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Rice Football: Behind enemy lines with a UTSA Insider

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UTSA is next up on the 2024 Rice football schedule so we’re going behind enemy lines with Roadrunners’ insider Jared Kalmus of the Alamo Audible.

Roadrunners’ insider Jared Kalmus was kind enough to stop by and answer a few questions about the upcoming matchup between Rice Football and UTSA. The answers below should shed some light on the Owls’ upcoming opponent.

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Rice Football 2024: UTSA presser quotes and depth chart

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Next up for Rice football: UTSA. Here’s what Mike Bloomgren had to say about the matchup and a few depth chart notes.

Head coach Mike Bloomgren and a set of players met with the media for their customary weekly availability. They recapped the Charlotte game and the bye week then looked ahead at their upcoming matchup with UTSA. Bloomgren announced during the press conference the team would be wearing the Luv-Ya-Blue throwback uniforms for the game.

More: Game Preview: Rice Football vs UTSA

We touch on those items, then dig into the Rice football depth chart and what the team looks like heading into the weekend. First, the quotes:

Press Conference Quotes

“We’re coming back. We’re focused on UTSA. We understand the mission. We understand going 1-0 and that is really the singleness of focus we have right now is trying to find a way to beat UTSA a team that we haven’t beat since 2014. We are  putting everything we have into this week to give us our best chance. We know how well coached they are. I have all the respect in the world for coach [Jeff] Traylor. We know how talented they are. They’ve got great players. So do we.” – Mike Bloomgren on the team’s mentality coming off the bye week

“Thank God. McCown’s played good. He’s done some good things. He’s has moments where he looked really, really comfortable in that offense. They’re still UTSA’s offense… But again, them not having Superman back there is going to be nice. It’s not a knock on McCown, it’s just what Frank was able to do to us through the years.” – Mike Bloomgren on facing a UTSA offense without former star quarterback Frank Harris

“I think his growth is just continuing to get more comfortable in this system. The thing I still want from him is more input. What do you like? What do you not like? I ask him every week, ‘What’s your favorite things? What do you like in third down? Is there anything on the call sheet you don’t like? I think it’s easy for us as coaches to see how the X’s and O’s draw up, but ultimately what matters is what that kid knows and what he’s comfortable [with] and loves because it’s amazing when you take ownership of it how invested you are and how you just seem to make those things work when they’re your idea. We’re still reaching for that.” – Mike Bloomgren’s on the growth of Rice quarterback EJ Warner

“We take it personal when anyone gets close to EJ. We don’t want to give up any pressures, much less a sack. We feel like we’re talented enough and we’re a very talented unit. The expectation is to not let anyone close to him. That’s what we try to do every week.” – Offensive lineman Chad Lindberg on being top 10 in the nation in sacked allowed

“He’s probably the funniest coach I’ve ever head. Playing for him has probably been the best experience I’ve ever had in college football and I’ve played college football for a long time now, a long, long time. Obviously, [I’m] enjoying my time”” – Defensive lineman Michael Larbie on  defensive line coach Cedric Calhoun

Depth Chart

Rice Football

Depth Chart Notes

We’ve got a lot of changes to the depth chart this week, rooted primarily in a swath of injuries that have hit the roster over the last few weeks. First, we’ll start with two prominent players who were on the two-deep against Charlotte that are not on this iteration of the lineup card: tight end Boden Groen and tackle Ethan Onianwa. Their status for Saturday’s game remains up in the air. As always stay tuned to practice notes later in the week for the latest on that front.

Onianwa’s absence saw Chad Lindberg shifted from guard to tackle with Trace Norflett filling a spot in the interior. That’s how the team aligned against Charlotte and what should be expected if Onianwa is unable to go this week. At tight end, Elijah Mojarro had the big touchdown grab last week filling in for Groen. Graham Walker has been utilized in a pass catching role over the middle this season, too.

As for the defense, Aquantis Clemmons has leapfrogged Elroyal Morris in the interior of the line. Freshman Kaleb Blanton sees his name mentioned on a two-deep for the first time this season with the ever-evolving rotation at that position. Behind them, Tyson Flowers returns to the two-deep after missing the past two games with injury.

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Rice Football 2024: NFL Owls Week 5 Roundup

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Rice Football is well represented on 2024 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 5.

There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player.

Team NFL Owl(s) This Week Result Next Week
Detroit Lions Jack Fox (P) — BYE —  — at Cowboys
Indianapolis Colts Kylen Granson (TE) at Jaguars L, 37-34 at Titans
Pittsburgh Steelers Chris Boswell (PK)
Calvin Anderson (OL)		 vs Cowboys L, 20-17 at Raiders
New England Patriots Nick Leverett (OL) vs Dolphins L, 15-10 vs Texans
Seattle Seahawks Myles Adams (DL) vs Giants L, 29-20 vs 49ers
Washington Commanders Luke McCaffrey (WR) vs Browns W, 34-13 at Ravens

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OL, Steelers

Anderson was signed to the Steelers’ 53-man roster last week and dressed for their Week 5 game against the Cowboys but did not see action.

