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Rice Football: Individuals shine in first scrimmage of fall camp (8/10)

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Rice football took the field for their first scrimmage of fall camp. The defense was impressive, but several offensive players made some big plays.

As a unit, the offense struggled out of the gate on Saturday. They had somewhere around a dozen drives throughout the day, managing to punch the ball into the endzone only twice and reaching the redzone once. The defense wasn’t doing anything fancy, staying more or less vanilla, but found repeated success. Here are a few of the bigger moments and notables from both sides of the ball.

Minor bumps and bruises

Austin Trammell, Brian Chaffin and Reagan Williams did not participate in the scrimmage. All three are dealing with some minor injuries which shouldn’t impact their offseason progress. Coach Bloomgren confirmed later that had there been a game today, each of the three probably could have participated.

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Offensive highlights

As has been the case for much of fall camp, there was plenty of attention on the wide receivers. With Trammell out for the day, several younger faces were given the opportunity to contribute with Jake Bailey filling in for Trammell with the first team.

Zane Knipe had a toe-tapping catch in quarterback/wide receiver drills. August Pitre made an impressive diving snag on third down to move chains on a nice feed from Wiley Green. Chris Boudreaux, working mostly with the reserves, was able to make some nice pickups after the catch in space.

Cam Montgomery was electric out of the backfield, making nice cuts upfield with the ball and being used frequently as a pass catcher. He’ll be relied upon heavily in that capacity this season. Charlie Booker and Ari Broussard both showcased some powerful running. While the offense as a whole was somewhat muted, the team was able to make some meaningful games in the run game behind those two players.

More: Check out each and every player profiles in our 2019 Rice Football Season Preview, on sale now.

Wiley Green had some nice moments at quarterback. He led the first team’s only touchdown drive, hitting Aston Walter in the flat in the redzone for the score. That was the highlight of an otherwise inconsistent showing from the unit as a whole. Tom Stewart took reps with the first and second team, but was unable to get the offense past midfield, not one of his better days.

Backup Parker Towns took off on a 30-yard touchdown scamper, the only other touchdown scored by the offense during the scrimmage. Jovoni Johnson was the last quarterback in. He displayed polished mechanics and looked comfortable in the pocket. When he did take off an run, his first step was explosive. His accuracy was up and down, but the zip on his passes was evident.

Defensive highlights

Outside of some careless penalties, the defense clearly won the day. Rice was one of the least penalized teams in the country last year, so that issue should correct itself by the time the Owls take the field against Army.

The front seven was dominant. The linebackers were everywhere, led by Blaze Alldredge and Antonio Montero, with some nice stops by Garrett Grammer. Freshman De’Braylon Caroll has already moved up to the second team and had a big day. He’s been unblockable through fall camp and will be in the running to see significant minutes quickly. He’s been the most impressive freshman on defense so far.

Both Anthony Ekpe and Kebreyun Page forced fumbles. The entire group was quick from sideline to sideline. At one point, three separate defenders chased the speedy Montgomery to the edge for a loss, making it impossible for him to turn upfield and make even a minor gain.

The secondary did a phenomenal job as well. The offense didn’t take many deep shots and the few balls that did get thrown downfield fell harmlessly to the turf. D’Angelo Ellis went up and over Brad Rozner to break up a sideline throw by Green. Naeem Smith picked off Tom Stewart for the only interception of the day.

The safety play, headlined by George Nyakwol, Prudy Calderon and Smith, was superb. Corner Treshone Devones was recognized by Bloomgren as one of the Owls’ most impressive freshman through the first week of camp.

Special Teams

There were two dedicated special teams portions of practice. Freshman kicker Zach Hoban took all the reps with the field goal unit with the other kickers getting the day off. This wasn’t an indicator of Hoban necessarily being ahead in the pecking order, rather part of a cycle to keep all of the kickers fresh. Hoban was sharp and connected on what appeared to be four of five field goals to start the day.

The punting duties were split between Adam Nunez and Chris Barnes. Nunez displayed an impressive ability to place balls directionally well. Barnes was consistent, too, ending his session with a booming punt with a 4.7 second hang time. Nunez is probably a step in front at the moment, but it’s still a close race with the strong possibility both see game time this fall.

The scrimmage ended with one more special teams session where Trey Schuman blocked a long field goal. Coach Svoboda confirmed getting hands up in those situations has been a priority through fall camp. That made for a nice finale to the day.

Updated depth charts

Here’s how the team lined up for the first scrimmage. This went up on the forum during practice, stay tuned there for live updates.

First team offense

QB | Green/Stewart
RB | Walter/Booker/Otoviano
WR | Rozner, Trammell, Pitre
TE | Bull/French
OL | Servin, Leverett, Baker, Garcia, Gooseberry

Second team offense

QB | Marshman
RB | Broussard, Montgomery
WR | Knipe, Boudreaux, Palmer, Bailey
TE | Bradley
OL | Peterson, Riddle, Baker, Garcia, Osuji

First team defense

DL | Schuman, Adams, Garcia, Ekpe
LB | Alldredge, Montero
CB | Ellis, Bird, Chamberlain
S | Nyakwol, Calderon

Second team defense

DL | Page, Enechukwu, Carroll, Doddridge
LB | Silcox, Grammer
CB | White, Thornton, Newsome
S | Smith, Richardson

All practice updates will be available for all to see during fall camp. Once the regular season starts they’ll be reserved for members. Becoming a member is 100% FREE and takes 30 seconds. You can register here.

