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Rice Football: Offense explodes as Owls knock off Middle Tennessee

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An explosive offense, stingy defense and strong special teams performance propelled Rice Football to their first win of the 2019 season.

Rice football had come close too many times to count. Staring down the barrel of an 0-10 start, the Owls turned in a complete game. On the road, against an unfamiliar opponent, Rice won. No points scored after halftime is concerning, but the season-high 31 points was absolutely a step in the right direction.

There will be plenty of good (and some bad) to work through in the days that follow. Here are a few immediate reactions from the win:

1. Boom!  goes the offense

A lack of explosive plays had put a hard ceiling on Rice offense all season. The Owls have been forced to execute at an unsustainable rate to simply stay on the field. As a result, way too many of their drives have ended in either punts or long field goals. Rice needed someone to jump-start the offense. On Saturday, Bradley Rozner delivered.

It started out with a big play, a 30-yard toss from quarterback Tom Stewart to Rozner in the endzone. One. Then the same duo connected for a second score, this time from 18 yards out. Two. With 14 seconds remaining in the first half and no timeouts, Rozner hauled in another one. Three.

Rozner, who led all of junior college in touchdowns last season, more than doubled his D1 touchdown tally against Middle Tennessee. That might have been enough on its own, but several others joined in the offensive explosion.

Juma Otoviano had a season-high 20 carries, several on direct snaps including a fourth-down conversion that set up one of Rozner’s long touchdown receptions. Zane Knipe joined the fray with his first career carry, a 12-yard end-around for another Rice first-down. Aston Walter iced the game with a thundering 24-yard run on third and 11 in the final minutes.

Seem like a lot? That’s because Rice hadn’t scored 30 points since August 25, 2019 — a walk-off win over Prairie View A&M in Mike Bloomgren’s head coaching debut. Here are each of the scoring plays:

2. Defense paves the way, then hangs on

The offense will get plenty of praise for their dazzling showing after two consecutive games with just one touchdown. As impressive and exciting as Stewart and company were with the football, it was the defense that set them up for success.

Middle Tennessee managed 40 yards of total offense in the first quarter. They had one first down and went 1-for-4 on third downs. As a result, the Rice offense began their scoring drives on the Middle Tennesse 24-yard line, the Rice 47-yard line and midfield. The longest Rice scoring drive of the day went 53 yards.

It wasn’t a perfect performance. MTSU’s first touchdown came on a drive in which the Owls committed three penalties on what could have been driving-ending plays, including a fourth down stop in the redzone. They also gave up a 90-yard bomb from O’Hara to Lee. Despite the warts, they gave the offense a chance, and they took advantage of it.

Middle Tennessee entered the weekend as the No. 1 rushing offense in Conference USA. Dual-threat quarterback Asher O’Hara was kept in check on the ground as the Blue Raiders were held to 120 yards rushing. They came into the game averaging 222 yards on the ground in conference play.

Blaze Alldredge tied Larry Izo’s TFL record, upping his tally to 17 tackles for a loss on the season.

3. A complete game

The offense played well. The defense played well. So did the special teams.

Chris Barnes hit a career-long 42-yard field goal to open the scoring for the Owls in the first quarter. His punting partner Adam Nunez came on and pinpointed a punt inside the 10-yard line, his ninth such kick of the season. Barnes later punned MTSU inside the five.

Nahshon Ellerbe had a career-long 37-yard kickoff return in the second quarter. Following an MTSU score, he had a 34-yard return which set up the final Rice touchdown of the first half. For perhaps the first time all season, all three phases played quality football. As a result, Rice football won its first game.

4. No JoVoni, No problem

The difference between the Rice offense under Tom Stewart compared to the same unit with JoVoni Johnson on the field could not have been any more clear after the team’s last outing against Marshall. When Johnson was in the game, the Owls marched down the field. When Stewart stepped in, the offense stalled, immediately.

Were it not for Johnson’s injury, the freshman signal-caller would have probably gotten the start against Middle Tennessee. With Johnson unable to go, Stewart got the call.

Stewart’s biggest plays were touchdowns hauled in by Rozner in which the quarterback threw it up and let the 6-foot-5 wideout make a play. To Stewart’s credit, the balls were well placed. Stewart isn’t the long-term answer for Rice football — he has two more games of collegiate eligibility — but the rush to get Johnson back on the field will lessen this week. The Owls know they have someone who can run the offense well in his place.

5. Winners win

Sludging through an 0-9 start puts the Owls’ Week 12 win over Middle Tennessee into proper perspective. We’ve seen this team play down to their competition; unfortunately, that’s happened more than Rice football fans would like. But now we’ve seen the upside, and oh boy, it’s nice.

