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Rice Football 2021: Owls find another quarterback quandary

September 23, 2021 By Matthew Bartlett

The Rice football quarterback situation remains in flux entering Week 4 of the 2021 season. Here’s the latest on how the Owls plan to deploy their options.

For the third time in four games, Rice football will play multiple quarterbacks. Luke McCaffrey was the lone signal-caller on the field for the duration of the Houston game. He and Wiley Green split reps against Arkansas and both saw action against Texas before leaving the game with injuries. Jake Constantine, only recently healthy enough to go, made his debut against the Longhorns.

After all that, we’ve got another quarterback competition on our hands.

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For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Practice reports are reserved for our subscribers. If you want updates on how Rice football plans to deploy its quarterbacks, position battles, standouts, injuries and more, this is your go-to source. You can get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and special features like this one when you subscribe to our All-American Tier on Patreon today.

Groundhog Day?

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Recent Posts
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Filed Under: Archive, Featured, Football, Premium Tagged With: Jake Constantine, Jovoni Johnson, Luke McCaffrey, Wiley Green

Rice Football 2021 Game Preview: Texas Southern

September 19, 2021 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice Football returns home to take on Texas Southern in Week 4, still in search of their first win of the season. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Week 4 will pit a pair of winless teams against each other in the first ever meeting between intra-city foes. Rice football hosts Texas Southern on Saturday, hoping to bounce back from a deflating shutout loss to Texas the week prior.  Texas Southern enters equally beleaguered, having been outscored 106 to 24 in back-to-back losses to Prairie View and Baylor before having last weekend off.

Kickoff time | 5:30 PM CT
Venue | Rice Stadium – Houston, TX
TV | ESPN3
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs Texas Southern this week’s episode of the Blue and Gray Preview Show, streaming live on Wednesday at Noon on the Rice Athletics YouTube channel. You can also catch the recap of last week’s game on The Roost Podcast, which should be released shortly. 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

It’s put up or shut up time for Rice football. After three back-breaking losses, the Owls cannot afford to fall to 0-4. The pressure is on Rice, who will enter the contest as the favorites.

Texas Southern hasn’t faired any better than Rice. Their lone win since the 2018 season came by way of a forfeit in an abbreviated spring season. A win over an FBS team would be huge for head coach Clarence McKinney and his staff.

Series History

All Time | Rice and Texas Southern will be meeting for the first time
Last Five | n/a
Last Meeting | n/a

Get the Inside Scoop

Get access to practice reports, analysis and special features during the week when you subscribe to our All-American Tier on Patreon today. If you want updates on how Rice football plans to deploy its quarterbacks, position battles, standouts, injuries and more, this is your go-to source. A few sections of this preview are reserved for those subscribers. Don’t miss out! Join now!

Become a Patron!

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | McCaffrey – 16/32 (50.0 percent), 181 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing | Griffin – 39 carries, 173 yards (4.4 yards per carry)
Receiving | Myers – 11 receptions, 71 yards (6.5 yards per reception), 1 TD / Bailey – 9 receptions, 85 yards (9.4 yds/rec)
Tackles | Montero – 27 / Smith – 20/ Garcia – 18
Pass Breakups | Smith/McCord/Dunbar – 2 
Interceptions |
Fresch/Taylor – 1

Texas Southern Stat Notables

Passing | Brown – 27/53 (50.9 percent), 277 yards passing, 1 TD, 0 INT
Rushing | Howard – 15 carries, 79 yards (5.3 yards per carry), 0 TD
Receiving | Davis – 9 receptions, 124 yards (13.4 yards per reception), 0 TD / Johnson – 7 receptions, 80 yards (11.4 yds/rec), 1 TD
Tackles | Cooper – 13 / Walton – 12 / Gibbs – 9
Interceptions | Marcantel -1
Pass Breakups |
Six tied with one PBU

Texas Southern X-Factor | Make the big play

The formula to stymy Rice has focused on the big play. Arkansas gashed the Owls on the ground with their 245-pound quarterback. Texas let running back Bijan Robinson have their way with the Rice defense before getting other playmakers in open space for breakaway touchdown sprints.

