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Owls in the NFL – Week 15

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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 15 games.

Chris Boswell, K (Steelers) – Converted two of two extra points and connected on a 48-yard field goal. He missed one field goal attempt from 32 yards. Next week the Steelers travel to the New Orleans Saints.

Bryce Callahan, CB (Bears) – Callahan was placed on injured reserve after breaking a bone in his foot last week against the Los Angeles Rams. He’ll need surgery and will be out the remainder of the season. Next week the Bears host travel to the 49ers.

Christian Covington, DE (Texans) – Picked up one quarterback hit and one tackle against the New York Jets on Saturday. Next week the Texans travel to the Eagles.

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

Vance McDonald, TE (Steelers) – Caught two passes for 13 yards including the Steelers’ first touchdown of the day. He’s caught at least four passes or a touchdown in five of his last six games. Next week the Steelers travel to the New Orleans Saints.

Andrew Sendejo, S (Vikings) – Placed on injured reserve after missing extended time following a groin injury. Next week the Vikings travel to the Detroit Lions.

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 Oakland Raiders.

Luke Wilson, TE (Lions) – Was not targeted in the Lions Week 15 loss to the Bills. The two-game stretch without a catch is the longest for Wilson this season. Next week the Lions host the Minnesota Vikings.

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Rice Football 2018 Postseason Awards

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The 2018 Rice football season is in the books, wrapping up with postseason awards for the Owls top on-field performers of the year.

Rice Football 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year: Cole Garcia

Rice Football 2018 Defensive Rookie of the Year: Prudy Calderon

Rice Football 2018 Offensive Player of the Year: Austin Trammell

Rice Football 2018 Defensive Player of the Year: Zach Abercrumbia

Rice Football 2018 Special Teams Player of the Year: Jack Fox

Rice Football 2018 Team MVP: Austin Walter

Rice Football 2018 Rising Star: Wiley Green

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Recruiting: Top JUCO and grad transfers targets set for visit

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The 2019 Rice football recruiting class is filling up. The Owls have their eyes on a few veteran players who could provide instant impact.

As soon as the last game ended Mike Bloomgren and the coaching staff took to the road, scouring the country to add more top players to the fold. During the week they’ve been on the road. The weekends, for the most part, have been reserved for bringing recruits to campus for visits.

Over the first two weekends of December they’ve hosted a dozen commits and priority targets. Another group of players will be on campus this weekend in the final push before the early signing period begins on December 19.

In addition to commits Jawan King, Zane Knipe, Jack Bradley and Garrett Braden, the Owls are hosting several high school seniors and a combination of graduate transfer and Junior College (JUCO) players.

I’ll dig into the high school targets at a later time, let’s tackle the JUCO and grad potential grad transfers first. These four players will be on campus this weekend. Each has the potential to play a meaningful role for Rice this season:

Nick Leverett – Offensive Line, North Carolina Central (Grad Transfer)

The departure of senior Sam Pierce at the right tackle position leaves a hole to fill on the line which has quickly become extremely young. Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing in at 300 pounds, Leverett was a three-year starter at NC Central. He could slide into the starting left tackle position in the fall. 

Justice Shelton-Mosley – Wide Receiver, Harvard (Grad Transfer)

A California native, Justice Shelton-Mosley intends to transfer from Harvard after graduating with a degree in Economics. He’ll leave the Crimson third all-time in school history in catches (148) and receiving yards (1,921). He also returned punts and kicks, scoring three. He provides top-level speed and would be a tremendous weapon to add to special teams with the departure of Austin Walter.

Morgan Vest – Safety, Kilgore (JUCO)

A former walk-on at South Carolina, Morgan Vest is a Leander, Tx native who transfered to Kilgore Junior College to be closer to home. He was a two-year starter at the JUCO level where he racked up 139 tackles and three interceptions. He plays downfield well, aggressively pursuing ball carries from the secondary. His other offers include UAB and UTPB.

