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Rice Football 2019 Game Preview: Week 10 vs Marshall

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Rice Football hosts Marshall on Homecoming weekend in search of the Owls first win. How to watch, stats to know, x-factor picks for both teams and more.

Both Marshall and Rice football experienced momentum-swinging moments in the fourth quarter of their most recent games. The Thundering Herd’s memories of Week 9 proved much more satisfying than the Owls.

Marshall watched a 17-point over Western Kentucky turn into a deadlocked 23-23 game in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Not long after, a 53-yard field goal from Justin Rohrwasser sailed through the pipes to give Marshall the win.

Rice was on the other side of the final results. A fourth quarter interception snuffed out what might have been the game-tying touchdown drive as the Owls fell at home. With Homecoming weekend at hand, Rice hopes to crack the win column for the first time this season on Saturday. Here’s what you need to know about both Marshall and Rice before their Week 10 battle.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 2:30 PM CT
Venu | Rice Stadium – Houston, Tx
TV | Stadium on Facebook (Streaming)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio Preview

We’ll preview the Marshall game on Episode 15 of The Roost Podcast which will be released on Wednesday. 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

Rice has been handed their own ultimatum by head coach Mike Bloomgren. The offense has struggled mightily, having its upside muted by costly turnovers in crucial moments. To use his own words, “something will change.”

Marshall won’t be looking to make any sizable changes, rather the Thundering Herd need to focus on showing consistent effort on both sides of the ball for four quarters. It’s been a mixed bag for this squad, who’s good and bad sides can vary, not just from game to game, but quarter to quarter.

Series History

All Time | Marshall leads 4-2
Last Five | Marshall leads 3-2
Last Meeting | Away 2014, Marshall won 41-14

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Stewart – 48/78 (61.5 percent), 532 yards passing, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Walter – 110 carries, 504 yards (4.6 yards per carry), 5 TD
Receiving | Rozner – 37 receptions, 524 yards (14.2 yards per reception), 2 TD | Trammell – 42 receptions, 524 yards (12.5 yards per reception), 2 TD
Tackles | Alldredge – 66, Montero – 50, Chamberlain – 46
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Thornton – 5 PBU, Smith – 2 INT

Marshall Stat Notables

Passing | Green – 134/228 (58.8), 1607 yards passing, 11 TD, 6 INT
Rushing | Knox – 137 carries, 803 yards (5.9 yards per carry), 7 TD
Receiving | Levias – 32 receptions, 346 yards (10.8 yards per reception), 3 TD
Tackles | Cobb – 70, Beckett – 69, Johnson – 51
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Jackson – 4 PBU, 5 tied with 1 INT

Marshall X-Factor | Quarterback Isaiah Green

It might be overly simplistic, but in many ways, Marshall goes the way of their quarterback Isaiah Green. When the sophomore signal caller is playing well, the offense moves and the Thundering Herd stay in games. When he’s not having a good day, the team hasn’t proven they have the resiliency to find other ways to score.

In Marshall’s five wins, Green has a 62.7 completion percentage, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions. That’s a stark difference from his 52.3 percent completion percentage, one touchdown and four interceptions in Marshall’s three losses.

Getting his feet wet last season was important, but Green is still a young quarterback. And as Rice fans know all too well, young quarterbacks can be prone to mistakes. How locked in Green is against the Owls will go a long way to determining whether or not the Marshall offense is going to be able to find its rhythm.

Rice X-Factor | Turnovers

The losses against Southern Miss, UTSA and Louisiana Tech can be traced directly back to turnovers. In each of those games Rice had possession inside the redzone in a one-score game and left with no points. The Owls haven’t had field goal woes since senior Chris Barnes was inserted to handle the kicking duties. Self-inflicted wounds have been the problem.

Points have come at a premium in the past several weeks. Every scoring opportunity that ends without anything on the scoreboard is a massive blow to the team’s chances. Eliminating turnovers won’t guarantee victory, but it will give a significant boost to an offense that isn’t operating with much margin for error right now.

If the Rice defense can come away with some of their own — safety Naeem Smith has a takeaway in consecutive contests — a source of consternation could be a bright spot in the team’s first win.

