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Rice Football 2020 Game Preview: Marshall

November 29, 2020 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice Football hopes to return to the field this week, but Marshall will be one of their toughest tests yet. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Rice got tantalizingly close to kickoff last week against UTEP but saw the game postponed mere hours before the Owls and Miners were set to face off. The cancelation marks the third time in the last four weeks Rice did not play because of a COVID-19 issue from their opponent.

Marshall was off last weekend with a rare “scheduled” off weekend. Not accounting for rescheduling December games against Rice and FIU, Marshall played through the bulk of their expected regular season. Their last action came on Nov. 14, a win over Middle Tennessee. Their Nov. 21 game against Charlotte was postponed.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 11:00 AM CT
Venue | Joan C. Edwards Stadium – Huntington, WV
TV | ESPN+ (Streaming)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs Marshall on Episode 64 of The Roost Podcast which will be released on Thursday. 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.)

Visual Preview

Make sure you check out Inside the Hedges, a weekly show with myself and former Rice football quarterback Taylor McHargue. Watch it live on Wednesday nights here or watch it at your leisure on the Rice Athletics Youtube page.

Join the Conversation

What are your keys to victory this week? What pitfalls must the Owls avoid? Did you like that third down call? Share your thoughts on the matchup on the forum and make sure you tune in Saturday for our live game blog keeping track of every score and key moment.

Sizing up the contenders

Rice missed the opportunity to play a UTEP team that was winless in C-USA play. Instead, they’ll travel to the only unbeaten team in the conference. That swap, combined with other winnable divisional games previously postponed, leave Rice with an uphill battle as the scheduled winds down. If Rice wants to get back to .500, they’re going to have to beat one of C-USA’s best.

Marshall just needs to keep pace with their side of the conference in this game. The 7-0 Herd have a head-to-head win over FAU, but haven’t played Charlotte. With Conference USA opting not to schedule a game between Marshall and Charlotte (so far), all Marshall has to do is win to stay at the top of the pack with no divisional tiebreakers in play.

Series History

All Time | Marshall leads 5-2
Last Five | Marshall leads 4-1
Last Meeting | Home 2020, Marshall won 20-7

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Collins – 53/86 (61.6 percent), 802 yards passing, 10 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Otoviano – 45 carries, 195 yards (4.3 yards per carry) | Griffin – 41 carries, 159 yards (3.9 yards per carry)
Receiving | Trammell – 16 receptions, 335 yards (20.9 yards per reception), 6 TD | Myers – 14 receptions, 138 yards (9.9 yards per reception)
Tackles | Alldredge – 32, Montero – 23, Garcia – 19
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Calderon – 2 PBU / McCord – 1 INT

Marshall Stat Notables

Passing | Wells – 126/192 (65.7 percent), 1674 yards passing, 16 TD, 4 INT
Rushing | Knox – 148 carries, 744 yards (5.0 yards per carry), 9 TD
Receiving | Gaines – 22 receptions, 288 yards (13.1 yards per reception), 3 TD | Gammage – 23 receptions, 270 yards (11.7 yards per reception), 4 TD
Tackles | Beckett – 69, Neal – 43, Hodge – 31
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Gilmore – 6 PBU / Gilmore, Neal, Johnson, Drayton – 1 INT

Marshall X-Factor | Limit explosive plays

The Marshall defense might be the most formidable unit in C-USA and because of it, teams don’t score points in bunches against the Herd very often. Sustaining long drives isn’t easy to do against this defense. Rice has been able to piece together several 10+ play drives in their limited action so far this season, but something has to give.

Marshall has allowed three plays of 30 or more yards in four conference games, the best mark of any team in C-USA. They’re also the only C-USA team that hasn’t allowed a play of 50 or more yards against a conference opponent.

The Rice offense is more explosive than its been in the past, but they’re going to need a mix in some big gains to sustain those length drives they’ve become accustomed to. Marshall can’t let that happen.

Rice X-Factor | Win the line of scrimmage

Rice did not control the line of scrimmage against North Texas and the ramifications were severe. The Owls could not consistently move the ball on offense and saw a rather sturdy defense effort go to waste. The offensive line has shown they can push people around already this season, against Marshall they’ll have to be at their best.