Naeem Smith – Defensive Back, Ellsworth Community College (JUCO)

An All-Conference player in two seasons at the JUCO level, Smith might be the most impactful player the Owls will have on campus this weekend. At 5-foot-11, 195 pounds he’s a natural safety, but the staff believes he has the athleticism to play corner as well. That flexibility is a plus, but his best trait by far is his willingness to make hard-hitting tackles at the line of scrimmage. Smith could be a game-changer for this secondary. His other offers include Northern Iowa and Old Dominion.

Closing thoughts

Rice is going to continue to build through strong recruiting classes built primarily of four-year type players. JUCO and Grad transfers have a narrower span of eligibility, but should come in ready to play quickly, something else this team needs at a few key positions. The Owls are in good position to land at least one during this recruiting cycle.

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Looking ahead at the Owls’ 2019 Schedule

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Rice football has a schedule, sort of. With the game dates still to be set the Owls now know all of their 2019 opponents.

2019 Rice Football opponents

HomeAway
Wake ForestArmy
BaylorUTSA
Southern MissUAB
North TexasUTEP
Louisiana TechMiddle Tennessee
Marshall
Texas (at NRG Stadium)

1. More home games

Rice played 13 games last season, but the majority of them were away from Rice stadium. They’ll get the reverse in 2019, with seven games played in Houston including one game against the Texas Longhorns at NRG Stadium. The mass of burnt orange will still be plentiful, but staying home is always preferable to a long road trip.

2. Statement games

Rice gets three Power 5 opponents in Houston in 2019: Baylor, Wake Forest and Texas. The Owls won their first CUSA game in November, making an upset of this proportion seem a bit farfetched, but crazier things have happened and that’s why they play the games.

All three of these games come relatively early in the season giving the Owls a chance to get a quick jump on their opponent as both sides work out the kinks. Rice took Hawaii and Houston to the brink early on in 2018, coming a few plays short. 

3. Tough draw from the East

The final two teams added to the schedule were Marshall and Middle Tennessee. The Owls couldn’t have gotten much more challenging of a draw. MTSU was only CUSA team to beat eventual conference champion UAB. Rick Stockstill was named CUSA Coach of the Year for his efforts. The Blue Raiders will need to find a new starting quarterback, but they’ll still be a formibable opponent, especially on the road.

Marshall finished as the runner up in the East in 2018, narrowly missing out on a divisional crown themselves. The Thundering Herd have gone to bowl games in five of the last six seasons, winning double-digit games in three of those seasons under current head coach Doc Holliday.

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Rice WBB: Owls off to another hot start

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Rice women’s basketball is red-hot. The Owls are winners of six in a row at the midpoint of their 2018 non-conference schedule.

The 2018-2019 season has been more of the same so far for the Rice Owl’s women’s basketball squad, in many ways picking up right where they left off from a 23-10 campaign a season ago. This team was picked to finish second in CUSA in the preseason with five first place votes. Everything they’ve done to this point confirms those expectations are well within reach.

Leading the way on offense once again is Erica Ogwumike. The junior guard is averaging 19.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 3.1 steals per game. Rice has been buoyed by continual strong showings from Ogwumike backed by consistent production from players like Nicole Iademarco (7.4 pts, 5.0 reb, 1.9 asst) and Lauren Grigsby (9.9 pts, 2.5 reb, 56.5 percent from three)

It’s been a combined team effort, once again, leaving plenty of reasons to be hopeful about what’s to come for this team in the near future. 

After a bumpy start which featured losses to Texas A&M and UCLA, a pair of strong Power 5 teams, the Owls have reeled off six straight victories. They now sit at 6-2, with four games remaining between them and the start of conference play.

Rice gets SMU at home on Dec. 15 before traveling to the east coast for the Carolinas Challenge featuring games against North Carolina (Dec. 18) and Coastal Carolina (Dec. 20) in Myrtle Beach, SC. Then they’ll cap off 2018 with a road contest against Incarnate Word on Dec. 29. After New Year’s celebrations, they’ll take to the road once again for the start of Conference USA action against Southern Miss on Jan. 3. 

The Owls should have a strong shot at winning each of those contests. If they win all four, they’ll tie last year’s 10-2 start in nonconference play.

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