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Rice Football 2020: Owls get multiple starters back to practice this week

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Rice football has been hit hard by injuries prior to their season opener. Several of those players were back at practice this week.

Rice football is less than two weeks away from their first game of the 2020 season. The Owls remain on track to host Middle Tennessee on Oct. 24, with no fans. If you haven’t yet, check out some of the virtual offerings Rice has put together for the game. There should be a few more things in store this week.

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Perhaps the most notable happening in prior Rice football practices was the number of players who weren’t on the field. The injury bug hit Rice hard during fall camp. It’s already cost them the entire seasons of Cam Montgomery and Bradley Rozner. The Owls’ are still a ways from being fully healthy, but this week brought with it much more encouraging news.

First, Rice football is COVID-19 free after reporting one positive test on Oct. 3. They do not have any players unavailable because of positive tests or contact tracing right now. In non-COVID related news, we’ve seen a turn for the better with several key players who were on the field this week after missing time earlier in camp.

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What’s coming next?

I’ve got a few breakout freshmen that I’ll be sharing soon. It’s probably safe to say a few of them could play important roles this fall, especially if the Owls enter the season banged up. I have some more depth chart updates that I’ll work to have finalized following the third and final scrimmage on Saturday. Stay tuned for another update then, the last before we get to game week against Middle Tennessee.

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Conference USA Football: Championship game moved to Dec. 18

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The 2020 Conference USA Football championship game has been moved to Dec. 18, a two-week delay to allow the conference scheduling flexibility.

In an announcement that seemed several weeks in the making, the Conference USA football championship game will be delayed two weeks. The game was initially scheduled to take place on Dec. 5, but will now take place on Dec. 18. Per the league office, it will be televised at 6 p.m. CT and be hosted by the team with the highest league winning percentage.

In their release, Conference USA cited scheduling flexibility as a driving force for the change.

The shift of the Championship Game from its originally scheduled December 5th date will create two additional weeks to schedule games that were postponed due to COVID-19-related issues.  Dates and matchups for those re-scheduled games will be announced at a later date.

More: Week 6 Conference USA Football Roundup

It should be noted the conference opted to delay the game two weeks rather than one. This gives two additional weekends to play games. There have been multiple league games already postponed and one team, FAU, had already scheduled a game for Dec. 5 prior to the conference formally moving the championship game. The Owls are slated to take on Georgia Southern on that date, a makeup of a game postponed earlier in the year.

For Rice Football, this move allows for two additional weeks on the back end of the current schedule. I expect a rescheduling of the UAB to be among the Owls’ most pressing items, completing a full C-USA West schedule.

There’s also a chance the Bayou Bucket game against Houston is rescheduled later in the year. Houston is tentatively free on Dec. 5. One would assume conference games would be the priority, but if those are played as scheduled don’t rule an intra-city matchup between the Owls and Cougars this fall.

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Rice Football 2020: Owls in the NFL Week 5 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 5.

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

Week 5 results

Cleveland (Sendejo) def. Indianapolis, 32-23
Baltimore def. Cincinnati (Covington), 27-3
Denver (Anderson, Callahan) vs New England, postponed
Pittsburgh (Boswell, McDonald) def. Philadelphia, 38-29
Houston (Gaines) def. Jacksonville, 30-14
Seattle (Willson) def. Minnesota, 27-26
Detroit (Fox) — BYE

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

The Broncos thought they were playing the Patriots in Week 5 and the Dolphins in Week 6. Neither of those things came to pass. A positive COVID-19 test in New England delayed the DEN-NE game to next weekend with Denver receiving an unexpected off weekend. The Broncos will now visit the Dolphins in Week 6.

Vance McDonald – TE, Steelers

McDonald caught the only pass thrown to him in Week 5, hauling in the four-yard reception which contributed to a 14-play, 62-yard drive which ended in the Steelers’ first touchdown of the day against the Eagles. McDonald has at least one reception in each of Pittsburgh’s first four games. The Steelers host the Browns in Week 6.

Luke Willson – TE, Seahawks

Willson continues to see most of his action on special teams. Through the first five weeks of the 2020 season, 77 percent of his snaps have come on special teams with just a handful of plays run with the offense. The Seahawks are on a bye in Week 6.

Defense and Special Teams

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell was busy on Sunday with the Steelers scoring early and often against the Eagles. Boswell had at least one extra point made in each of the four quarters, five in total, and converted his lone field goal attempt of 41 yards. The Steelers host the Browns in Week 6.

Bryce Callahan – CB, Broncos

The Broncos thought they were playing the Patriots in Week 5 and the Dolphins in Week 6. Neither of those things came to pass. A positive COVID-19 test in New England delayed the DEN-NE game to next weekend with Denver receiving an unexpected off weekend. The Broncos will now visit the Dolphins in Week 6.

Christian Covington – DL, Bengals

Covington had three tackles in the Bengals’ Week 5 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He tied Amani Bledsoe and Sam Hubbard with the most tackles among Cincinnati’s defensive linemen. The Bengals visit the Colts in Week 6.

