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Rice Athletics 2018: A Year in Review

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Rice athletics produced some memorable moments in 2018. Here’s an overview of how the Owls faired on the court, the field and in the gym over the past year.

Baseball

The Wayne Graham era at South Main came to an end this year. Graham’s 27-season tenure at Rice included 1,173 wins, 23 NCAA Tournament appearances, seven College World Series appearances and one National Championship in 2003. He owns the best winning percentage in school history (.689). Following the season, new head baseball coach Matt Bragga was introduced as the Owls’ next manager.

Basketball (men’s and women’s)

The men have a  roster filled with young players who have fought through growing pains in 2018. The Owls won seven games last season and enter CUSA play with five wins already under their belt.

After making it to the second round of the WNIT last March, the women’s team started strong again in the 2018-2019 season. The squad went 8-3 in non-conference play with one game remaining on Dec. 29 and has aspirations of a CUSA Title and an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Football

2018 was an important year for Rice football. Mike Bloomgren earned his first win regular season win and first conference win as a head coach against Prairie View and Old Dominion, respectively. Owls’ star running back Trevor Cobb was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The team finished the year by signing 17 players during the early signing period including Jake Bailey, a Top 15 recruit in Conference USA.

Tennis (men’s and women’s)

The women’s team earned an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament, dropping a heartbreaker to Texas A&M in the Austin Regional. The men failed to make the NCAA Tournament, but Eric Rutledge and Sumit Sarkar were awarded All-CUSA First Team honors in doubles. Rutledge was named to the first team for singles. Sarkar was named to the second.

Soccer (women’s)

The team hung in through a tough 2018 campaign. Needing a tie in their final regular season game to clinch a spot in the CUSA Tournament, Rice topped Charlotte in the finale. The Owls finished the regular season at 4-5-1 before a loss in the conference tournament. There were a couple close calls with a 3-0 shutout of Louisiana Tech marking the top performance of the year.

Swimming (women’s)

Rice ended their year with a bang. The Owls finished second out of 31 scoring teams at the CSCAA National Invitational in March. Kaitlyn Swinney broke the school record for the 400-IM at the meet.

Volleyball

It was a banner year for the Owls’ volleyball squad. They set a program-best winning streak, reeling off 15-straight victories on their way to a Conference USA regular season championship. They’d add a CUSA Conference Championship too, thereby securing their fourth NCAA Tournament berth in school history.

Nicole Lennon, Lee Ann Cunningham and Grace Morgan were named to the CUSA First Team while Anota Adekunle and Carly Graham were selected to the CUSA All-Freshman team.

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North Texas game preview

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Rice basketball went 5-8 in non-conference play, but hope to put all of that behind them with a big win in their first CUSA game against North Texas.

The final game of 2018 marks the start of a new stretch of the season for Rice basketball. The Owls have 14 games remaining on their regular season schedule, all coming against Conference USA opponents. The next contest comes at home against North Texas on Saturday, Dec. 29. TV broadcast will be on ESPN+ with radio available on the Stretch Internet Portal.

North Texas 12-1 (0-0), Last 5 (4-1)

  • W, 77-66 vs UAPB
  • W, 74-65 @ New Mexico
  • W, 63-61 @ UT Arlington
  • W, 80-69 @ Indiana State
  • L, 73-57 @ Oklahoma

Rice 5-8 (0-0), Last 5 – (2-3)

  • L, 83-66 vs Omaha
  • W, 75-67 @ Rio Grande Valley
  • L, 99-89 (OT) vs UC Santa Barbara
  • W, 78-73 vs St Edwards
  • L, 75-68 vs Lamar

North Texas players to watch

The Mean Green enter the game with the best record among all CUSA teams thanks to a well-balanced lineup. Six different North Texas players average at least 10 points per game. Junior guard Ryan Woolridge has been the catalyst for the offense this year, scoring single-digit points three times in 13 games. He registered a triple-double earlier this month against Indiana State.

On the defensive end, sophomore forward Zachary Simmons is one of eight players in the conference averaging at least one block per game. He’s been a rebounding machine, of late, grabbed eight or more boards in for of his last five games.

Rice keys to victory

For Rice, any upset attempt is going to start with shooting. The Owls shot 35.1 percent from the field against Omaha their last time out, the second-worst shooting performance of the season. They had a season-high 36 three-point attempts but connected on just nine (25.0 percent).

Chris Mullins, who has carried this team over the last few weeks, scored a team-high 17 points against Omaha but needed someone else to step up on a tough shooting night. It’s going to take a full team performance to beat North Texas.

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Owls take stock of season entering conference play

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Rice basketball is in the midst of a rebuilding effort led by a host of young players hoping to bring success back to South Main. It’s going to take some work.

The 2018-2019 season has been filled with plenty of learning opportunities for Rice basketball. The Owls won their first three games at Tudor Fieldhouse but struggled to find their rhythm throughout the next month, sliding to a 5-8 record entering the Christmas holidays.

Five wins put the Owls in the bottom half of the conference with their first Conference USA game looming on Dec. 29 against North Texas. The Mean Green sit at 12-1. They’ll be a tough test for Rice, but the road to get there hasn’t been much easier.

Penn, Houston and Wichita State all made the NCAA Tournament last season and BYU and UCSB have both put together winning seasons so far. Rice played all five of them. “If you go down the list, that schedule has been pretty challenging,” head coach Scott Pera said following their loss to Omaha, “There’s a lot of good teams on there that we’ve had to play. Hopefully that will help us in conference [play]. That’s part of the plan.”

