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Rice Football 2019: Owls in the NFL Week 13 Update

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A big Thanksgiving day from former Rice Football defensive lineman Christian Covington led the way among the NFL Owls top performances in Week 13.

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

Week 13 results

Seahawks 37 (Ellerbee, Willson) – Vikings 30 (Sendejo)
Broncos 23 (Anderson, Callahan) – Chargers 20
Bills 26 – Cowboys 15 (Covington)
Steelers 20 (Boswell, McDonald) – Browns 13
Texans 28 (Gaines) – Patriots 22

Calvin Anderson, OT, Broncos

Anderson has yet to appear in a game for the Broncos this season. He was again listed among the team’s inactives this week. The Broncos travel to the Texans in Week 14.

Bryce Callahan, CB, Broncos

Callahan was placed on injured reserve earlier this season, never playing for the Broncos in 2019. He will be sidelined for the remainder of the year. The Broncos travel to the Texans in Week 14.

Christian Covington, DE, Cowboys

Covington matched his season-high four tackles on Thanksgiving against the Bills. He had one sack and two tackles for a loss as well as a quarterback hit, harassing quarterback Josh Allen in a losing effort. The Cowboys travel to the Bears for Thursday Night Football in Week 14.

Andrew Sendejo, Saf, Vikings

Sendejo did not register any stats in the Vikings Monday Night Football loss to the Seahawks. The Vikings host the Lions in Week 14.

Emmanuel Ellerbee, LB, Seahawks

Ellerbee was placed injured reserve prior to the start of the season. The Seahawks travel to the Rams on Sunday Night Football in Week 14.

Luke Willson, TE, Seahawks

Willson has missed the past two games, including Monday Night Football against the Vikings. His status going forward remains uncertain, The Seahawks travel to the Rams on Sunday Night Football in Week 14.

Chris Boswell, K, Steelers

Chris Boswell handled his business on Sunday, posting another perfect day from the field. Boswell made field goals from 29 yards and 39 yards as well as a pair of extra points. He’s hit 21-of-23 field goals this season and all 21 of his extra point tries. The Steelers travel to the Cardinals in Week 14.

Vance McDonald, TE, Steelers

McDonald caught every pass thrown his way in his Week 13, notching 21 yards on three receptions against the Browns. That was the second-most catches on the team, trailing only wideout James Washington who had four. The Steelers travel to the Cardinals in Week 14.

Phillip Gaines, CB, Texans

Gaines was placed on injured reserve following an ankle injury suffered during the Texans’ Week 8 game against the Colts. The Texans host the Broncos in Week 14.

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: Owls hope to ride momentum into 2020

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Rice football ended 2019 on a high note with a win over UTEP, setting the stage for what many expect to be a breakthrough 2020 season.

If you had walked into the Rice football locker room on Saturday evening, you’d have seen the full range of emotions. As players celebrated their third consecutive victory there were seniors who shed tears, arms draped around underclassmen while they processed the end of their own college careers.

Mike Bloomgren stood in the middle of it all. Elated by what this team had accomplished, all the while knowing when the wheels touched down in Houston early Sunday morning it would be time to get right back to work. They broke down the tape and had a full staff meeting, all before hosting a recruiting visit later that night. As the calendar turns to December, it’s still all hands on deck as they try to finalize the majority of the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class.

But before he could get to that tomorrow, Bloomgren stopped to process the here and now.

“That’s really what [this win] is all about,” Bloomgren said. “It’s about a group of men that made a decision. They made a decision to win their last three games and to do everything they could for each other to ensure that that happened. Today is the culmination of that. It’s the culmination of our 2019 season. It’s the start of something really cool too.”

The magnitude of what this team accomplished was sizable. No Rice team had won three-straight to close out a season since the 2013 squad that won the Conference USA championship.

More: Takeaways from Rice Football vs UTEP

And for the most part, they’re coming back. The defense will lose starting tackle Myles Adams. The offense will have to replace three grad transfer offensive lineman and quarterback Tom Stewart. The answer at quarterback might have been solved in the second half when JoVoni Johnson took over and scored his first two career touchdowns. If Rice can recruit and develop depth on the offensive line, they could bring back a fully stocked cupboard on both sides of the football next season.