There has been a handful of methodical, 10+ play drives against Rice this year. But the Owls have proven most susceptible when their opponents can cut the field in half with one or two big plays. If Texas Southern wants to make this interesting, they’ll need to hit on some home runs.

Rice X-Factor | Come prepared

In each of their first three games, the Rice offense has failed to take advantage of opportunities gifted to them by their opponents and/or their own defense. Three missed field goals, six interceptions, dropped passes and missed assignments. At this point, the offense doesn’t need to move heaven and earth. They need to do the basics correctly.

Against Texas Southern, the basics, when executed correctly, should be more than enough to set Rice up for success. And if Rice can’t clean up the little things, it’s going to be a long season when conference play arrives in two weeks.

Pick ‘Em Contest (Subscribers only)

Make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. There will be swag and prizes for the top finishers at the end of the season. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and comment on this post on the Patreon page to enter. It’s that easy.

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Injury Report (Subscribers only)

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Need More?

The Roost’s 2021 Rice Football Season Preview has FIVE pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth charts, important new arrivals and positional breakdowns for every team in Conference USA sourced from local beat writers and sources on the ground who cover these teams every day. It’s the most thorough C-USA publication on the market.

One Final Thing

The last time Rice football lost three consecutive games happened in the middle of the 2019 season. The Owls dropped successive contests to UTSA, Southern Miss and Marshall with the point totals falling from game to game, averaging 13.3 points over that stretch.

Then the offense woke up, and the team went on a run. Rice beat Middle Tennessee, North Texas and UTEP, and averaged 27 points per game in the process.

That recent history is not necessarily prescriptive of what is to come, but it has to serve as some evidence that given enough of a hole to dig out of, this program has shown it can rise again. Doing it consistently is a bar they’ve yet to achieve, but getting back into the win column and doing it a few times is well within reach.

But at this point, those are all hypotheticals. The Owls are going to have to show they still believe in themselves and what they’re playing for. It’s well past time to play ball.

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

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Filed Under: Archive, Featured, Football, Premium Tagged With: Antonio Montero, Elijah Garcia, Gabe Taylor, Game preview, Jake Bailey, Jordan Dunbar, Jordan Myers, Khalan Griffin, Luke McCaffrey, Miles Mccord, Naeem Smith, Rice Football, Sean Fresch, Wiley Green

Rice Football 2021 Game Preview: Texas Longhorns

September 12, 2021 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice Football heads to the state capital this week for a matchup with the Texas Longhorns in Week 3. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Both teams hope their second Southwest Conference reunion of the season turns out better than the first. Rice football fell to Arkansas in Week 1. Then Texas followed them with a loss to the Razorbacks in Week 2. Texas enters this game 1-1 with their win coming over a ranked Louisiana squad at home while Rice sits at 0-2 after falling to Houston their last time out.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 7:00 PM CT
Venue | Darrel K Royal Stadium – Austin, TX
TV | Longhorn Network
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs Texas this week’s episode of the Blue and Gray Preview Show, streaming live on Wednesday at Noon on the Rice Athletics YouTube channel. You can also catch the recap of last week’s game on The Roost Podcast, which should be released shortly. 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

It’s been more than two years since Rice football last beat Texas, knocking off the Longhorns most recently in 1994. Should pull off the upset in Austin this time around, they’d push new head coach Steve Sarkisian to 1-2 and, turning grumblings generated from the Arkansas loss into a full-blown panic.

Reaching that point seems more even more daunting after last weekend’s dismal outing against Houston. But the Owls will find some solace in a reeling Texas team that doesn’t look nearly as invincible as it did after their opening weekend victory.

To some degree, the bulk of the pressure rests on Texas in this game. The Rice faithful expect clearly visible improvement. The struggles from the Houston game need to be rectified and this team needs to look competitive. Texas fans demand a win, preferably by a comfortable margin.

