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The Roost’s 2019 Rice Football coverage postseason survey

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The 2019 Rice Football season has come to an end and we’d like to know how we did. Please take a few minutes and consider leaving your feedback.

When Rice football knocked off UTEP to close their 2019 season on a three-game winning streak we wrapped up our second full season covering the team. The Roost isn’t going anywhere — we’ve got a host of fall sports in progress and baseball will be here before we know it — but we don’t want to miss an opportunity to reflect on the past several months.

Please consider filling out the brief survey below. Tell us what you like and what we can do better. Your candor is appreciated. The Roost wouldn’t be what it was without our members.

Lastly, this survey is being released on Giving Tuesday. This site, podcast and future projects are all self-funded. If you’ve enjoyed The Roost, please consider making a donation here or purchasing some gear at The Roost Shop.

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Rice Football: Owls soar over UTEP for third straight win

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Rice football enters the offseason riding high, knocking off UTEP on the road to win their third consecutive game for the first time since 2014.

The Rice football team who took the field on a blustery Saturday afternoon against UTEP never looked flustered, even when UTEP took a momentary lead. This team had become accustomed with adversity and put their learnings from the school of hard knocks to use, winning their third straight game. The last Rice team to win three and a row won six straight in 2014. The last Rice squad to win their final three came in 2013, a year which included a conference championship.

Here are a few immediate takeaways from another encouraging outing:

1. It’s not perfect, but the Owls have fixed their offense

For the first time since their road trip to Birmingham to face UAB, Rice football ended their first offensive possession in the endzone. Set up by an opportune special teams play and a short punt, the offense needed just three plays to traverse the 28 yards between them and a touchdown. Taking the 7-0 lead kept their first-half momentum going. It also quickly ended the Miners’ hopes of a reprisal of last year’s 27-0 onslaught that put the Owls in a massive hole before their offense woke up.

UTEP would answer with a defensive touchdown, putting the onus back on Rice to keep their foot on the gas. Not only did Rice respond with a score, they marched 67 yards in a little less than three minutes, capping things off with a 30-yard touchdown run by sixth-year senior Aston Walter.

Whether they’re at home or on the road, the past three games have given ample reason to believe the early-season woes of the Rice offense are a thing of the past. They’ve scored on the ground and through the air. They’ve mixed in some razzle-dazzle and some no-nonsense, run-you-over physicality.

Zane Knipe hauled in a 42-yard bomb for his first career reception. JoVoni Johnson looked electric in select packages, including his first career touchdown and a second score to ice the game in the fourth quarter.

All told, the Owls finished with 30 points (16 of which came after halftime) and 371 total yards. That’s a long way from a seven-point, 243-yard outing this same team had in their season opener against Army.

2. There are no “gimmes” in Conference USA

Rice football won their prior two games in upset fashion, ending any bowl aspirations for both Middle Tennessee and North Texas. They took Louisiana Tech to overtime. In their only other game as a favorite this season, they squandered a fourth-quarter lead, falling to UTSA on the road. Notice any rhyme or reason to those results? Not really.

The Owls have been playing well in all phases, but there are no “gimmes” in Conference USA. The talent level gap between the upper tier and lower tier teams is nowhere near the chasm that exists in some other conferences around the country. Nobody can throw the ball out on the field and win games with willpower alone. It takes focus, execution and good coaching. Every Saturday.

The tone in the locker room matched this mindset all week. Leading receiver Brad Rozner was direct with his viewpoint of the game at hand: “We haven’t really done much. All we’ve done really is win two games.” Rice wasn’t overlooking UTEP, but even well-prepared, winning this game on the road against a team desperate to find any way to finish on top was always going to be hard. Credit Rice with this: for the third time in three weeks, they found a way to win.

3. The jury is still out on the Owls’ third down defense

From the box score alone, the defensive performance seemed presentable. The Rice defense allowed 10 points (none after halftime) with only one touchdown drive to a UTEP offense that put up five touchdowns last weekend. But after turning UTEP away on their first third down of the game, Rice allowed their opponents to convert five of their next seven third downs.

It was the defense’s inability to get off the field that proved to be the biggest stumbling block for the Rice offense. Rice had two offensive possessions in the second quarter while UTEP controlled the ball for 11:29 of the 15 minutes of play.

To some degree, an injury to Kai Locksley helped Rice solve their third down problems. The Miners’ starters left the game on the final drive before halftime with a wrist injury. UTEP looked lost without their dual-threat quarterback at the helm, going three and out twice and picking up just two third down conversions after halftime.

