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Rice Football 2020: NFL Owls Wildcard Round update

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Rice Football is well represented on 2020 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action on Wild Card weekend.

There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player. Four Rice football alums are on playoff teams this year.

Wildcard Round Results

Buffalo def. Indianapolis, 27-24
Los Angeles Rams def. Seattle, 30-20
Tampa Bay def. Washington, 31-23
Baltimore def. Tennessee, 20-13
New Orleans def. Chicago, 21-9
Cleveland (Sendejo) def. Pittsburgh (Boswell, McDonald), 48-37

Divisional Round Schedule

Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay, Saturday – 3:35 p.m.
Tampa Bay at New Orleans, Sunday – 5:40 p.m.
Baltimore at Buffalo, Saturday – 7:15 p.m.
Cleveland (Sendejo) at Kansas City, Sunday – 2:05 p.m.

NFL Owls Update

Vance McDonald – TE, Steelers

McDonald was targeted twice, but did not catch any passes in the Steelers’ Wildcard Round defeat by the Browns. He has 17 career playoff receptions, but none in the Wildcard round. His 2020 season has come to an end.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

After being listed as a limited participant in practice, Boswell returned to action this week following a few missed games over the latter third of the season. He made his only field goal attempt in the Steelers’ Wildcard Round defeat by the Browns, also converting a pair of extra points. His 2020 season has come to an end.

Andrew Sendejo – Saf, Browns

Sendejo missed the Browns’ regular season finale against the Steelers after being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list but made a return to the field for their Wildcard Round rematch. He tallied five tackles and one pass deflection in the victory. The Browns will visit the Chiefs in the Divisional Round next weekend. The game is set for Sunday at 3:05 p.m.

Luke Willson – TE, Seahawks

Willson rejoined the Seahawks in time for their playoff push but was not active for their Wildcard Round defeat by the Los Angeles Rams. Willson, who began the season with the Seahawks, last saw action with Baltimore in Week 13. His 2020 season is over.

Offseason Owls

Both Jack Fox and Bryce Callahan were named to the Pro Football Focus All-Pro First Team this past week.

More Owls in the NFL

From practice squads to current free agents, there are other Owls on the cusp of returning to active rosters. Find more detail on current contractual agreements and former Rice football players waiting for their next opportunity here.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Transfer QB Jake Constantine commits to Owls

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The 2021 Rice Football Recruiting doubled down on its quarterback contingent. Weber State transfer Jake Constantine has committed to the Owls.

The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class filled out the majority of its spots during the Early Signing Period. The vast majority of those additions came from the high school ranks. The most recent three, all of which occurred following the Owls’ press conference announcing the class, have been from the transfer ranks. That includes new quarterback commit Jake Constantine.

Constantine’s journey to South Main has been a unique one that began at Boise State, where he redshirted as a true freshman before transferring to Venture Junior College. After a one season stint there, he stepped up to the FCS level at Weber State where he helped lead the Wildcats to back-to-back Big Sky championships.

The plan, from that point, was to spend his final season of eligibility at Towson. That was halted when the Colonial Athletic Association canceled its’ fall football season. So Constantine decided to walk-on at Washington State, but ended up not playing for the Cougars this fall. Barring further pandemic-effects, he’ll spend his final season in Houston with Rice football.

Constantine marks the fourth graduate transfer this staff has signed in the last four recruiting class. His addition, alongside high school signee Shawqi Itraish and current underclassmen JoVoni Johnson, Wiley Green and TJ McMahon make for a rather full quarterback room.

Subscribers can check out takeaways from the entire 2021 class so far, as well as breakdowns of the signees on offense and defense. As things currently stand, Rice should only have a few remaining spots when they get to National Signing Day in February. Most of the Owls’ next wave of incoming players are signed and ready to go.

Premium: 2021 Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

On the field, Constantine brings a pretty good deep ball with a bit of mobility. He doesn’t have the cannon that Collins did, but his accuracy looks to be a touch or two better. Bringing three years of experience as a starter will be a plus.

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Rice Football: Special Team Coach Drew Svoboda hired by Memphis

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The Rice football coaching staff will look slightly different next season. The Owls will have to replace special teams coach Drew Svoboda.