Series History

All Time | Texas leads 73-21-1
Last Five | Texas leads 5-0
Last Meeting | NRG Stadium 2019, Texas won 48-13

Get the Inside Scoop

Get access to practice reports, analysis and special features during the week when you subscribe to our All-American Tier on Patreon today. If you want updates on how Rice football plans to deploy its quarterbacks, position battles, standouts, injuries and more, this is your go-to source. A few sections of this preview are reserved for those subscribers. Don’t miss out! Join now!

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Rice Stat Notables

Passing | McCaffrey – 14/29 (48.3 percent), 161 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing | Griffin – 32 carries, 121  yards (3.8 yards per carry)
Receiving | Pitre – 4 receptions, 97 yards (24.3 yards per reception), 1 TD / Bailey – 5 receptions, 62 yards (12.4 yds/rec)
Tackles | Montero – 21 / Morrison – 14 / Schuman – 13
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Smith, McCord – 2 PBU, Fresch – 1 INT

Texas Stat Notables

Passing | Card – 22/36 (61.1 percent), 285 yards passing, 2 TD, 0 INT
Rushing | Robinson – 39 carries, 172 yards (4.4 yards per carry), 2 TD
Receiving | Whittington – 12 receptions, 145 yards (12.1 yards per reception), 1 TD / Robinson – 5 receptions, 77 yards (15.4 yds/rec), 1 TD
Tackles | Overshown – 21 / Brockmeyer – 14 / Foster – 11
Interceptions/Pass Breakups | Cook – 2 PBU, Foster – 1 INT

Texas X-Factor | Quarterback

Hudson Card was named the Texas starter prior to the start of the 2021 season. He completed 14-of-21 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns in the opener, effectively guiding the Longhorns to victory. He was much less composed in Week 2, compiling 61 yards on 8-of-15 passes before being benched in favor of Casey Thompson.

Thompson was more productive, primarily as a rusher. He scored twice on the ground and added 57 yards passing, but it came well after Arkansas had built a comfortable lead. Rice can sympathize about the struggles of finding consistent play at the quarterback position, but that doesn’t change the pressure the Texas coaching staff will be under this week.

Whether it’s Card or Thompson, someone is going to have to emerge for Texas to get into a rhythm along the lines of where they were in their opener. Whatever happened last week was not the answer for the Longhorns.

Rice X-Factor | Getting off the field

Last week against Houston, Rice was rather impressive on early downs and rather abysmal on third down. Try as they might, they just could not get off the field. The Owls allowed 3.3 yards per carry and 5.9 yards per attempt on first down. On third down, those numbers ballooned upwards to 12.8 yards per carry and 9.7 yards per attempt.

Houston converted 4-of-5 third downs of nine yards or more. For comparison, all five of the Owls’ third down conversions came with four yards to gain or fewer. Rice converted none of their third and long tries and only 38.5 percent of their total third down opportunities. Houston converted 61.5 percent, despite averaging almost a full yard more to-gain (8.1 to Rice’s 7.2) per attempt.

Rice did the right thing by forcing their opponent into third and long. They brought pressure, but Clayton Tune put the ball on the money, frequently finding his favorite target, Tank Dell. If Texas can assemble a similar third down performance, the Owls will be fighting a losing battle.

Pick ‘Em Contest (Subscribers only)

Make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. There will be swag and prizes for the top finishers at the end of the season. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and comment on this post on the Patreon page to enter. It’s that easy.

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?

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?

Need More?

The Roost’s 2021 Rice Football Season Preview has FIVE pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth charts, important new arrivals and positional breakdowns for every team in Conference USA sourced from local beat writers and sources on the ground who cover these teams every day. It’s the most thorough C-USA publication on the market.

One Final Thing

Playing with a “goldfish mentality” is something various members of the Rice defense have mentioned over time. It’s something we’ve seen this unit improve upon. After being picked apart down the field in Year 0 and showing signs of shellshock like Riec football head coach Mike Bloomgren mentioned in his postgame comments last week, they’ll need to return to that state of being with haste.

Like the fleeting memory a goldfish memory, the Rice defense has long preached their commitment to putting the last play behind them and focusing on the task at hand. If they’re going to show positive improvement from Week 2 to Week 3, it’s going to be one play at a time. That same will be true for the offense, which couldn’t put more than one extended driver together.

