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Rice Football: MTSU practice notes and injury updates 🔒

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Rice football is ready to take the field against Middle Tennessee in Week 12. Here are some notes on who’s in, who’s out and the plan at quarterback.

Rice football has three games remaining in the 2019 season. There’s a potential for younger players to see action and questions at the quarterback position 🔒. Amidst all of those variables, the coaching staff is tightening up their focus.

Entering the bye, the message from the top was clear. “This week, stuff has to be proven in practice,” Mike Bloomgren said. “We gotta fix things in practice. It’s gotta look good in practice or we can’t call them in a game.” He noted that standard applies to everything from formations to individual players. The tolerance for errors was already low and it’s continuing to shrink.

“You either win or you learn,” Bloomgren said, “and we’ve learned a lot.”

Quarterback

On the final Thursday walkthrough before traveling on Friday, it was Tom Stewart who took the first-team reps. JoVoni Johnson is currently listed as a game time decision and will make the trip to Murfreesboro. Whether or not he’s healthy enough to go, and be mobile while he’s out there, remains to be seen. My expectation is that Stewart will start against Middle Tennessee.

As for Stewart, Bloomgren was encouraged by what he saw during the bye week from his veteran passer. “He made the most of his reps,” Bloomgren said. “I think it’s been really good, what he’s done this week.”

Stewart seems to be back to his normal self following a back injury which kept him off the field for the majority of the Marshall contest. The medical staff has done everything they can to get him back to health as quickly as possible and early returns are promising.

Since Stewart went down, the Owls offense has changed. It’s less complex and geared more towards helping Johnson command the offense comfortably. We’ll still see that slimmed down offense against Middle Tennessee. Stewart noted that’s probably a good thing, regardless of who is lined up under center.

“It’s helped everyone,” Stewart said. “Let’s do we do well, let’s play fast. And I think that’s kind of been a trend, we haven’t played as fast as we want to. So, I think the tempo and how fast we’re able to process everything has really improved.”

Healing up

There’s at least a chance Rice will get some combination of Andrew Bird, Anthony Ekpe and Brian Chaffin back after the bye week. All three have returned to practice, at least in a limited fashion, with the hope they will be progressively eased back into the flow of things over the next week.

Chaffin still retains his No. 1 spot at center on the depth chart, but spent the majority of the week at guard. It looks like the Owls will move last year’s starter Shea Baker back to center and keep Chaffin next to him, at least for this week.

Neither Ekpe or Bird were listed on the depth chart released on Tuesday. That doesn’t rule them out against Middle Tennessee, but their outlook to return seems a bit more tenuous. It’s a situation we’ll continue to monitor. Of the two, Bird is more likely to play while Ekpe remains a somewhat hazy game-time decision.  Like we mentioned on Ep. 17 of The Roost Podcast this week, don’t be surprised if he’s held out one more week.

Fresh faces

With three games remaining, expect to see freshman and others who haven’t participated much this season to get a few looks down the stretch. The coaching staff won’t put young players on the field just to do it, but those who have earned opportunities through the year will get a shot, whether that’s on special teams or as part of a rotation on offense or defense.

Jawan King saw his first action of the season against Marshall. In addition to him, two names jump out at the moment: linebacker Myron Morrison and safety Chike Anigbogu. Morrison was elevated to the No. 2 spot behind at linebacker behind Blaze Alldredge, filling in for veteran Dylan Silcox who will miss the rest of the season after suffering an injury against Marshall.

Anigobgu has drawn rave reviews for his effort and intensity during practice for several months. Bloomgren said he’s a guy who is “working his butt off and earning out trust.” He’s played in two games to this point and will be a guy who gets in two more in the coming weeks.

Other names that flashed during the past week include corner Josh Landrum, wide receiver Jake Bailey, safety Hunter Henry and safety Kirk Lockhart.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep. 17 – 2019 Middle Tennessee Preview

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Matthew previews Rice Football vs Middle Tennessee in Week 12 and recaps a busy week in Rice Athletics as the football team was on bye.