In 2018 Rice beat 5-6 Prairie View and 4-8 Old Dominion. On Saturday they beat a Middle Tennessee squad that had scored 70 points in its previous two conference games and already had a win over Marshall under their belt.

There’s no debating it, this was the most impressive, most impactful victory in the history of the Mike Bloomgren era. This staff hadn’t won away from the confines of Rice Stadium. Now they have. After many had thrown in the towel on what had become a disappointing season, this team kept fighting, found a way to take a team to deep water in the fourth quarter. More importantly than any cliche, they won.

The Owls still have to prove they can replicate the product they put on the field this weekend, but it’s clear they’ve gotten over the hump. North Texas will be a tough test with a road trip to El Paso the week after that. But now we know — and this team knows — Rice football can win.

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Rice Football: MTSU practice notes and injury updates 🔒

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Rice football is ready to take the field against Middle Tennessee in Week 12. Here are some notes on who’s in, who’s out and the plan at quarterback.

Rice football has three games remaining in the 2019 season. There’s a potential for younger players to see action and questions at the quarterback position 🔒. Amidst all of those variables, the coaching staff is tightening up their focus.

Entering the bye, the message from the top was clear. “This week, stuff has to be proven in practice,” Mike Bloomgren said. “We gotta fix things in practice. It’s gotta look good in practice or we can’t call them in a game.” He noted that standard applies to everything from formations to individual players. The tolerance for errors was already low and it’s continuing to shrink.

“You either win or you learn,” Bloomgren said, “and we’ve learned a lot.”

Quarterback

On the final Thursday walkthrough before traveling on Friday, it was Tom Stewart who took the first-team reps. JoVoni Johnson is currently listed as a game time decision and will make the trip to Murfreesboro. Whether or not he’s healthy enough to go, and be mobile while he’s out there, remains to be seen. My expectation is that Stewart will start against Middle Tennessee.

As for Stewart, Bloomgren was encouraged by what he saw during the bye week from his veteran passer. “He made the most of his reps,” Bloomgren said. “I think it’s been really good, what he’s done this week.”

Stewart seems to be back to his normal self following a back injury which kept him off the field for the majority of the Marshall contest. The medical staff has done everything they can to get him back to health as quickly as possible and early returns are promising.

Since Stewart went down, the Owls offense has changed. It’s less complex and geared more towards helping Johnson command the offense comfortably. We’ll still see that slimmed down offense against Middle Tennessee. Stewart noted that’s probably a good thing, regardless of who is lined up under center.

“It’s helped everyone,” Stewart said. “Let’s do we do well, let’s play fast. And I think that’s kind of been a trend, we haven’t played as fast as we want to. So, I think the tempo and how fast we’re able to process everything has really improved.”

Healing up

There’s at least a chance Rice will get some combination of Andrew Bird, Anthony Ekpe and Brian Chaffin back after the bye week. All three have returned to practice, at least in a limited fashion, with the hope they will be progressively eased back into the flow of things over the next week.

Chaffin still retains his No. 1 spot at center on the depth chart, but spent the majority of the week at guard. It looks like the Owls will move last year’s starter Shea Baker back to center and keep Chaffin next to him, at least for this week.

Neither Ekpe or Bird were listed on the depth chart released on Tuesday. That doesn’t rule them out against Middle Tennessee, but their outlook to return seems a bit more tenuous. It’s a situation we’ll continue to monitor. Of the two, Bird is more likely to play while Ekpe remains a somewhat hazy game-time decision.  Like we mentioned on Ep. 17 of The Roost Podcast this week, don’t be surprised if he’s held out one more week.

Fresh faces

With three games remaining, expect to see freshman and others who haven’t participated much this season to get a few looks down the stretch. The coaching staff won’t put young players on the field just to do it, but those who have earned opportunities through the year will get a shot, whether that’s on special teams or as part of a rotation on offense or defense.

Jawan King saw his first action of the season against Marshall. In addition to him, two names jump out at the moment: linebacker Myron Morrison and safety Chike Anigbogu. Morrison was elevated to the No. 2 spot behind at linebacker behind Blaze Alldredge, filling in for veteran Dylan Silcox who will miss the rest of the season after suffering an injury against Marshall.

Anigobgu has drawn rave reviews for his effort and intensity during practice for several months. Bloomgren said he’s a guy who is “working his butt off and earning out trust.” He’s played in two games to this point and will be a guy who gets in two more in the coming weeks.

Other names that flashed during the past week include corner Josh Landrum, wide receiver Jake Bailey, safety Hunter Henry and safety Kirk Lockhart.