Jack Fox – P, Lions

The Lions were off in Week 5, but Jack Fox still leads the NFL in net punting and average. Detroit visits the Jaguars in Week 6.

Phillip Gaines – CB, Texans

Gaines did not record a tackle but was active in coverage against the Jaguars in Week 5, Houston’s first win of the season. The Texans visit the Titans in Week 6.

Andrew Sendejo – Saf, Browns

Sendejo had four tackles in the Browns’ Week 5 victory over the Colts. He’s had four or more tackles in four of his five games this season. The Browns visit the Steelers in Week 6.

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 Recruiting: JUCO DL AJ Sargent commits to Owls

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The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class has picked up its first JUCO addition. Defensive lineman AJ Sargent has committed to the Owls.

The summer is in the books and Rice football is in the home stretch for its 2021 recruiting class. The early signing period is two months away and its time for Rice, and their peers to begin finishing up their classes. Rice has already turned some of its attention to offers for the 2022 class ($).  Rice entered October with a Top 5 class in Conference USA and 13 commitments from high school recruits.

On Saturday they added their first junior college player to the fold. Coffeyville C.C. defensive lineman AJ Sargent has committed to the Owls. Rice offered Sargent in September. The Owls’ primary competition for Sargent was an offer from Missouri State.

Sargent will provide a much-needed injection of talent on the interior of the defensive line where numbers have grown a bit thin. De’Braylon Carroll is the Owls’ only interior defender with meaningful game experience that won’t be a senior this coming fall. Adding someone who can contribute quickly will be a big building block for this class.

Premium: 2021 Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

Beyond what he can do in the fall of 2021, Sargent is expected to enroll early. He’ll be on campus for the upcoming semester, ensuring he’ll be available for spring practice next February/March. Getting transfers on campus early is always a plus. Head coach Mike Bloomgren acknowledge its benefits multiple times this spring when grad transfer Mike Collins saw his first action on the field with the Owls.

For Sargent, it only takes one quick glance through the film to see how impactful he could be at South Main. The 6-foot-1, 290-pound tackle sheds blockers quickly and has great pursuit. Having him and Carroll along the same front could prove to be a powerful combination for the Owls in the trenches.

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Conference USA Football 2020: Week 6 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 6.

Team Week 6 Result Week 7
Charlotte at North Texas W, 49-21 vs FIU
FAU at USM CANCELED — OFF —
FIU vs MTSU L, 31-28 at Charlotte
LA Tech vs UTEP W, 21-17 vs Marshall
Marshall at WKU W, 38-14 at LA Tech
MTSU at FIU W, 31-28 vs North Texas
North Texas vs Charlotte L, 49-21 at MTSU
Rice — OFF —  — — OFF —
Southern Miss vs FAU CANCELED at UTEP
UAB — OFF —  — vs WKU
UTEP at LA Tech L, 21-17 vs USM
UTSA at BYU L, 27-20 vs Army
WKU vs Marshall L, 38-14 at UAB

Notable Week 6 results – Standings

This moral victory counts

UTSA football has lost two straight after starting their season 3-0, but we might have learned more about the Roadrunners in their two losses than their hot start. UTSA hung with UAB last week and came within one score of BYU this week — the same BYU team that beat Louisiana Tech by 31, Troy by 41 and Navy by 52. Against a juggernaut opponent, UTSA held its own.

Winless no more

Middle Tennessee joined the ranks of the victors on Saturday, earning a 31-28 win over FIU. O’Hara was the entirety of the offense once more for the Blue Raiders, but it was the defense that did enough to keep this game alive, keeping FIU contained outside of two 60+ yard breakaway scores.

Louisiana Tech survives … against UTEP

UTEP has moved into the “pesky” range of Conference USA opponents. The Miners probably don’t have the top-end talent to beat the majority of their foes, but they’ve proven a worth adversary capable of tripping teams up if they look too far past the Miners. Bulldogs quarterback Luke Anthony was not good on Saturday, throwing for only 85 yards on 20 attempts. The Louisiana Tech running game was kept in check too.

Week 7 storylines

Char-lit?

Despite starting the season 0-2, Charlotte could be in the thick of the race for Conference USA East with a win next weekend over FIU. The 49ers won their first conference game against North Texas on Saturday, tying them with Marshall and FAU in the win column in the East. With FAU missing this week, another win would allow Charlotte to keep pace with Marshall.

Who gets their first conference win next?

North Texas and FIU are the only programs who have played a C-USA game without a conference victory. Both have to go on the round in Week 7. ESPN gives North Texas a 59.1 percent chance of beating Middle Tennessee. FIU has only a 34.4 percent chance of upsetting Charlotte.

Is it time for WKU to make a quarterback change?

Western Kentucky lost their presumed starting quarterback to the Transfer Portal this summer before landing former Maryland signal caller Tyrrell Pigrome late in the offseason. Pigrome has ye to throw for 200 yards in four chances, topping out at 188 in a narrow victory over Middle Tennessee. Backup Kevaris Thomas came in midway through the third quarterback against Marshall and more than doubled Pigrome’s yardage and threw WKU’s only touchdown pass.

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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