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Top Twitter follows for Rice and CUSA for 2019 season

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The 2019 Rice Football season is around the corner. If you’re tracking with the Owls or Conference USA on Twitter, here are a handful of accounts you’ll want to follow.

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Football Staff

Mike Bloomgren – Head coach
Mike Kershaw – Wide receivers
Bill Best – Tight ends
Joe Ashfield – Offensive line
Robbie Picazo – Quarterback
Cedric Calhoun – Defensive line
Scott Vestal – Linebackers
Gerard Wilcher – Cornerbacks
Brian Smith – DC, Safeties
Drew Svoboda – Special teams
Alex Brown – Director of Recruiting
James Burnett – Ast. Director of Recruiting

Conference USA

We did some crowdsourcing over the offseason and asked our followers who their favorite CUSA Twitter follows were. Here were the highlights, with some of our favorites in bold:

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CUSA | @CUSAbbs, @TheG5Beat, @UniversityofCo2, @F5_CUSARefs, @F5_CUSA, @cusaReport, @CUSA_Curtain

Southern Miss | @ToTheTopTalk, @USMVoice, @Bumperjbailey, @USMVoice, @Robinson_Glynn

Western Kentucky | @MoonShineTD, @TheTowelRackWKU, @100MilesOfHate

FAU | @FAU_Owls_Nest, @JackWhidden3, @TheKevinFielder, @Florida_Owl, @insidetheburrow

FIU | @EricCHenry_, @chiapanther

Louisiana Tech | @BleedTechBlue, @LaTechReport, @gotechplsdntdie, @tannerspearman, @corydiaz_TNS

UAB | @CharmiIIionaire, @DudleyDoWriteAL, @F5DailyDragon, @BlazerTalk, @UABBlog, @johncduncan, @courtlizcamp, @jodicarlee, @GodsavetheHam

Old Dominion |  @edmillervp, @DougRipleyODU, @Harry_MiniumODU, @austinmpriest, @ReeseBecker

North Texas | @meangreennation, @BrettVito, @TheUNT6, @gomeangreen, @MatthewBrune_, @MeanGreen247

UTSA | @JaredUTSA, @RivalsJavi, @AlamoAudible, @bootlegbentley, @tacojoe, @notapar72, @MeepMeepNation, @UTSAKingBowser

Marshall | @HerdNation, @MoonShineTD, @ScottHallMU, @Trace_Johnson94

MTSU | @100MilesOfHate

UTEP | @adrian_broaddus, @LouTEPminer, @PuroMinersRadio, @PickAxeSocial

Charlotte | @_agent49, @DavidScott14

Have any other recommendations? There’s plenty of more people doing good work on social media, whether that be on Twitter or somewhere else. Leave other accounts folks should follow in the comments.

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Rice Football: Scattershooting final practice of fall camp (8/23)

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Rice Football fall camp is officially in the books. Here a few final thoughts before the Owls transition to game prep for their Week 1 opponent, Army.

Quarterback

There will be a definitive QB1 when Rice opens their season next Friday. Coach Mike Bloomgren won’t make an official reveal until his pre-game press conference on Tuesday, but there hasn’t been any indication that incumbent starter Wiley Green has lost any ground. Green worked exclusively with the first team in the team’s final mock game and looked sharp, hitting Bradley Rozner on a back shoulder throw in the front corner of the endzone from 15 yards out.

It’s possible Bloomgren leaves the door open for the backup to play, similar to Jackson Tyner’s brief insertion into the offense against Prairie View A&M last season. We’ll have to wait and see how that is handled.

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Two beyond the two-deep

Two guys have caught my eye throughout camp that don’t figure to have a spot on the two-deep depth chart. Rice likes to use packages, so just because you don’t see their name listed with the starters or reserves doesn’t mean they won’t have an impact in the fall.

Robert French has emerged as an interesting slot weapon. Especially with the thin receiving corps, there could be an opportunity for him to take on a meaningful role in this offense. He’s developed into one of the most reliable seam stretching options on offense.

Isaac Klarkowski has become the starting center on the second team. The former wrestler looks at home with the ball in his hands and has taken to the position well. “I think we’re going to find a role for him, ultimately,” Bloomgren said. For the time being, he’ll be the third option after Chaffin and Baker at center.

