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Rice Football 2023: NFL Owls Regular Season Roundup

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Rice Football was well represented on 2023 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action this season.

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 Playoffs
Denver Broncos Elijah Garcia (DL) at Raiders L, 27-14  —
Detroit Lions Jack Fox (P) vs Vikings W, 30-20  vs Rams (WC)
Indianapolis Colts Kylen Granson (TE) vs Texans (Sat) L, 23-19  —
Los Angeles Rams Austin Trammell (WR) at 49ers W, 21-20  at Lions (WC)
New England Patriots Calvin Anderson (OL) vs Jets L, 17-3  —
Pittsburgh Steelers Chris Boswell (PK) at Ravens (Sat) W, 17-10  at Bills (WC)
Seattle Seahawks Myles Adams (DL) vs Cardinals W, 21-20  —
Tampa Bay Bucs Nick Leverett (OL) at Panthers W, 9-0  vs Eagles (WC)

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Patriots

Anderson appeared in five games for the Patriots this season, making two starts including the season opener against the Eagles. He was active for the final nine games of the regular season but did not see action down the stretch.

Kylen Granson – TE, Colts

Granson posted career highs in starts (seven), targets (50), receiving yards (368) and caught his first NFL touchdown this season. His celebratory photoshoot drew plenty of laughs.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett was active for the Bucs in every game this season, but only saw action on three occasions, participating with the special teams unit.

Austin Trammell – WR, Rams

Trammell became an everyday player for the first time in his professional career, serving as the Rams’ primary return specialist this season. He returned six kicks for 101 yards and 25 punts for 183 yards. He also caught four passes, including three on a career-best offensive outing against the Seahawks.

Defense

Myles Adams – DL, Seahawks

Adams was in and out of the Seahawks’ lineup this season, serving as one of the primary alternatives in cases of injuries or emergencies. He made one start (week 15 against the Titans) and got his first career sack (Week 4 against the Giants), as well as playing several snaps on special teams.

Elijah Garcia – DL, Broncos

Garcia was active in three games for the Broncos, all at the beginning of the season. He picked up his first career sack in his final appearance, a Week 5 game against the Jets.

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox compiled another productive season in Detroit, punting 57 times with a 46.4-yard average with a long of 70 yards which came in Week 2 against Dallas. His 21 returnable punts ranked sixth fewest in the league among full-time punters.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell made 29-of-31 field goals this season, with one block and one miss from 40+. He was perfected from 39 yards and inward. He also delivered 27-of-28 successful extra points.

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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Rice Football 2023 Offensive Newcomer of the Year: Boden Groen

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A JUCO transfer in his second year on campus, Boden Groen broke through in a major way to become our 2023 Rice Football Offensive Newcomer of the Year.

Spring ball and fall camp often serve as proving grounds for up-and-coming players. The fresh faces have their moments in the sun, earn a spot on the depth chart and, eventually, get their chance to produce on Saturday. Translating those practice successes to game day is the biggest challenge, but tight end Boden Groen did so with ease. He’s our 2023 Rice Football Offensive Newcomer of the Year.

Groen made his Rice debut in 2022, catching nine passes across 12 games as he worked to fully integrate himself into the Owls’ scheme after transferring from Saddleback College where he played the year prior. It was a somewhat inconspicuous start for a tight end presumed to be stuck behind multi-year starter Jack Bradley on the depth chart, but while he might have flown under the radar of spectators, the Rice coaching staff and his teammates were watching.

The first rumbles of Groen’s impending emergence began in the spring. The drum beat was unmistakable. “Boden Groen is a different player right now than he was last fall,” head coach Mike Bloomgren said in the spring. “The confidence he has, it’s pretty cool. He knows what he’s doing. He’s playing fast. He’s playing hard.”

If that wasn’t a strong enough endorsement, starting quarterback JT Daniels made a point to praise Groen in his comments following the conclusion of the spring game. “I wish more people took note of Boden,” Daniels said. “I think he’s going to be an absolute killer at the Y and F spot.”

