The source for Rice sports news

The Roost Podcast | Ep 137 – Rice Football vs SoMiss Recap

By

Bowl season ended on a downer with Rice football falling to Southern Miss in the Lending Tree Bowl. We recap it all on The Roost Podcast.

Rice football rallied to take a second half lead but wasn’t able to seal the deal, falling to Southern Miss in the Lending Tree Bowl. Getting to the postseason was a positive, but the Owls showing left a lot to be desired. What can we take from this game for the future and how much did what transpired on Saturday matter in the grand scheme of things? We unpack it all on this week’s show.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 137.

Episode Notes

Housekeeping

  • Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice. Every little bit helps.
  • Please support us 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 vs Southern Miss game recap

  • Was this an entire season summarized in one game?
  • AJ Padgett has earned a seat at the table in next year’s quarterback battle
  • The offensive line not working just doesn’t make any sense
  • Does this game really impact how one feels about this program moving forward?
  • What’s next for Rice football on the to-do list for this off-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, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

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

Recent Posts

Rice Football overrun by Frank Gore, Southern Miss in Lending Tree Bowl

By

Frank Gore Jr. proved too much to handle for Rice Football, who were unable to overcome his record-setting game at the Lending Tree Bowl.

A slow start, a furious rally and a Frank Gore-filled fourth quarter sent Rice football home from Mobile, Alabama without a win. Rice took a 24-17 lead in the third quarter of the Lending Tree Bowl before being outscored 21-0 for the remainder of the contest. Here are a few immediate reactions from the game:

Hang in there

The game did not start out well for the blue and gray. Southern Miss raced down the field for the opening score. Rice punted on their next drive. Then after a defensive stand, Rice had what appeared to be a clear targeting flag against running back Quinton Jackson picked up prior to Rice turning the ball over.

More: Roost Pod — Fourth Annual Roosties Rice Football Awards

As has been the case with so many Rice turnovers this year, the play was absurd and strange. Padgett squeezed a ball in between two defenders into the waiting arms of Jack Bradley who appeared so surprised that the ball reached him that he never went on to complete the catch. Rice wouldn’t challenge, though, and the nation’s leading turnover team added one more to their ledger.

Outside of a series of three consecutive 20-yard plays, the offense wouldn’t do much of note in the first half. The defense was in survival mode and the Owls can’t have been too upset to enter the break down trailing by just two scores.

Boom and bust

The Rice defense was back and forth all night, seemingly oscillating between big plays for either side. They held Southern Miss to 3.3 yards per carry on their first 11 carries of the night… then the twelfth happened, a 64-yard touchdown run by Frank Gore Jr.

That’s kind of how the early portions of the evening went for the Owls. The pass rush was, for the most part, particularly effective. Ikenna Enechukwu got the ball back himself once, but even when they didn’t get home, they forced Southern Miss quarterback Trey Lowe to force throws, often ending in the dirt. The front four plugged gaps and made running lanes hard to reach.

Not long after near the end of the second quarter a 55-yard completion set the Golden Eagles up inside the 10. Pass interference gave them a fresh set of downs inside the two. They had to settle for a field goal. Had it not been for the few big plays sprinkled in, this would have read like a strong defensive performance.

Rice did not have a single tackle for a loss against North Texas. They had seven against Southern Miss, two sacks and knocked the ball away from Trey Lowe twice. They forced a crucial fourth quarter fumble from Gore. They were disruptive and impacted the game in a big way.

But the busts were real. Gore made Rice pay dearly for their inability to tackle late and every misstep in their front. He exploded for an NCAA bowl-record 329 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, tacking on a passing touchdown for good measure. Whether Rice ran out of gas or not, they couldn’t handle Gore when it counted down the stretch.

AJ Padgett swagger

In the second half, Rice started to find its rhythm on offense and they found it by keying in on the pattern they discovered on their longest drive of the first half. The Owls utilized their speed from side to side, running reverses and sweeps to bring the defense in and then taking shots down the field. Like this:

The conductor of the offensive explosion was AJ Padgett, who transformed from his first-half self. Padgett started the third quarter with completions on 9-of-10 passes for 154 yards and three touchdowns. That, after a first-half mark of 7-of-13 passes for 84 yards and no scores.

It’s hard not to overstate just how incredible Padgett’s explosion really was. He was the scout team quarterback just two weeks ago. He’s the fourth different option the Owls have turned to under center this season and was playing in just his third career game against a pretty good defense that had his number early on.

In the third quarter, Rice scored touchdowns of 26 yards, 32 yards and 18 yards. Only once this season had Rice exceeded two touchdowns in a game from outside the redzone. That came against Charlotte, with the final score coming with the Owls trailing by multiple scores against backups on defense.