Injury Report

The Owls have gotten more and more beat up as the season has progressed. Quarterback Tom Stewart’s back injury came as a complete surprise late Friday before the Southern Miss game. Center Brian Chaffin, Linebacker Anthony Ekpe, corner Andrew Bird and running back Aston Walter are a few names we’ll be watching 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 will Rice score?
    Over 16.5 / Under 16.5
  2. Will Rice convert more than 40 percent of their third down attempts?
    Yes / No
  3. Which Rice running back has the longest run from scrimmage?
    Otoviano / Booker / Walter / Other
  4. Will both teams intercept a pass?
    Yes / No
  5. Who leads at halftime?
    Rice / Marshall
  6. Who wins?
    Rice / Marshall

One Final Thing

Rice football will utilize the bye week following the Marshall game to reassess and retool. Any and all recipes for improved offensive production will be installed during that time, but there’s still one more game to play before that break.

No matter the team or the odds, Rice has proven they’re adept enough on the defensive side of the ball to play Marshall tight well into the fourth quarter. If history is any indication, the Owls could very well find themselves in a similar situation on Saturday.

Like the previous several contests, this is a winnable game. What Rice does with this opportunity will go a long way to determining how drastic an overhaul is needed on offense and which pieces the team can build upon going forward. From the offensive line, to the quarterbacks and everything in between, Saturday will be an important test for the unit as a whole.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Rice Football: Stifling defense wasted as Owls fall to Southern Miss

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One of the most valiant efforts from the Rice football defense this season went for naught as the Owls fell at home to Southern Miss.

Rice football has found ways to be in games well into the fourth quarter. The means to take the next step, to close games out and celebrate with a win, continue to stay just out of reach. The Owls found themselves in a familiar place on Saturday. They left with a familiar result: a loss in a game the Owls probably could have won.

1. Offense sleepwalks through the first half

Rice broke its scoring ceiling midway through the third quarter against UTSA, reaching 24 points for the first time this season. From that point on, the Rice offense was held to one field goal and 121 yards over the next three quarters.

Scoring droughts are nothing new for this offense, but the Owls had been limited to three points in three quarters only one other time this season, the first three quarters in a blowout loss to Texas on Sept. 14.

A touchdown on the second drive on the third quarter turned a lackluster offensive showing into a one-score game. For all their warts, the Owls had managed to do just enough to hang around in the fourth quarter. The Owls couldn’t finish.

2. Quarterback play disappoints

A later injury during the week to Tom Stewart caught everyone off guard, forcing Wiley Green back into the starting role days after he’d been told he’d be the team’s backup going forward. There didn’t seem to be much in the way of rust, with Green doing all he could to avoid pressure and give his receivers opportunities down the field.

Green handled every snap with no fumbles. When he threw downfield, it was to spots where only his guys could make plays on the ball. He had a few big plays go for naught thanks to penalties (or the lack thereof on a first quarter deep shot to Brad Rozner). If the charge was to play smart and not turn the ball over, Green certainly achieved those expectations — right up til the biggest moment of the game.

More: Calvin Anderson joins The Roost Podcast

On first-and-goal from the 2-yard line, Green dropped back and was intercepted. That’s the third time this season a Rice quarterback has turned the ball over inside the 10-yard line. A touchdown in that situation would have tied the game, instead, the Owls walked away with no points in another crucial situation.

Green was benched immediately following the interception. Evan Marshman took over. That sets up a messy quarterback situation going forward. Who starts next week against Marshall? Stewart? Marshman? Green? Johnson? The lack of clarity 10 weeks into the season is agonizing.

3. Regaining some defensive swagger

A relatively positive defensive showing throughout nonconference play gave way to a somewhat inconsistent unit through the first three Conference USA games. The Owls played well on that side of the ball, but faltered in key moments, most notably in the final possessions against Louisiana Tech and UTSA.

Keeping Southern Miss out of the endzone was supposed to be a daunting task. The Eagles had scored 38, 47, 31, 45 and 30 points in games against non-SEC teams, scoring at least three touchdowns in each of those contests.

The defense started out strong, joining Alabama and Mississippi State as the only teams to hold Southern Miss to zero points in the first quarter this season. Southern Miss only managed 10 points at half and 20 at the end of regulation, 18.2 points fewer than their non-SEC season average (38.2).