If Rice can win in the trenches, they’ll set up their offense to control the pace of the game. That’s going to be paramount against a team that’s proven themselves to the degree that Marshall has. They’re ranked for a reason.

Expect to see Rice utilize full backs, tight ends and different packages to aid their line in this game. It doesn’t really matter how Rice finds a way to win this phase of the game. They just have to do it.

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 2020 Rice Football Season Preview has four pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth charts, important new arrivals and depth chart breakdowns for every team in Conference USA. Better yet, it’s not just speculation, each profile was created with insight from local experts who cover those teams day in and day out. Pick up your copy today and get four pages and more than 1,000 words on every foe.

Pick ‘Em Contest

If you haven’t yet, make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and submit them on the forum thread to enter.

  1. Which team scores first?
    Rice / Marshall
  2. How many points will Rice score?
    Over 23.5 / Under 23.5
  3. Which total is higher?
    Rice first downs / Marshall completions
  4. Which team has the longest run from scrimmage?
    Rice / Marshall
  5. What will be the distance of the longest made field goal?
    Over 39.5 yards / Under 39.5
  6. Who wins?
    Rice / Marshall

One Final Thing

Rice was very vocal about not playing a game in West Virginia this week. Logistically, there are ample reasons Rice should be playing UTSA at Rice Stadium on Saturday rather than flying across the country to play a team outside of their own division.

Honestly, Conference USA followed the easiest course of action possible — adding a game between UAB and Middle Tennessee, simple because both were free — rather than addressing divisional matchups still to be played. All this could have been alleviated if C-USA hadn’t added games back midseason amid rising cancelations, but here we are.

No matter the circumstances, Rice has moved their focus solely to Marshall. It’s a tough task in already challenging conditions. All the more reason for the Owls to press on.

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

Recent Posts
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Filed Under: Featured, Archive, Football, Premium Tagged With: Game preview, Rice Football

Rice Football 2020 Game Preview: UTEP

November 22, 2020 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice Football looks to rebound from a disappointing loss with a home win over UTEP. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

The next game can’t come fast enough for Rice football. The Owls are eager to put last weekend’s road loss to North Texas behind them and shake off whatever rust lingered from the back-t0-back postponed games in the weeks prior. Rice looked rattled and far from the dominant form they displayed in their win over Southern Miss.

UTEP wasn’t in action last weekend, losing a game against UAB (scheduled to take place on Friday morning in Midland, TX) because of COVID-19 concerns among the Blazers. Last time out, UTEP was outgunned by UTSA, falling 52-21 in San Antonio.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 12:00 PM CT
Venue | Rice Stadium – Houston, Tx
TV | ESPN3 (Streaming)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs UTEP on Episode 62 of The Roost Podcast which will be released on Thursday. 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.)

Visual Preview

Make sure you check out Inside the Hedges, a weekly show with myself and former Rice football quarterback Taylor McHargue. Watch it live on Wednesday nights here or watch it at your leisure on the Rice Athletics Youtube page.

Join the Conversation

What are your keys to victory this week? What pitfalls must the Owls avoid? Did you like that third down call? Share your thoughts on the matchup on the forum and make sure you tune in Saturday for our live game blog keeping track of every score and key moment.

Sizing up the contenders

Rice has swung between extremes so far this season, but can get back to .500 on the season with a win against UTEP. The remaining weeks of their schedule are still a bit up in the air with postponed games against UTSA and Louisiana Tech possible candidates to replace a road trip to Marshall on Dec. 5. Before they get there, Rice has to control what’s in front of them, and this weekend, that’s scheduled to be UTEP.

UTEP wants so desperately to rebound from an unfavorable start to conference play. The 3-win Miners haven’t won four games in a season since 2016. Doing so in a shortened year would be a tremendous step forward for Dana Dimel’s bunch.

