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The Roost Podcast | Ep. 17 – 2019 Middle Tennessee Preview

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Matthew previews Rice Football vs Middle Tennessee in Week 12 and recaps a busy week in Rice Athletics as the football team was on bye.

The bye week was a busy one for Rice Football and the Owls are still on their hunt for their first win. An extra week of prep work and time to get everyone healthy should aid their efforts. Stay tuned for a closer look at the matchups on both sides of the ball and an interview with Eric Henry of Underdog Dynasty in this week’s show.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, Give a listen to Episode 17 below.

Episode 17 Notes

  • News and notes —  Rice Basketball has been busy. The men started the season 3-1 with the women starting 2-0 prior to an upset at the hands of SMU (completed after recording). More on how both teams have looked so far and some big-picture thoughts on their respective seasons.
  • Middle Tennessee Preview — The Blue Raiders are led by quarterback Asher O’Hara, one of the most talented athletes Rice has faced at the quarterback position this season. MTSU’s commitment to the ground game has a similar look and feel to a team like Army, which fits well with the Owls’ strengths. How the Rice offense responds, and who is healthy enough to play quarterback, are also brought into focus.
  • Eric Henry Interview — As someone who spends his days looking at the broader scope of Conference USA, Eric was able to give a great overview of where the conference stands entering the final weeks of the season. We talked championship game scenarios, surprising teams and results and, of course, the upcoming matchup between Rice and Middle Tennessee.

Where can you find us?

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Rice Football 2019 Game Preview: Week 12 vs Middle Tennessee

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Rice Football returns from their second bye week in search of their first win over Middle Tennessee. How to watch, stats to know, x-factor picks for both teams and more.

Rice football makes their first-ever trip to Murfreesboro, TN this weekend in search of their first win over Middle Tennessee and their first win of the 2019 season. The Owls lost a close contest to Marshall in their last game before their Week 10 bye.

Like the Owls, the Blue Raiders also had last weekend off. Prior to that, they’d lost three of their last four conference games, all of which were away from home. Middle Tennessee is a perfect 2-0 in Conference USA home games this season, beating FIU and Marshall by a combined score of 74-30.

Here’s what you need to know about both Middle Tennessee and Rice before their Week 12 game.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 3:30 PM CT
Venu | Floyd Stadium – Murfreesboro, TN
TV | ESPN+ (Streaming [$])
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio Preview

We’ll preview the Middle Tennessee game on Episode 17 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

Sitting at 0-9, Rice football has had patches of success but has yet to connect those moments into a full four-quarter performance. Despite their lack of wins, the Owls have been in every game after halftime, often finding themselves in a one-score game in the fourth quarter.

Middle Tennessee hasn’t played many close games. Other than a 33-30 loss to North Texas on October 19, their eight remaining contests have been decided by at least two scores, three wins and four losses.

Rice will hope their experience in close games will give them an edge on the road, should they find themselves in that familiar situation once more. Middle Tennessee will do all they can to avoid a close game entirely.

Series History

All Time | No Previous Meetings
Last Five | N/A
Last Meeting | N/A

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Stewart – 49/87 (56.3 percent), 538 yards passing, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Walter – 112 carries, 509 yards (4.5 yards per carry), 5 TD
Receiving | Trammell – 46 receptions, 559 yards (12.2 yards per reception), 3 TD | Rozner – 39 receptions, 551 yards (14.3 yards per reception, 2 TD
Tackles | Alldredge – 74, Montero – 61, Chamberlain – 53
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Thornton – 5 PBU, Smith 2 – INT

Middle Tennessee Stat Notables

Passing | O’Hara – 152/246 (61.8), 1792 yards passing, 13 TD, 6 INT
Rushing | O’Hara – 137 carries, 757 yards (5.5 yards per carry), 7 TD
Receiving | Pierce – 31 receptions, 414 yards (13.4 yards per reception), 2 TD | Lee – 32 receptions, 281 yards (8.8 yards per reception), 1 TD
Tackles | Moffatt – 74, Blankenship – 58, Thomas – 58
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Patterson – 6 PBU, Moffatt – 3 INT

Middle Tennessee X-Factor | Asher O’Hara

As Middle Tennessee quarterback Asher O’Hara goes, so does Middle Tennessee. The dual-threat quarterback is the entirety of his team’s offense. In the Blue Raiders’ three wins, O’Hara is averaging 330 total yards and three touchdowns per game with one interception across those contests. In their losses, he’s been limited to 256 yards per game and 1.8 touchdowns with five turnovers, almost one per game.

