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Rice Football 2019: Owls in the NFL Week 17 Update

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A few Rice football alums are playoff bound in Seattle, Minnesota and Houston. Final regular season stats and a roundup of the NFL Owls in Week 17.

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

Week 17 results

Broncos 16 (Anderson, Callahan) – Raiders 15 
Cowboys 47 (Covington) – Redskins 16
49ers 26 – Seahawks 21 (Ellerbee, Willson)
Ravens 28 – Steelers 10 (Boswell, McDonald)
Titans 35 – Texans 14 (Gaines)
Chicago 21 – Vikings 19 (Sendejo)

Calvin Anderson, OT, Broncos

Anderson did not appear in a game for the Broncos this season despite being signed midway through the season. He was inactive in every game following his arrival to Denver, including their Week 17 win over the Raiders.

Bryce Callahan, CB, Broncos

Callahan was placed on injured reserve earlier this season, never playing for the Broncos in 2019. Like Anderson, he did not make any appearances for Denver this season.

Christian Covington, DE, Cowboys

Covington tallied four tackles in the Cowboys dominant win over the Redskins in their final game of the 2019 season. The win wasn’t enough, though, as the Eagles clinched the final playoff berth in the NFC with a win over the Redskins, knocking the Cowboys out of the playoffs. Covington ends the year with a career-best 28 tackles with one sack and one pass break up.

Andrew Sendejo, Saf, Vikings

Sendejo was fourth on the team in tackles, finishing with seven in Sunday’s narrow loss to the Bears. Spanning two teams and 15 games, Sendejo tallied 44 tackles, three interceptions and four pass break ups during the regular season. The Vikings will travel to the Saints in the first round of the playoffs next weekend.

Emmanuel Ellerbee, LB, Seahawks

Ellerbee was placed injured reserve prior to the start of the season. He did not appear in any games with the Seahawks this year.

Luke Willson, TE, Seahawks

Willson was inactive for the Seahawks’ final regular season game, a heartbreaking loss to the 49ers that came down to a fourth-down stop at the goal line. Willson played eight games this season. He caught eight passes for 79 yards with a long of 17 yards.

The loss secures Seattle as the No. 5 seed in the NFC. They’ll travel to Philadelphia to play the Eagles in the first round of the playoffs next weekend.

Chris Boswell, K, Steelers

Boswell saw limited action on Sunday, making one extra point and one 26-yard field goal in the Steelers’ loss to the Lamar Jackson-less Baltimore Ravens. Boswell made 29 of 31 field goal attempts this season and was perfect on 28 extra point tries. The Steelers were eliminated from the playoffs with the loss, but the Titans’ win over the Texans in Week 17 would have kept them out regardless of the result of their game.

Vance McDonald, TE, Steelers

The Steelers couldn’t get much going on offense on Sunday. Quarterback Duck Hodges completed nine passes, two to McDonald, who had 19 receiving yards, second-most on the team. McDonald ends the year with 38 receptions for 273 yards and three touchdowns.

Phillip Gaines, CB, Texans

Gaines was placed on injured reserve following an ankle injury suffered during the Texans’ Week 8 game against the Colts. Gaines ends the season with six games played and two starts. He had two pass breakups. The Texans host the Bills in the first round of the playoffs next week.

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.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Owls add pair of wide receivers to 2020 class

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The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class added a pair of talented wide receivers, picking up commitments from Michael Haack and Casey Tawa.

Entering the final weeks of the current cycle, there was room for a few additional pass catchers in the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class. While some were still traveling to and from their holiday festivities, the Owls were making moves.

Andrew Mason was the only true wide receiver that signed in December, making that one of the positions the Owls were looking to deepen over the next several weeks. On Saturday Rice tripled their wide receiver depth with two new additions. Both players have the potential to be key contributors for Rice.

Michael Haack

Michael Haack came onto the radar earlier this summer after the Owls’ staff spotted him on the camp circuit. He followed that up with an impressive senior year, hauling in 14 touchdowns and shredding defense after defense. The El Paso native had a breakout senior season, finishing first-team all-district and was his all-star game MVP.

It’s worth noting Rice plucked Haack out of UTEP’s backyard. Rather than suiting up for a Conference USA opponent, he’ll don the blue and grey next season. That’s a win on top of a win for Rice.

Casey Tawa

Haack would have made for a nice Christmas present for this class on his own, but Rice doubled down on Saturday, adding out of state playmaker Casey Tawa. Tawa’s brother plays baseball at Stanford and the Oregon native has a tremendous interest in the Stanford-like dedication instilled by Mike Bloomgren and his coaching staff.

On the field, Tawa’s production speaks for itself. He led the state of Oregon with 18 touchdown receptions this season. His acceleration after the catch is superb.