Rice can’t control injuries, but they can control their own defensive effort. The second half performance was a fantastic response, enabling Rice not only to take the lead but to extend it.

4. The no-quit attitude is paying off

Someone asked an interesting question during a mailbag segment on The Roost Podcast earlier this season: how many plays is Rice football from a winning record? The Owls were 0-6 at the time but had played well in their losses. After pondering things for a moment, Carter and I concluded they were probably only seven or eight plays from three wins, which could have potentially included Army and Baylor, currently ranked ninth in the nation.

Plenty was questioned during the 0-9 start. The effort wasn’t. The team was ready in the fourth quarter, physically prepared to do battle for a full 60 minutes. In theory, those close games would begin to balance out. The Owls had lost a disproportionate amount of nail-biters. They were “due”.

The Owls’ effort never waned. The results have been as good as they could have imagined and should give plenty of optimism for what this team will be able to accomplish in 2020 and beyond.

5. Don’t miss the trees for the forest

An old adage would warn us not to miss the forest for the trees. Although undoubtedly sage advice, the inverse is also true, particularly for the current Rice football team.

The talk of “big picture” plans and building for the future have been ubiquitous as the team endured an onslaught of near misses and close losses. Patience was preached. There will be plenty of time to break down the wide-angled view of where this program is and where it’s going. Today, focus on the most immediate results.

Black Friday

Rice has won three games in a row against Conference USA opponents. Two of those victories came on the road. Three wins is short of where this program wants to be, but let’s not lose sight of the accomplishments the Owls have achieved in the past month. After winning twice in their first 22 games (.091 winning percentage), Rice is a perfect 3-3 after their bye week.

All those hopes and dreams of the program Mike Bloomgren and his staff are working to build? It’s become a reality over the past several weeks. We don’t have to theorize how they’ll win in 2020. They’ve already proven it can be done. In the midst of a particularly dark stretch, Rex Ryan challenged an 0-9 team to win three-straight. They did. Rice football has finally taken flight.

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Rice Football 2019: Quarterbacks, redshirts and UTEP practice notes 🔒

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Rice football wants to close out its 2019 season on a high note. The Owls haven’t slowed down as the work through Thanksgiving week to prepare for UTEP.

It’s hard to believe we’ve almost reached the end of the Rice football regular season. Be sure to check out the game preview and this week’s podcast. Here are some of the most notable takeaways from practice this week.

Development of the offense and game-planning for the second half

The emergence of Bradley Rozner has been crucial over the last month of the season. Being able to throw the ball up to him on third down and watch him win one-on-one battles has changed the Rice offense. “[Rozner has] really given our offense another threat that we didn’t really know we had early,” wide receivers coach Mike Kershaw admitted. “[Rozner has] really helped us … stretch the ball down the field, flip the field.”

Rozner’s growth has been a boon to the rest of the receiving corps as well. Austin Trammell had more than six receptions for just the second time this season in the win over North Texas, including a wide-open 31-yard gain on third down in the second half.

The Roost Podcast | Episode 19 — North Texas recap and UTEP Preview

Trammell has noticed the added space, saying “It’s nice having more options and be able to make plays down the field.” Even still, the team captain has higher aspirations for himself and this offense. “We just can’t get complacent,” he said of the second half scoring droughts, which by the time the team takes the field against UTEP, will have grown to 35 days without a point scored after halftime.

As for new wrinkles, we might see against UTEP, the speed of Zane Knipe should get more opportunities to flash. Kershaw called him “a different type of weapon,” adding that, “that’s rare to have a guy that has that type of speed [at Rice].”

Quarterback

Bloomgren confirmed during his Tuesday press conference that Tom Stewart would remain the starter for the final week of the regular season. He has taken the majority of the reps with the first team early in the week and performed well. His deep ball continues to be an asset to his game and he’s proven comfortable in the offense.

As good as Stewart has been, there’s a good chance we still see JoVoni Johnson on Saturday. The reps Stewart hasn’t gotten with the one’s have been held for Johnson, who’s worked primarily with a read-option and more run-centric packages.

The running game with Johnson seemed to be the best thing the offense had going for it before the bye. Instituting some of those plays, particularly during any second half stalls could be extremely beneficial. Two quarterbacks shouldn’t be the norm, and I think Bloomgren and his staff will be judicious about how and when they employ their second signal caller against UTEP. They’ve had plenty of learning opportunities.