Ending on a high note

The last snap of practice came from victory formation. There was hooting and hollering as Wiley Green took the knee, signifying the end of fall camp. The final play had long been scripted by Bloomgren and the coaching staff

“We think our job as coaches is to prepare them for everything that’s going to come up,” Bloomgren said. “Taking a knee on the best play in football, which is victory. Then going and singing the Alma Mater with our fans and going into the locker room and being part of a victorious locker room. It’s all the things that we want to do. So we practice them all.”

More: Projected 2-Deep depth chart after fall camp

This staff has been intentional about recruiting players from winning programs and instilling a winning culture at Rice. It might have been a bit cheesy, but it was a nice touch.

This is the final practice update from fall camp. Future practice updates (that includes the final depth chart projection linked above) will be reserved for site members. Becoming a member is 100% FREE and takes 30 seconds. You can register here.

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Rice Football: New wide receivers hope to make their mark in 2019

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The Rice Football receiving corps is one of the biggest unknowns the Owls face entering 2019. Can the new faces rise to the challenge?

Nebulous might be the most appropriate word to describe the Rice football receiving corps entering the 2019 season.

There are a few things we do know. Austin Trammell will once again be the leader in the room and contend for the team leading in receptions. There will be a quarterback to get them the football.

But for every certainty, there are more questions. Who will fill the void left by Austin Walter and Aaron Cephus? Can the offense stretch the field and utilize the deep ball? How many players are trustworthy enough to be regular members of the rotation?

The answers to all of those questions lay in a collection of pass catchers who, outside of Trammell, have yet to play meaningful Division 1 football. Bradley Rozner, August Pitre III and Zane Knipe have practiced primarily with the first team during fall camp. That trio has combined for zero catches at Rice.

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**Chart taken from 2019 Rice Football Season Preview**

But, and there’s a rather significant but, the lack of proven production doesn’t mean the outlook for 2019 is dismal, just uncertain.

Rozner led all Junior College players last season with 13 touchdown receptions. August Pitre might have the best vertical reach on the team, something Rice will utilize heavily in the redzone. As for Knipe, Bloomgren himself said the freshman “moves at a different speed than most humans.” Unproven, but intriguing.

Getting on the same page

Despite the growing pains the offense experienced during the spring and into fall camp, quarterback Wiley Green says he isn’t concerned with the wide receiver room at all. “You can just go across the board in the receiver room, and everybody stepped up,” Green relayed, “From a quarterback standpoint makes it really easy for us. We can spread the ball out wherever we want to.”

Green didn’t emerge as the starter until late last fall, meaning that unless a player was on the scout team last August, they had little time to work with Green and develop that rhythm. Pitre and Rozner were both with the team during the spring, gaining meaningful reps with Green prior to camp.

Rozner has benefited from that extra time as much, if not more so, than anyone else. When he left the JUCO ranks to come to Rice he was handed the additional challenge of learning a new offense. The Owls’ scheme is complex, with plenty of verbiage that at times sounds like a foreign language. Several months into his studies, things are beginning to come together.

“As an offense, we definitely improved from the spring,” Rozner expressed. “I think it’s easy to see that we’re definitely more physical up front and moving the ball down the field.”

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Not so secret weapons

The emergence of two talented freshmen has driven the uptick in offensive production. Jake Bailey was a highly regarded member of the 2019 recruiting class, the highest ranked player according to 247 Sports who had signed with Rice during the Mike Bloomgren era.

Zane Knipe might have had fewer accolades, but this high school track star was highly regarded by the staff during the recruiting process. Once he got to campus, those expectations were realized quickly.

Knipe started working with the first team on the very first day of fall camp. Bailey was mixed in over the next two weeks. Both players have speed and athleticism and the ability to kick things into an extra gear, turning 5-yard gains into big plays.

Rozner, who’s assumed one of the starting jobs on the outside, can’t believe how impactful the young duo has been thus far. “[Bailey is] so quick, the way he can get in and out of cuts and Zane [Knipe], he can just fly down the field so fast. They’re both insane.”