Southern Miss had four redzone possessions, but only one touchdown. That came on a 2-yard carry by Kevin Perkins in the second quarter. The Rice defense is the reason this game remained winnable down the stretch.

4. Pass protection is still a problem

The infusion of graduation transfers into the Rice offensive line has rendered clear improvements from where the unit was at this point last season. The play up front has been better over the last few weeks, but their showing against Southern Miss was far from their best.

Rice quarterbacks were sacked eight times and forced to pay way too much attention to the pass rush. Scrambling became a necessity. The lack of clean pockets forced the quarterbacks to make most of their high-pressure throws on the move rather than with two feet on the ground.

The lack of impact plays in the running game put the Rice offense, once again, between a rock and a hard place. Rice struggled to run the ball and didn’t have the protection to make it through more than one or two reads in the passing game.

5. Another step backward

If Mike Bloomgren and company new before they game their defense would hold Southern Miss to 13 points through 59 minutes and stay even in the turnover battle they would have liked their chances. Sure enough, Rice was in this game to the very end. Again, the final score came up in favor of the Owls’ opponents.

Rice has done good things on both sides of the ball this season — we saw that again in this game — but they remain plagued by an inconsistent offense. Good teams will take all the lucky bounces they can get to push them over the edge. It sure feels like Rice needs those favorable bounces to have a chance at their first C-USA win this season.

The road ahead isn’t any easier. Marshall comes to town next weekend before Rice has their second off weekend of the year. If the Owls are going to turn things around and eclipse their C-USA win total from last season, they’re going to have to find a way to generate their own luck. Because right now, the sum total of the parts hasn’t found a way to get over the hump.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Rice Football Recruiting: New targets emerging in 2020 class 🔒

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The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class continues to take shape with new targets emerging as the Owls work to finish off a strong class.

The results on the field haven’t been to the Owls’ liking, but things are looking up on the 2020 Rice Football recruiting front. The current commits remain locked in. The family atmosphere is already building with the next wave of Owls who are ready to make their own marks at South Main.

The most recent addition, defensive end Jalen Reeves, committed to the Owls in September over a slew of prominent programs. Here are a few additional targets who could join the 2020 Rice Football class:

Daylin McLemore – QB – Junipero Serra HS (CA)

Rice moved on their quarterback of the 2021 class recently, offering Cibolo Steele dual-threat Wyatt Begeal. At the same time, the Owls were doing their homework on a 2020 quarterback they have interest in. There have been a few names pop up here, but McLemore seems to have moved into the forefront of the Owls’ focus at the quarterback position. He has good touch through the air and some wheels, too.

Armaj Adams-Reed – OT – Desoto HS (TX)

Adams picked up a Rice offer last week following a visit from the Rice staff during the bye week. From Desoto HS, Reed is a tremendous athlete at the offensive line position and he looks the part. The 6-foot-5, 315-pound holds down the blindside for his school and could serve the Owls well at the next level.

Will Sheppard – WR – Mandeville HS (LA)

The Owls will be selective about when it comes to the right pass catchers to round out the 2020 class. Sheppard clears that bar and could be a difference-maker at the position for the Owls. For that reason, he’s been near the top of that list and has been pursued by Rice for several months now.

River Woods – DB – Dallas Episcopal HS (TX)

Woods has been in the mix for a while now. The two-way player from Dallas remains a priority for the Owls on the recruiting front. Reinforcing the secondary will be an emphasis in this class, making the looks into Woods important.

Mike Leone – OT – Hun School (NJ)

Pulling Mike Leone out of New Jersey would be a big pickup for the Owls. He’s a highly regarded offensive line recruit who is currently committed to Yale, but his offer list seems to be growing quickly. Rice has beaten out Power 5 schools already to land some of their top members in the 2020 class. Snagging Leone would require some work, but Rice is certainly in the mix.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Rice Football Film Room 2019: UTSA review and Southern Miss preview

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This week’s edition of the Rice Football film room features two very different teams starting with a review of UTSA and looking ahead at Southern Miss.

Hey everybody and welcome back to the Rice Football Film Room. Today we’ll be looking at a play from Rice’s heartbreaking loss to UTSA, as well as one from upcoming opponent Southern Miss in their Week 5 win against UTEP.

