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Rice Football Recruiting: Owls offer 2021 QB Wyatt Begeal

October 19, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

The first offer of the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class has been extended to Wyatt Begeal, a quarterback the Owls hope will be their future.

This is a big one. Rice football is two months away from the early signing period for their 2020 class. In the most recent recruiting cycle, the Owls didn’t extend their first offer to a high school junior until January.

That 2020 class is on track to be one of the best classes in program history. Their first commitment of that class, safety Plae Wyatt, didn’t make his pledge until the end of February. The highest-rated player to jump on board to this point, Sean Fresch, committed at the end of June. The 202o Rice football class isn’t done yet. The Owls have several additional targets in their sights  — more on that in a separate update soon.

Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting

Not only is Rice setting a great pace with that strong class, but they’ve also kicked off the 2021 cycle with arguably their most important target: a quarterback. And not just any quarterback, Cibolo Steele’s dual-threat triggerman Wyatt Begeal.

First and foremost, Begeal is a playmaker. He threw for 2,100 yards as a sophomore. He kicked off his junior campaign with 1,384 yards passing, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions with 420 yards rushing and six rushing touchdowns.

Standing at 6-foot-1 and tipping the scales at just under 200 pounds, he’s a compact, powerful athlete. And he’s the number one priority in the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class. The Owls will begin to extend other 2021 offers as it makes sense, but they’re hoping to get out in front of Wyatt’s recruitment and bring him aboard as the leader of this class and the Owls’ future.

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

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Filed Under: Archive, Football, Football Recruiting Tagged With: Rice Football, Rice Football recruiting, Wyatt Begeal

The Roost Podcast | Ep. 12 – 2019 UTSA Preview, CUSA Recap

October 17, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice Football is favored for the first time and lots has happened in Conference USA. Carter and Matthew and special guest Adam Martinez break it all down.

The bye week is over and Rice football is back in action, this time as a favorite for the first time in 2019. Needless to say, there was plenty to discuss beyond just the x’s and o’s of the Owls’ upcoming matchup with UTSA.

This game falls in the midpoint of the regular season, making it the perfect time to talk through Conference USA from a broader perspective than South Main. Adam Martinez of Conference USA Report stopped bye to talk about some of the surprises, stars and biggest storylines at the halfway mark.

Stay tuned this week as we break down the UTSA contest. You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page, including last’s week’s recap of the UAB game and mailbag.

Give a listen to Episode 12 below.

Follow @TheRoostPod

Episode 12 Notes

  • News and notes —  Don’t forget to join the site as a member and get access to insider info like midweek practice reports and more.
  • Rice athletics updates — Jack Fox to the XFL, Calvin Anderson inks deal with Rubix’s and Rice Women’s Basketball tabbed preseason favorites.
  • Around Conference USA with Adam Martinez — Early season surprises and disappointments, storylines to watch going forward and more. Adam and Matthew work through a busy first half of the season in C-USA.
  • Previewing the UTSA game — Carter and Matthew break down how Rice matches up with UTSA on both sides of the ball before getting into the optics and higher-level implications of this game. Progress for Rice football this week should end with a win.

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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Filed Under: Football, Archive, Featured, Podcast Tagged With: Game preview, podcast, Rice Football

Rice Football 2019 Game Preview: Week 8 vs UTSA

October 15, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice Football is back from an off week and will hit the road to play UTSA. How to watch, stats to know, x-factor picks for both teams and more.

The last time each of these teams took the field they fell to UAB. Rice football was forced to weather multiple lightning delays, falling to the Blazers 35-20 in Birmingham. UTSA was protected from the elements, at home in a dome, and was defeated by UAB by the final score of 33-14.

Rice used the past week off to regroup. Still winless, the Owls hope to turn things around against the Roadrunners. Here’s what you need to know about both the opponent and Rice before their Week 8 contest.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 5:00 PM CT
Venu | Alamodome – San Antonio, Tx
TV | ESPN3 (Streaming)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio Preview

We’ll preview the UTSA game on Episode 12 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

UTSA’s Week 6 win over UTEP marked their first Conference USA victory since they beat Rice in Houston last October. The Owls also have won conference win since that game, a season-ending victory over Old Dominion. That was last season, though, and Rice football is still looking for that next elusive victory.

While the Owls have played several teams close, the Roadrunners have finished more games than their visiting opponents have thus far. UTSA also beat Incarnate Word in their season opener, giving them two wins to the Owls nil.

The pressure is cranking up on both head coaches in this matchup. Frank Wilson’s team has failed to improve since he took over in 2016 whereas Mike Bloomgren is seeking proof of his process in his second year at South Main. A win on Saturday would be big for both programs.

