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Rice Football 2019 Game Preview: Owls at Army Black Knights

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Rice Football kicks off their 2019 season on the road against Army. How to watch, stats to know, x-factor picks for both teams and more.

The triple-option requires discipline and focus for a full sixty minutes. The resiliency of Rice football against a team that is committed to grinding away at the clock and pounding the rock will go a long way in determining the outcome of this game.

Rice won their season opener last year, besting Prairie View A&M on a last-second field goal from Jack Fox. Prairie View went 5-6 in the SWAC last season. Army went 11-2, narrowly missing an upset of Oklahoma in Norman and blowing the doors off cross-town rival Houston 70-14 in the Armed Forces Bowl.

Both teams faced some notable personnel turnover in the offseason, but for the most part, it’s a similar cast of key characters returning for both squads. Here’s everything you need to know about the game.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 5:00 PM CT
Venue | Michie Stadium – West Point, NY
TV | CBS Sports Network
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)
Streaming | CBSSN Online

Audio Preview

The Roost Podcast for Week 1 will be dropping later this week. 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.) Carter and I broke down both sides of the ball and delved into the matchups you’ll want to watch on Friday.

Sizing up the contenders

Army isn’t flashy, but their offense is effective. The complexities of the option attack are predicated on making three-yard runs consistently. If the Black Knights can do that, they’ll keep their offense on schedule, opening up options for their passing game with play-action and their stable of running backs to make plays. Army wants to lul the Rice defense to sleep. The Owls had better be ready.

On the other side, Rice wants to employ a similar clock-controlling scheme. If things go how the Owls would hope, they’re trading blows with Army in a close game well into the second half. To do that, Rice is going to rely on making plays on third down on both sides of the ball. The quarterback has to move the sticks and the defense has to get off the field — two sticking points from the 2018 campaign. Friday will be the first real test on both fronts.

Series History

All Time | Rice leads 4-3
Last Five | Rice leads 3-2
Last Meeting | Army won at Rice 49-12 in 2017

Rice 2018 Stat Notables

Passing | Green – 45/88 (51.1 percent), 621 yards passing, 3 TD, 4 INT
Rushing | Otoviano – 65 carries, 364 yards (5.6 yards per carry), 3 TD
Receiving | Trammell – 62 receptions, 632 yards (10.2 yards per reception), 3 TD
Tackles | Nyakwol – 41
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Calderon – 7/4

Army 2018 Stat Notables

Passing | Hopkins – 51/93 (54.8 percent), 1,026 yards passing, 6 TD, 4 INT
Rushing | Hopkins – 208 carries, 1,017 yards (4.9 yards per carry), 17 TD
Receiving | Walker – 11 receptions, 170 yards, (15.5 yards per reception), 1 TD
Tackles | Christiansen – 42
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Riley – 10/0

Army X-Factor | Kelvin Hopkins Jr

Hopkins isn’t going to throw the ball often on Friday night. He averaged 4.3 completions per game last season, a number dwarfed by Army’s 68.7 carriers per game. But it’s less about Hopkins arm that’s worth monitoring than it is about his decision making with the football.

The quarterback in a triple-option offense is the trigger man. He decides who is getting the football and thus is absolutely essential in the offensive scheme. As his decision making goes, so does the offense. A bad outing from him, of which there weren’t many last season, could put Army in an early hole or prevent the unit from establishing the kind of rhythm it needs to succeed.

Rice X-Factor | Wiley Green

Green was officially named the starting quarterback during the Owls’ midweek press conference. He’ll be tasked with setting the tone for the offensive attack right out of the gate. Green’s command of the offense and ability to convert third downs are essential if Rice is going to stay on the field.

Losing the time of possession battle against Army isn’t the end of the world, but continually opening up the defense to being gashed by the triple option will have detrimental effects in the second half. The quarterback play doesn’t have to be Tom Brady-esque, but it has to be as close to mistake-free and efficient as possible.

Injury Report

Kicker Zack Hoban was held out of the Owls’ final scrimmage of fall camp and had a brace on his non-kicking foot through the week. He appears to be the only notable player who won’t be available for Rice in their season opener. For the most part, the Owls are as healthy now as they could hope to be.

Update: Three players have been officially ruled out and will not make the trip: WR Rhett Cardwell,  LB Myron Morrison, OL Nick Wagman. None were expected to significant contributors.

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 Army.

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. Who takes the first snap at quarterback for Rice?
    (Green / Stewart / Other)
  2. Which player has more tackles?
    (Alldredge / Montero)
  3. How many touchdowns will Rice score?
    (Over 2.5 / Under 2.5)
  4. How many combined turnovers will occur? (Both teams)
    (Over 3.5 / Under 3.5)
  5. Who has more time of possession
    (Rice / Army)
  6. Who wins?
    (Rice / Army)

Odds and ends

Update: When asked about the backup quarterbacks during Tuesday’s press conference, Bloomgren mentioned there was a good chance another quarterback would see action against Army. Rather than Tom Stewart, who Green beat out for the starting job, Bloomgren singled out Evan Marshman. Filling in as a spot starter before an injury last season, Marshman will be trusted with some packages against Army, stemming primarily from his ability as a runner.