Coaching staff changes are part of the norm in today’s college football. Rice football coach Mike Bloomgren has fairly well when it comes to retaining his staff but hasn’t curtailed turnover completely.

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This offseason Rice football will have to replace its special teams coordinator. Drew Svoboda has been hired for the same role by the Memphis Tigers. Yahoo’s Pete Thamel was first to report. The Roost has since confirmed.

Further Staff notes

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Rice Football 2020: NFL Owls final regular season update

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Rice Football is well represented on 2020 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 17.

There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player. Playoff matchups have been notated. Three Rice football alums are on playoff teams this year.

Week 17 results

Baltimore def. Cincinnati (Covington), 38-3
Cleveland (Sendejo) def. Pittsburgh (Boswell, McDonald), 24-22
Las Vegas def. Denver (Anderson, Callahan), 32-31
Minnesota def. Detroit (Fox), 37-35
Tennessee def. Houston (Gaines), 41-38
Seattle def. San Francisco (Walter), 26-23

Wildcard Round Schedule

Cleveland (Sendejo) at Pittsburgh (Boswell, McDonald) – Sunday at 7:15 p.m. CT

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

Week 17 marks completed a full 17 game run for Anderson with the Broncos this season. He played in every game, making two starts and contributing weekly on special teams. The Broncos did not qualify for the playoffs.

Vance McDonald – TE, Steelers

McDonald saw an uptick in activity as a pass catcher in the Steelers’ Week 17 game against the Browns. He caught five passes on six targets for 33 yards. That’s the most receptions and targets he’s had this season and the most yards he’s tallied since a Week 4 game against the Texans when he had 35 yards.

He finishes the regular season with 15 receptions for 99 yards. This was the first year since 2014 in which he did not score a touchdown. The Steelers won the AFC North and will be the No. 3 seed for the AFC in the playoffs. They get a rematch with the Browns in the Wildcard Round.

Austin Walter – RB, 49ers

Walter was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list this week in time for the 49ers’ final game of the 2020 season. He returned two kickoffs against the Seahawks, with a long return of 18 yards.

After signing with the team midseason, Walter tallied five kick returns, one rush for three yards and one reception for 27 yards. The 49ers did not qualify for the playoffs.

Defense and Special Teams

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

For the third time in five games, Boswell was inactive because of injury. Instead, Matthew Wright handled field goal duties for the Steelers.

Boswell’s regular season stat line was impressive. He converted on 19 of 20 field goal attempts, with his lone miss coming beyond 40 yards. He made 34 of 38 extra point tries. The Steelers won the AFC North and will be the No. 3 seed for the AFC in the playoffs. They get a rematch with the Browns in the Wildcard Round.

Bryce Callahan – CB, Broncos

Callahan’s last game of the season came in Week 12 against the Saints, landing on injured reserve with a foot injury for the remainder of the year.

When he was healthy, Callahan was one of the best cover corners in the league. He had five passes defended, one shy of a career-high even with his shortened season. He also had one fumble recovery and one tackle for a loss on 42 tackles. Per Pro Football Reference, he was the allowed third-lowest passer rating in the league when targeted. The Broncos did not qualify for the playoffs.

Christian Covington – DL, Bengals

Covington had a season-high six tackles in the Bengals’ Week 17 regular season finale against the Ravens, giving him 39 tackles for the year, a career-best. Covington started 14 of the Bengals’ 16 games. Coming into the season, he’d started 15 games in five seasons, spanning stints with the Texans and Cowboys. The Bengals did not qualify for the playoffs.

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox finishes a Pro Bowl season among the league leaders in most punting statistics. He ranks third in punting average, second in net punting and tied for sixth with 26 punts inside the 20 yard line. He punted 59 times this season. The Lions did not qualify for the playoffs.

Phillip Gaines – CB, Texans

Gaines was inactive for the Texans’ final game against the Titans in Week 17. He finishes 2020 with 12 appearances, the most he’s had in a single season since 2014 when he was with the Chiefs. Gaines had one pass defended this season and 24 tackles, making two starts. The Texans did not qualify for the playoffs.

Andrew Sendejo – Saf, Browns

Sendejo missed the Browns’ regular season finale against the Steelers after being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list earlier in the week. His status for the Browns’ playoff game is unknown.