Series History

All Time | UTSA leads 4-3
Last Five | UTSA leads 4-1
Last Meeting | Home 2018, UTSA won 20-3

Rice Football Stat Notables

Passing | Green – 52/98 (53.1 percent), 548 yards passing, 2 TD, 0 INT
Rushing | Walter – 92 carries, 395 yards (4.3 yards per carry), 4 TD
Receiving | Trammell – 28 receptions, 397 yards (14.2 yards per reception), 1 TD
Tackles | Alldredge – 53, Montero – 37, Chamberlain – 35
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Thornton – 5 PBU, Nyakwol/Chamberlain – 1 INT each

UTSA Football Stat Notables

Passing | Narcisse – 32/76 (42.1), 273 yards passing, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing | McCormick – 83 carries, 473 yards (5.7 yards per carry), 5 TD
Receiving | Strickland – 15 receptions, 129 yards (8.6 yards per reception), 1 TD
Tackles | Martel – 42, Austin 35, Harris – 24
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Grady/Mayfield Jr – 4 PBU each, Carter-McLin/Harris – 1 INT each

UTSA X-Factor | Quarterback play

The season-ending injury of quarterback Frank Harris put the breaks on any sort of optimism for the UTSA offense. Harris had played well against Incarnate Word and Army, holding up decently well against Baylor before being knocked out of the Roadrunners’ Week 4 game against North Texas. With Harris out, replacement Lowell Narcisse has floundered.

Starting with his relief appearance when Harris went down, Narcisse hasn’t completed 50 percent of his passes in a game this season. He’s thrown for more than 100 yards once (against North Texas) and that came with two interceptions.

Narcisse is much more dangerous on the ground, averaging 5.7 yards per carry with three touchdowns. As capable as the Rice defense has looked throughout this season, teams have been able to outscore the Owls. If Narcisse can be proficient enough through the air, he’ll keep the offense balanced and give his team its best chance to score. Otherwise, it’s going to be a tough day at the office for the UTSA offense.

Rice X-Factor | Front seven supremacy

UTSA has a one-dimensional offense. When the running game is snuffed out, the UTSA offense goes with it. The Roadrunners are averaging 6.4 yards per carry in their two wins this season and 3.6 yards per carry in their four losses.

Stopping the run plays into a strength of the Rice defense. Wake Forest was the only team to average more than five yards per carry against the Owls, but nearly half of their 201 rushing yards came on one explosive play. If the Owls had their pick, they’d prefer to match up with a run-first team like this.

UTSA ranked 129th out of 130 FBSIf th team in scoring offense last season. They’ve improved slightly through the first half of 2019 to 121st, but the Roadrunner won’t win shootouts against most teams. If Rice can curtail the running game, UTSA will struggle to score.

Injury Report

Anthony Ekpe and Reagan Williams will be two names to keep an eye on this week. Williams has missed the last two games for Rice while Ekpe left the Owls’ last game against UAB early with an injury. At this time both are expected to miss Saturday’s game against UTSA.

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. Will either team score on defense or special teams?
    Yes / No
  2. Who has more tackles for Rice?
    Chamberlain / Alldredge (or tie)
  3. How many first downs will Rice have?
    Over 14.5 / Under 14.5
  4. Will UTSA score more than 16.5 points?
    Yes / No
  5. Which Rice pass catcher has the most receiving yards?
    Rozner / Trammell / Other
  6. Who wins?
    Rice / UAB

One Final Thing

Rice was favored in twice last season — at home against Prairie View A&M and at home against Old Dominion. They won both of those games. When lines opened for this game, Rice was listed as a road favorite against UTSA. If coaches are to be graded by winning games they’re “supposed to win”, there will be an added onus on Mike Bloomgren to lead his team to victory on Saturday.

The time for moral victories has long since come and gone. Rice hasn’t been out-athleted since conference play began but the wins have still eluded them. Both sides of the ball have shown flashes and revealed concerning gaps that the team had the open week to address. From the players to the coaches, the team that takes the field in San Antonio needs to find a way to win.

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

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Filed Under: Featured, Archive, Football Tagged With: Game preview, Rice Football

Rice Football 2019: Owls in the NFL Week 6 Update

October 14, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

Austin Walter played his first regular season snap and other Rice Football products made big plays. Here’s how the NFL Owls fared in Week 6.

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 6 results

Patriots 35 – Giants 14 (Walter)
Vikings 38 – Eagles 20 (Sendejo)
Jets 24 – Cowboys 22 (Covington)
Broncos 16 (Callahan, Anderson) – Titans 0
Seahawks 32 (Ellerbee, Willson) – Browns 28
Steelers 24 (Boswell, McDonald) – Chargers 17 
Texans 31 (Gaines)
– Chiefs 24

Calvin Anderson, OT, Broncos

Anderson was recently signed from the Jets’ practice squad to the Broncos 53 man roster this week. He has been inactive for both of Denver’s games since he was signed, including Sunday’s shutout win over the Titans. The Broncos host the Chiefs on Thursday Night Football in Week 7.

Chris Boswell, K, Steelers

Boswell was only asked to attempt one field goal on Sunday. He knocked through the 20-yarder with ease, also converting each of three extra-point attempts. He remains perfect on the season with 11 successful field goals and 12 successful extra points. The Steelers are on bye in Week 7.