One Final Thing

Much of the 2019 offseason has centered around this question: how far have the Owls come since Year 0? Army won 11 games last year, will probably be ranked in the coming weeks and is a favorite to beat Rice at West Point. A loss against the Black Knights wouldn’t be damning, but the optics of this game could prove to be significant beyond the final result.

Rice needs to prove to onlookers and to themselves that what they’re building is, not only on schedule but capable of delivering results. On Friday Rice will set the stage for the 2019 season. Hopefully the lasting image the Owls leave at Michie Stadium will be one of effort, competitiveness and optimism for the year ahead.

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Rice Football: Scattershooting final practice of fall camp (8/23)

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Rice Football fall camp is officially in the books. Here a few final thoughts before the Owls transition to game prep for their Week 1 opponent, Army.

Quarterback

There will be a definitive QB1 when Rice opens their season next Friday. Coach Mike Bloomgren won’t make an official reveal until his pre-game press conference on Tuesday, but there hasn’t been any indication that incumbent starter Wiley Green has lost any ground. Green worked exclusively with the first team in the team’s final mock game and looked sharp, hitting Bradley Rozner on a back shoulder throw in the front corner of the endzone from 15 yards out.

It’s possible Bloomgren leaves the door open for the backup to play, similar to Jackson Tyner’s brief insertion into the offense against Prairie View A&M last season. We’ll have to wait and see how that is handled.

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Two beyond the two-deep

Two guys have caught my eye throughout camp that don’t figure to have a spot on the two-deep depth chart. Rice likes to use packages, so just because you don’t see their name listed with the starters or reserves doesn’t mean they won’t have an impact in the fall.

Robert French has emerged as an interesting slot weapon. Especially with the thin receiving corps, there could be an opportunity for him to take on a meaningful role in this offense. He’s developed into one of the most reliable seam stretching options on offense.

Isaac Klarkowski has become the starting center on the second team. The former wrestler looks at home with the ball in his hands and has taken to the position well. “I think we’re going to find a role for him, ultimately,” Bloomgren said. For the time being, he’ll be the third option after Chaffin and Baker at center.

Ending on a high note

The last snap of practice came from victory formation. There was hooting and hollering as Wiley Green took the knee, signifying the end of fall camp. The final play had long been scripted by Bloomgren and the coaching staff

“We think our job as coaches is to prepare them for everything that’s going to come up,” Bloomgren said. “Taking a knee on the best play in football, which is victory. Then going and singing the Alma Mater with our fans and going into the locker room and being part of a victorious locker room. It’s all the things that we want to do. So we practice them all.”

More: Projected 2-Deep depth chart after fall camp

This staff has been intentional about recruiting players from winning programs and instilling a winning culture at Rice. It might have been a bit cheesy, but it was a nice touch.

This is the final practice update from fall camp. Future practice updates (that includes the final depth chart projection linked above) will be reserved for site members. Becoming a member is 100% FREE and takes 30 seconds. You can register here.

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Rice Football: New wide receivers hope to make their mark in 2019

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The Rice Football receiving corps is one of the biggest unknowns the Owls face entering 2019. Can the new faces rise to the challenge?

Nebulous might be the most appropriate word to describe the Rice football receiving corps entering the 2019 season.

There are a few things we do know. Austin Trammell will once again be the leader in the room and contend for the team leading in receptions. There will be a quarterback to get them the football.

But for every certainty, there are more questions. Who will fill the void left by Austin Walter and Aaron Cephus? Can the offense stretch the field and utilize the deep ball? How many players are trustworthy enough to be regular members of the rotation?

The answers to all of those questions lay in a collection of pass catchers who, outside of Trammell, have yet to play meaningful Division 1 football. Bradley Rozner, August Pitre III and Zane Knipe have practiced primarily with the first team during fall camp. That trio has combined for zero catches at Rice.

Rice Football

**Chart taken from 2019 Rice Football Season Preview**

But, and there’s a rather significant but, the lack of proven production doesn’t mean the outlook for 2019 is dismal, just uncertain.

Rozner led all Junior College players last season with 13 touchdown receptions. August Pitre might have the best vertical reach on the team, something Rice will utilize heavily in the redzone. As for Knipe, Bloomgren himself said the freshman “moves at a different speed than most humans.” Unproven, but intriguing.

Getting on the same page

Despite the growing pains the offense experienced during the spring and into fall camp, quarterback Wiley Green says he isn’t concerned with the wide receiver room at all. “You can just go across the board in the receiver room, and everybody stepped up,” Green relayed, “From a quarterback standpoint makes it really easy for us. We can spread the ball out wherever we want to.”