Luke McCaffrey – WR, Commanders

McCaffrey caught three passes for 19 yards against the Browns in Week 5, tying a career-high of three catches in a game which he’d done on two other occasions to this point. He’s caught all 10 passes thrown his way in his NFL career so far.

Nick Leverett – OL, Patriots

Leverett made his first start of the season for the Patriots, playing every snap on offense. This comes a week after filling in midgame for an injury.

Kylen Granson – TE, Colts

Granson wasn’t targeted in the passing game against the Jaguars but did contribute on special teams, making a tackle on punt duty.

Defense

Myles Adams – DL, Seahawks

Adams played on defense and special teams in the Seahawks’ Week 5 games against the Giants but did not record any statistics.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

The Lions were on bye in Week 5.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell connected on a 41-yard field goal and both of his extra point attempts in a rain-delayed Sunday Night Football contest against the Dallas Cowboys. The Boz has now made 12-of-13 field goals so far this season.

More Owls in the NFL

From practice squads to current free agents, there are other 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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AAC Football 2024: Week 6 Roundup

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AAC Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron this week.

Team Record  This Week Result Up Next
Army 5-0 (4-0) at Tulsa W, 49-7 vs UAB
Charlotte 3-3 (2-0) vs ECU W, 55-24 — OFF —
ECU 3-3 (1-1) at Charlotte L, 55-24 — OFF —
FAU 2-3 (0-1) — OFF —  — vs North Texas
Memphis 4-1 (0-1) — OFF —  — at USF
Navy 5-0 (3-0) at Air Force W, 34-7 — OFF —
North Texas 4-1 (1-0) — OFF —  — at FAU
Rice 1-4 (0-2) — OFF —  — vs UTSA
Temple 1-5 (0-2) at UConn L, 29-20 — OFF —
Tulane 4-2 (2-0) at UAB W, 71-20 — OFF —
Tulsa 2-4 (0-2) vs Army L, 49-7 — OFF —
UAB 1-4 (0-2) vs Tulane L, 41-20 at Army
USF 2-3 (0-1) — OFF —  — vs Memphis
UTSA 2-3 (0-1) — OFF —  — at Rice

Notable Results and Storylines // (Standings)

5-0 Troops

For the first time since 1945, both Army and Navy have started the season 5-0. Army owns the nation’s longest winning streak (nine games) and has not trailed at any point during a game this season. Meanwhile Navy is cruising, too. The Midshipmen are the only team in the nation to score on every red zone appearance, converting 19-of-19 trips for scores this year. It’s a good time to be a service academy in the AAC.

Blazers down bad

UAB is not having a good time right now. Weeks removed from putting a scare into Arkansas the Blazers appear to have fallen apart, most recently being completely dismantled by Tulane. The Green Wave appear to be among the best of the best in the AAC, a stark difference from the product the Blazers are putting on the field right now. That’s not where Trent Dilfer and his staff hoped the program would be in year two, but that’s the reality they’re living in.

Niners off the mat

A similar sob story was close to being written about Charlotte, but the 49ers have rebounded from a perilous 1-3 start with back-to-back conference wins, this week blasting East Carolina in a burgeoning rivalry game. As things currently stand, the Nines are one of five AAC teams without a conference lost. That’s not someone anyone could have predicted a month ago, but things change quickly in this sport.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

In the thick of double bye weeks

It’s been back-to-back relatively light weeks for the AAC with almost half the league on bye this week and the other half on bye next week. If that feels like a lot of missing football, you’re not wrong. Because of the way the calendar falls this season each team will have two open weeks, split roughly in the first half and second half of the season. We’ll have much fuller AAC slates in Weeks 8 and Week 9 before another lull inaction later in the year.

Memphis and South Florida square off

Entering the year this Week 7 matchup between Memphis and South Florida was meant to be pivotal for the AAC Championship race, and that still very well might be true, but it’s taken on an additional degree of importance in recent weeks. Early stumbles by both squads and the hot starts of Army and Navy have upped the ante in this contest. The winner stays in the race while the loser might be out of luck before the calendar reaches Halloween.

What about the Mean Green?

North Texas has a Power conference loss to Texas Tech, but has otherwise handled business entering their first bye week of the season. The Mean Green weren’t expected to be among the conference frontrunners, but their offense looks like the real deal and they’re flying a bit under the radar following wins over Wyoming and Tulsa. A win over FAU this weekend would set them up for a potentially pivotal trip to Memphis in two weeks.

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Rice Football 2024: Bye Week 1 Practice Report

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Rice football is off this week, utilizing a much-needed bye week to take stock of the program and make some tweaks before the second half of their season begins.

The first free weekend of a two-bye season has arrived. Rice football was on the practice field again this week working to turn things around. A lot of depth players saw extended run and the coaching staff implemented a few adjustments to set the team up for what they hope will be a bounce back after the bye.

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For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Special features like this are reserved for our subscribers. Have questions? You can get those answered in our monthly Q&As and get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

Opportunities for fresh faces

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