At that point, Groen was flying under the radar no longer. Garnering the attention and praise of your head coach and star quarterback before that trio ever took the field together is hard to ignore. Then came fall camp where Groen took that buzz and grew it into a chorus.

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“He can run at his size. Those guys are hard to cover,” offensive coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo said of Groen’s skillset. “The ability for that position to run-block and threaten the middle of the field with athleticism and speed, that is a game-changer.” And finally, “We think Boden can be in that [Travis Kelce] mold for us in this conference.”

When the games arrived, expectations were mounting. Groen responded by leading the team in receptions in the season opener against Texas. He built on that with at least one reception, usually more, in every game of the season. The only other Rice player to achieve that in 2023? Star wide receiver Luke McCaffrey.

Groen scored his first collegiate touchdown against Tulane. A few weeks later he had a multi-touchdown performance against Florida Atlantic, propelling the Owls to their sixth win and bowl eligibility. With the season on the line and McCaffrey pulling copious amounts of attention, Groen was the clear No. 2 option in the passing game.

In fact, Groen finished the season second among all AAC tight ends with 37 receptions and third with 376 receiving yards. Those 37 catches were the most by a Rice football tight end since Vance McDonald in 2011. His yardage total was the highest since McDonald in 2012.

More: 2023 Rice Football Iron Man — Clay Servin

Through it all, Groen stayed calm and humble. “Our coaches put together a great scheme every week,” Groen said. “And every week, I know that they’re going to call plays that are going to get me open, they’re gonna get Luke [McCaffrey] open, they’re going to get Dean [Connors] open.”

Coincidentally, that trio (Groen, McCaffrey and Connors) represented the top three pass catchers for Rice football this season. That’s a strong start for Groen to build on in 2024.

* Photo Credit: Maria Lysaker *
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Rice Women’s Basketball tops SMU on buzzer beater

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Rice Women’s Basketball topped SMU at the buzzer to improve to 2-0 in American Conference play this season.

Coaches like to say defense travels. That old adage was certainly true for Rice women’s basketball on Sunday. Playing their first road contest as AAC members, Rice relied on their defense to build an early lead against SMU and set the stage for a 2-0 start in league play.

Rice held SMU to 25 percent shooting in the first half, turning the Mustangs over seven times before the halftime buzzer. That allowed the visiting Owls to take a double-digit lead midway through the second quarter and an eight-point lead at halftime, spurred by a balanced scoring effort from Destiny Jackson, Dominque Ennis and Emily Klaczek.

SMU was able to whittle the halftime deficit away in the opening minutes of the second half, setting up an incredible boxing match down the stretch with the teams trading blows (and the lead) into the final minutes. After Rice led for the vast majority of three quarters, the lead changed five times in the final five minutes. Malia Fisher came through with several big plays in those key moments.

After missing the potential go-ahead shot with 30 seconds to play, Rice was able to force a turnover on an SMU travel and retain possession. That paved the way for Destiny Jackson to wind through the SMU defense and hit the game-winning layup at the buzzer. The victory evens the all-time series record between these two programs. In 72 meetings, each team has won 36 times.

Final Box | Rice 65 – SMU 63

Key takeaway | Measuring stick moments

Rice women’s basketball was picked to finish third in the AAC in the preseason coaches poll. SMU was picked to finish fourth. Those prognostications from early October don’t mean much anymore with actual game results in hand and the conference standings beginning to take shape. However, after both teams labored through nonconference play, Rice is starting to get into a rhythm. SMU remains unbalanced.

Rice joins Charlotte and East Carolina as the lone unbeaten in Conference play thus far and Rice hosts Charlotte next weekend. As the Owls work to find their footing in their new conference every win serves to further legitimize their aspirations of becoming the top team in this league. Beating SMU alone won’t make Rice the frontrunners, but it’s a good next step against a quality opponent on the road.