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Rice Football 2019: Week 12 Middle Tennessee Press Conference quotes

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Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren debriefed a busy bye week then turned his attention to the Owls’ Week 12 game against Middle Tennessee.

More: Rice Football game preview for Week 12 vs Middle Tennessee

Safety Naeem Smith and running back Juma Otoviano joined Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren at the podium on Tuesday. The trio discussed final bye week of the season and made comments on the team’s upcoming game at Middle Tennessee.

From Mike Bloomgren

On what he’s learned about the team so far…

“This team has proven to me time and again, that they will respond to challenges. So we did challenge them in the bye week. We challenged them to really understand that we do have three games promised to us in our season, but we needed to live in the moment. We needed to be where their feet are, and really take this thing in day by day, minute by minute increments and just play by play. And that’s how they responded. And that was really cool.”

On conversations with Rice Women’s Basketball coach Tina Langley at the radio show on Monday night…

“Last night I got to hang out with Tina Langley, our women’s basketball coach. I love talking to her every chance I get. We love talking culture, we love talking motivation. I just think she’s outstanding. I’m trying to grab some of her mojo while she was at the radio show.”

On the quarterback situation …

“So obviously [we were] pleased with some of the things that JoVoni [Johnson] was able to do in the first start. We thought he moved the chains pretty well. He was eight of nine passing in the first half and I thought that was a really impressive start for him. And then Tom Stewart is the other one that we’re going to have on the ready. So we’re going to have those guys go and take a look at how practice goes and whoever is healthy and gives us the best chance [to win] is who we’ll trot out there.”

On running back rotation…

“Whoever’s got the hot hand. We trust all those guys. Juma [Otoviano] is a guy that we proven is explosive. Old Dominion, in his first start, he rushed for 224 yards, that’s no secret. But we have guys that we trust it’s not just Charlie [Booker]. It’s not just Aston [Walter]. It’s also Nahshon Ellerbe. All those guys can have roles and really whoever has the hot hand — and some people may have certain plays earmarked for them going into this game — that’s where we’ll go.”

On MTSU quarterback Asher O’Hara …

“I think probably at the level he’s doing it, he is the best dual-threat [quarterback that Rice has faced] because I compare him — obviously a very different offense — but to the Army, in terms of running the ball and a lot of things going through him, with him being their leading rusher in eight of nine games this year. But as a true dual-threat, I think he’s completed 71 percent of his passes. Yeah, he might be the top dog. The one at Texas wasn’t bad either.”

From Saf Naeem Smith

On the matchup against MTSU quarterback Asher O’Hara…

“I actually played [against O’Hara] in JUCO … Definitely a great athlete. He can throw it too. I remember in JUCO we thought that was the best quarterback we played against or maybe even the best player. So I have a lot of respect for him. As a defense, I see it as an opportunity.  We have to make sure we’re all on the same page. Everyone needs to know their run fit, and then everybody needs to lock up on the outside. We make sure we do our job. And if we can do that, I think we can be successful. They got a great offense.”

From RB Juma Otoviano

On what the running backs focused on during the bye …

“I’d say it’s a lot of reps and then going back and watching ourselves on film. We’ve been harping on our footwork on our outside zone… that was something that we all kind of struggled on early on, but moving forward now we’ve gotten a lot better.”

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Rice Football 2019 Game Preview: Week 12 vs Middle Tennessee

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Rice Football returns from their second bye week in search of their first win over Middle Tennessee. How to watch, stats to know, x-factor picks for both teams and more.

Rice football makes their first-ever trip to Murfreesboro, TN this weekend in search of their first win over Middle Tennessee and their first win of the 2019 season. The Owls lost a close contest to Marshall in their last game before their Week 10 bye.

Like the Owls, the Blue Raiders also had last weekend off. Prior to that, they’d lost three of their last four conference games, all of which were away from home. Middle Tennessee is a perfect 2-0 in Conference USA home games this season, beating FIU and Marshall by a combined score of 74-30.

Here’s what you need to know about both Middle Tennessee and Rice before their Week 12 game.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 3:30 PM CT
Venu | Floyd Stadium – Murfreesboro, TN
TV | ESPN+ (Streaming [$])
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio Preview

We’ll preview the Middle Tennessee game on Episode 17 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.)

Sizing up the contenders

Sitting at 0-9, Rice football has had patches of success but has yet to connect those moments into a full four-quarter performance. Despite their lack of wins, the Owls have been in every game after halftime, often finding themselves in a one-score game in the fourth quarter.

Middle Tennessee hasn’t played many close games. Other than a 33-30 loss to North Texas on October 19, their eight remaining contests have been decided by at least two scores, three wins and four losses.