 

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2020 Early Signing Period Roundup

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The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class had an eventful December. Here’s an overview of The Roost’s coverage of the Owls’ newest additions.

The New Year will bring another flurry of activity for the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class. The Owls have another half dozen or so spots to hand out in the class, earmarking several of them for high-profile graduate transfers. Before we look ahead, don’t miss the impressive haul already in the fold. Here’s a rundown of the big week.

Five players committed to Rice in December:

In total, Rice signed 17 players during the early signing period. 11 of those were on offense, with the remaining six on defense. Only one commit,FB Brian Hibbard remains unsigned. He is expected to sign in February.

We broke down several angles of this class, from the 10,000-foot view to position by position analysis. On the macro perspective, here are five takeaways from the 2020 class as it currently stands. Rice addressed their biggest needs and won some impressive head to head battles on their way to constructing what could be a program-altering class.

More specifically, here’s a snapshot of the defensive haul and of the commits on the offensive side of the ball.

If you’re traveling over the holidays, and you’ve already read through the written analysis, make sure you give The Roost Podcast a listen. Carter and I worked through the impact of the incoming players, honing in on how each player would fit at Rice among others at their position.

The Roost Podcast | Ep. 22 – Rice Football Early Signing Period

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Rice Football 2019: Owls in the NFL Week 16 Update

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Multiple NFL Owls are in the playoff hunt. Which former Rice football alums got a step closer to the postseason in Week 16?

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

Week 16 results

Broncos 27 (Anderson, Callahan) – Lions 17 
Eagles 17 – Cowboys 9 (Covington)
Cardinals 27 – Seahawks 13 (Ellerbee, Willson)
Jets 16 – Steelers 10 (Boswell, McDonald)
Texans 23 (Gaines) – Bucs 20
Packers 23 – Vikings 10 (Sendejo)

Calvin Anderson, OT, Broncos

Anderson has yet to appear in a game for the Broncos this season. He was inactive again this week. The Broncos host the Raiders in Week 17.

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 host the Raiders in Week 17.

Christian Covington, DE, Cowboys

Covington was limited to one tackle in the Cowboys’ Week 16 defeat to the Eagles. The Cowboys host the Redskins in Week 17. They can clinch a playoff birth with a win next week and an Eagles’ loss to the Giants.

Andrew Sendejo, Saf, Vikings

Sendejo made one tackle in the Vikings’ Monday Night Football loss to the Packers. The Vikings host the Bears in Week 17.

Emmanuel Ellerbee, LB, Seahawks

Ellerbee was placed injured reserve prior to the start of the season. The Seahawks host the 49ers on Sunday Night Football in Week 17.

Luke Willson, TE, Seahawks

Willson was eased back into the offense after missing the previous four weeks with a hamstring injury. He played on 22 snaps and was not targeted. The Seahawks host the 49ers on Sunday Night Football in Week 17.

Chris Boswell, K, Steelers

Boswell continues to be one of the most reliable players for the Steelers this season. He made his only field goal attempt Sunday, a 49-yard try, as well as his sole extra point. The Steelers visit the Ravens in Week 17 who could be resting multiple starters. They can clinch a playoff birth with a win next week and a Titans’ loss to the Texans.

Vance McDonald, TE, Steelers

McDonald hauled in three passes on six targets, tallying nine reciving yards against the Jets. The Steelers visit the Ravens in Week 17 who could be resting multiple starters. They can clinch a playoff birth with a win next week and a Titans’ loss to the Texans.

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 Titans in Week 17.

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.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep. 22 – Rice Football Early Signing Period

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The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class has its first signees. Carter and Matthew break down the new additions and analyze how they fit with the current roster.

The Early Signing Period has become the defacto National Signing Day. This year, the 2020 Rice Football Recruiting class inked 17 of its 19 members, holding onto only a handful of remaining slots for February additions. Each of these players was brought to South Main with a purpose. Follow along to hear how the Owls plan to utilize their new additions.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, Give a listen to Episode 22 below.

Episode 22 Notes

  • The Roost Postseason Survey — We didn’t mention it directly on the podcast, but please take a moment to fill out this brief survey. Feedback makes us better. Whether you have comments on the site, the podcast or anything else, we want to hear it. Thanks!
  • Biggest areas of need — Quarterback and offensive line stood out as two positions Rice needed to answer in this recruiting cycle. One of the biggest takeaways from the initial signees was the Owls’ response to that need. More on the decision to take two quarterbacks and the outlook for the offensive line after losing three graduate starters.
  • Position by position outlook —  Beyond the generic information (height, hometown, position, etc), each addition has a specific role they’ll be asked to play for Rice football in the near future. Which players will see the field soonest and which players will benefit the most from an offseason workout program with head strength and conditioning coach Hans Straub?

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.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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