Bryce Callahan, CB, Broncos

Callahan was inactive for the Broncos’ Week 6 game against the Titans. He has yet to make an appearance for the team this season. The Broncos host the Chiefs on Thursday Night Football in Week 7.

Christian Covington, DE, Cowboys

Covington had one tackle in the Cowboys’ Week 6 loss to the Jets. The Cowboys host the Eagles on Sunday Night Football in Week 7.

Emmanuel Ellerbee, LB, Seahawks

Ellerbee was placed injured reserve prior to the start of the season. The Seahawks host the Ravens in Week 7.

Phillip Gaines, CB, Texans

Gaines had one pass defended and tied for the team lead with three solo tackles in the Texans’ Week 6 victory over the Chiefs. The Texans travel to the Colts in Week 7.

Vance McDonald, TE, Steelers

McDonald caught his lone target of the night against the Chargers for five yards. With backup quarterback Devlin Hodgers under center, no Steelers receiver other than running back James Connor caught more than two passes. The Steelers are on bye in Week 7.

Andrew Sendejo, Saf, Eagles

Sendejo had three tackles in the Eagles’ Week 6 loss to the Vikings. He also had one pass defended and this acrobatic interception.

Andrew Sendejo shows great awareness with an INT on the deflection.#PHIvsMIN | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/1iQXwLvOmx

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 13, 2019

The Eagles visit the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football in Week 7.

Austin Walter, RB, Giants

Promote from the practice squad prior to their Week 6 game against the Patriots, Walter saw his first regular season snap on Thursday Night Football. The Giants host the Cardinals in Week 7.

Luke Willson, TE, Seahawks

Willson had two receptions for 16 yards with a long of 11 yards in the Seahawks’ Week 6 victory over the Browns. The Seahawks host the Ravens in Week 7.

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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Filed Under: Archive, Football Tagged With: NFL Owls, Rice Football

Conference USA Football 2019: Week 7 C-USA roundup

October 13, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice football was off, but Conference USA Football action was as entertaining as ever. Here’s the latest news from around the conference after Week 7.

Team Week 7 Result Week 8
Charlotte at FIU L, 48-23 at WKU
FAU vs MTSU W, 28-13 vs Marshall
FIU vs Charlotte W, 48-23 vs UTEP
LA Tech vs UMass W, 69-21 vs Southern Miss
Marshall vs Old Dominion W, 31-17 at FAU
MTSU at FAU L, 28-13 at North Texas
North Texas at Southern Miss L, 45-27 vs MTSU
Old Dominion at Marshall L, 31-17 at UAB
Rice — OFF —  — at UTSA
Southern Miss vs North Texas W, 45-27 at LA Tech
UAB at UTSA W, 33-14 vs Old Dominion
UTEP — OFF —  — at FIU
UTSA vs UAB L, 33-14 vs Rice
WKU vs Army W, 17-8 vs Charlotte

Notable Week 7 results – Standings

Stop sleeping on FAU

FAU never dropped out of the Conference USA Football title race, but two lopsided losses to start the season against two very good teams (Ohio State and UCF) made some forget about the Owls. Now at the midway point of the season, they’ve won four in a row and are 2-0 in conference play.

Oh no Old Dominion

A three-point win over Norfolk State was the only happy moment for the Monarchs and head coach Bobby Wilder who’s seat continues to warm after a loss to Marshall. Old Dominion hasn’t hired a coach other than Wilder since  Tommy Scott in 1930, but that could change if the Monarchs don’t turn things around quickly.

Not Fine, not Fine at all

The Week 7 tilt between Southern Miss and North Texas was billed as a battle of the West’s top two teams. The teams traded touchdowns in the first half before Southern Miss took control in the second half. Things took a turn for the worst for North Texas when star quarterback Mason Fine got hit hard on a short run and left the game. If Fine’s injury is serious, the Mean Green might be in big trouble.

Week 8 storylines

Can you beat someone other than UTEP?

UTSA knocked off UTEP in Week 6 as a slight underdog on the road. Rice has yet to win a game, but they haven’t played a team with a sub-.500 record yet this season. Can the Owls earn their first win of the season or will UTSA beat their first non-UTEP FBS opponent since they beat Rice last October?

Speaking of UTEP… Can FIU right the ship?

An 0-2 start to Conference USA action was a worst-case scenario for FIU, but the Panthers did what they could in Week 7 by disposing of a feisty Charlotte squad. A win over UTEP next weekend would put FIU back to .500 and back in the mix in the East.

Wild west showdown

Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech are the only remaining teams in the West with spotless records in conference play. They meet in Ruston in Week 8 in a game which could decide their half of the conference with matchups against UAB later in the season the biggest question mark remaining for whichever team leaves with the win.

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

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Filed Under: Archive, Football Tagged With: Conference USA, Conference USA football

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