During the regular season, Sendejo accumulated 67 tackles, his highest mark since making 80 tackles in 2017. He also had two passes defended and one forced fumble. The Browns clinched a wildcard berth. They get a rematch with the Steelers in the Wildcard Round.

More Owls in the NFL

From practice squads to current free agents, there are others Owls on the cusp of returning to active rosters. Find more detail on current contractual agreements and former Rice football players waiting for their next opportunity here.

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

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Rice Athletics: Top 10 Moments from 2020

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2020 was filled with highs and lows on the home from, but Rice Athletics made the best of the tough year. Here are some of the most impactful moments.

10. Men’s Basketball upsets C-USA regular-season champion North Texas

Rice basketball started slow out of the gates in conference play this past March, falling to 1-7 with a home game against 8-1 North Texas entering the final month of the season. Not only did the Owls put up a fight, they knocked off the eventual regular season champs. Rice shot 53.6 percent from three and hit 15 triples, includes three apiece from Drew Peterson, Trey Murphy, Robert Martin and four from Ako Adams.

9. Football signs Top 5 C-USA recruiting class

You can read more about the recent signees in detail in our recruiting updates over on Patreon. In short, the 2021 Rice Football Signing Class edged out the 2020 class for the highest-rated class in program history. The Owls currently hold the No. 4 class in C-USA and a Top 100 class in the country with a few spots remaining before National Signing Day in February.

8. Women’s Track and Field wins C-USA Indoor Championship

For the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2009, the Rice women took home the gold in the C-USA Indoor Championships. Grace Forbes and Michelle Fokam helped spur the Owls victory. Head coach Jim Bevan was recognized afterward as the Coach of the Year.

7.  Swimming top Tulane in duat meet

In their only home meet of the fall, Rice swimming emerged with a win. The Owls were dominant in the pool in the two-day meet, winning 15 of 21 events, including 400-freestyle relay. Rice set a facility record in the event, closing out the meet with a resounding 245-146 final score.

6. Women’s Basketball avenges Old Dominion loss

The Rice women’s basketball team saw a 30-game conference winning streak snapped on the road against Old Dominion. It was only fitting the Owls closed out the regular season with a rematch against the Monarchs. The game marked the final time senior Erica Ogwumike took the court for the Owls, making the victorious sendoff that much sweeter.

5. Grace Forbes wins C-USA Title

The women’s cross country squad only made one appearance this fall, but Grace Forbes made it count. The sophomore left her competition in the dust, crossing the finish line with no foes in sight. Her strong showing propelled the Owls to a fourth place finish in the meet.

4. Erica Ogwumike selected in WNBA Draft

The Ogwumike family name had already become a mainstay in WNBA circles before Erica Ogwumike played her final season at South Main. Her sisters, Nneka and Chiney, were both No. 1 overall selections. Erica went from off draft boards to becoming a third round pick of the New York Liberty, which was then traded to the Minnesota Lynx. Ogwumike said she was just grateful to hear her named called.

3. Women’s Basketball win’s second consecutive regular season title

Not only did Rice get revenge when they beat Old Dominion to close out the regular season this spring, they clinched their second consecutive regular season championship. The Owls were the favorites to cut down the nets in the conference tournament and to make a repeat appearance in the NCAA Tournament before COVID-19 concerns forced the cancelation of the remainder of the season.

2 Jack Fox named to NFL Pro Bowl

Released by the Chiefs last season, Fox signed a futures contract with the Detroit Lions in the offseason and won the Lions’ starting punting job in camp. From that point on, he took the NFL by storm. Fox led the NFL in most key measures for most of the season before being named to his first Pro Bowl. He’s the 12th Owl to earn a spot on a Pro Bowl roster and the first since fellow specialist Chris Boswell in 2017.

1. Rice Football shuts outs No. 15 Marshall

Rice football hadn’t beaten a ranked opponent in more than two decades when they made the trip to a cold Huntington, WV on Dec. 5 to play a then undefeated No. 15 Marshall squad. Not only did Rice win, they shut out The Herd, forcing five interceptions on their way to the upset win, a marquee victory for Rice. The Owls became the first team in 206 games to shut out Marshall at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

Honorable Mentions…

How about you? Which of these moments from Rice Athletics did you enjoy the most? Which Rice Athletics events should be added to the list?

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