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Aaron Smigelski’s debut season gives hope for Rice baseball

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It’s been a tough year for Rice baseball, but freshman infielder Aaron Smigelski has been a bright spot. His ascent has given the Owls hope.

Trailing 15-0 on the second day of the 2022 season, Rice baseball head coach Jose Cruz Jr went to the bench for the final inning of at bats against No. 1 Texas. The game was all but decided at that point, but Cruz wanted to give everyone a chance to show him what they could do. The first to the plate in that frame was freshman Aaron Smigelski.

Whack.

The true freshman from Clayton, North Carolina laced a single up the middle. It was the Owls’ fifth hit of the day.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 110 – State of College Football in Texas with DCTF’s Mike Craven

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DCTF writer Mike Craven joins us this week to unpack the latest college football storylines around Texas and recap a busy spring.

Fresh off his run around the state of Texas to catch up with college football players and coaches, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football’s Mike Craven stops by to discuss the major storylines impact the sport and the in-state teams. From recruiting to coaching narratives, we cover it all.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 110.

Episode Notes

Housekeeping

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  • 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 updates from spring practices and more. Your support matters and makes The Roost better.
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State of Texas College Football with DCTF’s Mike Craven

  • What’s next for UTSA, North Texas and UTEP?
  • Realignment thoughts: reactions from across the state
  • Transfer Portal Math: Is it good or bad for G5 teams?
  • The future of recruiting strategy in college football
  • Incoming transfers who could make an impact in 2022
  • Major storylines in the state of Texas
  • How close is Rice football and his take on the Owls’ potential in 2022

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.

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Rice Football Recruiting: JSU transfer RB Uriah West commits to Owls

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Rice Football recruiting has filled an immediate need in the backfield with the addition of Jacksonville State running back Uriah West.

Head coach Mike Bloomgren mentioned his team wasn’t yet complete at the conclusion of spring practices. Since that acknowledgment, the incoming Rice football recruiting class has been bolstered by way of the transfer portal, most recently with the commitment of former Jacksonville State running back Uriah West.

Rice did not sign a high school running back in the 2022 class, adding JUCO rusher Dean Connors instead. While Connors was impressive in spring practices, the need to add at least one more trustworthy back became clear by the time camp was winding down. Connors and Juma Otoviano were the only two healthy backs on the roster for the Spring Game.

Enter Uriah West. The Douglasville, GA native averaged 5.7 yards per carry over four seasons at Jacksonville State, tallying 1392 rushing yards, most of which came in his final two seasons where he shared backfield duties with fellow upperclassmen Josh Samuel.

West took a visit to Rice at the end of April, calling Rice “a second home”, praising the intentionality of the coaching staff and speaking positively about his experience at South Main. That trip would prove to be all he needed to make his decision.

Premium: Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

West calls himself a “decisive runner [that is] tough to bring down”. That tenacity shows up in his film. He’s not afraid to run through defenders and is willing to lower his pads and plow forward. West shows burst with the ball in his hands and has 24 career receptions. His versatility will come in handy in a Rice offense that likes to utilized the full breadth of running back abilities.

https://twitter.com/uknoe_/status/1515058810414641166

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Rice Football 2022: What we learned from the offense this spring

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The Rice Football offense grew a lot over the course of six weeks. Here are five things we learned from the unit this spring.

The offense had its moments in scattered practices throughout Rice football spring practices but always seemed to struggle in game-like situations. They finally broke through with a big spring game. Who stood out the most and what did we learn from this unit as a whole during the spring?

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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.

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?
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The Roost Podcast | Ep 109 – Rice Football spring practice closing thoughts

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Rice Football has wrapped up its spring practices. Did the Owls get better or are we riding a post-spring high? We discuss in this week’s episode.

Spring practice is in the rear view mirror, giving us a few months before we see Rice football on the field again. But before the offseason arrives in earnest, Carter and Matthew sit down to talk through the spring. From our surprises to concerns, we evaluate what we learned over the course of the last six weeks and discuss what’s next for the Owls on the field.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 109.

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 updates from spring practices and more. Your support matters and makes The Roost better.
    Become a Patron!

2022 Rice Football Spring Practice | True or False

Rather than rehash previous discussion points, we turned our spring practice recap into a game of true or false, as we tried to get to the bottom of several key areas of the Rice football team after the conclusion of spring practices.

True or False…

  • … we’re more confident in Rice football now than we were six weeks ago
  • … the Rice defensive line will be a Top 3 unit in Conference USA
  • … Luke McCaffrey will be an All-Conference player
  • … Rice football has a definitive answer at quarterback
  • … The Rice offense is going to be better in 2022
  • … At least one spring “discovery” will become an impact player this fall
  • … Rice has enough depth

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.

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