The bye week was a busy one for Rice Football and the Owls are still on their hunt for their first win. An extra week of prep work and time to get everyone healthy should aid their efforts. Stay tuned for a closer look at the matchups on both sides of the ball and an interview with Eric Henry of Underdog Dynasty in this week’s show.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, Give a listen to Episode 17 below.

Episode 17 Notes

  • News and notes —  Rice Basketball has been busy. The men started the season 3-1 with the women starting 2-0 prior to an upset at the hands of SMU (completed after recording). More on how both teams have looked so far and some big-picture thoughts on their respective seasons.
  • Middle Tennessee Preview — The Blue Raiders are led by quarterback Asher O’Hara, one of the most talented athletes Rice has faced at the quarterback position this season. MTSU’s commitment to the ground game has a similar look and feel to a team like Army, which fits well with the Owls’ strengths. How the Rice offense responds, and who is healthy enough to play quarterback, are also brought into focus.
  • Eric Henry Interview — As someone who spends his days looking at the broader scope of Conference USA, Eric was able to give a great overview of where the conference stands entering the final weeks of the season. We talked championship game scenarios, surprising teams and results and, of course, the upcoming matchup between Rice and Middle Tennessee.

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 Women’s Basketball: SMU upset sours Nancy Mulkey’s record game

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A record-setting outing by Nancy Mulkey was not enough to stave off upset-minded SMU who were able to hand Rice Women’s Basketball their first loss.

Nobody said it would be easy. After rolling through their first two opponents (Nicholls St and Little Rock), Rice Women’s Basketball hit the road to take on SMU. The Mustangs weren’t supposed to the big test — that was to come on Sunday against Texas A&M. But the Owls found out the hard way that every opponent they’ll face is going to be primed for an upset.

Rice started slowly, going 1-for-11 from the field with nine turnovers in the first quarter. Their ever-ready defense kept the Owls in the game, holding SMU to 10 points in the first frame. Then the Owls fired back, outscoring the home team 18-7 in the second quarter, including a 14-0 run to close out the half.

The two teams traded punches throughout the second half. Neither team had a great shooting day, with both teams finishing below 30 percent from the floor. SMU would make the ones that counted the most, including a pair of rim-rattling free throws to extend their lead to 50-43 with 43 seconds to play. The Owls had nothing left in the tank, falling on the road by a final score of 55-43.

Player of the Game

Nancy Mulkey put together a record-breaking performance in defeat. She single-game record with 11 blocks on her way to becoming the second Rice women’s basketball player to ever record a triple-double. In addition to the 11 blocks, Mulkey also tallied 11 rebounds and 15 points.

Mulkey and Ogwumike combined for 11 of the Owls’ 14 made baskets and 32 of the team’s 43 points. The supporting cast didn’t offer much support on a disappointing night for a program that had set much higher expectations for themselves than this.

Up Next

The Owls don’t have any time to feel sorry for themselves. They’ve got plenty still to play for, including their biggest game of the year upcoming. On Sunday, they host No. 5 Texas A&M at Tudor Fieldhouse. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. A win in that game would quickly put this loss in the rearview mirror as they prepare for a full schedule ahead of them.

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Rice Football 2019 Game Preview: Week 12 vs Middle Tennessee

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Rice Football returns from their second bye week in search of their first win over Middle Tennessee. How to watch, stats to know, x-factor picks for both teams and more.

Rice football makes their first-ever trip to Murfreesboro, TN this weekend in search of their first win over Middle Tennessee and their first win of the 2019 season. The Owls lost a close contest to Marshall in their last game before their Week 10 bye.

Like the Owls, the Blue Raiders also had last weekend off. Prior to that, they’d lost three of their last four conference games, all of which were away from home. Middle Tennessee is a perfect 2-0 in Conference USA home games this season, beating FIU and Marshall by a combined score of 74-30.