Redshirt watch

Rice has already begun to shuffle in some of their younger players as the season has progressed. There wasn’t a sudden deluge of new faces when Rice reached the last four games of the year, rather the staff has done a good job of getting many of the freshmen experience in meaningful moments.

These players have played in their allotted four games. I wouldn’t expect we see any of them on Saturday: Jacob Grams, Kebreyun Page, Cole Garcia, Josh Pearcy, Joshua Landrum, Miles McCord, and Brandt Peterson.

Black Friday

As for those who have played in fewer than four games, there should be several players who get into the game in some form or fashion.

On offense, keep an eye on the aforementioned JoVoni Johnson as well as running back Juma Otoviano (game time decision), wide receiver Zane Knipe and walk-on offensive lineman Isaac Klarkowski. On defense, Chike Anigbogu and Izeya Floyd were both singled out by members of the coaching staff this week as players who could see bigger roles.

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Rice Football Film Room 2019: North Texas Review

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Rice Football is on a winning streak and the offense is starting to click. Take a look at some of the highlights in this week’s edition of the Film Room.

Hey y’all, welcome back to the Rice Football Film Room. Great to be celebrating another win, ain’t it? Rice’s defense put on a master class in this one, holding Mason Fine and the North Texas Mean Green offense to under 250 total yards and a mere 14 points. In celebration of that effort, we’ll highlight the early pick from Rice’s starting Swiss Army Knife . . . er, Viper Treshawn Chamberlain

You Had Me At A Glance

Setup

It’s UNT’s second offensive drive following a punt and a Rice field goal. So it’s 3-0 Owls, and Fine & Co. have the ball 1st and 10 at their own 25, less than five minutes into the game. They’re in a pretty standard 11 personnel shotgun look, with the TE lined up off the line and outside the LT at H-back.

Rice responds with a 3-3-5 look, with 3 linemen, Antonio Montero and Blaze Alldredge in the box, and Kenneth Orji playing the edge at off-ball strongside linebacker. Rice has two safeties: Chamberlain is lined up in the middle of the field about seven yards off the ball, and the other (I can’t see the number but I’m pretty sure it’s George Nyakwol) is deeper and just inside the numbers to the boundary.

The Play

Hey, we know this one, don’t we? It’s the Glance RPO, a play Rice has run to much success this season, usually to Brad Rozner. The single receiver runs a skinny post (or “glance”) route, and if the safety to that side stays deep (either to bracket him or bail into a deep zone), the quarterback throws. If he comes downhill to play the run, the quarterback hands it off. Nyakwol flows to the line at the run action, so Fine thinks he has an easy read, pulls the ball, and throws the glance.

The key here is some trickery by Rice DC Brian Smith and Chamberlain. Presnap, Fine and the UNT offense don’t see Chamberlain as likely to impact this play. He’s lined up to the strong side and fairly shallow, so they may expect him to move into the box to give Rice numbers against the run. He could also be bailing into a deep zone: perhaps to the middle of the field if Rice is in Cover 3, or maybe even all the way to a deep quarter in the wide side, if Rice is playing Cover 6 (Cover 2 to the short side and quarters/Cover 4 to the wide side).

More: Previewing Rice Football vs UTEP in Week 14

But Chamberlain does neither of those things. Instead it looks like he’s playing a sort of Robber coverage, meaning that he sticks in the shallow middle of the field, reading the QB’s eyes and “robbing” any shorter crossing routes. This, I assume, was a look by Smith intended specifically to counter RPOs, which are often run out of these 11 personnel spread looks. Nyakwol moves to the box to play the run option, and Chamberlain is in place to cover the shallow crossing routes these plays involve (often slants), while also being able to fill late against a run to his side.

Fine actually does a really good job selling the run action, and you can see Chamberlain briefly biting on it before realizing that the QB still has the ball. But at that point, he knows exactly where the ball is going and makes a brilliant break on the ball to grab the pick.

I’ve mentioned on The Roost Podcast before how difficult it is for QBs to process in real time when a defense changes its look post-snap, particularly on quick-read plays like these. This time, it’s Rice that uses that to its advantage. The ensuing interception sets up a crucial early touchdown for the Owls.

Plenty of big plays

Here’s where I note that I wanted this to be an all-Chamberlain column and break down his game-sealing pass breakup, but I couldn’t find video of it anywhere. Disappointing!