Building from a strong base, the 2020 Rice football team is full of players who refuse to succumb to the status quo. “[We] just want to keep going. keep growing, continue to be better and continue to help our team be better,” team captain Austin Trammell said after the game. Junior linebacker Blaze Alldredge echoed those words, hoping the team could “carry this momentum into the offseason and develop into even better players for next year.”

Momentum, talent and a desire to be better from top to bottom. The makings of something special are being assembled on South Main. Year three of the Mike Bloomgren era is already off to a great start.

But first, it’s time to celebrate. “I’m proud to be their coach, I know that much,” Bloomgren said, content to enjoy the present before the future arrives. After all, the process demands it.

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Rice Football: 2019 Redshirt report for returning players

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The 2019 Rice Football season is in the books and the time to look ahead has arrived. Here’s a snapshot of returning players and their redshirt status.

More: Takeaways from Rice Football’s win over UTEP in Week 14

The official participation records for Rice football indicate the following players participated in the number of games shown below. Year classifications reflect the current season. For instance, Antonio Montero just finished his sophomore season, playing in all 12 games.

NO NAME POS YR Participation
1 Montero, Antonio LB So. 12
17 Chamberlain, Treshawn S So. 12
88 Pitre III, August WR So. 12
10 Orji, Kenneth DE Rs. So. 12
18 Thornton, Tyrae CB Rs. So. 12
23 Richardson, Isaiah S Rs. So. 12
58 Baker, Shea OL Rs. So. 12
82 Bull, Jaeger TE Rs. So. 12
7 Myers, Jordan TE Rs. Jr. 12
92 Garcia, Elijah DT Rs. Jr. 12
48 Doddridge, Jacob DE Rs. Fr. 12
2 Rozner, Brad WR Jr. 12
3 Smith, Naeem S Jr. 12
10 Trammell, Austin WR Jr. 12
20 Nyakwol, George S Jr. 12
46 Grammer, Garrett LB Jr. 12
55 Alldredge, Blaze LB Jr. 12
87 Bradley, Jack TE Fr. 12
96 Carroll, De’Braylon DT Fr. 12
97 Bickham, Adrian DE Fr. 12
4 Calderon, Prudy S So. 11
34 Riddle, Campbell LS So. 11
5 Newsome, Dasharm S Rs. Jr. 11
52 Hubbard, JaVante DT Rs. Jr. 11
18 French, Robert TE Rs. Fr. 11
71 Servin, Clay OL Rs. Fr. 11
91 Enechukwu, Ikenna DT Rs. Fr. 11
11 Bailey, Jake WR Fr. 11
19 Devones, Tre’shon CB Fr. 11
25 Harrison, Will K Rs. So. 10
15 Bird, Andrew CB Rs. Fr. 10
30 Broussard, Ari RB Rs. Fr. 10
85 Suckley, Brendan FB Rs. Fr. 10
9 Lockhart, Kirk S Fr. 10
77 Osuji, Uzoma OL Rs. Jr. 9
11 Valentine, Cameron DT Rs. Fr. 9
16 Hoban, Zach K Fr. 9
7 Schuman, Trey DE Rs. So. 8
33 Ekpe, Anthony DE Rs. Jr. 8
22 White, Jason CB Rs. Fr. 8
8 Montgomery, Cameron RB Rs. So. 7
5 Green, Wiley QB Rs. Fr. 7
37 Grams, Jacob S Rs. So. 5
44 Page, Kebreyun DE So. 4
73 Garcia, Cole OL So. 4
24 McCord, Miles CB So. 4
63 Peterson, Brandt OL Rs. So. 4
3 Johnson , JoVoni QB Fr. 4
57 Morrison, Myron LB Fr. 4
13 Knipe, Zane WR Fr. 4
94 Pearcy, Josh DE Fr. 4
14 Landrum, Joshua CB Fr. 4
21 Otoviano, Juma RB So. 3
29 Anigbogu, Chike S Fr. 3
95 Floyd, Izeya DT Fr. 3
22 King, Jawan RB Fr. 3
59 Johnson III, Jerry OL Fr. 3
26 Henry, Hunter S Fr. 3
72 Jones, Hunter OL Fr. 3
12 Conrad, Austin WR Rs. So. 2
75 Ferraro, Derek OL Rs. Fr. 2
54 Klarkowski, Issac OL Fr. 2
79 Riddle, Regan OL Fr. 2
19 Marshman, Evan QB Rs. So. 1
80 Sanchez, Jonathan TE Rs. So. 1
31 Sams, Matthew S Rs. Fr. 1
6 Battley, JaQuez LB So. 0
89 Adams, Miles DE So. 0
16 Blosser, Robbie QB Rs. So. 0
15 Boudreaux, Chris WR Rs. Fr. 0
17 Towns, Parker QB Rs. Fr. 0
35 Armstrong, Luke FB Rs. Fr. 0
85 McQuarry, Nicholas K Rs. Fr. 0
27 Noriega, Ayden RB Fr. 0
38 Palmer, Jashon WR Fr. 0
41 Braden, Garrett LB Fr. 0
50 Hanley, Hunter LB Fr. 0
51 Martinez, Will OL Fr. 0
56 Lahlouh, Edmond LB Fr. 0
67 Hughes, Connor OL Fr. 0
74 Wagman, Nick OL Fr. 0
84 Mecom, Bennett TE Fr. 0
91 Mendes, Charlie P Fr. 0