Here’s what you need to know about both Middle Tennessee and Rice before their Week 12 game.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 3:30 PM CT
Venu | Floyd Stadium – Murfreesboro, TN
TV | ESPN+ (Streaming [$])
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio Preview

We’ll preview the Middle Tennessee game on Episode 17 of The Roost Podcast which will be released on Thursday. Find us on the podcast page or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. (And consider leaving us a 5-star review while you’re at it.)

Sizing up the contenders

Sitting at 0-9, Rice football has had patches of success but has yet to connect those moments into a full four-quarter performance. Despite their lack of wins, the Owls have been in every game after halftime, often finding themselves in a one-score game in the fourth quarter.

Middle Tennessee hasn’t played many close games. Other than a 33-30 loss to North Texas on October 19, their eight remaining contests have been decided by at least two scores, three wins and four losses.

Rice will hope their experience in close games will give them an edge on the road, should they find themselves in that familiar situation once more. Middle Tennessee will do all they can to avoid a close game entirely.

Series History

All Time | No Previous Meetings
Last Five | N/A
Last Meeting | N/A

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Stewart – 49/87 (56.3 percent), 538 yards passing, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Walter – 112 carries, 509 yards (4.5 yards per carry), 5 TD
Receiving | Trammell – 46 receptions, 559 yards (12.2 yards per reception), 3 TD | Rozner – 39 receptions, 551 yards (14.3 yards per reception, 2 TD
Tackles | Alldredge – 74, Montero – 61, Chamberlain – 53
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Thornton – 5 PBU, Smith 2 – INT

Middle Tennessee Stat Notables

Passing | O’Hara – 152/246 (61.8), 1792 yards passing, 13 TD, 6 INT
Rushing | O’Hara – 137 carries, 757 yards (5.5 yards per carry), 7 TD
Receiving | Pierce – 31 receptions, 414 yards (13.4 yards per reception), 2 TD | Lee – 32 receptions, 281 yards (8.8 yards per reception), 1 TD
Tackles | Moffatt – 74, Blankenship – 58, Thomas – 58
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Patterson – 6 PBU, Moffatt – 3 INT

Middle Tennessee X-Factor | Asher O’Hara

As Middle Tennessee quarterback Asher O’Hara goes, so does Middle Tennessee. The dual-threat quarterback is the entirety of his team’s offense. In the Blue Raiders’ three wins, O’Hara is averaging 330 total yards and three touchdowns per game with one interception across those contests. In their losses, he’s been limited to 256 yards per game and 1.8 touchdowns with five turnovers, almost one per game.

Leading receiver Jarrin Pierce has just 31 receptions on the year. No player, other than O’Hara, has more than 36 carries over the course of the season. 11 different Middle Tennessee have scored this season — a byproduct of a system that feeds off of O’Hara’s ability rather than the skillsets of a select group of playmakers.

O’Hara is going to be leaned on to carry this team for a full 60 minutes. If the Owls can stop him, they’ll stop the Middle Tennessee offense. If they can do that, they’ll have a chance to win.

Rice X-Factor | Finding Explosive Plays

Rice found a spark on offense behind freshman quarterback JoVoni Johnson who left the Owls’ last game early with a lower-body injury. He can play in one more game this year and still retain his redshirt eligibility. Whether it’s Johnson or veteran Tom Stewart at the helm, the Owls must turn that spark into a full-fledged flame.

The Owls have had games where three-and-outs hampered their offense. That wasn’t the case against Marshall. They drove down the field successfully but frequently stalled out, failing to turn first downs into touchdowns.

Explosive plays are the missing part of that equation. Rice has proven their ability to generate first downs, but collecting them in bunches is much more challenging of a proposition than stringing a few together with a big play to link them together. Johnson and Juma Otoviano gave this offense a fresh feel. If they can take the next step, and someone else can join in, the Owls could complement a stingy defense with points.

Injury Report

The bye week came at a good time for Rice football on the injury front. Anthony Ekpe, Andrew Bird and Brian Chaffin all could return to action this week. All three have progressed from where they were last week. In addition to the quarterbacks, those three will be names to watch during the weekend.