Including the touchdown scores, Rice had nine pass plays of 15+ yards and four rushing plays of 10+ yards. Cam Montgomery had the long run, breaking off a 57-yard gain on the ground. The longest pass play came on a leaping 34-yard reception by Quinton Jackson.

Then he lit them up. All the while being beaten up and bruised by a front seven that gave the Rice defensive line fits all night. Padgett was stellar, and that would have been the case if he’d been a veteran starter. Unfortunately, he would be unable to finish the job, leaving the game in the fourth quarter after taking a particularly nasty hit. As the protection wore down, so too did the Rice offense.

5-8

It’s been a tumultuous season, and as the fans trickle out of Hancock Whitney Stadium on a mid-December Saturday evening, there’s a bitter taste that will linger following a loss in the Lending Tree Bowl to Southern Miss.

Although it’s unequivocally true that Rice football has officially accomplished one major goals (reaching a bowl game), a 5-8 record will be tough to swallow, even with a back-and-forth game that went down to the wire.

From training camp until the moment the clock hit triple zeroes, the well-verbalized expectation for this program was to go to a bowl game and to win it. The path was unconventional — Rice made it here via APR score, not the more conventional six-win threshold — and the results show this team still isn’t quite where they’d like to be.

To be quite honest, that sets things up for a pivotal brave new world in 2023 when Rice will move to the American Athletic Conference. But that’s a discussion for the offseason. For now, it’s safe to say progress has been made, but there is more needed to be achieved for Rice football to be where they truly want to be.

Digging deeper

Every week we’ll have a stat, storyline or key learning from the game reserved for our subscribers. Haven’t joined yet? Sign up here:

Become a Patron!

Protection problems

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 2022: USM / Lending Tree Bowl Week Practice Report

By

Rice football is midway through bowl prep with several questions to answer before they take on Southern Miss. Here’s what we learned from practice this week.

The last time Rice football took the field, they did not know if it would be their last. Now that the Owls are guaranteed that extra game, they’ll hope to make the best of it. Rice will have roughly two weeks of prep for Southern Miss before the two Conference USA departers meet in the Lending Tree Bowl on December 17 at 4:45 pm.

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

This week’s roundup focuses on which players Rice football might get back for the bowl game, what the team has been doing since we last saw them on the field as well as a few additional individual notes.

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.

It has to start with quarterback

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 2022 Bowl Game Preview: Southern Miss

By

Rice football takes on Southern Miss in the Lending Tree Bowl this week. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Southern Miss secured bowl eligibility on the final week of the regular season, defeating Louisiana Monroe on the road for their sixth win. Rice football wasn’t assured of a bowl trip until all of that weekend’s games had concluded and a shortage of six-win teams remained. The Owls are bowling because they were the program with the highest remaining APR score.

How they got here doesn’t matter now, though. Here’s everything you need to know about this week’s game.

Kickoff time | 4:45 PM CT
Venue | Hancock Whitney Stadium – Mobile, AB
TV | ESPN (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs Southern Miss 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. 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

This is a bowl game that means a lot to both programs, despite the appearance of modest stakes. The Owls and Mike Bloomgren are looking to secure win number six, something that many around South Main viewed as an understood prerequisite to even be in this game. Southern Miss, on the other side, could clinch a win season for the first time under coach Will Hall with a victory.

Series History

All Time | Tied, 6-6
Last Five | Southern Miss leads, 3-2
Last Meeting | Home 2021, Rice won 24-19

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 | Padgett – 20/40 (50.0 percent), 339 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Montgomery – 86 carries, 498 yards (5.8 yards per carry), 0 TD / Otoviano – 65 carries, 391 yards (6.0 yards per carry), 1 TD
Receiving | Rozner – 41 receptions, 834 yards (20.3 yds/rec), 9 TDs / McCaffrey – 51 receptions, 656 yards (12.9 yds/rec), 6 TD / Esdale – 39 receptions, 461 yards (11.8 yds/rec), 0 TD
Tackles | Conti – 69 / Morrison – 66 / Taylor – 55
Pass Breakups | Dunbar – 8  / Taylor – 6 / Fresch – 5
Interceptions | Taylor, Morrison – 2 / Nyakwol, Chamberlain, Fresch, Narcisse – 1