Series History

All Time | Rice leads 15-8
Last Five | Rice leads 3-2
Last Meeting | Away 2019, Rice won 30-16

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Collins – 53/86 (61.6 percent), 802 yards passing, 10 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Otoviano – 45 carries, 195 yards (4.3 yards per carry) | Griffin – 41 carries, 159 yards (3.9 yards per carry)
Receiving | Trammell – 16 receptions, 335 yards (20.9 yards per reception), 6 TD | Myers – 14 receptions, 138 yards (9.9 yards per reception)
Tackles | Alldredge – 32, Montero – 23, Garcia – 19
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Calderon – 2 PBU / McCord – 1 INT

UTEP Stat Notables

Passing | Hardison – 108/199 (54.3 percent), 1419 yards passing, 5 TD, 5 INT
Rushing | Hankins – 99 carries, 493 yards (5.0 yards per carry), 7 TD
Receiving | Cowing – 36 receptions, 573 yards (15.9 yards per reception), 1 TD | Garrett – 36 receptions, 498 yards (13.8 yards per reception), 3 TD
Tackles | Forester – 56, Knight – 43, Harrell/Inyang/Prince – 32
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Amaewhule – 8 PBU / Lowe – 2 INT

UTEP X-Factor | Capitalize on opportunities

Turnovers and self-inflicted wounds have proven to be fatal flaws in each of Rice’s losses to date. The Owls haven’t played a turnover-free game yet. UTEP hasn’t been productive on that front this year. The Miners are averaging just one turnover per game and nearly one and a half giveaways themselves, but recent history suggests they’ll have more opportunities handed to them by Rice — what will they do with those chances?

UTEP enters the game second-to-last in conference play in total offense, averaging less than 300 yards per game. Even North Texas had trouble at times when it came to driving the length of the field against the Rice defense. UTEP’s best chance of putting up points will be to take advantage of opportunities Rice hands to them. And when they get their chances, they need to turn them into touchdowns.

Rice X-Factor | Win in the trenches

When Rice wins on the offensive and defensive lines, they’re going to be in a position to win. Through three games, that’s happened more often than not. There is no Dion Novil in the defensive trenches for UTEP and the Rice front seven won’t be pulling double duty to support coverage threats on the outside. There shouldn’t be any reason why Rice can’t win on both fronts.

Rice is still without a rushing touchdown this year, an odd occurrence considering they’ve run the ball a conference-high 43.4 times per game. The Owls’ woeful 3.1 yards per carry has also been problematic. A kick start from one of their talented running backs and consistent lanes to run through will help them set the tone in this game.

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 2020 Rice Football Season Preview has four pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth charts, important new arrivals and depth chart breakdowns for every team in Conference USA. Better yet, it’s not just speculation, each profile was created with insight from local experts who cover those teams day in and day out. Pick up your copy today and get four pages and more than 1,000 words on every foe.

Pick ‘Em Contest

If you haven’t yet, make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and submit them on the forum thread to enter.

  1. Will either team score on defense or special teams?
    Yes / No
  2. How many combined touchdown passes with be thrown (both teams)?
    Three or less / Four or more
  3. Does Rice rush for at least one touchdown?
    Yes / No
  4. How many total yards will the Rice defense allow?
    Over 330.5 / Under 330.5
  5. Which team defense forces the first turnover?
    Rice / UTEP / No turnovers
  6. Who wins?
    Rice / UTEP

One Final Thing

How Rice football lost to North Texas was almost more concerning than the defeat itself. Rice just wasn’t ready for what the Mean Green threw at them and failed to get things going on offense until time had run out. When this team is on, they’ve proven they can be dangerous. Now they need to prove they have the fortitude to respond to adversity and win a very winnable game.

This upcoming weekend also marks the end of November. With the Conference USA Championship game four weeks away and bowl season beginning on the same day, Rice is running out of opportunities to play football this fall. They simply have to make every Saturday count.

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

Recent Posts
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  • Rice Football Recruiting: EDGE JD Singletary commits to Owls
  • Rice Baseball 2025: MLB Owls Update – Jun 11
  • Rice Football Recruiting: SLOT Jacob Swain commits to Owls

Filed Under: Football, Archive, Featured, Premium Tagged With: Andrew Bird, Antonio Montero, Ari Broussard, Austin Trammell, Blaze Alldredge, Brendan Suckley, Chris Boudreaux, Elijah Garcia, Game preview, Jason White, Jordan Myers, Juma Otoviano, Khalan Griffin, Mike Collins, Miles Mccord, Naeem Smith, Prudy Calderon, Rice Football, Tre'shon Devones

Rice Football: Owls fall flat in loss to North Texas

November 21, 2020 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice Football started fast and faded just as quickly as the Owls drop to 1-2 on the season following a road loss to North Texas.

