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The Roost Podcast | Episode 2 – 2019 Rice Football offense preview

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The Roost Podcast is back for Episode 2 where Carter and Matthew break down the Rice football offense in 2019, complete with MVPs and sleepers at each position.

Carter and Matthew are back with Episode 2 of The Roost Podcast. Last week in Episode 1 we talked through the 2019 schedule. If you haven’t yet, you should go ahead and give that a lesson. It should serve as sufficient grounding for Episode 2, where we break down the offense in great detail.

Give a listen to Episode 2 below.


Episode 2 Notes

  • Quarterbacks — The latest on how the quarterback battle is shaping up and what to make of the buzz surrounding freshman quarterback Jovoni Johnson.
  • Running backs and fullbacks — Our best estimate on how the carries will be distributed to start the season and how Rice plans to utilize several very different backs.
  • Wide receivers — A clarification on what we know about the Aaron Cephus suspension and what to expect from the other receivers on the roster. Which freshman have made waves early in camp?
  • Tight ends — Why weren’t the tight ends as productive last year as expected? More on Jonathan Sanchez and Robert French and how they could be productive pieces of the offense this season.
  • Offensive line — Assessing the depth on the outside and the inside. Where do the three grad transfers fit into the mix and which players are most likely to earn starting jobs out of the gate?
  • Carter and Matthew each give a potential offensive 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, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean.

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2019 Rice Football Season Preview exclusive features

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If you haven’t purchased the 2019 Rice Football Season Preview yet, you should. Here are three things that make this preview a must-have for Owls’ fans.

This idea for this preview originally came forth from my preseason preparations. Here are three things I considered a must-have, so I gathered them for myself. It was only after they were all in one place the value of this information began to crystallize and I set out to make it the most comprehensive source for the 2019 Rice Football team that exists.

1. A helpful schedule

The extended schedule page has everything you need to know as a fan for every game on the 2019 Rice Football Schedule. Beyond the start time and broadcast information (which changes from game to game), there are details about each opponent.

The all-time series, last games and school background give you a better flavor for each contest — and it’s all in one place. No googling. Just pull up the preview on your phone and reference it whenever you’d like, that goes for in-season, too.

2. The best snapshot of the entire roster

Did you know Rice Football added 40 players this offseason? 10 transfers plus 30 freshmen make for more names to learn in fall camp than many might have anticipated.

There are pages and pages dedicated to every player on the roster and individuals notes will be shared on the site throughout fall camp. For me, this page is a staple, the best singular snapshot of the entire roster that I’ve seen.

3. A realistic depth chart

The only depth chart released by the university thus far was put together before fall camp began. Charlie Booker, the Harvard transfer who has worked exclusively with the first team, wasn’t even listed. Neither was Adam Nunez, and he could be the Owls’ starting punter this season.

None of that takes into account what will happen at receiver following the indefinite suspension of Aaron Cephus. The depth chart is a fluid situation, but this is a three-deep look across the board at the best bets to contribute at Rice this fall.

What else in the 143 pages?

If that wasn’t enough by itself, there’s plenty more. Get a sample here.

  • Notes and profiles on every player on the roster and each position group
  • Breakout freshman to watch
  • An exclusive interview with head coach Mike Bloomgren
  • Deep dives on every Rice opponent and all 14 CUSA teams supported by plugged-in local experts
  • All-CUSA Teams
  • 15 must-watch games for all CUSA football fans
  • 2018 CUSA statistical leaders

What are you waiting for? Pick up your copy today. Already have it? Leave a review in the comments.

Buy Now

 

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Rice Football: Toughness up front a focal point of Owls’ weekend (8/3)

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The top position battles are beginning to surface as Rice football marches onward. Here’s where we stand with three days of fall camp in the books.

Several interesting position battles on the offensive line

The Owls’ revamped offensive line will receive plenty of attention throughout fall camp as a trio of grad transfers vie for starting jobs. One of those new additions, Nick Leverett, seems to have solidified his spot. Leverett was with the team during spring practices and has taken advantage of the extra time in the system. He’s going to claim one of the two starting guard spots, most likely on the left side, where he’s lined up so far during camp.

The other two grad transfers, Brian Chaffin and Justin Gooseberry, have less certain futures.

Rice Football Season Preview
Buy Now | 2019 Rice Preview

Shea Baker looks to have the starting center job locked down, at least for now, and Cole Garcia has been taking the majority of the reps with the first team at the right guard spot. Chaffin is an interior guy with experience coming off the bench at Stanford. It’s possible he’ll serve as a “sixth man” for the Owls’ offensive line, spelling starters on drives throughout games.