2020 Outlook

Special teams player and reserve safety Jacob Grams was the only one player to see action in exactly five games this season. Every other player seemed to have a clearly delineated usage, playing either seven or more games or four or fewer.

These five players who redshirted this season could be in line to either start or see significantly more playing time in 2020. Several others like corner will be more heavily involved after their redshirt year as well.

  •  QB JoVoni Johnson – 4 games (1 start) – Scored his first two career touchdowns in the season finale against UTEP. Provided a spark to the Rice offense and will be in the mix to be the starting quarterback next fall.
  • OG Cole Garcia – Started last season but was moved to reserve action with the influx of grad transfers on the offensive line. He proved to be a quality depth piece and could be in the line to start or see more action depending on how the line shakes out next season.
  • RB Juma Otoviano – Had surgery during the season and could be a candidate for a medical redshirt this year. Assuming health, he’ll be a prime candidate to be a breakout player for the Owls in some form or fashion in 2020.
  • P Charlie Mendes – With both Adam Nunez and Chris Barnes out of eligibility, the freshman is the obvious candidate to fill their shoes. He punted well in the spring and the fall and has high expectations of him entering what should be his first season as a starter.
  • Saf Chike Anigbogu – Anigbogu drew rave reviews throughout the fall with his consistent performances in practice. Rice football is deep at the safety position, but he’ll see much more action on special teams in 2020 if nothing else.
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Rice Football: Center Isaac Klarkowski latest of Owls’ walk-on successes

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For Rice football, recruiting efforts go well beyond scholarship players. Freshman center Isaac Klarkowski is the latest in a growing line of walk-on successes.

It’s harder for Rice football to win than it is for some other state schools with deep pockets and fewer academic restrictions. Head coach Mike Bloomgren knew that when he took the job; he faced similar constraints in his prior stint at Stanford. To compete against the schools who don’t face those challenges, Bloomgren and his staff were going to need to find unique advantages.

When walk-on center Isaac Klarkowski took the first snap in the Owls’ most recent game against North Texas, one of those advantages was thrust into the spotlight.  Finding and/or equipping walk-on players like Klarkowski, Chris Barnes and Tre’shon Devones — all of whom started against North Texas — is something Rice football likes to think they do better than most. The results so far speak for themselves.

A team that had their fair share of struggles protecting the quarterback this season with their staters healthy didn’t seem perturbed by the last-minute substitution in the heart of the offensive line. Instead, the low-profile, scout team defensive lineman became the hero of the Owls’ first home win of the 2019 season.

There were plenty of places and people Bloomgren could have keyed in on following his team’s win on Senior Day. The most notable was probably Treshawn Chamberlain, who arguably won the game with a stadium-shaking endzone pass break up. But Bloomgren opened his comments on the win with a nod to Klarkowski.

“I know many of you might not have known his name until he started on Saturday,” Bloomgren said. “He is a walk-on true freshman from Green Bay, Wisconsin who joined our team three days before camp. We’re sure glad he did.”

Klarkowski had a tough decision to make on his way out of high school. An All-State wrester from the midwest, he was entertaining multiple Big Ten wrestling scholarship offers when he got the call from Rice. Suddenly he was faced with a decision, which ultimately ended up with a commitment to play for the Owls with no scholarship promised.

Preview: Rice Football vs UTEP in Week 14

The out of state product is studying mechanical engineering with aspirations of working for NASA, who sets up shop not far from Rice campus. Klarkowski wants to be a rocket scientist and he’s a D1 caliber athlete. Somehow, someway, programs around the country didn’t prioritize him to the same degree Rice did.