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The plan, as Pera refers to it, is in its developmental stages. Outside of Jack Williams, Ako Adams and Robert Martin the Owls key pieces on the floor are almost entirely freshman. Rice is led by starting guard Chris Mullins in scoring (13.1 points per game).

Fellow freshman Drew Peterson and Quentin Millora-Brown have earned starting spots with freshmen Josh Parrish and Trey Murphy III playing meaningful minutes off the bench. The youth permeating the roster is a challenge for Pera and his staff, one he hopes will pay dividends down the road. “It’s a bit like a rollercoaster,” Pera admitted, “I feel our guys are connected. I feel we have shown a lot of growth.”

The team is in the early stages of that developmental process. It’s going to take some time. Pera knows that, and he knows now is the time to press in rather than throw in the towel. “You gotta believe in your guys. You know that they’re capable… What can you do? Get back in the gym and keep working,” Pera proclaimed adamantly.

The rebuild won’t happen overnight. Rice is working and they’ll continue to be tested from this point onward. There are going to be more licks with high points mixed in. It’s going to be every bit as much the rollercoaster Pera described. The Owls will have to do their best to make sure they don’t get stuck in a loop.

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Owls in the NFL – Week 16

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Rice football has nine alumni currently active on NFL rosters. Here’s how the NFL Owls fared in their respective Week 16 games.

Chris Boswell, K (Steelers) – Boswell was perfect on a pair of field goals and two extra points against the Saints with a long of 49 yards. Next week the Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals.

Bryce Callahan, CB (Bears) – Callahan was placed on injured reserve after breaking a bone in his foot against the Los Angeles Rams. He will be out the remainder of the season. Next week the Bears travel to the Vikings.

Christian Covington, DE (Texans) – Covington registered two tackles in the Texans last-second loss to the Eagles. Next week the Texans travel host the Jaguars.

Phillip Gaines, CB (Browns) – Gaines was inactive for Sunday’s game against the Bengals. This was his third straight game missed as he works to recover from a knee injury. He’s questionable for next week’s game. The Browns travel to the Ravens.

Vance McDonald, TE (Steelers) – McDonald caught one pass for 49 yards in the Pittsburgh’s loss to the New Orleans Saints. It was the longest play of the day for the Steelers who host the Cincinnati Bengals next week.

Andrew Sendejo, S (Vikings) – Placed on injured reserve after missing extended time following a groin injury. Next week the Vikings host the Chicago Bears.

Jordan Taylor, WR (Broncos) – On the PUP list following off-season surgery. He will not play this season. Next week the Broncos travel to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Luke Wilson, TE (Lions) – Wilson exited the Lion’s Week 16 game against the Minnesota Vikings to be evaluated for a possible concussion. His status is uncertain for next week’s game on the road against the Green Bay Packers.

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Breaking down the 2019 defensive signees

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The 2019 Rice Football signed 17 players during the early signing period including nine on defense. Here’s a further breakdown of the defensive signees.

Cornerback (1) – Josh Landrum

Rice needed to find impact players at this position, fast. By the time November rolled around the Owls were starting Collin Whitaker, a convert running back, at corner. He had a strong season and played well, but the mere fact the team had to reach into the skill position players on the other side of the ball to fill an immediate need is concerning.

Given the lack of depth in front of him, Josh Landrum’s path to playing time could be easier than some of the other guys in this class. Standing at 6-foot, 165 pounds, he’ll be one of the tallest corners on the roster. He’s lanky, but the ability is there. Look for the Owls to add at least one more corner before this class is complete.

Safety (4) – Hunter Henry, Kirk Lockhart, Naeem Smith, Jake Bailey

This position might be the best haul of the 2019 class, especially given the premium role the safety position plays in this defense. Each of these four guys brings a little something different to the position and a few of them could see work at a few positions.

Naeem Smith has the athleticism to play corner in a pinch and Jake Bailey has enough talent to run with an opposing pass catcher at any spot in the secondary. Hunter Henry will deliver the boom at the line of scrimmage and Kirk Lockhart has a knack for making big plays.

The versatility is something defensive coordinator Brian Smith said was no accident. “One of the things we wanted to do is get some guys with position flexibility… we wanted to get guys who can play in space, tackle and make plays one on one in the open field. The more guys you can get like that in this defense the better you are.”

Linebacker (3) – Garrett Braden, Adrian Bickham, Josh Pearcy

Garrett Braden is a tackler. It might not be the flashiest superlative, but it’s something this program needs. Allowing opponents to escape in the open field crushed the Rice defense in 2018, making young players like Antonio Montero stars simply because they didn’t miss tackles.

The Rice defense doesn’t need many true linebackers with their tendency to trust other hybrid positions. Adrian Bickham is an edge rusher who could stand up or put his hands in the dirt. His motor is impressive and his ability to get the quarterback is something Rice desperately needs.

Josh Pearcy could play a variety of roles in the Rice defense in the near future. A pass rusher by trade, Pearcy is as athletic as they come. The departure of Graysen Schantz could open up more playing time for someone like him or Anthony Ekpe, and for the time being, he might be that explosive piece that the staff inserts on third down for a big play.

Defensive Tackle (1) – Izeya Floyd

The trio of Zach Abercrumbia, Roe Wilkins and Izeya Floyd up the middle are going to be special. A powerlifter who squats 700 pounds, Floyd was described as Bloomgren as “the strongest person we have in our program from the moment he steps on campus.”

Beyond pure strength, coach Smith said he’s nearly unblockable. Floyd excelled at the Owls’ camp this summer and continues to be an impressive addition. Having his 6-foot-2, 305-pound frame up the middle should terrifying opposing offenses.

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