Both sides of the ball need to forget the Houston game in its entirety. They need to bring whatever mindest they entered the Arkansas game with. That mentality, although lacking perfect execution, got them to where they wanted: into the fourth quarter with the chance to pull off a big win.

Rice would happily take a 17-17 fourth quarter state again this time around. But even if they get there, they’ll need to find a way to finish it.

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

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Filed Under: Featured, Football, Premium Tagged With: Antonio Montero, August Pitre, Game preview, Jake Bailey, Khalan Griffin, Luke McCaffrey, Miles Mccord, Myron Morrison, Naeem Smith, Rice Football, Sean Fresch, Trey Schuman

Rice Football 2021 Game Preview: Bayou Bucket vs Houston

September 5, 2021 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice Football continues its tour of former Southwest Conference foes, squaring off with Houston in Week 2. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Rice football fans experienced the full range of emotions last, ending with a heartbreaking thud. The Owls saw a 10-point lead vanish as they fell on the road to Arkansas.

Houston had the good fortune of playing in their own city, squaring off with Texas Tech at NRG Stadium. Houston led by as 14 points on two separate occasions, but the Cougars were outscored 28-0 in the second half. Both teams enter Week 2 with a sour taste in their mouths and plenty of motivation.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 5:30 PM CT
Venue | Rice Stadium – Houston, TX
TV | CSB Sports Network
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs Houston this week’s episode of the Blue and Gray Preview Show, streaming live on Wednesday at Noon on the Rice Athletics YouTube channel. You can also catch the recap of last week’s game on The Roost Podcast, which should be released shortly. 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

During our preseason survey of the Rice football opponents, the significance of the Bayou Bucket was noted in a conversation with Sam and Dustin of The Scott and Holman Pawdcast on The Roost Podcast. After opening losses, both rife with reasons for each respective fanbase to voice their frustrations, this Week 2 game looms large.

For Rice, this contest is sandwiched between Power 5 opponents. And if the Owls were unable to close against Arkansas, the task won’t be any easier against Texas in Week 3. Losing this week against Houston could pave the way for an 0-3 start for a team touted as one of the program’s best in recent history.

Houston has reason to worry, too. No matter how realistic they might have been, the Cougars have conference championship expectations. Outside of Cincinnati and possibly UCF, the rest of the AAC looked decidedly underwhelming in Week 1. Houston could rise from 0-2 to challenge for a conference title, but the optics would make such an endeavor seem like wishful thinking at best. All those factors combined make for a rather significant Week 2 rivalry game.

Series History

All Time | Houston leads 31-11
Last Five | Houston leads 5-0
Last Meeting | Home 2018, Houston won 45-27

Get the Inside Scoop

Get access to practice reports, analysis and special features during the week when you subscribe to our All-American Tier on Patreon today. If you want updates on how Rice football plans to deploy its quarterbacks, position battles, standouts, injuries and more, this is your go-to source. A few sections of this preview are reserved for those subscribers. Don’t miss out! Join now!

Become a Patron!

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Green – 12/25 (48.0 percent), 152 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing | Griffin – 13 carries, 35 yards (2.7 yards per carry)
Receiving | Pitre – 4 receptions, 97 yards (24.3 yards per reception), 1 TD / Bailey – 4 receptions, 47 yards (11.8 yds/rec)
Tackles | Montero – 11 / Chamberlain – 10 / Morrison – 9
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Smith – 1 PBU, Fresch – 1 INT

Houston Stat Notables

Passing | Tune – 27/38 (71.1 percent), 174 yards passing, 2 TD, 4 INT
Rushing | Car – 13 carries, 37 yards (2.8 yards per carry)
Receiving | Dell – 7 receptions, 80 yards (11.4 yards per reception), 1 TD / Trahan – 6 receptions, 42 yards (7.0 yds/rec)
Tackles | Mutin – 8 / Jones – 8 / S. Williams – 5
Interceptions/Pass Breakups | D. Williams / Anenih – 1 PBU, no interceptions

Houston X-Factor |  Calm Tune

Houston jumped out to a 21-7 lead over Texas Tech last week but was unable to hold the early advantage thanks in large part to the play of their quarterback Clayton Tune. At one point in the game, ESPN gave the Cougars an 88.6 percent chance of victory. Then tune threw four interceptions, including one that was returned for the game-tying touchdown.