The intelligence was crucial to his big moment on Saturday. With starter Shea Baker sick with the flu and backup Brian Chaffin injured, Klarkowski wasn’t notified he would officially be the guy until Saturday. He didn’t take first-team or second-team reps during the week when the team implemented their game plan.

Klarkowski’s training came by way of a crash course hotel room session with Chaffin. Arguably as well versed in this offense as any of the coaches, Chaffin’s fifth year in Bloomgren’s system gave him ample knowledge to impart. The pair moved the beds to the side of the room and drilled down on every play. That process took less than an hour. Then Klarkowski strapped on his pads and took the field to snap the ball for the very first time in a college game.

Every walk on doesn’t turn into a starter. In actually, the hit rate leans heavily toward microscopic. But as more players like Klarkowski show up, it might be time to give credit to where credit is due. Rice football has a way with walk-ons. And those walk-ons just helped win some important football games.

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Rice Football 2019: Week 14 UTEP Press Conference quotes

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Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren discussed the Owls’ Senior Day win over North Texas and the upcoming game against UTEP in Week 14.

More: Rice Football game preview for Week 14 vs UTEP

Defensive tackle Myles Adams and wide receiver Bradley Rozner joined Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren at the podium on Tuesday. The trio discussed their second-straight win, which came last Saturday over North Texas, and previewed their upcoming season finale against UTEP.

From Mike Bloomgren

On the win over North Texas…

“Saturday’s win was a really big deal for our team. It was just huge and as we continue to build the culture around this program, it takes wins like we had on Saturday to continue to advance it. To continue to build the confidence in these coaches and this program. So, I’m really happy that we were able to do that. We talked all week about starting fast. As we always say, start fast, stay focused and finish strong. I thought for the most part, we did that in all three phases. We didn’t get the production that we wanted out of the offense in the second half. But we had a really good first half.”

On the impact a third-straight win would have on the program…

“The last thing we looked at when we challenged them in the bye week to win the last three [games] and to really get some momentum going. For the seniors to leave their mark and end with a winning streak, something that hasn’t happened here since 2014. To leave this place better than they found it for the seniors.

For the people who are coming back, it sets the tone for the offseason. It’s going to be a grind. It’s going to be a grind every day with Hans Straub. So why not go into it with a three-game winning streak and all of the optimism in the world for the 2020 season? Not to look ahead at all but the reality is that anytime you win your last game, everything feels better. You have momentum in recruiting. There’s some great graduate transfer targets that we’re after right now. Every little bit helps. So that’s what we can control. We can control going 1-0 this week by preparing like crazy.”

On injuries and the plan at quarterback this week…

“Good news from an injury standpoint — everybody who played in the last game is still available in this one. Nobody has been ruled out and JoVoni [Johnson] and Juma [Otoviano] have not been ruled out either so we could have both of them available as well. Tom Stewart will be the starting quarterback.”

On true freshman walk-on center Isaac Klarkowski…

“At the very least, he’s going to be a backup in our program. He has earned our trust. I don’t see any time where we would ever say that we don’t trust Issac. The news came at 11:30 on Friday morning that we may not have Shea Baker available. It would be a game-time decision… We were really low on options. We got to a point where we all thought that (Issac) was our best one because of how smart he is, how well he’s done in the crossover work in the scrimmages in the bye week. By the end of practice on Friday, I looked at Coach (Jerry) Mack and said that I’ll be able to sleep tonight. I know he’s going to do fine.”

From DT Myles Adams

On the team’s mindset entering their finale against UTEP…

“I’m not focusing on the fact that this is the last game, I’m just focusing on the fact that we need to not try to take the foot off the gas because what we’ve been preaching the last two weeks is going all gas, no breaks. Just because it’s the end of the season [it doesn’t mean] we need to step up our efforts at all. We’ve been putting in work this whole season. It’s just that we got two wins in the last two weeks. So I’m preaching to the young guys to just stay focused.”

From WR Bradley Rozner

On the team’s mindset entering their finale against UTEP…

“The challenge is to finish strong. Obviously we need to stay focused. We really haven’t done much. All we’ve done really is win two games, so what this game really means is [we can be] headed into the offseason with the right mindset, that we can win games, that we can have a winning streak and this program really can be successful.”

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