The source for Rice sports news

The Roost Podcast | Ep 170 – Fifth Annual Roosties for Rice Football

By

The Rice football regular season is in the books. That means its time for our podcast awards, the fifth annual Roosties!

There will be a time for a more formal set of Rice football postseason awards. From Team MVP to newcomers of the year, those awards are coming. First, it’s time to present our immediate reactions to the season that was and share our nominations for players, units and games that made this season special in one way or another. Stay tuned below for our fifth iteration of the annual Roosties!

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 170.

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!

Remembering Rice Football with the Roosties! 

Carter and Matthew hand out honors in the following categories to commemorate the 2023 season, reliving the highs, lows  and everything in between:

  • Favorite Play
  • Player You Were Most Wrong About (Biggest Surprise)
  • Most Improved Unit
  • Play/Game You Most Want to Redo
  • Player You’ll Miss the Most
  • Out of Nowhere Star
  • Most Valuable Transfer
  • Most Head Scratching Moment
  • Most Dominant Game
  • Player You’re Most Looking Forward to in 2024

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.ri

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

Recent Posts

Rice Basketball thunders back to avoid upset vs HCU

By

Rice basketball fell behind early before thundering back, riding their defense rather than their shooting to a win over Houston Christian.

Alem Huseinovic opened the game with a jumper that drew applause from the assembled crowd at Tudor Fieldhouse, but onlooking fans wouldn’t have much to cheer from for the next several sequences up and down the court. A brief Rice basketball lead evaporated and the Owls quickly found themselves playing catch up on their own court.

Houston Christian pounced on Rice from that first shot, climbing to a 25-12 lead at the under-eight media timeout and putting some pressure on the home team to find a way to settle down and avoid a disastrous loss.

Down by 13 on a day when they shot just 25 percent from three, Rice made three of the five triples they would convert for the entire game over the course of the next six minutes. A large deficit turned into a tie game, opening the door for a second-half rally.

Rice went on a 22-8 run to start the second half, leaning on their defense rather than their shot making ability to flip the script and build a double-digit lead of their own. HCU would climb back within five, but a few clutch shots from Huseinovic, Max Fiedler and Keanu Dawes kept them at bay and allowed the Owls to secure a hard-fought home win.

Final Box | Rice 65 – HCU 56

What They’re Saying

“I’m really happy to get the win. A good word to use for this game is sloppy. Offensively, we just couldn’t get any rhythm going. That’s a credit to (Houston Christian’s) defense. But, the good news is, we would not have won that game in the past. We won with our defense. They shot 35 percent from the floor and 18 percent from three. Any chance you do that, you’re going to give yourself a chance to win. So I’m really proud of that. That’s back-to-back pretty good defensive performances by us.” – Head coach Scott Pera

Key takeaway | The defense is in there somewhere

Despite promises that this would be the season when Rice basketball found its footing on the defensive end of the court, nothing consistent or impactful truly materialized through the first seven games of the season. There were flashes here and there, but nothing nearly as impressive as the performance the Owls put on display Saturday afternoon — and they needed every little bit of it to get past HCU.

As Pera mentioned postgame, the defense was superb. Rice also forced 14 turnovers and only allowed their opponents to get to the free throw line 15 times.

Imperfect rebounding did lead to more defensive opportunities than should have been absolutely necessary, but at the end of the day, holding any team under 60 points is a solid start for this program right now. Over the past two seasons, Rice is 4-0 when holding their opponent below 60 total points.

Rice basketball probably isn’t ever going to turn into a defensive juggernaut, but they have the makings of a team that can play enough defense to get by, provided the offense holds up its end of the bargain. It has to be encouraging then that the offense was rather uninspiring by its standards on Saturday and the Owls still found a way to walk away with a win

Up Next: at Houston – Dec. 6 (Wed.)

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

Recent Posts

Mike Bloomgren, Rice Football take another step forward

By

Rice Football is going bowling for the second season in a row as head coach Mike Bloomgren continues to elevate the program one step at a time.

When you look at the Rice football win totals in the five non-COVID seasons under head coach Mike Bloomgren (Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.) you see a pattern: ascent. Bloomgren never went backward. The gripe with his tenure as the Owls’ headman never had anything to do with direction, it was all about the speed of those steps.