I’d give you the big Rozner catch on Rice’s final drive, but it was more of the same of what we’ve seen lately: Stewart put a catchable ball in the area of a single-covered Rozner, who boxed out like a power forward and came down with the ball. Great play but nothing I haven’t shown you before, and the camera is zoomed so tight at the beginning you can’t even see the formation.

So! We’ll give Rice’s other Harvard grad transfer his props. Here’s Charlie Booker’s first Rice touchdown.

Let’s Hit the Book . . . er

Setup

It’s the very first play of the second quarter. Rice has the ball 1st and goal from the 8, up 10-0. They’re under center in 22 personnel, with Booker at RB, Brendan Suckley at FB, Jaeger Bull at inline TE to the right, Jordan Myers being the other TE to the left (I’d say at H-back but he’s so far outside the tackle he’s really more of a slotback), and Rozner as the lone receiver. UNT responds with a five-man front and a whopping ten total players in or very close to the box.

The Play

This is an ISO run, which I believe I’ve mentioned briefly before. The difference between ISO and most plays using a blocking back (“lead” plays) is that lead plays are designed for the blocker to hit the hole and block whomever he sees first (most of these are gap runs, like power or counter), whereas in ISO the blocker has a specific player he’s aiming to block right from the beginning (usually, and in this case, the middle linebacker). ISO is designed to go up the middle, through an A-gap (to either side of the center, i.e.).

This is excellently blocked to the playside, with true freshman walk-on center Isaac Klarkowski and RG Brian Chaffin double-teaming the nose while LG Nick Leverett does a brilliant job getting inside of his man and sealing him off to open the gap.

More: Isaac Klarkowski, the latest Rice Football walk-on success 

Suckley blasts the MIKE back four yards and to the opposite side of the field. The weakside ‘backer for UNT has actually done a nice job sifting through the wash and is in position to make the play, though; it kinda looks like Chaffin was going to come off the double on him, but he diagnoses the play too quickly for that to happen. But Booker does a nifty jump cut and slaps him aside as he bursts through the hole. From there it’s all green grass.

Boy it sure was nice to break down plays from two successive wins. Here’s hoping Rice Football can close the season with a third in El Paso this weekend.

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Rice Football 2019 Game Preview: Week 14 vs UTEP

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Rice Football will take a winning streak into their 2019 finale against the UTEP Miners. How to watch, stats to know, x-factor picks for both teams and more.

Fresh off a slew of program firsts, Rice football is riding high. The Owls are in the midst of their first winning streak since 2016 and their first C-USA West win of the Mike Bloomgren era. They achieved both with a Senior Day win over North Texas in Week 12. Buoyed by a defense that continues to make highlight-reel plays, Rice is aiming to finish strong.

UTEP was less fortunate. The Miners feel for the tenth consecutive time last week, succumbing to a New Mexico State team that had yet to beat an FBS team this season. Here’s what you need to know about UTEP and Rice before their season-ending showdown in the desert.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 2:00 PM CT
Venu | Sun Bowl – El Paso, Tx
TV | ESPN3 (Streaming)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio Preview

We’ll preview the UTEP game on Episode 19 of The Roost Podcast which will be released on Thursday. Find us on the podcast page or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. (And consider leaving us a 5-star review while you’re at it.)

Sizing up the contenders

Mike Bloomgren and Dana Dimel both took over their respective programs during the same offseason. It’s been a tough road for both headmen, but to this point, Dimel has one notable upper hand. UTEP beat Rice in Houston last year, marking the only win for Dimel’s crew in his first season.

Each team has a win over an FCS squad in that time. UTEP beat Houston Baptist to open its 2019 campaign. Rice beat Prairie View at the start of last season, the first win of Bloomgren’s tenure. In total, though, Rice has four wins to UTEP’s two with the Owls’ tripling the Miners’ C-USA victories in that span.

Both programs can show quantitative improvement in the win column with a win on Saturday. UTEP can move from a one-win 2018 to a two-win 2019 with Rice hoping to go from 2-11 to 3-9. For two programs which haven’t done as much winning as they’d have liked to so far, the difference made by a single win would be huge.