UTSA

As Matthew noted in his breakdown of the loss, Rice has turned the ball over a stunning *nine* times in three conference games. It’s not a stretch to think that if they’d maintained the low turnover rate from their brutal non-conference schedule (a mere two turnovers in four games) or even stayed close to it, they might be 2-1 or even 3-0 in C-USA play now. But the UTSA game in particular featured some backbreakers, including the play I’ve included here.

Rice Football, film room

Setup

It’s the first play of the third quarter. Rice is leading 10-7 and on offense at their own 25. They’re in a 21-personnel I-formation look, with a TE to the right. Bradley Rozner is the wide receiver to the top of the screen. Somewhat surprisingly, UTSA is in a two-deep 4-2-5 nickel look, ceding numbers to Rice in the box. As a quick note, the FB is Brendan Suckley and I think that’s Aston Walter as the RB, but I can’t tell who the TE is from the clip.

The Play

Now we see what UTSA’s up to—they rotate into a single-high look at the snap, with the boundary corner blitzing and Austin Trammell being picked up in man by the free safety. Both the LBs drop into shallow zones, so with six blockers up front (the TE runs a route but Suckley stays in). Rice stymies the 4 DL. Walter does a nice job cut-blocking the blitzing CB, so Green gets time to throw off this short drop.

We’ve talked on the pod about how Rice’s offense and their use of heavy personnel allows them to get one-on-one match-ups outside and how they’ve been particularly effectively lately throwing jump balls to Rozner and August Pitre in the end zone out of these looks. Understanding how personnel and formations dictate what the defense gives you is a key quality for a quarterback: by processing these things pre-snap and knowing what looks you’re likely to get, you can make quick decisions about what to do once the ball is snapped.

But this can also be a trap: defenses routinely show QBs one thing pre-snap and then change it up post-snap. If you’ve already made up your mind about where you’re going pre-snap—and what’s more, if the defense is guessing that’s what you’ve decided to do and has a counter in mind—then what looks like a sound read can turn into a horrible mistake. Note that this happens to even the best of quarterbacks: Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa has thrown 70 touchdowns and only 8ight interceptions in his 22 starts for the Crimson Tide. At least half of the interceptions have come on plays like this, when savvy defensive coordinators have used Tagovailoa’s aggressiveness and rapid decision-making.

More: Three critical mistakes Rice football must fix soon

That’s what happens to Wiley Green here. He thinks he has Rozner in single coverage and plans to go there right from the beginning, staring down Rozner the whole way. Based on the alignment, Green probably thinks the nickel DB is going to stay closer to the box to play in run support, but instead he bails and sinks to double Rozner. Green doesn’t see him, and the ball is picked and returned for a touchdown.

Even if the DB hadn’t been there, it’s not a great play by Green. He probably needs to get that ball out at the top of his drop, because:

1) it’s a long throw, and while Rozner’s break gets him space, the corner probably would have had time to close and make the play as is; and
2) by the time he makes his throw the pocket has been pushed back enough that he can’t step into the throw, and so the ball is underthrown.

If he gets it out at the top of the drop and doesn’t take that extra step forward, he’s got more space to step into the throw and drive the ball. That would mean getting the ball out well before Rozner is out of his break, but a throw off a 5-step drop like this one is usually a timing-based throw. You’ve got to get the ball out when you’re supposed to and trust that the receiver will be in the right spot to make the catch. I don’t mean to dog Green too much here; I know that all sounds harsh, but these are mistakes Rice cannot afford to make in winnable games.

Southern Miss

The Golden Eagles are led this year by their high-flying passing offense, directed by coordinator Buster Faulkner, who came in this offseason and installed his version of the Air Raid. (Faulkner played and coached at Valdosta State under Chris Hatcher, who was an assistant at Kentucky under Air Raid architects Hal Mumme and Mike Leach). The engine of this offense is QB Jack Abraham, who’s been a bit turnover-prone (8 INTs), but has also thrown for over 2200 yards and 13 TDs on a 70.5 percent completion percentage.