After several disjointed years marred by injuries, COVID-19 cancelations and an uncertain quarterback room, 2021 was supposed to be the year Tune put it all together. The depth chart is rather bare behind Tune. For better or worse, he’s the guy. If he turns in a similar performance against a ravenous Rice defense, Houston is going to be in for a very long day.

Rice X-Factor | First and second down

The quarterback situation is clearly at the top of the priority list for Rice, but given what we’ve seen about this team to this point and the dominance of the defense, the Owls shouldn’t need a herculean effort on that front to position themselves for a win.

No matter the trigger man, Rice has to do better on first and second down.

Rice started the Arkansas game facing third down lengths of the 8-yards, 9-yards, 3-yards, 5-yards, 14-yards, 6-yards, 8-yards and 9-yards. They converted twice.

It’s one thing to remain committed to running the football. It’s another to set yourself up to have to convert third and long too often. If Rice does that, they’re not going to find any sort of rhythm.

Pick ‘Em Contest (Subscribers only)

Make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. There will be swag and prizes for the top finishers at the end of the season. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and comment on this post on the Patreon page to enter. It’s that easy.

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?

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?

Need More?

The Roost’s 2021 Rice Football Season Preview has FIVE pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth charts, important new arrivals and positional breakdowns for every team in Conference USA sourced from local beat writers and sources on the ground who cover these teams every day. It’s the most thorough C-USA publication on the market.

One Final Thing

No definitive answer was given following the Owls’ Week 1 loss to Arkansas regarding how the quarterbacks would be deployed going forward. Head coach Mike Bloomgren is fiercely loyal, but and his staff have some hard conversations to have this week about the most important position player on the field.

Wiley Green was 12-for-25 in the opener, throwing for 152 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Luke McCaffrey was 5-for-10 for 75 yards in what amounted to two drives and a short portion of garbage time.

Given the defense Rice brings to the table, they might not need a perfect outing this week under center. But establishing some semblance of a rhythm is paramount with conference play looming soon. Bloomgren frequently preaches that teams make the biggest jump from game one to game two. They need to see that adjustment at quarterback this week.

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

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Filed Under: Featured, Football, Premium Tagged With: Antonio Montero, August Pitre, Bradley Rozner, Brandt Peterson, Clay Servin, Desmyn Baker, Game preview, Jake Bailey, Kenneth Orji, Khalan Griffin, Luke McCaffrey, Myron Morrison, Naeem Smith, Rice Football, Sean Fresch, Treshawn Chamberlain, Wiley Green, Zane Knipe

Rice Football squanders halftime lead as Arkansas rallies past Owls

September 4, 2021 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice Football put Arkansas on the ropes in Fayettville, but couldn’t muster enough on offense to finish the job as the Owls fall in their season opener.

Those inside the hedges believed 2021 could be a special season for Rice football. The Owls’ schedule wasn’t going to allow them to ease into the season, opening on the road against Arkansas. Rice hadn’t won a game against an SEC opponent since 1980, but the defense came out throwing haymakers and made it clear from the start this was going to be a competitive game.

Arkansas would score first, but Rice would chip away, taking a 10-7 lead into halftime courtesy of a touchdown run from Jordan Myers. Then Wiley Green turned up the volume on the Rice football offense on this connection from Green to August Pitre:

What a beauty! @RiceFootballpic.twitter.com/fh397gJKpr

— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) September 4, 2021

That touchdown pass put Arkansas on notice. From that point, the game was officially on. Rice withstood Arkansas’ initial second-half surge, but the momentum turned when Wiley Green made a crucial mistake. Green was intercepted on a pass in which his arm was hit while he threw. Perhaps excusable, even if costly, Green doubled-down with an interception on his very next pass: a third down attempt in relief of McCaffrey whose helmet had come off on the prior play.

