on a regular basis and get same-day results. Accurate and rapid testing isn’t the only problem facing college football right now, but solving this issue would be huge for the sports community.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep. 46 – 2020 Rice Football Defense Preview

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The 2020 Rice Football season has is still scheduled to be played at some point this fall. In this week’s show, the Roost Podcast breaks down the Owls’ defense.

The Extended Offseason hits the defense in the second half of our Rice football team preview this week. We hit the offense last week, spending 90 minutes on pure football for the first time in months. This time Carter and Matthew talk through the entire defense, focusing on potential breakout players, reasons for concern and what they’re paying attention to on this side of the ball.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 46.


Episode 46 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 — There was a lot to cover this week. Rice football has delayed its season until September 26. One Conference USA member has canceled the season and four conferences have shut things down until the spring, at the earliest.
  • Rice football defense preview — Carter and Matthew walk through each position:
    • Defensive line: The depth is a question mark, but getting a full season (of some kind) with a healthy front four should make last season’s production the floor. More pressure is a must.
    • Linebacker: Blaze Alldredge is a stud. Antonio Montero is great too. This one-two punch is among the best in the conference and the strongest positional starters on the team.
    • Safety: Rice has depth, experience and talent at the safety spot. George Nyakwol, Naeem Smith, Treshawn Chamberlain and Prudy Calderon are going to hold things down on the back end again.
    • Corner: The corners took big strides last season with their one-on-one coverage. Tre’shon Devones having a full season as the No. 1 with experience opposite him. Tyrae Thronton is one of the elder statesmen of the secondary who made big strides last fall.

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 Recruiting: New 2021 offers and mid-August update

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Three new offers for the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class went out this week. Who are they and where do the Owls stand?

We’re roughly four months away from the Early Signing Period and the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class is coming along nicely. The Owls picked up their 10th commitment on the final day of July, securing the pledge of safety Joshua Williams.

At that time Rice had offered 56 players. 10 were committed to Rice and 25 were committed elsewhere. Of the 18 uncommitted offers, the Owls are still in the mix in roughly half of those recruitments. It made sense that we’d see a few additional offers come out in August. Rice handed out three in the first week of the new month.

FB Cade Anders – Tifton, GA

Fullbacks don’t grow on trees, so Rice has to be particularly judicious when selecting the right players for such an important position in their offense. Incoming freshman Brian Hibbard is the first freshmen the current staff recruited specifically to play fullback. Anders is the second, and Rice is interested enough to throw their hat in the ring of a committed recruit.

Anders committed to Army on July 31st, the same day Rice added Joshua Williams to the fold. He also holds offers from Charlotte, Georgia Southern, South Alabama and others.

He characterized his commitment to Army as “strong”, stemming primarily from the opportunities the academy presented after football rather than the desire for military service itself. Rice doesn’t offer many committed players. The Owls’ interest, and Anders’ willingness to listen to their overtures, are each significant.

WR MJ Singleton – Lubbock, TX

Getting faster has been a priority for Rice in each of their most recent recruiting classes. We should be able to see the fruits of those efforts the next time the Owls take the field. In the meantime, Rice wants to keep adding to the fold. Lubbock, TX wideout MJ Singleton matches the profile.

Singleton is a track guy that can take the top off the defense. He’s a sprinter who specializes in the 100m and 200m dash. On the football field, the speed makes him a versatile offensive weapon. Cole Kirkpatrick is the other wideout to watch on the Owls’ board right now.

OL Graham Keating – Murfreesboro, TN

Rice has two offensive linemen committed in the 2021 class so far: Ethan Onianwa and Faaeanuu Pepe. They’ll be looking to add at least one more in this cycle, preferably someone who can bolster their depth on the interior.  Graham Keating could be that answer.

He can play tackle, but Rice likes his versatility and believes he’d be a great fit at guard as well. They’re recruiting him out of Murfreesboro, TN, home of Conference USA peer Middle Tennessee. Stealing him away from a conference opponent would be an added boost.

Where #FlightSchool21 stands

247 Sports has the 2021 Rice Football class ranked fourth in Conference USA. Nine of their 10 commits have three star ratings. Joshua Williams has not yet been rated.

Bloomgren’s staff has a pretty strong track record of identifying talent before they get ratings. If Williams does get bumped up to a three star, the Owls will be neck and neck with North Texas for that No. 3 spot. The Mean Green have 11 commits to the Owls’ 10. UTSA is second with 16 commits. FAU leads the way with 27.

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Rice Baseball: 2020 MLB Owls update – August 13

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All three active MLB Owls saw action with their big league clubs this week. Here’s the latest on the Rice Baseball alums in the pros.

Tyler Duffey was the only former Rice baseball player to make his debut in his team’s opening series. Since then, both Anthony Rendon and Brock Holt have made their 2020 debuts, each with a new team.

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.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

It’s been a slower start for Rendon and the Angels. Rendon sent his first hit with Los Angeles over the fence for a home run, but it took him 14 games before his first multi-hit game. He accomplished that feat 55 times last season.

That hasn’t kept him from maintaining his usual sure-handedness in the field. Check out this slide grab on a Daniel Vogelbach foul ball.

Through August 12, Rendon is hitting .180 with five extra-base hits, 17 walks and 13 strikeouts. His OPS is .846.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

It’s been all roses for Tyler Duffey this season. He’s kept his streak of seamless outings alive, and has yet to allow a run in any of his five appearances this season. A Fangraphs piece on his stellar start summed it up quite nicely: “By pretty much any conceivable measure, he’s the best reliever in baseball so far this year.” Not bad Mr. Duffey, not bad.

Through August 12, Duffey has a perfect 0.00 ERA. He’s averaging 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings.

Brock Holt – Milwaukee Brewers

Like Rendon, it took Holt a while to get things going with the bat with his new club. Holt picked up his first hit with the Brewers on August 7. His first RBI came a day later on August 8. So far, he’s started and finished just three of the eight games he’s appeared in.

Through August 12, Holt has two hits in 18 at bats. He has three walks, a hit-by-pitch and eight strikeouts.

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Rice Basketball: 2021 Guard Elijah Lawrence commits to Owls

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The 2021 Rice Basketball recruiting class picked up its third member, adding local guard Elijah Lawrence from Bellaire High School.

Rice basketball has its third commitment of the 2021 class. 6-foot-1 guard Elijah Lawrence from Bellaire High School, just down the road from the Tudor Fieldhouse. Rice beat out fellow C-USA peer Old Dominion, who offered him earlier in the summer.

Lawrence’s commitment cements a three-player class. Also in the fold are forward Damion McDowell who was the first to commit in May and shooting guard Jaden Geron, who committed in July. Both of the prior commits are California natives. Lawrence represents the lone Texan in the class.

Rice had the distinct advantage of an existing relationship with Lawrence prior to restrictions on in-person visits that went into place earlier this year. He’d already had face time with head coach Scott Pera thanks in part to his close proximity. Fostering that relationship with face to face conversations made the decision easier for Lawrence this summer.

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Lawrence describes himself as a “true team captain on the floor” who can “defend at a high level and play offense at a high level.” His flexibility and versatility will be key as he assimilates into the Owls’ attack.

On the court, Rice is getting a fairly well-rounded player. He has a nice release and can get to the basket in a hurry. He’s not the biggest at 6-foot-1, 160 pounds, but he handles himself well and is able to cut through traffic. Overall a nice pickup for the Owls.

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