It was that most recent step that meant the most, to qualify for a bowl game “the old fashioned way” as some would say, with six regular-season wins. It was the first time the program had done so since 2014 and officially made Blomgren only the third coach in program history to reach back-to-back bowl games — Rice has fielded a team since 1914, 110 seasons ago.

To get this far, flooded Bloomgren with memories of all sorts. “When I took this job, we had played Rice the year before in Sydney, Australia. I don’t want to take anything away from that team, but there were a lot of people in the national media and coaches that told me not to take this job because they could never go to a bowl again,” Bloomgren recalled.

He cited his own stubbornness, the patience of former AD Joe Karlgaard who allowed him to remain in his position despite no winning seasons in his first five years at South Main and his staff and players for fighting through what he referred to as “headwinds” of all different kinds.

“But this is so cool to be here at this moment with the administration we have in place, the alignment we have in place and the excitement. And when you have a board of trustees and a president and AD that are going to do everything they can to help a football program, let’s go.”

The Owls will find out exactly where they will be going a few days from now on the Sunday following conference championship weekend. Rice won’t be playing in that game, perhaps a goal for next year and beyond, but the Owls did play both teams (Tulane and SMU) within a score, the latter with a backup quarterback for the second half.

To the Rice football players and staff, the bowl game destination is less relevant. Getting to this mountain top was a significant step, the next one would be winning, regardless of locale or opponent.

“I think the sky’s the limit,” senior running back Juma Otoviano said after the win. “We started from the ground up, but [we’re] looking at back-to-back bowl games and expecting to win this one.”

So in an era of rapid reaction and fast-moving chairs, under the leadership of a new athletic director who did not hire him, Bloomgren and his staff have taken yet another step on their climb in a conference incredibly more challenging than the one they played in over the previous five seasons. And there’s still a chance to win one more game and make this season even more special than it has already become.

“It makes me really proud of these kids and these coaches because nobody’s ever blinked. Anybody who’s still in this building has just kept fighting for what they believe in for these kids. That’s what’s all about,” Bloomgren said. “This team is always been worth fighting for for me, so it’s really cool.”

And the job isn’t done just yet. Bloomgren and Rice can turn that six into a seven with a bowl victory, a feat that hasn’t happened by the team on South Main since 2014.

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

Recent Posts

Rice Football 2023: FAU Game Week Practice Report

By

Rice football is one win away from clinching bowl eligibility as a six-win team. Here’s what we learned from the Owls at practice this week.

There was a palpable energy at Rice football practice this week. Everyone was as locked in as they’ve been all season and seemingly doing all they could to help this team achieve its first six-win season since 2014. This team has found a rhythm, and that was fun to watch as they prepare for FAU.

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

This week’s roundup focuses on the latest on JT Daniels, AJ Padgett and the Rice quarterback situation, some notes on the play of the Owls’ corners of late as well as a few (largely positive) injury updates.

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.

The latest on JT Daniels

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

Rice Football 2023 Game Preview: FAU

By

Rice football hosts FAU this week with bowl eligibility on the line. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

In a battle of Owls, Rice football enters the fray flying higher. The Owls won at Charlotte last weekend, preservering their bid at bowl eligibility. The visiting FAU Owls fell to Tulane, their seventh loss of the year. Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup between Rice and FAU.

Kickoff time | 12:00 PM CT
Venue | Historic Rice Stadium – Houston, TX
TV | ESPN+ (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Varsity Radio App (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs FAU on this week’s episode of the Blue and Gray Preview Show, streaming live on Wednesday at Noon on the Rice Athletics YouTube channel. Look for a recap of the game on the site afterward as well as on The Roost Podcast, which should be released early next week.

Sizing up the contenders

Rice football could technically have an outside shot at bowl eligibility as a five-win team, but they’d rather avoid stressing about that situation for a second year in a row. A win on Saturday would also ensure another year of improvement in the win column for head coach Mike Bloomgren, with the possibility of a seventh win in the bowl game. Rice hasn’t won seven games since 2014.

On the other sideline, FAU isn’t playing for anything, which makes them dangerous. Every win counts for a coach in his first year at a new school and rest assured Tom Herman won’t go easy on Rice when he makes his return to campus.

Series History

All Time | Rice leads, 2-1
Last Five | Rice leads, 2-1
Last Meeting | Away 2022, FAU won 17-14

Get the Inside Scoop

Get access to practice reports, analysis and special features during the week when you subscribe to our Starting Lineup Tier on Patreon today. If you want updates on how Rice football plans to attack this week’s opponent, position battles, standouts, injuries and more, this is your go-to source. Don’t miss out! Join now!