Expectations were high when Rice football finally returned to the gridiron after a two-week delay. The Owls had suffered consecutive postponements following an uplifting 30-6 win at Southern Miss, snuffing out any momentum the Owls could have hoped to carry into their game against North Texas.

Rice came out strong and faded fast, resulting in a humbling road loss to North Texas. Here are a few immediate reactions from the game.

Messy, messy, messy

Rice fumbled FOUR times in the first half. That’s an inexcusable turnover count for a full game, let alone the first 30 minutes of action. The mistakes turned what looked to be a runaway day for the Rice offense into an ugly slugfest against what began as a flailing North Texas attack.

The Owls’ lost one fumble in the redzone. Soon after, Mike Collins put a ball behind Jake Bailey in the endzone on fourth down. If he throws that in front of Bailey, it’s a 17-0 Rice lead. Instead, North Texas takes over and a 66-yard Jason Bean touchdown run cuts the Rice lead to 10-7. Turnovers plus turnovers on downs put Rice in a bad spot.

The muffed punt was the third instance of the usually sharp Rice special teams unit turning it over in the Owls’ first three games. North Texas fired a line-drive ball toward Austin Trammell, who was hit immediately upon fielding the ball, almost as if he didn’t expect the quick contact. Again, North Texas capitalized, with a go-ahead touchdown on the ensuing possession.

The offense has looked good. But if they can’t eliminate the self-inflicted mistakes, it’s not going to matter. That goes for the special teams too, who saw an 80+ yard punt return touchdown called back by an uncharacteristic penalty.

The offensive line meets its match

Through their first two games, the Rice offensive line had played extremely well. Ball carriers weren’t getting hit in the backfield and Mike Collins was given clean pockets to work. There were plenty of instances of those things against North Texas, but the frequency of open spaces significantly lessened.

North Texas defensive tackle Dion Novil was a monster. His power on the interior of the line seemed to catch the Owls off guard. He routinely impacted Collins in the pocket, highlighted by an impressive sequence at the end of the first half. He pushed the center into Collins on the second-to-last play of the game to force a hurried throw. Novil then followed up with an unblocked sack on the following play to end the half.

Rice has held up well against powerful interior rushers before. They’ve seen plenty over the past several seasons. They were just flat out beat up front. That left Rice throwing into pressure against a shallow zone all day.

The secondary is going to be alright

Rice received good news this week with the return of Kirk Lockhart, Treshawn Chamberlain, and Andrew Bird. Adding the extra experience was a huge boost to a unit that had been up and down to start the season.

The Owls needed all their reinforcements, and then some. Starting corner Tre’shon Devones was not on the field to start the second half.

When Miles McCord was being attended to on the sideline following a diving attempt, reserve corner Chris Boudreaux, who converted from wide receiver, was forced into the game in the redzone. Naturally, the ball was quickly thrown his way, but he held his ground and helped Rice force a quick field goal. McCord and Bird were both on the field to finish the game.

Not silent, but flat

The Rice offense had been dynamite early on this season. Rice entered the North Texas game coming off back-to-back 30+ point performances. It seemed clear that the offense was better than it had been in the past, but it was hard to christen them good without at least one more game of data.

They came out sharp against North Texas, but mistakes and the shaky performance on the offensive line proved this unit still has some work to do before they make the jump. This touchdown from Collins to Trammell proved how good the unit can be when they’re clicking:

Perfect placement on this TD pass from Collins to Trammell. QB puts the ball where only the WR can get it. #GoOwlspic.twitter.com/qfn0xKRXrW

— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) November 21, 2020

But the inability to solve the North Texas defense proved more troublesome. After the Owls’ hot start, North Texas deployed basically the same scheme. They kept defenders near the box, crashing the line on run plays and dropping them into a zone if the Owls passed. Rice wasn’t able to solve that wrinkle, and they paid for it dearly.

The blueprint is out now for the rest of Conference USA. Rice is going to see this defensive style deployed against them again. They’ll have to be ready.