Their offense will primarily run out of four receiver sets, with plays designed to get those receivers in space. One of those plays, mesh, is one of the staple concepts of the Air Raid (which, in its purest forms, actually only includes four or five passing concepts). We’ll take a look at a version of mesh that Southern Miss runs below.

Rice Football, film room

Setup

It’s late in the second quarter in Southern Miss’ win over UTEP. and the Gold Eagles are up 14-3, with the ball at the UTEP 38 yard line. Southern Miss in a four receiver set, with three receivers in a bunch to the left. UTEP counters with a two-high look out of dime (6 DBs) personnel, with three down linemen and two linebackers.

The Play

As I said above, Southern Miss runs “mesh”, which is a core concept of the Air Raid but also shows up in playbooks across all levels of football these days. It involves a pair of shallow crossing routes from opposite ends of the field nearly meeting in the middle of the field. There are many variations, both in terms of formation and the other routes being run, but the crossers are the key. It’s a great play because it can put stress on both man and zone coverages, and having versatile plays which work against different defensive looks is a core Air Raid philosophy.

More: Southern Miss week press conference quotes

The version here is pretty classic, though the bunch allows for a variation. Normally an inside receiver to the strong side runs the crosser from that side, but here’s it’s the outside (or No. 1) receiver, running under the No. 2 (who’s on the line) and the No. 3 inside. The No. 2 runs a corner route, the No. 3 runs to the flat, and to the weak side the back leaks into the flat and the receiver runs the other crosser.

It looks like UTEP’s in 2-Man coverage, with two deep safeties and everybody else playing man. The press corner is on the strongside No. 2, the boundary corner is on the weakside No. 1, and the weakside LB has the back. I can’t be sure but I think the other two underneath DBs to the trips side are playing banjo coverage on the two other receivers to that side.

Basically, that means the outside DB will pick up whichever receiver (in this case, the No. 3 receiver) goes outside, and the inside DB will pick up whoever goes inside (in this case, the No. 1, who’s running the crosser). Receivers often run “rubs” or “picks” (or “illegal offensive pass interference” if you’re a defensive guy) on DBs out of these bunches to get free releases for the other receivers, and banjo is a common strategy for preventing that.

More: Previewing Rice Football vs Southern Miss

In this case, it seems to be the inside DB that makes the error, chasing the No. 3 receiver to the flat instead of picking up the no. 1 receiver (Jaylond Adams) running the crosser. That crosser is actually usually the fourth read in most versions of mesh (the corner, the other crosser, and the flat route to that side are the first three), but I don’t think Abraham gets that far. Based on how quickly he turns his head and gets to the open man, I think he quickly sees that inside DB start to flow to the flat and knows that means that Adams will be wide open, which he is. The safety to that side does a great job slowing down and then tackling Adams to prevent a TD, but Adams still turns it into about a 15-yard gain.

So the Rice secondary, likely down top CB Andrew Bird, has its work cut out for them this week against this Southern Miss offense. They’re going to have to play smart and disciplined to keep these receivers from picking up chunk after chunk against them. Let’s hope the Owls are up to the challenge.

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Rice Football 2019 Game Preview: Week 9 vs Southern Miss

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Rice Football returns home in Week 9 to take on Southern Miss. How to watch, stats to know, x-factor picks for both teams and more.

Neither Rice football nor Southern Miss enters Week 9 on a high note. The Owls fell on the road as favorites to an up and down UTSA squad. Southern Miss dropped a shootout to C-USA West-leading Louisiana Tech.

Both teams are hungry for a win on Saturday, with the stakes high in regards to expectations for both programs. Here’s what you need to know about both Rice and their opponent and before this Week 9 battle.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 12:00 PM CT
Venu | Rice Stadium – Houston, Tx
TV | ESPN+ Streaming ($)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio Preview

We’ll preview the Southern Miss game on Episode 13 of The Roost Podcast which will be released on Wednesday. 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

Close games have gone against Rice football this season. The Owls’ seven consecutive defeats have been their own doing in many respects, but they’ve played well enough in spurts to have more than one win under their belts to this point. The Owls are still hungry and should come out swinging.

Southern Miss should have some angst about this game for different reasons. The Eagles lost control of their own destiny in the C-USA West when they fell to Louisiana Tech in Week 8. That doesn’t preclude them from making the conference championship game, but it does lessen the margin of error Southern Miss has if they want to make a run. This game matters a lot to that end.