Another plug — if you haven’t downloaded a copy of the 2019 Rice Football Preview yet, there’s five pages and 2,000+ words on the offensive line.  

Gooseberry is listed as the co-starter with Uzoma Osuji at right tackle on the pre-camp depth chart. The battle between those two has been intense and could go down to the wire. Osuji raised his level of play last year, beating out Florida grad transfer Andrew Mike. Gooseberry looks to be a more formidable challenger.

Wide receiver remains up in the air

There are a lot of reps available at wide receiver. As mentioned in the first camp update, August Pitre III has taken up the majority of the reps with the first team. A new wrinkle, though, has been freshman Zane Knipe forcing his way into the mix. He’s got sticky hands and moves well in the field. He’s a step ahead of some of the returning veterans and he’s just beginning to learn the ins and the outs of the offense.

Rounding out the rest of the starters, Austin Trammell looks as reliable as ever. Bradley Rozner has been steady, but hasn’t yet shown the ability to fully utilize his size downfield. He’s tall, but he’s lankier than Aaron Cephus. He’s going to have to get more physical to meet the demands of the Owls’ offense, which lacks any semblance of size apart from him.

Toughness will be the bedrock of this team

The Oklahoma drill is a favorite at South Main. Energy has been high this week, but things seem to crank up an extra notch when pads start popping. Several veterans flashed during Saturday’s session; Blaze Alldredge, Tyrae Thornton, Justin Gooseberry, Anthony Ekpe, Shea Baker and Clay Servin stood out the most.

All practice updates will be available for all to see during fall camp. Once the regular season starts they’ll be reserved for members. Becoming a member is 100% FREE and takes 30 seconds. You can register here.

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

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Rice Football: What we know about the Owls quarterback battle

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Rice football is back on the practice field and, once again, the Owls are holding auditions for their starting quarterback job. Here’s the latest entering camp.

What do we know?

The Rice football staff kept things close to the vest when it came to selecting a starting quarterback last season. Vanderbilt transfer Shawn Stankavage wasn’t officially named the starter until after the season had begun and he’d led the team to their first victory. The players in the mix for the 2019 job are different, but the staff intends to approach things the same way.

Rice Football Season Preview
Buy Now | 2019 Rice Preview

Bloomgren refused to rule anyone out by name at the start of fall camp, saying “They all bring something to the table. It’ll be interesting to see how this thing unfolds. We’re going to give them really good chances to get reps with the first group.”

When pressed on who was going to get those chances, Bloomgren highlighted incumbent starter Wiley Green as well as Evan Marshman and incoming grad transfer Tom Stewart from Harvard. Those were the three who took reps with the first team out of the gate. That’s the pool the staff is looking for to start the season opener against Army. Sort of.

Who is Jovoni Johnson?

Johnson was the only quarterback Rice signed in the 2019 class. He’s got a long way to go to learn the offense, but he’s done everything he can since arriving on campus. Quarterbacks coach Robbie Picazo called him “a special, special human being and a great leader that guys really gravitate to.” Bloomgren said he was “seemingly special” and a phenomenal athlete with “a howitzer for an arm.”

That leads to excitement. From what I’m hearing, no member of the incoming class has been more impressive since arriving on campus than Johnson. But, we’re just days into fall camp.

Read more about each of the Owls’ quarterbacks in our 2019 Rice Football Season Preview

Green, who won the starting job at the end of last season, didn’t appear in a game until late October. His hindrance wasn’t ability — the staff always believed in that aspect of his game — but rater his ability to process and work through the offense.

“This is a complex offense for the quarterback,” Picazo said, “We put a lot on their plate which I think is outstanding, but it does mean there’s a learning curve.”

More than likely we’ll continue to hear a lot about Johnson as camp progresses. As of right now, though, I’d peg his chances of winning the starting job in August at 5 percent. That’s not because he’s not talented enough to do so, but because of that learning curve and the significant head start of the veterans competing with him. It’s a situation to monitor. Things could change by the time October arrives.

Who is Tom Stewart?

Stewart was the offensive MVP for Harvard last season, an offense which included a host of talented playmakers. Now he’s looking to follow in the footsteps of Shawn Stankavage and win the Rice job in his lone season on campus. He’s got work to do before he achieves that goal.

“I’m just trying to take that one day at a time,” he said after the first practice session. “Today was kind of humbling, getting back on the field.” Stewart broke his foot in the offseason. He doesn’t show any signs of wear now, but the long road back to recovery has been challenging.

He’s going to have his work cut out for him, but it’s too early to rule him out of the competition yet. The coaching staff is just now getting their first looks at him in person and evaluating what he could bring to the offense.