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Rice Football: 5 Position battles to watch in fall camp

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Five position battles have been a focal point of Rice Football fall camp. Here’s where the Owls stand at those key spots after the first week of camp.

1. Wide receiver

The suspension of Aaron Cephus left Rice in a tough spot at the wide receiver position. Austin Trammell will push 100 targets, but the rest of the depth chart is going to be asked to step up. August Pitre and Brad Rozner started camp with the first team.

When the team goes to split squad practice, freshman Zane Knipe works with the veterans. Jake Bailey is with the second team at the moment, but he stands out as the best player at his position in that group.

Projected starters against Army as of today: Trammell, Rozner, Pitre

2. Offensive line

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Three grad transfers in the mix make the offensive line one of the most competitive races of camp. The only position that is definitively set in stone is left tackle, where Clay Servin returns as the team’s top starter. Nick Leverett, Brian Chaffin and Cole Garcia are fighting it out for the two interior guard spots with Shea Baker the presumptive favorite to stick at center.

Learn more about each of these challengers by reading their player profiles in our 2019 Rice Football Season Preview, on sale now.

The most competitive race will come at right tackle where Uzoma Osuji and Ouachita Baptist transfer Justin Gooseberry are dueling for the starting role.

Projected starters against Army as of today: From left to right – Servin, Leverett, Baker, Garcia, Gooseberry

3. Quarterback

Wiley Green has had the inside track on the starting job in 2019 since the end of last season. He performed reasonably well in the spring and has continued to progress through fall camp. But, just like last year, the Owls brought in a grad transfer at the position to push their incumbent starter.

Through the first week of camp, it’s looking like Tom Stewart is the real deal. It was never a given that Green would be the de facto starter against Army, but recent developments make me believe this competition is going to very real and quite contentious. Stewart’s progress, plus the arrival of Jovoni Johnson could see this race draw out til the final days of camp.

Projected starters against Army as of today: Green

4. Special Teams

While the rest of the aforementioned position battles project to be close, each of them features some sort of frontrunner rather by way of seniority or familiarity with the Owls’ schemes. Two of the most prominent special teams jobs are wide open.

Adam Nunez and Chris Barnes have both had strong fall camps at punter. Nunez was a multi-year starter at TCU; Barnes sat behind current-NFLer Jack Fox. There’s probably not a wrong answer here. The kicker spot features more uncertainty. Will Harrison has experience but wasn’t accurate this spring. Incoming freshman Zach Hoban has an impressive highlight reel, but he’s never produced at the college level.

Projected starters against Army as of today: Punter – Adam Nunez, Kicker – Zach Hoban

5. Corner

The emergence of Andrew Bird late last season was huge for the Owls’ secondary which lost several veterans this offseason. Back alongside Bird are D’Angelo Ellis and Tyrae Thornton, both of whom have had their ups and downs. One of the two is going to start opposite Bird out the gate. Who that will be remains to be seen. This is one of the spots where we could see freshmen emerge early to play meaningful snaps.

Projected starters against Army as of today: Bird, Ellis

All practice updates will be available for all to see during fall camp. Once the regular season starts they’ll be reserved for members. Becoming a member is 100% FREE and takes 30 seconds. You can register here.

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

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Rice Football: 8 Freshmen making noise at fall camp

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Several veteran players are drawing rave reviews at Rice Football fall camp, but here are a few freshmen who have thrust their names into the mix.

The Owls were already a young football team before the 2019 Rice Football recruiting class arrived on campus. A week into fall camp, those new additions are turning heads. Zane Knipe is already working with the first team, but there are several other freshmen making significant noise.

Defensive line

De’Braylon Carroll is the real deal. There hasn’t been a practice that’s gone by without him turning heads. The defensive MVP of the 8-6A District of high school football, this Duncanville star has proven himself to be the real deal. It’s going to be tough for any freshmen to earn starting jobs before nonconference play through. Carroll might just be the exceptions

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If Carroll wasn’t dominating to the degree he was, his partner in the trenches, Izeya Floyd, would be garnering all the accolades. He’s been a welcomed physical presence on the inside. It’s evident he and Carroll are going to be regulars in the rotation this season.

Secondary

The safety spots are spoken for. George Nyakwol won’t leave the field much this season. The winner of a close battle between Prudy Calderon and Naeem Smith will give Rice another strong option in the defensive backfield.

Corner is a different story. Andrew Bird has been rock steady on one side, but the rest of the depth chart has been up and down. Freshman Treshone Devones, Josh Landrum and Kirk Lockhart have all impressed early. Winning a starting role before midseason would be a stretch, but each of those three will be in the mix for playing time.

Offensive line and tight end

Rice is relatively deep along the o-line and at tight end, but that hasn’t stopped some younger players from flashing. Regan Riddle has done well for himself. He faces an extremely crowded depth chart along the interior of the line but could see some playing time as the “ogre” sixth man. He’ll be a chief contender to start in 2020.