Green didn’t emerge as the starter until late last fall, meaning that unless a player was on the scout team last August, they had little time to work with Green and develop that rhythm. Pitre and Rozner were both with the team during the spring, gaining meaningful reps with Green prior to camp.

Rozner has benefited from that extra time as much, if not more so, than anyone else. When he left the JUCO ranks to come to Rice he was handed the additional challenge of learning a new offense. The Owls’ scheme is complex, with plenty of verbiage that at times sounds like a foreign language. Several months into his studies, things are beginning to come together.

“As an offense, we definitely improved from the spring,” Rozner expressed. “I think it’s easy to see that we’re definitely more physical up front and moving the ball down the field.”

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Not so secret weapons

The emergence of two talented freshmen has driven the uptick in offensive production. Jake Bailey was a highly regarded member of the 2019 recruiting class, the highest ranked player according to 247 Sports who had signed with Rice during the Mike Bloomgren era.

Zane Knipe might have had fewer accolades, but this high school track star was highly regarded by the staff during the recruiting process. Once he got to campus, those expectations were realized quickly.

Knipe started working with the first team on the very first day of fall camp. Bailey was mixed in over the next two weeks. Both players have speed and athleticism and the ability to kick things into an extra gear, turning 5-yard gains into big plays.

Rozner, who’s assumed one of the starting jobs on the outside, can’t believe how impactful the young duo has been thus far. “[Bailey is] so quick, the way he can get in and out of cuts and Zane [Knipe], he can just fly down the field so fast. They’re both insane.”

Then there are guys like Rhett Cardwell and Chris Boudreaux who have had their moments during camp. Each should be a reliable depth piece for the Owls in 2019.

None of those preseason reps will matter as much as the snaps each of these receivers will take this fall. For now, everyone will do their best to refine their craft and increase their understanding of the offense. Rice has options, but they’ll need answers when the time comes to take on Army on August 30.

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The Roost Podcast | Episode 4 – 2019 Rice Football defense preview

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Give a listen to Episode 4 of The Roost Podcast. Carter and Matthew are back, breaking down the 2019 Rice football defense.

After walking through the schedule in Episode 1 and the offense in Episode 2, Carter and Matthew have turned their attention to special teams in Episode 3 and now defense for Episode 4. With fall camp still underway, there’s plenty of time to go back and catch what you’ve missed so far before we turn our attention to Army and game previews in a few weeks.

Give a listen to Episode 4 below.


Episode 4 Notes

  • Defensive line — Despite losing two important starters at the position to the Transfer Portal, there’s plenty of ammo returning in 2019. That includes true freshman De’Braylon Carroll who could force his way onto the field sooner rather than later.
  • Linebacker — The tandem of Blaze Alldredge and Antonio Montero is going to be special, but the depth behind them is equally exciting.
  • Safety — JUCO transfer Naeem Smith and a few experienced hands in Prudy Calderon, Treshawn Chamberlain and George Nyakwol make this another strong spot.
  • Corner — Redshirt freshman Andrew Bird has locked down a starting spot, but the rest of the depth chart is fluid. Could a freshman force their way into the mix here?
  • Carter and Matthew each give a potential defensive MVP and a sleeper to watch for in the 2019 season

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean.

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The Roost Giveaway winner and preseason update

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Thank you to all who participated in The Roost’s preseason giveaway. Congratulations to Mark Jones, the winner the 2019 giveaway. Mark will receive some gear from us!

Didn’t win but still want cool stuff? The Roost Shop is open. Use the code ROOST for 10% off all orders made before the Owls season opener against Army.

The response was overwhelming, which we assume means you:

  1. Like free stuff
  2. Like what we’re doing at The Roost

The 2019 Rice Football Season Preview has been the focal point of our offseason coverage. We received some meaningful feedback in our giveaway survey from the simple question: what did you like about the Preview?

Here were some of the responses:

  • “Roster breakdown by position – this was an excellent guide to understanding where the team is and who are newcomers to watch.”
  • “I loved the breakdown of all the teams. It gave me a great view of what Conference USA will be like this season.”
  • “Overall loved the complete review of the Owls and their chances for 2019”
  • “Player profile write-ups”
  • “The information on the individual players and depth chart”
  • “It was awesome. Everything!”
  • “It is awesome. Tons of information.”
  • “Good insights and data”
  • “All of it!”

The asking price is $12.99. We published this believing that good analysis and information is worth paying. All content on the website is free and we pay our own bills. The hard work has been done, all you have to do is download and read, (which many of you have already done. Thank you!)

We remain confident this is the most comprehensive, complete source of Rice Football information for 2019. This is only the beginning. There will continue to be daily updates on the Owls and a few more surprises in store with our coverage this fall.

We hope you’ll support The Roost and pick up your copy today.

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