Then there are guys like Rhett Cardwell and Chris Boudreaux who have had their moments during camp. Each should be a reliable depth piece for the Owls in 2019.

None of those preseason reps will matter as much as the snaps each of these receivers will take this fall. For now, everyone will do their best to refine their craft and increase their understanding of the offense. Rice has options, but they’ll need answers when the time comes to take on Army on August 30.

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The Roost Podcast | Episode 4 – 2019 Rice Football defense preview

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Give a listen to Episode 4 of The Roost Podcast. Carter and Matthew are back, breaking down the 2019 Rice football defense.

After walking through the schedule in Episode 1 and the offense in Episode 2, Carter and Matthew have turned their attention to special teams in Episode 3 and now defense for Episode 4. With fall camp still underway, there’s plenty of time to go back and catch what you’ve missed so far before we turn our attention to Army and game previews in a few weeks.

Give a listen to Episode 4 below.


Episode 4 Notes

  • Defensive line — Despite losing two important starters at the position to the Transfer Portal, there’s plenty of ammo returning in 2019. That includes true freshman De’Braylon Carroll who could force his way onto the field sooner rather than later.
  • Linebacker — The tandem of Blaze Alldredge and Antonio Montero is going to be special, but the depth behind them is equally exciting.
  • Safety — JUCO transfer Naeem Smith and a few experienced hands in Prudy Calderon, Treshawn Chamberlain and George Nyakwol make this another strong spot.
  • Corner — Redshirt freshman Andrew Bird has locked down a starting spot, but the rest of the depth chart is fluid. Could a freshman force their way into the mix here?
  • Carter and Matthew each give a potential defensive MVP and a sleeper to watch for in the 2019 season

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.

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Rice Football: Wiley Green’s rise from scout team to potential starter

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Only a sophomore, Rice football passer Wiley Green has emerged as a team leader as he grows into his own shoes as a Division 1 quarterback.

A lot can change in a year. That’s true of life, and even more so true of college football. When Rice began fall camp in 2018 Wiley Green was the scout team quarterback. Juma Otoviano was his running back. Almost five months later, that duo was largely responsible for the first conference win of the Mike Bloomgren era.

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Green still hasn’t fully grasped the whirlwind that has been his last 12 months. The redshirt freshman is in line to be named the Owls’ starting quarterback for the 2019 season, a title which he feels he’s steadily working toward the entire time.

“The best way of knowing that you’ve learned is being able to teach,” Green said. “I think that was a big step forward for me, really taking in that leadership role and being able to teach others.” Those others include incoming grad transfer Tom Stewart and true freshman Jovoni Johnson. Both players have had to go through the same learning curve Green experienced last season.

For Green, he had the benefit of a mentor in the form of Vanderbilt transfer Shawn Stankavage. “[Shawn taught me a lot, you know. How to handle being a Division 1 quarterback,” Green said as he looked back at his freshman season, “He’s been one of those guys I’ve leaned on. He’s been a leader on and off the field for me and he’s been one of those guys I can kind of look for as a mentor.”

Hear More: Matthew and Carter break down the Rice football offense on The Roost Podcast

Green is no senior. He can hardly believe his four games of experience make him one of the more experienced second-year players. But it’s that transition — from rookie to leader — which has set Green apart in the quarterback room. With Stankavage out of eligibility, Green took on the leadership role and ran with it. He’s been working hard through the spring and into the fall. The results have been encouraging.

Never one to be too braggadocious, Green tends to downplay the tremendous progress he’s made in such a short amount of time. “We’re not where we need to be,” he says, “but we’re definitely taking steps in the right direction to get there.”

That direction will be put to the tests in less than two weeks when Rice visits Army. The trip to West Point marks the start of the 2019 season. The young vet will be tasked with leading in one of the most challenging environments he’s ever played in. Green isn’t worried; his nerves seldom show. He’ll prepare well and attack it like he’s attacked every game he’s ever played.

“We’re building something special here and every single person in this room believes it,” Green declared. “That’s what’s really going to propel us forward and really surprised some people this year.” He hopes, as do the Rice faithful, that surprise starts at Army.

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