Likewise, Jack Bradley is entering the conversation at tight end. He’s drawing buzz as one of the more well-rounded players the Owls have at that position. He’s another name to keep an eye on.

All practice updates will be available for all to see during fall camp. Once the regular season starts they’ll be reserved for members. Becoming a member is 100% FREE and takes 30 seconds. You can register here.

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Rice Baseball: Anthony Rendon theatrics highlight MLB Owls in August

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Almost a month removed from the All-Star break, Rice Baseball’s active MLB players are still going strong. Here’ the latest on the five MLB Owls.

JT Chargois – Los Angeles Dodgers

Up and down remains the story for Chargois in LA. He’s worked at least one scoreless inning in four of his nine outings since the break, but given up runs in the other five appearances. His strikeout numbers are down a bit, but he’s also been the victim of some unlucky ball placement. Opposing batters have a .375 BAbip (batting average on balls in play) after the break compared to a .286 mark before.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey has been excellent for the Twins as a set up man this year, continuing that success into August. He’s picked up six of his seven holds over the past month, striking out 13 batters in nine combined innings and allowing one extra-base hit. Opposing batters are hitting an eye-popping .103 against Duffey since the All-Star break.

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Jon Duplantier – Arizona Diamondbacks

Duplantier has been with Arizona’s AAA affiliate in Reno since the break, rehabbing after a stint on the injured list in June and July. He’s made three AAA appearances over the past two weeks, each of which have been rocky, ending in four innings or less.

Brock Holt – Boston Red Sox

Holt has cooled off a bit since our last update, going hitless in his last six games. Even with that brief dip, he’s hitting .308 since the break, a testament to his stellar July. Primarily serving as Boston’s second baseman, Holt has taken on a variety of roles and is occasionally removed at the end of games. He’s played seven complete games since the break, participating in 17, and remaining steady regardless of what role he’s asked to play.

Anthony Rendon – Washington Nationals

The All-Star keeps doing All-Star things. Rendon owns a .357/.455/.595 slash line since the break and a 1.051 OPS. He’s racked up 12 extra base hits, including this breathtaking grand slam.

This has become par for the course for Rendon, who’s team-leading 4.4 fWAR is better than his next closest teammates, Juan Soto and Trea Turner’s combined fWAR (4.1). Rendon’s WRC+ (weighted runs created plus) is third in the National League.

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Rice Football: Toughness up front a focal point of Owls’ weekend (8/3)

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The top position battles are beginning to surface as Rice football marches onward. Here’s where we stand with three days of fall camp in the books.

Several interesting position battles on the offensive line

The Owls’ revamped offensive line will receive plenty of attention throughout fall camp as a trio of grad transfers vie for starting jobs. One of those new additions, Nick Leverett, seems to have solidified his spot. Leverett was with the team during spring practices and has taken advantage of the extra time in the system. He’s going to claim one of the two starting guard spots, most likely on the left side, where he’s lined up so far during camp.

The other two grad transfers, Brian Chaffin and Justin Gooseberry, have less certain futures.

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Shea Baker looks to have the starting center job locked down, at least for now, and Cole Garcia has been taking the majority of the reps with the first team at the right guard spot. Chaffin is an interior guy with experience coming off the bench at Stanford. It’s possible he’ll serve as a “sixth man” for the Owls’ offensive line, spelling starters on drives throughout games.

Another plug — if you haven’t downloaded a copy of the 2019 Rice Football Preview yet, there’s five pages and 2,000+ words on the offensive line.  

Gooseberry is listed as the co-starter with Uzoma Osuji at right tackle on the pre-camp depth chart. The battle between those two has been intense and could go down to the wire. Osuji raised his level of play last year, beating out Florida grad transfer Andrew Mike. Gooseberry looks to be a more formidable challenger.

Wide receiver remains up in the air

There are a lot of reps available at wide receiver. As mentioned in the first camp update, August Pitre III has taken up the majority of the reps with the first team. A new wrinkle, though, has been freshman Zane Knipe forcing his way into the mix. He’s got sticky hands and moves well in the field. He’s a step ahead of some of the returning veterans and he’s just beginning to learn the ins and the outs of the offense.

Rounding out the rest of the starters, Austin Trammell looks as reliable as ever. Bradley Rozner has been steady, but hasn’t yet shown the ability to fully utilize his size downfield. He’s tall, but he’s lankier than Aaron Cephus. He’s going to have to get more physical to meet the demands of the Owls’ offense, which lacks any semblance of size apart from him.

Toughness will be the bedrock of this team

The Oklahoma drill is a favorite at South Main. Energy has been high this week, but things seem to crank up an extra notch when pads start popping. Several veterans flashed during Saturday’s session; Blaze Alldredge, Tyrae Thornton, Justin Gooseberry, Anthony Ekpe, Shea Baker and Clay Servin stood out the most.

All practice updates will be available for all to see during fall camp. Once the regular season starts they’ll be reserved for members. Becoming a member is 100% FREE and takes 30 seconds. You can register here.

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

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