When the dust settled, Arkansas would score 24 unanswered points. The defense which had held up for so long was unable to support a Rice offense that was shut out for the final 25 minutes of regulation after the touchdown from Green to Pitre to start the second half.

The Roost Podcast: Stay tuned for the game recap this week 

Green was given the vast majority of the snaps and finished 12-for-25 with one touchdown, three interceptions and a fumble. McCaffrey attempted seven passes, completing four of them for 60 yards and carrying the ball four times for eight yards. Head coach Mike Bloomgren will have a lot to think through when it comes to how he handles the quarterback position moving forward. Green finished extremely poorly and even still, McCaffrey never really got much of a chance.

Here are a few immediate reactions from the game:

Surviving early missed opportunities

Whether it was early game jitters or just bad luck, there were a few significant moments early in this game that did not favor the Owls.

The first was a third-down snap for Arkansas. Quarterback KJ Jefferson was greeted in the backfield almost immediately by a charging Treshawn Chamberlain but was able to bounce free. His 245-pound frame was too much to bring down with the glancing blow. Then he rumbled for a the first down. Rather than punt or attempt a long field goal, Arkansas would score late on the drive.

On the ensuing Rice possession, Arkansas linebacker Grant Morgan was ejected for targeting, setting the Owls up near midfield. They were unable to score. The Owls’ next two drives would begin at the Arkansas 35-yard line and the Arkansas 21-yard line. They walked away with three points.

Rice football kept this game at arms-length early, but it’s not unreasonable to think they should have been leading Arkansas at the start of the second quarter, quite possibly by two scores.

Quarterback carousel

Bloomgren announced before the game that Wiley Green would start and Luke McCaffrey would enter the game for the third series. He was true to his word, with one exception: McCaffrey did enter the game for one play following Grant Morgan’s ejection, presumably so Green could regroup after the hit. Green was back in on the next play.

McCaffrey led the offense from the Arkansas 35-yard line to the 18-yard line, but wasn’t able to hit Cedric Patterson in the corner of the endzone on third down. That would be his final full drive of the first half, but not his final snaps.

McCaffrey would return to the game for two third down plays later in the first half. On both occasions, he handed the ball off, creating a rather odd sequence. Green would operate the offense on first and second down before McCaffrey entered for a running play to someone other than himself. The lack of cohesion was evident.

The offense did not move the ball well under Green, but the flip-flopping mid-drive didn’t seem to do either quarterback any favors. McCaffrey would get a series in the third quarter. When he was allowed to operate he moved Rice down the field with a big completion to August Pitre.

Field position and time of possession

Neither field position, nor time of possession, are particularly “sexy” stats. Most people, understandably, turn their eyes to touchdowns, yards and points in the boxscore at first blush. But those two less-than-glamorous stats proved pivotal for Rice in this game, and they’ll like be staples in how the Owls hope to play this season.

Rice football controlled the time of possession battle. The defense forced five three-and-outs in the first half, stopping the Razorbacks’ up-tempo offense from gaining much momentum. Then the Owls took over and grinding out the clock.

Rice dominated the field position as well. There were a couple of touchbacks they’d like back on Charlie Mendes punts, but the special teams and the defense more than made up for those with a white-hot start. Rice’s average field position in the first half was the 50-yard line. Night and day different from Arkansas’ average start of their own 17.

In the first half alone, Rice began drives at the Arkansas 49, Arkansas 24, Arkansas 7, Rice 48 and Arkansas 49.

Digging deeper

Every week we’ll have a stat, storyline or key learning from the game reserved for our subscribers.

Defense, Defense and more defense

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 Baseball 2025: MLB Owls Update – May 14
  • Rice Football Recruiting: RB Carson Morgan commits to Owls
  • Rice Baseball 2025: International Owls Update – May 10
  • The Winding Road: Jack Ben-Shoshan’s circuitous path to the top of the Rice Baseball bullpen

Filed Under: Archive, Featured, Football, Premium Tagged With: August Pitre, game recap, Jordan Dunbar, Jordan Myers, Luke McCaffrey, Rice Football, Sean Fresch, Treshawn Chamberlain, Wiley Green

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