Southern Miss Stat Notables

Passing | Lowe – 55/103 (53.4 percent), 795 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing | Gore Jr. – 207 carries, 1053 yards (5.1 yards per carry), 7 TD / Dean – 58 carries, 179 yards (3.1 ypc), 3 TD
Receiving | Brownlee – 52 receptions, 819 yards (15.8 yards per reception), 7 TD / Mims – 23 receptions, 361 yards (15.7 yds/rec), 2 TD
Tackles | Shorts – 91 / Latham – 81 / Gill – 76
Pass Breakups | Stanley – 6 / Latham – 4 / Shorts – 3
Interceptions | Stanley – 4 / Shorts – 3 / Scott, Brooks, Harrell – 2

Southern Miss X-Factor | Limit the big play

Southern Miss is going to try and make this a defensive struggle. The Golden Eagles lauded “Nasty Bunch” defense has made a significant jump this year, climbing to No. 80 in the nation in scoring defense to No. 43. The Golden Eagles allow 23.5 points per game. Keeping opponents out of the endzone is something they’ve largely excelled at compared to their peers.

The path to those points, has been suspect, though. Southern Miss ranks 12th of 14 teams in the Sun Belt in plays allowed of 20 or more yards with 63, an average of 5.3 such occurrences per game. Georgia Southern and Coastal Carolina — the two defenses in their conference that allow more explosive plays — each rank worst than 100th in the nation in scoring defense.

To some extent, the way this defense has been winning is unsustainable, but something is undeniably working. This is a defense that bends but doesn’t break. If something miss stiffens on the back end and allows less wiggle room, they’ll have Rice right where they want them.

Rice X-Factor | No turnovers

No team has turned the ball over this season more often than Rice football. None. Zilch. Zero. Nada. Rice football ranks dead last in the nation with 30 turnovers in 12 games, an average of 2.5 giveaways per contest.

When they don’t implode, this offense has proven itself adequate, perhaps even dangerous with its explosiveness and diversity. The Owls have put up more than 440 yards of total offense in four of their five wins and have largely moved the ball well with a variety of different quarterbacks under center. The bugaboo — and it’s been a big one — has been protecting the football.

Coaches are oft to say things like “we beat ourselves,” and in this case, that largely seems to be true. If Rice can avoid shooting themselves in the foot and give themselves a chance to complete their drives, they will be able to hang with a low-scoring offense on the other side of the ball. If they spot that other offense points, things could get dicey, quickly.

Injury Report (Subscribers only)

When Rice football last took the field, they were without quarterback TJ McMahon, wide receiver Luke McCaffrey and several other key players on each side of the ball. Subscribers, stay tuned later this week for a deeper dive on those key injuries with the latest on who is (and isn’t) likely to go in this upcoming contest. Not a subscriber (yet)?

Become a Patron!

One Final Thing

Getting to a bowl game is an accomplishment in itself, but things could hardly have set up better for Rice football in this season-ending showdown with a familiar foe. Instead of having to travel a great distance, the Owls will be playing as close to home as they could have been beyond a return to Frisco. They’re not being shipped to Detroit or South Carolina.

Better still, this is a winnable game against a team with a commensurate level of talent. They’re not playing an underachieving SEC school that simply has better players who played tougher competition. No, Southern Miss is on Rice’s level and in fact, the Owls have beaten them as recently as last season.

This game matters to Rice football. It matters to the staff, the players and to the fans. To those who care, it’s not a random bowl sponsored by who’s-it-called or what’s-it-named. With that in mind, the effort should be equal to the task. Rice needs to play this game with the effort they put forth against North Texas in the season finale. If they can clean up the mistakes, they’re got all they need to walk away as winners.

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

Recent Posts

Where things stand: Rice Football, Mike Bloomgren and the future

By

Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren is coming back for another year. What went into the decision and what’s next for the program?

Athletic director Joe Karlgaard and Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren met with the media last week to discuss the upcoming Lending Tree Bowl. Both men were asked about the game itself, the significance of potentially winning it and other postseason-related questions. The status of Bloomgren’s job security wasn’t discussed.

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

This update will focus on that previously unspoken situation. After reaching a bowl game, but not six regular season wins, where does Bloomgren stand and what is the outlook for the Owls as they look forward to entering the AAC in 2022?

Officially, official

First, let’s start with the first official statement, given to The Roost this week from Karlgaard himself:

“Mike is coming back. He’ll be our coach next season. Our progress over the last several years has been slower than we had hoped but we did post our highest win total since 2015 and our players were exceptional in the classroom.

This is not the same college athletics that was in place the last time we went to a bowl game. We’ve seen all these environmental changes with Alston and NIL and the Transfer Portal and the deregulation of the NCAA rules. I’m proud of the roster and foundation that coach Bloomgren and his staff have built and how we’ve navigated the shifts to the environment so far. But for us to strive for excellence in the future, we’re going to have to be innovative, progressive and values driven.”

What other factors are in play?

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