Need More?

The Roost’s 2019 Rice Football Season Preview has four pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth chart, important new arrivals and depth chart breakdowns for each foe. Better yet, it’s not just speculation, each profile was created with insight from local experts who cover those teams day in and day out. Pick up your copy today and get four pages and more than 1,000 words on every foe.

Pick ‘Em Contest

If you haven’t yet, make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and submit them on the forum thread to enter.

  1. How many combined touchdown passes will be thrown (both teams)?
    Over 3.5 / Under 3.5
  2. Which team converts more third downs?
    Rice (or tie) / MTSU
  3. Which team has more time of possession?
    Rice / MTSU (or tie)
  4. How many passes will Rice quarterbacks complete?
    Over 15.5 / Under 15.5
  5. Which total is higher?
    Number of Rice first downs / Number of Blaze Alldredge tackles (or tie)
  6. Who wins?
    Rice / MTSU

One Final Thing

In many ways, the Middle Tennessee matchup is a favorable one for Rice. Their strength on defense pitted against a potent offense will be the most intriguing battle, but it’s what happens on the other side of the ball that might win this game.

The Middle Tennessee defense has talent, but hasn’t been able to turn their collection of playmakers into a consistent unit. If Rice football is going to turn things around, this is a unit that doesn’t appear to be as daunting as some of the other defensive fronts they’ve faced yet this season.

Combing both facets of their game — a strong defense with a growing offense — could give the Owls a dose of energy headed into the home stretch. They could use the jolt.

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Rice Football 2019: Owls in the NFL Week 10 Update

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Vance McDonald had his first career carry on a quiet weekend for the NFL Owls in Week 10. Here’s the latest on the Rice Football alums at the next level.

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

Week 10 results

Broncos (Anderson, Callahan) – BYE
Vikings 28 (Sendejo) – Cowboys 24 (Covington)
Seahawks 27 (Ellerbee, Willson) – 49ers 24
Steelers 17 (Boswell, McDonald) – Rams 12
Texans (Gaines) – BYE

Calvin Anderson, OT, Broncos

Anderson has yet to appear in a game since joining the Broncos from the Jets practice squad midseason. The Broncos were on bye in Week 10. They visit the Vikings in Week 11.

Bryce Callahan, CB, Broncos

Callahan’s 2019 season has yet to start after an injury sidelined him at the tail end of last season. Early reports indicate he could return to practice as soon as Tuesday, a positive sign for his return this year. The Broncos were on bye in Week 10. They visit the Vikings in Week 11.

Christian Covington, DE, Cowboys

Covington did not register any stats in the Cowboys’ Week 10 loss to the Vikings. He’s appeared in all nine of the Cowboys’ games to this point but hasn’t registered a tackle since Week 6 against the New York Jets. The Cowboys visit the Lions in Week 11.

Andrew Sendejo, Saf, Vikings

Sendejo was released from the Eagles at the beginning of the week and claimed off of waivers by the Vikings, his former team. Sendejo wasn’t active in his return. The Vikings host the Broncos in Week 11.

Emmanuel Ellerbee, LB, Seahawks

Ellerbee was placed injured reserve prior to the start of the season. The Seahawks are on bye in Week 11.

Luke Willson, TE, Seahawks

Luke Willson left the Seahawks’ Monday Night Football game with the 49ers early with a hamstring injury. He did not have a catch before his exit. The Seahawks are on bye in Week 11.

Chris Boswell, K, Steelers

Boswell took the field three times on Sunday, connecting on all three of his attempts — one field goal and two extra points. The Steelers visit the Browns in Week 11 on Thursday Night Football.

Vance McDonald, TE, Steelers

McDonald tied for the team lead in targets with seven in the Steelers victory over the Rams. He caught three of those passes for 11 yards and added a two-yard carry. Now in his seventh NFL season, that was the first rushing attempt he’s registered in his career. The Steelers visit the Browns in Week 11 on Thursday Night Football.

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 were on bye in Week 10. They visit the Ravens in Week 11.

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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