Digging deeper

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

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
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  • Rice Football Recruiting: EDGE JD Singletary commits to Owls
  • Rice Baseball 2025: MLB Owls Update – Jun 11
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Filed Under: Football, Featured Tagged With: Andrew Bird, Austin Trammell, Chris Boudreaux, game recap, Kirk Lockhart, Mike Collins, Miles Mccord, Rice Football, Tre'shon Devones, Treshawn Chamberlain

Rice Football 2020 Game Preview: North Texas

November 15, 2020 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice Football hopes to get back on the field this weekend in Denton against North Texas. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

It’s been a long while since either Rice football or North Texas played a football game. The Owls have been off (unintentionally) for two consecutive weekends, losing games against UTSA and Louisiana Tech because of COVID-19 concerns within their respective programs.

Things haven’t been much better for North Texas. Off weekends and COVID-19 complications have forced the Mean Green into a break that stretches back all the way to October 17 against Middle Tennessee, the week before the Blue Raiders visited the Owls in Houston. That’s four weekends in a row without a game.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 1:00 PM CT
Venu | Apogee Stadium – Denton, Tx
TV | ESPN3 (Streaming)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs North Texas on Episode 61 of The Roost Podcast which will be released on Thursday. 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.)

Visual Preview

Make sure you check out Inside the Hedges, a weekly show with myself and former Rice football quarterback Taylor McHargue. Watch it live on Wednesday nights at 7:00 p.m. here or watch it at your leisure on the Rice Athletics Youtube page.

Join the Conversation

What are your keys to victory this week? What pitfalls must the Owls avoid? Did you like that third down call? Share your thoughts on the matchup on the forum and make sure you tune in Saturday for our live game blog keeping track of every score and key moment.

Sizing up the contenders

Rice looked to have shaken off the rust in a big way when they blew out Southern Miss in Hattiesburg in their last game before a string of last-minute postponements. When they have been on the field, they’ve been playing well. Rice has won four of their last five games, dating back to last year. They just want a chance to extend that streak further into 2020. A win over North Texas would help solidify their up-and-coming surge is legitimate.

North Texas is coming at things from a very different angle. The Mean Green are 2-3 and haven’t been able to stop anyone on defense. Head coach Seth Littrell has been praised for his quarterback development, but the dreams of perennial C-USA contention could be falling by the wayside. Back-to-back losses to Rice would certainly knock them further from that rosy expectation.

Series History

All Time | Series tied 5-5
Last Five | North Texas leads 3-2
Last Meeting | Home 2019, Rice won 20-14

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Collins – 30/52 (57.7 percent), 475 yards passing, 8 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Otoviano – 45 carries, 195 yards (4.3 yards per carry)
Receiving | Trammell – 10 receptions, 219 yards (21.9 yards per reception), 5 TD | Myers – 6 receptions, 65 yards (10.8 yards per reception)
Tackles | Alldredge – 21, Montero – 17, Garcia – 13
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Devones – 1 PBU / McCord – 1 INT

North Texas Stat Notables

Passing | Aune – 76/137 (55.5 percent), 1233 yards passing, 8 TD, 4 INT | Bean – 27/44 (61.4 percent), 427 yards passing, 6 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Torrey – 67 carries, 444 yards (6.6 yards per carry), 4 TD
Receiving | Darden – 46 receptions, 689 yards (15.0 yards per reception), 10 TD | Simpson – 16 receptions, 328 yards (20.5 yards per reception), 3 TD
Tackles | Davis – 34, Sanders – 28, Nixon III – 28
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Whitlock – 3 PBU / Sanders, Johnson – 1 INT

North Texas X-Factor | No self-inflicted wounds

North Texas has won two games this season, both of which required the Mean Green to score 50+ points with their opponents crossing the 30-point plateau. This is a team that is going to have to win shootouts and put up points in bunches. This offense has been productive for several seasons under Littrell and hasn’t shown signs of stopping yet.

If anything can slow them down, it’s their own mistakes. North Texas has lost the turnover battle in all five of their games this year. They turned the ball over three times in their loss to Southern Miss and three times in a win over Middle Tennessee.

Scoring 50 points a game isn’t easy to do, no matter how frequently you’ve done it in the past. Upping the ante by spotting the other team extra possessions makes it even harder. If North Texas is going to win, they have to limit the free possessions they hand to Rice. The Owls, who milked 13 minutes of clock in the fourth quarter against Southern Miss, might just not give the ball back.

