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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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Rice Football: Unpacking the quarterback situation entering Week 12 🔒

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Rice Football finds itself in the midst of another quarterback conundrum. Here’s the latest entering the final three-game stretch of the season.

It’s not groundhog day, but it sure feels like it when the Rice football quarterback situation is brought up. With a week and a half until the Owls take the field against Middle Tennessee, here’s what we know:

1. Tom Stewart is close to “100 percent”

Stewart has been practicing in full and doesn’t appear to be hindered by his back issue. He’s looked good throwing the deep ball both last week and Sunday and is moving around reasonably well. Offensive coordinator Jerry Mack said last week was the first time he’s “felt 100 percent” since injuring his back. He’s expected to be fully available for the game.

2. JoVoni Johnson is nicked up

Johnson left Saturday’s game against Marshall after taking a hit following a big run. He was in a walking boot early last week but has since shed the protective gear and resumed practicing. He’ll be well enough to play.

The bigger question is how the injury will impact his effectiveness. Bloomgren called him “a step slow” in his return to the field, but noted that they’ll monitor him closely this week. A hobbled Johnson wouldn’t pose nearly the same threat as a fully healthy one. Whether or not some percentage of Johnson is better than 100 percent of someone else remains to be seen.

3. Evan Marshman could be an option

Marshman has gotten some reps in practice. He’ll have a package of plays ready should the Owls decide to go in that direction. I don’t get the sense that’s going to be the primary direction at this point, but the staff is going to turn over every rock in their quest to turn this offense around. Whereas Wiley Green is working with the scout team now, Marshman is getting some snaps with a version of the first team offense.

4. The redshirt situation

I contend the offense looks much better with Johnson and the helm than it has with anyone else who’s stepped under center this season. Of course, Bloomgren would prefer to redshirt Johnson and have him for another full season, but the importance of stacking up some wins and giving the team something to build on for the future is a very real motivator.

“All we’re worried about is this week right now,” Bloomgren said. “We’ve definitely had those conversations. We’ve had those conversations with JoVoni as well, but we’re not at a point to make that decision and luckily we don’t have to.”

More: Breaking down the Rice Football offense under Johnson vs Marshall

To some extent, Bloomgren is correct. Johnson has played in three of his allotted four games. Saturday against Middle Tennessee would be the fourth. If Johnson plays this weekend and does well, the likelihood of him redshirting this season would drop exorbitantly.

For what it’s worth, Bloomgren called the offense “anemic” once JoVoni went down against Marshall. A healthy Johnson continues to look like the best option.

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Conference USA Football 2019: Week 11 C-USA Roundup

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Rice football was off in Week 11, but Conference USA Football had plenty of interesting results while the Owls were prepping for Week 12.

Team Week 11 Result Week 12
Charlotte at UTEP W, 28-21 — OFF —
FAU vs FIU W, 37-7 — OFF —
FIU at FAU L, 37-7 — OFF —
LA Tech vs North Texas W, 52-17 at Marshall (Fri)
Marshall — OFF —  — vs LA Tech (Fri)
MTSU — OFF —  — vs Rice
North Texas at Louisiana Tech L, 52-17 — OFF —
Old Dominion vs UTSA L, 24-23 — OFF —
Rice — OFF —  — at MTSU
Southern Miss vs UAB W, 37-2 at UTSA
UAB at Southern Miss L, 37-2 vs UTEP
UTEP vs Charlotte L, 28-21 at UAB
UTSA at Old Dominion W, 24-23 vs Southern Miss
WKU at Arkansas W, 45-19 — OFF —

Notable Week 11 results – Standings

Central Arkansas champs

We’ve come a long way from Week 1. On the opening weekend of the season, FCS Central Arkansas upset Western Kentucky, putting Year 1 of the Tyson Helton era into chaos. The sky was falling in Bowling Green before — all of a sudden — it wasn’t. Not only did Western Kentucky turn it around, they’ve clinched a bowl berth with Saturday win over Arkansas. So, by the transitive property: Central Arkansas > Western Kentucky > Arkansas. That’s college football, folks.

U.A.Bummer

The Blazers had a chance to contend for the West title but they needed to beat Southern Miss for those dreams to hold water. The UAB offense did not contribute any points to that cause on Saturday. A safety represented their lone scoring play of the day, effectively ending aspirations of a repeat in Birmingham on a dour note.

North Texas is in trouble

A tough non-conference schedule did North Texas no favors. Onesided losses to SMU, Houston, Southern Miss and now Louisiana Tech didn’t help the situation either. The high-flying offense led by Mason Fine hasn’t faired well against the better defensive units they’ve faced. The preseason C-USA favorites are in jeopardy of missing the postseason.

Week 12 storylines

Waiting on that win

Three unbeaten teams remain in Conference USA: Old Dominion, UTEP and Rice. One of the Owls and Miners are guaranteed at least one win; they play to close out the season. But Rice hopes to have a tally in the win column before then against an up-and-down MTSU team. Can Rice breakthrough while UTEP and Old Dominion are on bye or will the race for win No. 1 continue?

Title game precursor?

With their dominant win over North Texas, Louisiana Tech has opened up a one-game lead in the West with the tiebreaker over second-place Southern Miss. The Bulldogs would have to lose twice to miss out on a title game trip. Marshall hopes to hand them one of those losses. The Herd sit atop the East with the tiebreaker over second-place FAU. There’s a real possibility that Saturday’s tilt between Louisiana Tech and Marshall is reprised in a few weeks.

Time for a break

Six of Conference USA’s 14 teams are off this coming weekend. The Week 12 slate features four games between conference opponents, the latest of which (Southern Miss at UTSA) kicks off at 6:00 p.m. E.T. If that one goes as most project, C-USA football fans will have plenty of time to go out for a movie or a late dinner on Saturday night without missing any meaningful football.