Up Next: vs Charlotte (Thursday, Jan. 11)

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Rice Basketball falls to UTSA in overtime

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Rice basketball was unable to hold onto a second half lead, falling in overtime to UTSA in their AAC “home” opener.

Away from home for the first time as “hosts” in an American Conference game, Rice basketball was out of sorts from the start against UTSA. The visiting Roadrunners showed no signs of confusion when it came to finding their shot at Jerabeck Activity and Athletic Center, jumping out to a double-digit lead in the first 10 minutes of the opening half.

When the Owls needed a spark, Travis Evee took charge. He scored three straight layups to get Rice within four. Soon after his first three of the day got Rice within one score. Noah Shelby took the baton from there, knocking down a three-pointer to give Rice its first lead since the 16-minute mark to begin the game. Trailing by as many as 11 points, Rice had battled back and entered halftime with a three-point lead.

Rice was able to take that advantage and push it to double-digits early in the second half. For a moment, it looked as if the Owls had escaped disaster, but those hopes dissipated rapidly. UTSA immediately fired back and turned it into a back and forth game, which eventually found itself in overtime.

UTSA would go on to outscore Rice 12-5 in overtime, handing the Owls a crushing loss and pushing the Owls to the bottom of the AAC standings.

“We didn’t have the end of the game like we needed to handle it,” head coach Scott Pera said. “They made us pay. They got the shot. Those are hard lessons to learn.”

Final Box | UTSA 89 – Rice 82 (OT)

Key takeaway | Red Alert

UTSA entered this contest dead last in the American in KenPom, No. 290 in the country. How bad have the Roadrunners been this season? For comparison, they’re more than 60 spots behind the next closest AAC team in those rankings. Unfortunately, that next team is Rice. The Owls entered Saturday at No. 224 and they’re going to drop further after this.

If the result wasn’t scary enough, the company Rice has kept this season should raise concern. If Rice basketball can’t put away UTSA, why should they expect to be competitive in a conference that expects to send multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament?

The Owls need to circle the wagons and find some answers. The offense, which was meant to be the strength of this team, has yet to click this season. The defense has had spurts of success but isn’t nearly consistent enough to make up for the Owls’ shooting struggles. With conference play looming, Rice is running out of time to make those adjustments. Until proven otherwise, it appears Rice basketball has a long season ahead of them.

Up Next: at USF (Friday, Jan. 12)

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Rice Football Recruiting: JUCO LB Blaise Tita commits to Owls

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The 2024 Rice Football recruiting class picked up another transfer this week. JUCO linebacker Blaise Tita has committed to the Owls.

The first junior college transfer in the 2024 Rice Football recruiting class is officially in the fold. A local product who played his high school ball just down the road at Alief Taylor High School, Killgore Junior College linebacker Blaise Tita has committed to the Owls.

Tita spent the 2022 season with Lamar, initially playing sparingly before finishing the season with 19 tackles in his final three games. From there he transferred to the JUCO level, looking for a bounce back. When he reentered the portal this offseason he had received offers North Alabama, Southeastern, Mississippi Valley State and Abilene Christian. Then Rice swooped in and sealed the deal.

“It’s truly a blessing,” Tita told The Roost. “I can’t wait to make the most of it.”

Tita is the first commitment since the early signing period when Rice formally announced 13 additions to their program. He’s the second linebacker in the class and should pair well with incoming freshman Kaleb Blanton. Tita has at least two seasons of eligibility remaining, with the potential for a third.

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Tita is always ready to deliver a big hit. A quick look at his play from his stint at Lamar makes that abundantly clear. And unlike a perfectly cut up highschool highlight reel, Tita’s season’s worth of action at Lamar lays his play out in the open. He’s aggressive and instinctive and appears to have some range. Rice football definitely knows what it wants from an outside linebacker at this point. Tita fits the bill.

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