Leading receiver Jarrin Pierce has just 31 receptions on the year. No player, other than O’Hara, has more than 36 carries over the course of the season. 11 different Middle Tennessee have scored this season — a byproduct of a system that feeds off of O’Hara’s ability rather than the skillsets of a select group of playmakers.

O’Hara is going to be leaned on to carry this team for a full 60 minutes. If the Owls can stop him, they’ll stop the Middle Tennessee offense. If they can do that, they’ll have a chance to win.

Rice X-Factor | Finding Explosive Plays

Rice found a spark on offense behind freshman quarterback JoVoni Johnson who left the Owls’ last game early with a lower-body injury. He can play in one more game this year and still retain his redshirt eligibility. Whether it’s Johnson or veteran Tom Stewart at the helm, the Owls must turn that spark into a full-fledged flame.

The Owls have had games where three-and-outs hampered their offense. That wasn’t the case against Marshall. They drove down the field successfully but frequently stalled out, failing to turn first downs into touchdowns.

Explosive plays are the missing part of that equation. Rice has proven their ability to generate first downs, but collecting them in bunches is much more challenging of a proposition than stringing a few together with a big play to link them together. Johnson and Juma Otoviano gave this offense a fresh feel. If they can take the next step, and someone else can join in, the Owls could complement a stingy defense with points.

Injury Report

The bye week came at a good time for Rice football on the injury front. Anthony Ekpe, Andrew Bird and Brian Chaffin all could return to action this week. All three have progressed from where they were last week. In addition to the quarterbacks, those three will be names to watch during the weekend.

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 combined touchdown passes will be thrown (both teams)?
    Over 3.5 / Under 3.5
  2. Which team converts more third downs?
    Rice (or tie) / MTSU
  3. Which team has more time of possession?
    Rice / MTSU (or tie)
  4. How many passes will Rice quarterbacks complete?
    Over 15.5 / Under 15.5
  5. Which total is higher?
    Number of Rice first downs / Number of Blaze Alldredge tackles (or tie)
  6. Who wins?
    Rice / MTSU

One Final Thing

In many ways, the Middle Tennessee matchup is a favorable one for Rice. Their strength on defense pitted against a potent offense will be the most intriguing battle, but it’s what happens on the other side of the ball that might win this game.

The Middle Tennessee defense has talent, but hasn’t been able to turn their collection of playmakers into a consistent unit. If Rice football is going to turn things around, this is a unit that doesn’t appear to be as daunting as some of the other defensive fronts they’ve faced yet this season.

Combing both facets of their game — a strong defense with a growing offense — could give the Owls a dose of energy headed into the home stretch. They could use the jolt.

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Rice Football: Unpacking the quarterback situation entering Week 12 🔒

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Rice Football finds itself in the midst of another quarterback conundrum. Here’s the latest entering the final three-game stretch of the season.

It’s not groundhog day, but it sure feels like it when the Rice football quarterback situation is brought up. With a week and a half until the Owls take the field against Middle Tennessee, here’s what we know:

1. Tom Stewart is close to “100 percent”

Stewart has been practicing in full and doesn’t appear to be hindered by his back issue. He’s looked good throwing the deep ball both last week and Sunday and is moving around reasonably well. Offensive coordinator Jerry Mack said last week was the first time he’s “felt 100 percent” since injuring his back. He’s expected to be fully available for the game.

2. JoVoni Johnson is nicked up

Johnson left Saturday’s game against Marshall after taking a hit following a big run. He was in a walking boot early last week but has since shed the protective gear and resumed practicing. He’ll be well enough to play.

The bigger question is how the injury will impact his effectiveness. Bloomgren called him “a step slow” in his return to the field, but noted that they’ll monitor him closely this week. A hobbled Johnson wouldn’t pose nearly the same threat as a fully healthy one. Whether or not some percentage of Johnson is better than 100 percent of someone else remains to be seen.

3. Evan Marshman could be an option

Marshman has gotten some reps in practice. He’ll have a package of plays ready should the Owls decide to go in that direction. I don’t get the sense that’s going to be the primary direction at this point, but the staff is going to turn over every rock in their quest to turn this offense around. Whereas Wiley Green is working with the scout team now, Marshman is getting some snaps with a version of the first team offense.