Mike Bloomgren’s first-ever C-USA game came in Hattiesburg against Southern Miss. The program has come along way since that one-sided affair. The Owls would like to prove it.

Series History

All Time | Southern Miss leads 5-4
Last Five | Southern Miss leads 4-1
Last Meeting | Away 2018, Southern Miss won 40-22

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Green – 61/116 (54.3 percent), 683 yards passing, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Walter – 110 carries, 504 yards (4.6 yards per carry), 5 TD
Receiving | Rozner – 32 receptions, 479 yards (15.0 yards per reception), 2 TD | Trammell – 37 receptions, 472 yards (12.8 yards per reception), 1 TD
Tackles | Alldredge – 59, Montero – 44, Chamberlain – 39
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Thornton – 5 PBU, Nyakwol/Chamberlain/Smith – 1 INT each

Southern Miss Stat Notables

Passing | Abraham – 155/220 (70.5), 2263 yards passing, 13 TD, 8 INT
Rushing | Harris – 58 carries, 282 yards (4.9 yards per carry), 3 TD
Receiving | Watkins – 26 receptions, 630 yards (24.2 yards per reception), 3 TD | Adams – 40 receptions, 445 yards (11.1 yards per reception), 2 TD
Tackles | Hembry – 51, Thomas – 50, Showers – 38
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Williams/Mitchell – 4 PBU each, Thomas/Mitchell – 2 INT each

Southern Miss X-Factor | Winning third downs on defense

Although they had their struggles through the air against Louisiana Tech, the Southern Miss defense is still regarded as one of the better units in C-USA. When they do have their less-than-perfect outings, they can usually rely on the offense to pick them up, a nice luxury to have.

And that’s where the crux of the entire Southern Miss gameplan rests. If the Eagles can get their defense off the field, they’re going to give that explosive offense opportunities.

The Rice defense has been improved through the air this season, but it isn’t quite at the level it needs to be to stop high powered arms like Abraham consistently. More possessions for Southern Miss likely mean more points. That could go by the wayside if Rice football can milk the clock and play keep away from Abraham and Co.

Rice X-Factor | Winning the turnover battle

Rice football handed away 14 points against UTSA with a pick-six and a goal line fumble. They lost by four points. The Owls’ average margin of defeat when winning the turnover battle this season is 7.5 points. Somewhat surprisingly, their margin of defeat when losing the turnover battle is -7.3.

Army and Baylor turned the ball over more times than Rice. The Owls almost won as significant underdogs thanks to the additional opportunities. Rice came just as close — even closer, actually — but gave the ball away more often than they took it against Louisiana Tech, UAB and UTSA.

It’s not unfathomable to posit Rice having another win or two had they managed to play some of their conference opponents level in the turnover department. Southern Miss turns the ball over at the third-highest rate in C-USA. Rice must capitalize.

Injury Report

Rice left the UTSA game more banged up than they’ve been at any point this season. Austin Walter, Naeem Smith and Andrew Bird all left the game for some duration of time with injuries. Their status for this weekend’s game against Southern Miss, as well as updates for other key players is available in the latest injury update.

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. Will Rice score on their opening drive of the game?
    Yes / No
  2. How many points will Rice allow?
    Over 29.5 / Under 29.5
  3. Will Rice win the turnover battle?
    Yes (or tie) / No
  4. How many sacks will the Rice defense register?
    Over 2.5 / Under 2.5
  5. In which quarter will Rice score the most points? (ties count as correct picks)
    Q1 / Q2 / Q3 / Q4
  6. Who wins?
    Rice / Southern Miss

One Final Thing

As uncomfortable as the loss which Rice suffered last weekend to UTSA felt, Saturday is a new day. And the reality is this: no team in Conference USA is unbeatable. The top and the bottom of this conference are remarkably more close together than many would care to admit.

Rice football has proven themselves more likely to play up to their better competition than in years past. The need for a victory hasn’t dissipated inside the walls at South Main, but the pressure to get over the hump hasn’t proved overwhelming either. This is a winnable game. They all are. But Rice is going to have to play a lot better than they did against UTSA if they want to have a shot.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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