Stewart is confident, but at the end of the day, he wants to make the team better however he can. “I think we’re all naturally competitive guys. We’re all college quarterbacks. We all want to be the best we can be and having a high standard in that room makes everyone better,” he said. “I think all of us approach it the right way and we’re just really focused on making the team better.”

What happens next?

Bloomgren summed up the battle with his trademarked one-liner: “It’s going to be a meritocracy”. That comes as no surprise. I’d be surprised if we get a clear indicator from the coaching staff any time soon. Until then, we’ll keep you posted as this battle continues into camp.

If the Owls had to play a game tomorrow, this is how the depth chart would most likely look:

  1. Green
  2. Stewart
  3. Marshman
  4. Towns
  5. Johnson

All practice updates will be available for all to see during fall camp. Once the regular season starts they’ll be reserved for members. Becoming a member is 100% FREE and takes 30 seconds. You can register here.

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Rice Football: Early Takeaways from Day 1 of Fall Camp (8/1)

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The first Rice football practice of fall camp is in the books. The Owls had plenty of energy as they flew around the field at Rice Stadium.

The first day of fall camp is in the books. It’s way too early to make any critical observations, but this is the time to offer some guiding thoughts as camp continues to progress. Bloomgren was the first to offer a definitive statement about his teams’ progress to this point. “Today, I got to see a much better product than I did on Day 1 last year in training camp. It’s what we expected, but it’s great to see it,” he said following the conclusion of the Owls’ first practice.

In addition to the overarching positivity, Bloomgren offered a few things he wanted the team to achieve. He set success as the point when the team is “handling their if/then functions” and is able “to make those processes happen even faster.” That’s going to take time, but we’ve got a long way to go before the team kicks off against Army at the end of August.

Rice Football Season Preview
Buy Now | 2019 Rice Preview

1. The freshmen look the part

The new additions to the program all seem to be the kind of “first off the bus” guys, the kind of players who seem to belong on the college field from the start. Guys like Jake Bailey, who battled through multiple vomiting incidents and stayed on the field, learning and cheering on his teammates. Like De’Braylon Carroll who looks like a tank plowing through the line. Like Jovoni Johnson who looked every bit as comfortable in the offense as the vets running drills alongside him.

Several freshmen flashed, making plays throughout practice. The depth chart is more firm entering this season than it was last year, but a few newcomers might force their way into playing time sooner than later. Many are a step ahead of where some of their predecessors were at this point last year — and that class was full of talented players, too.”

2. The wide receiving corps sans Aaron Cephus

There was no sign of Cephus at practice. When asked about Cephus’ status, Bloomgren was mum:

As mentioned in Episode 1 of The Roost Podcast and in our updated 2019 Rice Football Season Preview, August Pitre III was the first man up to fill the open spot on the first team. He, Austin Trammell and Brad Rozner took the majority of the reps with the starters. Behind them, Zane Knipe, Jake Bailey and Chris Boudreaux worked with the twos.

3. Plenty of experienced hands

This team is still going to be young, but there was a noticeable infusion of experienced talent that flashed on the field. Harvard transfers Tom Stewart (quarterback) and Charlie Booker (running back) and Stanford transfers Reagan Williams (fullback) and Brian Chaffin (offensive line) spent time working with the first team. So too did JUCO additions Nick Leverett (offensive line), Naeem Smith (safety) and Rozner (wide receiver).

When asked about his impressions of the first day, Chaffin was all smiles. “I thought it was a great day one,” he said, “It was good to be back on the field.”

Chaffin is one of two transfers who were recruited by Bloomgren at Stanford. His decision to follow his former coach to Houston and help him rebuild Rice seems to already be paying meaningful dividends. Chaffin called the opportunity “a huge honor” adding his endorsement of what the Owls are building. “I think this place is the same model as Stanford. You got great kids, hard working kids who want to do great things on the field and in the classroom. I think that model can happen here… It’s the same mold. We can definitely do big things here. It’s headed in the right direction.”

4. Way too early starters

An official depth chart hasn’t been released yet, but here’s how the first team looked like on both sides of the ball today:

Offense

QB| Green
RB | Otoviano/Booker
TE | Bull
FB | Williams
WR | Trammell, Rozner, Pitre
OL | Servin, Leverett, Baker, Garcia, Osuji

Defense

DL | Orji, Garcia, My. Adams, Schuman
LB | Alldredge, Montero
CB | Ellis, Bird
Saf | Nyakwol, Calderon, Chamberlain (Viper)

All practice updates will be available for all to see during fall camp. Once the regular season starts they’ll be reserved for members. Becoming a member is 100% FREE and takes 30 seconds. You can register here.

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

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