Series History

All Time | Rice leads 14-8
Last Five | Rice leads 3-2
Last Meeting | Home 2018, UTEP won 34-26

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Stewart – 84/137 (61.3 percent), 939 yards passing, 7 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Walter – 129 carries, 622 yards (4.8 yards per carry), 7 TD
Receiving | Rozner – 52 receptions, 751 yards (14.4 yards per reception), 5 TD | Trammell – 56 receptions, 672 yards (12.0 yards per reception), 3 TD
Tackles | Alldredge – 88, Montero – 72, Chamberlain – 60
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Nyakwol – 6 PBU, Smith/Chamberlain – 2 INT

UTEP Stat Notables

Passing | Locksley – 95/169 (56.2), 1229 yards passing, 5 TD, 5 INT
Rushing | Hughes – 154 carries, 653 yards (4.2 yards per carry), 12 TD
Receiving | Cowing – 24 receptions, 494 yards (20.6 yards per reception), 3 TD | Wolf – 32 receptions, 397 yards (12.4 yards per reception), 2 TD
Tackles | Lewis – 93, Rogers – 68, Hynson – 54
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Caldwell – 11 PBU, Ross – 2 INT

UTEP X-Factor | Weathering the early storm

The Rice offense has been at its best in the first half over their last two wins. Rice scored 75 points in the first halves of their first nine games, all losses. In their two wins, they’ve scored 51 points before the break.

The offensive explosion hasn’t been without its drawbacks. Rice hasn’t scored a point in the second half of a game since October. Middle Tennessee and North Texas, neither of which is known for their defensive prowess, were able to shut the Owls out in the second half.

UTEP isn’t going to blow anyone away with their defense, but recent history suggests they might not have to play their best game to keep the game close. If the Miners can keep the game close before the halftime whistle and make the necessary adjustments, they’ll have a punchers chance.

Rice X-Factor | Winning on third down

The Owls have seen their third down successes slow down after halftime in each of their last two wins. Rice saw their conversion rate drop from 50 percent to 38 percent in the two halves of the Middle Tennessee game. They experienced a similar dip against North Texas, falling from 44 percent before the break to 38 percent afterward.

In totality, Rice converted seven third downs on 16 tries in each of their last two games. That’s better than their 5.1 conversions per game average entering the winning stretch, but a 37 percent season clip makes it extremely difficult to sustain offensive production.

With their defense playing as well as it’s been in the past several weeks, a few more drive-extending plays could give Rice some much-needed breathing room down the stretch.

Injury Report

Center Shea Baker missed the North Texas game as the flu ran rampant through the Rice locker room. True freshman walk-on Isaac Klarkowski started in his place. Baker is expected to be back in action this week, along with a healthy running back Aston Walter who could not finish the North Texas game after giving it a go early on.

The availability of defensive ends Anthony Ekpe and Trey Schuman is in question. Ekpe seemed closer than Schuman last week, but neither played. There’s a possibility Ekpe can go for the season finale.

Running back Juma Otoviano and quarterback JoVoni Johnson were both kept out of last week’s game as they recovered from lower body injuries. Their return to the field seems plausible this week, but their status will be something we’ll track closely this week.

Need More?

The Roost’s 2019 Rice Football Season Preview has four pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth chart, important new arrivals and depth chart breakdowns for each foe. Better yet, it’s not just speculation, each profile was created with insight from local experts who cover those teams day in and day out. Pick up your copy today and get four pages and more than 1,000 words on every foe.

Pick ‘Em Contest

If you haven’t yet, make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and submit them on the forum thread to enter.

  1. How many points does Rice score after halftime?
    Over 7.5 / Under 7.5
  2. Will either team have a touchdown play of longer than 35 yards?
    Yes / No
  3. How many sacks will the Rice defense register?
    Over 3.5 / Under 3.5
  4. Which team has more pass break ups?
    Rice / UTEP (or tie)
  5. Will UTEP lead at any point during the first half?
    Yes / No
  6. Who wins?
    Rice / UTEP
  7. Bonus (3 pts)
    How many points does Rice score? (Must be exact score)

One Final Thing

Saturday marks the second time this season Rice football has been the oddsmaker’s favorite to win. The other instance came on the road against UTSA, a game Rice led in the final minutes of the fourth quarter but was unable to close out.

Rice has learned a lot this season. Beating UTEP would be proof they’ve taken those lessons to heart. It was Dimel himself who said during Conference USA Media Days that a coach should be measured by his ability to win the games he is “supposed to win”.

Winning on the road in conference is never easy, but Rice has done that already this season. Beating UTEP would be proof of this team taking that next step and moving further into the process. Plus, a three-game winning streak entering 2020 would do wonders for the team this offseason.

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