Rice X-Factor | Pound the Rock

The easiest way to contain an explosive offense is by keeping them off the field. That should be fairly easy for the Owls to do given the putrid state of the North Texas run defense. The Mean Green are allowing 5.6 yards per carry, the worst in Conference USA. Their opponents have averaged 243.2 yards per game.

Rice has multiple running backs they trust to run with power and fall forward for extra yards. If North Texas can’t get them down at or behind the line of scrimmage, the Rice offense is going to continue to operate at a pace similar to their first two games.

Quarterback Mike Collins has proven he can distribute the ball and move the team downfield quickly, but allowing him to remain poised and work at a more comfortable pace will only aid his efficiency. Rice is a team committed to running the football. There’s no reason for them to let up this weekend.

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 2020 Rice Football Season Preview has four pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth charts, important new arrivals and depth chart breakdowns for every team in Conference USA. Better yet, it’s not just speculation, each profile was created with insight from local experts who cover those teams day in and day out. Pick up your copy today and get four pages and more than 1,000 words on every foe.

Pick ‘Em Contest

If you haven’t yet, make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and submit them on the forum thread to enter.

  1. Which team scores the first rushing touchdown?
    Rice / North Texas (or neither)
  2. How many total points are scored?
    Over 64.5 / Under 64.5
  3. Which team registers the most first downs?
    Rice / North Texas (or tie)
  4. How many players throw a pass in this game
    Over 2.5 / Under 2.5
  5. How many Rice wide receivers catch at least three passes?
    One / Two / Three / Four or more
  6. Who wins?
    Rice / North Texas

One Final Thing

At this point, getting to Saturday will be a win. Both of these teams are chomping at the bit to get back onto the field, especially Rice, which is one of only five C-USA teams that hasn’t been the at-fault party for a postponement since they began their season in late October.

This was a tight game last year, decided on a violent fourth-down pass breakup by Treshawn Chamberlain in the endzone to save the day. Building on that monumental play with a winning streak over a conference opponent would be huge for this team which believes they’ve turned the corner. All they want now is a chance to prove it.

Hopefully that chance comes on Saturday against North Texas.

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

Recent Posts
  • The Roost Podcast | Ep 201 – 2025 Rice Football Opponent Previews: FAU
  • Rice Football Recruiting: EDGE JD Singletary commits to Owls
  • Rice Baseball 2025: MLB Owls Update – Jun 11
  • Rice Football Recruiting: SLOT Jacob Swain commits to Owls

Filed Under: Football, Featured, Premium Tagged With: Game preview, Rice Football

Rice Football: 2021 DL Jalen Hargrove commits to Owls

November 13, 2020 By Matthew Bartlett

The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class just added a big addition in the defensive trenches. Jalen Hargrove has committed to the Owls.

Even with games being postponed left and right, the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class continues to produce good news. There is roughly a month to go before the early signing period and the 2021 class is coming together nicely, including the most recent addition hailing all the way from the Northeast.

Defensive lineman Jalen Hargrove from Choate Rosemary Hall has committed to Rice football. The 6-foot-3, 305-pound athlete made the move just one day following his officially offer from Rice. The less than 24-hour turnaround puts him among the quickest triggers in the 2021 class. He certainly knew what he was looking for.

Hargrove was one of a few offers handed out by the Rice football recruiting staff in the past week. You can read more about those other offers and targets in our most recent recruiting update.

Rice was the first school to offer Hargrove, something that’s become somewhat of a common occurrence with the current recruiting staff. They’ve been quick to identify talent and act upon what they see on film, not waiting for other offers to tip them off. It’s part of what has enabled them to get in early and hold on to some extremely talented players.

Premium: 2021 Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

Hargrove can do a lot of different things for a big guy, but his power up the middle is one aspect that stands out the most. He just won’t be blocked. His highlights are play after play of him plowing through unwitting offensive linemen who only hoped they could slow him down. Once Hargrove gets moving, it’s hard to slow him down. He’s going to be fun to watch in the trenches at South Main.

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

Recent Posts
  • The Roost Podcast | Ep 201 – 2025 Rice Football Opponent Previews: FAU
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  • Rice Baseball 2025: MLB Owls Update – Jun 11
  • Rice Football Recruiting: SLOT Jacob Swain commits to Owls

Filed Under: Football, Featured, Football Recruiting Tagged With: Jalen Hargrove, Rice Football, Rice Football recruiting

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