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Rice Basketball: Owls overcome early deficit, blast Penn in home opener

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Rice Basketball orchestrated an emphatic come-from-behind victory, stunning visiting Penn in dominant fashion on Saturday at Tudor Fieldhouse.

Home court advantage took a while to kick in on Saturday, but when it did, the Owls soared. Rice basketball fell behind 9-0 before the offense woke up, the defense locked down and Penn assumed a deer-in-the-headlights position for the remainder of a decisive Rice victory.

After making one of their first eight shots from the field in the first half, Rice knocked down nine of their next 12. Timely threes by Trey Murphy and Drew Peterson got the offense back in a groove. The Owls ended the first half on an emphatic 21-4 scoring run, having no trouble gettings points from seemingly anywhere on the court.

More: Rice women’s basketball cruises past Little Rock

On the other side of the court, the Rice defense held Penn to 2-of-16 shooting to close out the first half. The early absence of starters Robert Martin and Josh Parrish, who missed the first half for disciplinary reasons, might have slowed the defensive efforts initially, but the unit found their rhythm and held it the rest of the way.

Penn didn’t roll over in the second half, but the Quakers looked shellshocked and lost against the physicality of the Owls. A 12-point halftime lead quickly ballooned to 24. The Rice advantage would hover between 16-t0-20 points for the remainder of the contest thanks to strong performances from the likes of Max Fiedler (8 pts, 11 reb), Drew Peterson (13 pts, 8 reb, 3 blk) and Quincy Olivari (10 pts, 3 reb).

Head coach Scott Pera called it “probably the most complete game we’ve played on both ends” in his three years at Rice. That’s hard to argue after seeing the team dominate a Penn squad coming off a win over Alabama a few days ago. Not only did the Owls win, they took a double-digit lead and held it for the majority of the contest.

“It’s a big one for us,” Pera said. adding “I’m going to enjoy this for a couple of hours” before Rice hosts Wayland Baptist on Sunday.

Player of the Game

The comeback was unquestionably a team effort, with a host of players stepping up on both sides of the ball. Senior point guard Ako Adams corralled the individual highlights into a continuous stream of successes. He led the way with 17 points, four assists and 31 minutes played, all team highs.

His efforts as a facilitator were critical to the flow of the offense. Equally important was his lack of turnovers. After committing six turnovers in the opener against Arkansas, he had zero against Penn, a feat he’d achieved just twice in his previous 33 games.

“It’s all a mindset,” Adams said, who seemed as locked in as he’d been for a while during the Owls big day. Coach Pera called Adams’ second half sequence, which included two three-pointers and two assists in a string of consecutive possessions, “Maybe the best eight minutes of basketball he’s played since he’s been at Rice.”

Pera credits Adams’ game with a vigorous self-assessment following the Arkansas defeat. Adams, along with the rest of the team, determined to put a complete performance on the court on Saturday. “He was tremendous,” Pera said. “He prepared the right way. He had a great mindset and approach coming in. He played a great game.”

Up Next

It’ll be a short turn around for Rice basketball. Less than 24 hours after their game against Penn, the Owls host Wayland Baptist on Sunday. That game is scheduled to tip-off at 4:00 p.m. following the conclusion of Rice Volleyball’s Senior Day matchup with Western Kentucky.

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Rice Women’s Basketball: Owls cruise past Little Rock

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Rice Women’s Basketball cruised past Little Rock, an NCAA Tournament team last season, behind a big day from senior guard Erica Ogwumike.

Little Rock and Rice Women’s Basketball are no strangers to each other. The two teams have met on the hardwood in now three consecutive seasons, with Rice completing the three-year, three-game sweep on Saturday. The win improved the Owls’ record to 2-0 this season.

The Rice defense was suffocating for much of this contest, allowing 10 points in the first quarter and nine points in the second. Little Rock managed 31 percent shooting from the floor in the first half. That defensive performance, combined with a 10-17 start from inside the three-point line, helped propel the Owls to a 36-19 halftime lead. They never looked back, winning by a final score of 66-40.

More: 2019-2020 Rice Women’s Basketball season preview

The big lead afforded Rice another opportunity to give their incoming freshmen extended action. All 14 players saw action again on Saturday including another strong shooting day from Lauren Schwartz, who finished with eight points and three rebounds.

“I’m really excited about the way we’re coming together,” head coach Tina Langley said following the win. “I think there’s a lot of new faces on the floor, a lot of pieces to try to figure out how they fit together and I like the way we’re communicating.”

Player of the Game

Like Rice, Little Rock won their conference tournament a season ago, punching their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Although this was a battle of two March-tested teams, the Owls proved their mettle early, extending an early lead behind the incredible play of senior guard Erica Ogwumike.

For Ogwumike, it didn’t matter that center Nancy Mulkey picked up some early fouls and only played 20 minutes. A deep bench, already heavily utilized in the Owls’ season opener, was more than enough support for an outstanding showing on both ends of the court.

The big game was a reinforcement of the improvement coach Langley has seen Ogwumike make during the offseason. “The neat thing about Erica [Ogwumike] is that she plays as a playmaker. She can create for her teammates or she can progressively find ways to score,” Langely said. “She’s an elite-level scorer and sees the floor really well.”

On Saturday, Ogwumike scored the last eight points of the first half, turning a nine-point Rice advantage into a 17-point lead at halftime. She kept piling in on in the second half, finishing with a game and season-high 23 points and nine rebounds.

Up Next

The next time Rice Women’s Basketball takes the court, it will be in Dallas for their first road game of the season. The Owls visit SMU on Wednesday, Nov. 13 for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff. Last year the Owls defeated the Mustangs 66-52.

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