4. The redshirt situation

I contend the offense looks much better with Johnson and the helm than it has with anyone else who’s stepped under center this season. Of course, Bloomgren would prefer to redshirt Johnson and have him for another full season, but the importance of stacking up some wins and giving the team something to build on for the future is a very real motivator.

“All we’re worried about is this week right now,” Bloomgren said. “We’ve definitely had those conversations. We’ve had those conversations with JoVoni as well, but we’re not at a point to make that decision and luckily we don’t have to.”

More: Breaking down the Rice Football offense under Johnson vs Marshall

To some extent, Bloomgren is correct. Johnson has played in three of his allotted four games. Saturday against Middle Tennessee would be the fourth. If Johnson plays this weekend and does well, the likelihood of him redshirting this season would drop exorbitantly.

For what it’s worth, Bloomgren called the offense “anemic” once JoVoni went down against Marshall. A healthy Johnson continues to look like the best option.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Owls keep pushing on 2020 and 2021 classes 🔒

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We’re one month out from the Early Signing Period and the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class keeps adding new names to their radar.

The already star-studded 2020 Rice Football recruiting class would like to add a few new names to the ranks before the Early Signing Period arrives on December 18. The Owls are making plans for several additional high school additions, but they’ll keep their eyes on potential transfer targets as well. Here are a few names that have emerged in recent weeks.

Mike Leone – OT – Hun School (NJ) – 2020

I mentioned Leone in a previous update, but I wanted to bring him back up here because of a new development in his recruitment. The Yale commit is pickup up offers from Kansas an Maryland in recent weeks. He’s bypassed the opportunity to take an official visit to the Terps prior to the early signing period. Instead, he’ll fly to Houston to visit Rice. This one is far from over, but beating out a local Power 5 school for a visit prior to the early signing period is obviously a huge win for Rice.

DJ Warnell – CB – Dickinson (Dickinson, TX) – 2020

Dickinson corner DJ Warnell’s recruitment has picked up quickly this year. Starting with offers from Boston College and Texas Tech in January, Warnell’s offer count has climbed to 16, including a host of Power 5 schools like Arizona and Tennessee. Rice became the most recent to jump into the fray following a visit last week.

Mason Tharp – TE – Klein (TX) – 2021

Three freshmen in the current 2019 class have played in every game this season. One of them, Jack Bradley, plays tight end. It’s no coincidence that a school which runs more two-tight end and three-tight end sets than most every other school in the nation makes the position a priority.

For 2021, Rice has set its sights on Mason Tharp. The 6-foot-7 big man plays center on the basketball team and has plus athleticism. He can play in-line or split out and he’s a bruiser in the running game.

DJ Arkansas – LB – Ryan (Denton, TX) – 2021

Rice thinks they’ve identified a premier pass rusher in Denton Ryan-product DJ Arkansas. The Owls’ were the first school to offer Arkansas, knowing he was the right fit for the program early on. They’ve been cautious with the offers extended to anyone in the 2021 class to this point, making Arkansas a clear priority. He loved his first gameday visit and has had nothing but positive things to say about the program and the staff.

Arkansas, along with Tharp and Cibolo Steele QB Wyatt Begeal, are the only three offers the Owls have extended to members of the 2021 class.

Filling out the class

There were 10 non-highschool additions to the 2019 Rice Football recruiting class. JUCO transfers Brad Rozner, Naeem Smith and Miles McCord and seven grad transfers, most notably three offensive linemen and quarterback Tom Stewart complimented the predominantly young influx of talent.

The total number of veteran additions might not be as high as 10, but the staff is keeping their eye on the Transfer Portal for the right kind of instant-impact players to add to the 2020 class. There’s a good chance the Owls pursue a quarterback, offensive lineman and wide receiver, and possibly a few other positions where they’ll be thinner than they’d like to be next fall.

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Rice Football Film Room 2019: Marshall review

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The Rice football offense has some new players to break down. In this week’s edition of the film room we take a look at JoVoni Johnson and Juma Otoviano against Marshall.

Hey y’all, and welcome back to the Rice Football Film Room. This week we’ll be taking a look at a few plays that hopefully bode well for the future of Rice’s struggling offense.

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