The source for Rice sports news

The Roost Podcast | Ep 172 – Rice Football Offseason Roundup

By

A lot has happened since the Rice football season ended. The Owls have signed new players, added a new assistant and more. We recap the news.

Once again, Rice football has made program history, signing the highest-rated class in school history. That feat included a couple of big wins in the run up to National Signing Day including stud North Shore defensive back Lavonte Johnson, Westfield running back Taji Atkins and more.

We recap signing day, discuss the latest on the transfer front and discuss the state of the Rice roster, coaching staff and more as we creep closer and closer to spring football.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 172.

Episode Notes

DCTF

The Roost Podcast is now part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner.

Homefield

We’re thrilled to partner with Homefield Apparel, the premier proprietor of college football clothing. First-time buyers can use the code ROOST for 15% off their order. The Owls hoodie is a personal favorite. So is the brand new Luv-Ya-Owls shirt. Shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

Homefield

Patreon

Get exclusive insight on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes practice updates, analysis and more. Your support matters and makes The Roost better.

Become a Patron!

Rice Football Offseason Roundup

  • 2024 Rice Football recruiting class superlatives
  • Lavonte Johnson, Taji Atkins and key new additions
  • Recruiting rankings: do we buy them? Why or why not?
  • Roster review: what gaps do the Owls have?
  • Luke McCaffrey shows out at the Senior Bowl, gets Combine invite
  • Basketball seasons winding down
  • Baseball starting
  • Shop at Homefield

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

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

Recent Posts

Rice basketball drops ECU for first AAC home win

By

Winners of several big road games, Rice basketball finally made history at home on Saturday, beating ECU for the program’s first AAC home win.

With the month of March looming, Rice basketball seems to have found another gear. Days removed from a statement win in Birmingham over a red-hot UAB squad, the Owls notched a program first — their debut home win in the American Athletic Conference — taking down East Carolina at Tudor Fieldhouse by a final score of 70-52.

The game ended in a blowout, but it took a struggle to get there. Rice never led by more than four points in the first half and didn’t hold a double-digit lead until less than 10 minutes to go in the contest. Those narrow margins were due in large part to an even shooting performance from both sides.

Both ECU and Rice made 11-of-27 shots from the field in the first half. Each side had one double-digit scorer, RJ Felton from ECU and Travis Evee for Rice. Evee’s 11 first half points would prove to be an omen of even bigger things to come. He finished with a game-high 34 points, leading all scorers and turning the close game into a blowout in the later portions of regulation.

Evee delivered 16 points in the final seven minutes of the game, turning an 11-point edge into a 20-point beatdown. ECU hit one final three-pointer before the final buzzer, but the message was clear. Saturday was Rice’s day. And for the first time, an AAC win on their home court.

Final Box | Rice 70 – ECU 52

Key takeaway | Exceptional Evee

Head coach Scott Pera has reiterated on multiple occasions this team goes as its leaders go, chief among them, Travis Evee. After battling through an up-and-down season, Evee exploded on Saturday to the tune of seven made three-point shots and 34 total points. The seven threes is one three shy of the program record, currently held by Evee himself, and two others.

The eruption was no surprise to Evee. “As a shooter, I’ve got to have confidence. Whether I’ve missed two, made two in a row. I stay even-keeled,” he said. “I just trust the work I put in. Nothing really changes.”

While the process might not have changed, the results certainly did for Evee in this game. Winners of two straight, with Evee a central figure in both wins, Rice has some momentum heading into the final games of the regular season. If Evee can play like this, Rice might be dangerous after all.

“I think we’re a good team. We’ve been a good team,” Evee said after the win. “We just haven’t been able to close out these games. Haven’t been able to complete runs. I just feel like we’re putting it together right now. I feel like we’re getting hot.”

Up Next: vs Temple (Wednesday, Feb. 28)

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

Recent Posts

Rice Football Recruiting: 2024 National Signing Day Live Blog

By

The 2024 Rice Football Recruiting class wraps up on National Signing Day. Follow all the action here as the Owls close out the class.

National Signing Day marks the culmination of the 2024 Rice Football recruiting class. This live tracker will follow all the latest news and updates throughout the day, with further updates on the class as it’s finalized. If you’re not a subscriber yet, here’s your chance.

Subscriber content.<br /> Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.

As we did during the Early Signing Period, we’ll have a Live Blog up and running with updates throughout the day. (Not a subscriber, we’ve unlocked this post to give you a flavor of what to expect — live updates as soon as we get them).

Become a Patron!

Which newcomers are program-changing talents? Who is the diamond in the rough? More to come. For the time being, let’s dig into the latest from National Signing Day, below.

Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

2024 Rice Football Recruiting Class pickup up steam before NSD

By

As National Signing Day nears, the 2024 Rice Football Recruiting class (and the 2025 class) keeps getting better and better. Here’s the latest.

Subscriber content.<br /> Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.

For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Special features like this are reserved for our subscribers. Have questions? You can get those answered in our monthly Q&As and get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

Big moves since the Early Signing Period

Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Grab Bag: What’s going on around Rice Athletics? Jan 2024 Q&A

By

Rather than drill down on one topic, subscribers had a variety of questions this month touching all areas of Rice Athletics. We hit on them all.

A lot is going on around Rice Athletics right as the new year begins. This mailbag touches on a host of topics ranging from Scott Pera’s coaching tenure and basketball facilities, football recruiting, baseball and more.

Want to get your questions answered? Subscribe on Patreon for our monthly mailbag.

Subscriber content.<br /> Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.

Q: Did Rice really just land the best recruit in program history? How? What?

Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts