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Saying thanks to the Owls’ seniors

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Rice football says thanks to 20 seniors that put their heart and soul into this program. They will be formally recognized on Senior Day against Old Dominion.

On Senior Day the Owls will recognize 20 players from a variety of places and roles in the Rice football program. All 20 of those players have already or will graduate with degrees. That’s a tremendous accomplishment of which head coach Mike Bloomgren and the staff take much pride.

Austin Walter is one of several players that will be missed next year and beyond. His on-field efforts have energized an offense that needed a spark. “It’s bittersweet,” said Walter as he reminisced on his last game wearing blue and grey, “This has probably been my best statistical year, but I’m not as happy because I wanted to leave a legacy as a team.”

One win through the first 12 games of the season doesn’t adequately portray the importance of what Walter and others have done to build this culture. They’ve led well through a coaching change and set up the younger classes for success down the road. “Looking back at it, there’s nothing I regret,” recounted Walter.

The wins have been hard to come but head coach Mike Bloomgren is confident the effort of players like Walter have not been put forth in vain. He believes the ripple effects of their labor will go well beyond the on-field product in 2018. “I don’t know if I can articulate how much I’ve appreciated these seniors and how much they’ve done to help advance our mission,” he said, speaking confidently of the leadership and cultural foundation this class has built into the Rice program.

Each of the 20 members being recognized Saturday has made their mark on this program. Some will look to further their playing careers at the next level, many will look elsewhere. Regardless of where their next step will take them, thank you, seniors, for all you’ve done for Rice Football.

Players being recognized on Senior Day

Lawrence Cimino – cornerback

  • 5 career appearances (none in 2018)
  • Earned scholarship for 2018 season

Jorian Clark – cornerback

  • Played in 11 of 12 games in 2018 with two starts
  • 2018 stats: 17 tackles, two pass breakups

Josh Cummings – cornerback

  • Played in 11 of 12 games in 2018 with no starts
  • 2018 stats: 5 tackles

Brandon Douglas-Dotson – cornerback

  • Played in 11 of 12 games in 2018 with nine starts
  • 2018 stats: 13 tackles (2 TFL), two pass breakups

Jack Fox – punter/specialist

  • Played all 12 games in 2018 with 12 starts
  • 2018 stats: 45.6 average punt distance, 25 inside the 20, 24 punts of 50+ yards, 5-of-12 field goals, 20-of-20 PATs

Giovani Gentosi – fullback

  • Graduate transfer from UCLA
  • Played all 12 games in 2018 with three starts
  • 2018 stats: six carries for 39 yards, four receptions for 27 yards

Parker Hanusa – defensive lineman

  • Played 11 of 12 games in 2018 with no starts
  • 2018 stats: 13 tackles

Cameron Johnson – wide receiver

  • 9 career appearances (none in 2018)
  • Former walk on who earned a scholarship

Trevor Long – wide receiver / special teams

  • 16 career appearances (none in 2018)

Clayton Malcomb – long snapper

  • 10 career appearances (none in 2018)

Andrew Mike

  • Graduate transfer from Florida
  • 2018 stats: 5 appearances

Martin Nwakamma – linebacker

  • Played in 11 of 12 games in 2018 with four starts
  • 2018 stats: 14 tackles (2 TFL), one fumble recovery, one pass breakup

Sam Pierce – offensive line

  • Played all 12 games in 2018 with 12 starts
  • One of eight players to start every game for Rice this season

Graysen Schantz – defensive end

  • Played all 12 games in 2018 with 12 starts
  • 2018 stats: 48 tackles (4 TFL), one fumble recovery

Shawn Stankavage – quarterback

  • Played in 9 games of 12 games in 2018 with 9 starts
  • 2018 stats: 1,328 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, 10 interceptions

Samuel Stewart – running back

  • 28 career appearances (none in 2018)
  • 1605 career all-purpose yards, 10 touchdowns

Carl Thompson – defensive line

  • 18 career appearances (none in 2018)
  • 32 career tackles, 1.5 sacks

Haden Tobola – kicker/specialist

  • 9 appearances in 2018 with no starts
  • 2018 stats: 10-of-11 field goals, career-long 51-yards vs LSU

Austin Walter – running back / wide receiver

  • 12 appearances in 2018 with 4 starts
  • 2018 stats: 557 rushing yards, 501 receiving yards, six total touchdowns

Brady Wright – defensive end

  • 11 appearances in 2018 with no starts
  • 2018 stats: two tackles
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Practice notes – Thanksgiving plans and more Wiley Green

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Rice football has one more game left in 2018 against Old Dominion. The Owls are hard at work doing everything they can to make it a victory.

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate and be with family, but there’s still plenty of football to be played. Coach Mike Bloomgren has found a way to do both. Rice will practice in the morning on Thursday before joining together for a family-style feast. The meat will be catered and the families will bring sides and share the meal together at the Patterson Center.

Bloomgren has spent his tenure at Rice working to build a family. Nothing says family more than a shared Thanksgiving meal together. Culture is built over time — and over food. Now, a few notes on practice from Wednesday.

More quarterback shakeup?

Shawn Stankavage started against Louisiana Tech and LSU after returning from injury, giving freshman Wiley Green enough of a break to ensure he would retain his redshirt this season. Green is eligible to play one more game in 2018 and should be in the mix to see significant minutes on Saturday.

Neither of the other backup quarterbacks are expected to play meaningful roles on Saturday. Jackson Tyner attempted one pass against LSU. Parker Towns has run a spread package which incorporated his legs and saw limited success.

D’Angelo Ellis continues to impress

Ellis led the team in receptions and yardage against LSU with a pair of acrobatic sideline catches. His ball skills might be the best on the team. Combine those with top-flight speed and Rice has a weapon they’ll continue to feature on offense. He had a few more head-turning catches at practice on Wednesday.

Injury update

  • Collin Whitaker suffered a foot injury in the second quarter against LSU and was in a boot during practice on Wednesday. He won’t be available against Old Dominion.
  • Wide receivers August Pitre and Brendan Harmon are both doubtful. Harmon will be evaluated on game day and has the better chance to play of the pair.
  • Prudy Calderon injured his shoulder against LSU but will be available to start and play as usual.
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Mike Bloomgren talks about finishing strong, Old Dominion press conference notes

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Rice football had the chance to go up against an SEC foe in Week 12. The team learned a lot, but now they look ahead to Old Dominion and the last game of the 2018 season.

Mike Bloomgren on the team’s performance against LSU

They stood toe to toe with those guys and they hit, and they hit, and they hit. I thought it was a physical football game.

Bloomgren on the upcoming game against Old Dominion

It’s going to be a great challenge for us. We know it’s going to be a four quarter battle. We want it to be a four quarter battle. We’ve got to get it to deep water and give our guys a chance to win this game. If we can play like we’re capable of on O and D and let special teams be the difference for us we’re going to be happy with those results.

Bloomgren on how big a win would be this weekend

For my sanity, it would be huge. For the direction of the program, it would be a big boost in recruiting. I think winning this football game would mean a lot to this program…It’s a constant battle of doing the things you win football games, preparing the right way. We always use the word process around here.

Bloomgren on his confidence in the program

I am disappointed that our record wasn’t better for these kids. I am not wavering in our belief that we’re going to get it done. We’re going to play in bowl games and we’re going to win championships here.

Captain Zach Abercrumbia on the significance of a win over ODU

Faith is believing in things unseen. Right now we’re holding onto the faith that we’re making progress. And we are… but to get a win would finally get us something tangible to hold on to.

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Defensive back Kirk Lockhart commits to Owls

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The 2019 Rice football recruiting class continues to pick up steam, this time with the commitment of Cedar Hill defensive back Kirk Lockhart.

More: Complete list of 2019 Rice football commits after the early signing period

As the early signing period approaches the only thing better than one commitment is two. Safety Hunter Henry made his pledge Sunday. The Owls got another commit on Monday. Rice doesn’t intend to fill every spot in their 2019 recruiting class by mid-December, but getting some key pieces in early will go a long way toward building momentum for the stretch run into National Signing Day.

The latest addition to the 2019 Rice football recruiting class was Cedar Hill safety Kirk Lockhart from Cedar Hill High School. His teammate, defensive back Josh Landrum is also on the Owls radar.

Rice had 10 members in their 2019 class before Lockhart made his commitment. That number now sits at 11 meaning the Owls are likely about halfway through a haul that could be rather sizable for head coach Mike Bloomgren’s first complete class after taking over the job last winter.

Lockhart had offers from East Texas Baptist and Carroll College. His offer list isn’t very long, a fact that is somewhat surprising giving the intensity and aggression he plays with on the defensive side of the ball. He flies to the ball quickly and makes tackles — something that Owls’ fans have learned not to take for granted this season.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound safety plays like he was shot out of a cannon. He knows where the ball is at all times and puts himself in position to make a play, whether that’s in the air or taking a player to the ground himself.

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This week in CUSA – Looking ahead at Week 13

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Rice football got a firsthand look at Death Valley under the lights but came up short. What’s next for Conference USA football in Week 13?

Team Last Week Result This Week
Charlotte vs FIU L, 42-35 at FAU
FAU at North Texas L, 41-38 vs Charlotte
FIU at Charlotte W, 42-35 vs Marshall
LaTech at Southern Miss L, 21-20 vs WKU
Marshall vs UTSA W, 23-0 at FIU
MTSU at Kentucky L, 34-23 vs UAB
North Texas at FAU W, 41-38 at UTSA
ODU vs VMI W, 77-14 at Rice
Rice at LSU L, 42-10 vs ODU
Southern Miss vs LaTech W, 21-20 at UTEP
UAB at Texas A&M L, 41-20 at MTSU
UTEP at WKU L, 40-16 vs Southern Miss
UTSA vs Marshall L, 23-0 vs North Texas
WKU vs UTEP W, 40-16 at LaTech

Notable Week 12 results

Nothing to see here

Three CUSA squads took their shots at SEC opponents. Middle Tennessee gave Kentucky a fight, UAB hung in there against Texas A&M and Rice challenged LSU. All three were heavy underdogs and all three fell on the road. The individual games themselves will get passed over, but playing blueblood teams is good for Conference USA and needs to continue to be a part of the schedule.

FAU vs North Texas did not disappoint

The preseason “game of the year” in Conference USA had little on the line after both North Texas and FAU each went through rough stretches. Nevertheless, their Week 12 matchup was extremely entertaining. Quinn Shanbour and Devin Singletary each picked up a pair of rushing touchdowns before a 92-yard touchdown run from UNT’s DeAndre Torrey put things out of reach in the fourth quarter.

UTEP still has a ways to go

The Miners looked like they might have turned the corner early in November when they dropped 48 points on Rice and 32 more on Middle Tennessee. The 16 point clunker they dropped at Western Kentucky over the weekend is clear that UTEP’s consistency leaves a lot to be desired. The win over Rice was a good first step, but putting all the pieces together in a singular game remains a challenge.

Week 13 storylines

Will Rice earn their first CUSA win?

Western Kentucky’s victory over UTEP last weekend leaves one CUSA team still waiting on their first conference win, Rice. The Owls have played a few close contests but have yet to break through. ESPN FPI gives the Owls a 30.5 percent chance of winning in their final home contest of the season.

Who takes CUSA East?

FIU and Middle Tennessee sit atop the East entering the final weekend of conference play. The Panthers defeated the Blue Raiders earlier this season, giving them the tiebreaker if the schools finish even after the final week of the regular season. The only way MTSU takes the crown would require a win over UAB and an FIU loss to Marshall.

FAU and Southern Miss fight for bowl eligibility

Six CUSA teams have secured bowl eligibility so far: UAB, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, FIU, Middle Tennessee and Marshall.

Six other teams are too far down to make a bowl this season, even with wins in Week 13. That leaves two squads, FAU and Southern Miss, to fight for their postseason lives in their final games of the year. FAU plays Charlotte and Southern Miss plays UTEP, both win-needy teams are favored to win.

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