Become a Patron!

Rice Football Stat Notables

Passing | Daniels – 121/287 (63.1 percent), 2443 yards, 21 TD, 7 INT
Rushing | Connors – 92 carries, 662 yards (6.9 yards per carry), 5 TD / Otoviano – 70 carries, 241 yards (3.4 yards per carry), 4 TD
Receiving | McCaffrey – 56 receptions, 822 yards (14.7 yds/rec), 11 TDs / Connors – 38 receptions, 384 yards (10.1 yds/rec), 3 TD
Tackles | Wyatt – 70 / Morrison – 66 / Conti, Taylor – 53
Pass Breakups | Devones – 10 / Fresch – 7 / Wyatt, Taylor – 6
Interceptions | Taylor, Devones – 2 / Conti – 1

FAU Stat Notables

Passing | Richardson – 200/309 (64.7 percent), 1908 yards, 12 TD, 10 INT
Rushing | McCammon – 146 carries, 675 yards (4.6 yards per carry), 5 TD / Lewis – 77 carries, 324 yards (4.2 ypc), 2 TD
Receiving | Wester – 104 receptions, 1125 yards (10.9 yards per reception), 8 TD / Johnson – 35 receptions, 362 yards (10.3 yds/rec), 3 TD 
Tackles | Morris – 75 / Ambush – 73 / Tisdol – 67
Pass Breakups | Morris – 5 / McClendon, Mungin, Antoine – 3 
Interceptions | Morris – 3 / Six others tied with one each

FAU X-Factor | Make every trip count

In league play, Rice football leads the AAC in red zone defense. They’ve allowed 13 touchdowns on 27 trips. Forcing opponents to settle for three rather than getting six has helped keep them in games and nearly scored them upsets against Tulane and SMU.

Meanwhile, the FAU offense has stalled out entirely. The Owls have scored 15 points in their last eight quarters. Relying on home run plays by LaJohntay Wester isn’t a sustainable scoring solution so when FAU does get the ball within striking distance, they absolutely must capitalize.

The Rice defense has played better as of late and is coming off one of their best performances of the season. FAU has converted 60 percent of their field goal tries on the season and has made 3-of-7 from 30+ yards out. They simply have to put the ball in the box when they get their opportunities. 

Rice X-Factor | Run the dang ball

It’s hard to believe it’s possible, but Rice football might not have run the ball enough last time out against Charlotte, despite Dean Connors having a career day. The running game also helped cover some offensive miscues and mishaps that took place with a backup quarterback at the helm.

No matter who takes the snaps for Rice this week, a potent running game makes this offense even more potent.

FAU won’t make it easy. No team in the AAC has allowed fewer touchdowns in league play than the Owls. Yet, Charlotte’s run defense looked solid enough on paper before Connors showed up and gashed them. If Connors can do it again, it’s hard to see the Rice offense stalling out that often, which would force FAU into catch-up mode. That’s not something the’ve proven they can do.

Injury Report (Subscribers only)

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?

Become a Patron!

One Final Thing

“We understand what’s at play this week and how big of a deal this game’s going to be. It’s huge,” Bloomgren said on Saturday afternoon, noting the significance of the upcoming game against FAU because Rice found a way to take care of business against Charlotte. And quite frankly, huge might be an understatement. This game is massive. 

A win against FAU would ensure Rice a .500 record in league play. Here are the AAC programs currently guaranteed to be at least .500 in league play this season: Tulane, SMU, UTSA, Memphis and Navy. That’s good company to keep.

For further comfort, three of the Owls’ four AAC losses came to that collection of teams with the lone exception belonging to USF which could clinch a bowl berth this weekend. Tack on a win over Houston — still the only Power 5 win by the conference this year — and you get a sturdy season against a tough schedule with a marquee rivalry win under your belt.

Even though much of that would be true with a loss, a sub-.500 season doesn’t carry with it the same power. No, this game matters because of it can solidify this 2023 Rice Football team as one that hung with the big boys in the league, had one hiccup against UConn, and otherwise represented the university well.

Plus, this team wants to go bowling again. This time the “right” way, if that even is an appropriate designation. 

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

Recent Posts