Rice will hope their experience in close games will give them an edge on the road, should they find themselves in that familiar situation once more. Middle Tennessee will do all they can to avoid a close game entirely.

Series History

All Time | No Previous Meetings
Last Five | N/A
Last Meeting | N/A

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Stewart – 49/87 (56.3 percent), 538 yards passing, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Walter – 112 carries, 509 yards (4.5 yards per carry), 5 TD
Receiving | Trammell – 46 receptions, 559 yards (12.2 yards per reception), 3 TD | Rozner – 39 receptions, 551 yards (14.3 yards per reception, 2 TD
Tackles | Alldredge – 74, Montero – 61, Chamberlain – 53
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Thornton – 5 PBU, Smith 2 – INT

Middle Tennessee Stat Notables

Passing | O’Hara – 152/246 (61.8), 1792 yards passing, 13 TD, 6 INT
Rushing | O’Hara – 137 carries, 757 yards (5.5 yards per carry), 7 TD
Receiving | Pierce – 31 receptions, 414 yards (13.4 yards per reception), 2 TD | Lee – 32 receptions, 281 yards (8.8 yards per reception), 1 TD
Tackles | Moffatt – 74, Blankenship – 58, Thomas – 58
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Patterson – 6 PBU, Moffatt – 3 INT

Middle Tennessee X-Factor | Asher O’Hara

As Middle Tennessee quarterback Asher O’Hara goes, so does Middle Tennessee. The dual-threat quarterback is the entirety of his team’s offense. In the Blue Raiders’ three wins, O’Hara is averaging 330 total yards and three touchdowns per game with one interception across those contests. In their losses, he’s been limited to 256 yards per game and 1.8 touchdowns with five turnovers, almost one per game.

Leading receiver Jarrin Pierce has just 31 receptions on the year. No player, other than O’Hara, has more than 36 carries over the course of the season. 11 different Middle Tennessee have scored this season — a byproduct of a system that feeds off of O’Hara’s ability rather than the skillsets of a select group of playmakers.

O’Hara is going to be leaned on to carry this team for a full 60 minutes. If the Owls can stop him, they’ll stop the Middle Tennessee offense. If they can do that, they’ll have a chance to win.

Rice X-Factor | Finding Explosive Plays

Rice found a spark on offense behind freshman quarterback JoVoni Johnson who left the Owls’ last game early with a lower-body injury. He can play in one more game this year and still retain his redshirt eligibility. Whether it’s Johnson or veteran Tom Stewart at the helm, the Owls must turn that spark into a full-fledged flame.

The Owls have had games where three-and-outs hampered their offense. That wasn’t the case against Marshall. They drove down the field successfully but frequently stalled out, failing to turn first downs into touchdowns.

Explosive plays are the missing part of that equation. Rice has proven their ability to generate first downs, but collecting them in bunches is much more challenging of a proposition than stringing a few together with a big play to link them together. Johnson and Juma Otoviano gave this offense a fresh feel. If they can take the next step, and someone else can join in, the Owls could complement a stingy defense with points.

Injury Report

The bye week came at a good time for Rice football on the injury front. Anthony Ekpe, Andrew Bird and Brian Chaffin all could return to action this week. All three have progressed from where they were last week. In addition to the quarterbacks, those three will be names to watch during the weekend.

Need More?

The Roost’s 2019 Rice Football Season Preview has four pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth chart, important new arrivals and depth chart breakdowns for each foe. 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. How many combined touchdown passes will be thrown (both teams)?
    Over 3.5 / Under 3.5
  2. Which team converts more third downs?
    Rice (or tie) / MTSU
  3. Which team has more time of possession?
    Rice / MTSU (or tie)
  4. How many passes will Rice quarterbacks complete?
    Over 15.5 / Under 15.5
  5. Which total is higher?
    Number of Rice first downs / Number of Blaze Alldredge tackles (or tie)
  6. Who wins?
    Rice / MTSU

One Final Thing

In many ways, the Middle Tennessee matchup is a favorable one for Rice. Their strength on defense pitted against a potent offense will be the most intriguing battle, but it’s what happens on the other side of the ball that might win this game.

The Middle Tennessee defense has talent, but hasn’t been able to turn their collection of playmakers into a consistent unit. If Rice football is going to turn things around, this is a unit that doesn’t appear to be as daunting as some of the other defensive fronts they’ve faced yet this season.

Combing both facets of their game — a strong defense with a growing offense — could give the Owls a dose of energy headed into the home stretch. They could use the jolt.

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Rice Football 2019: Owls in the NFL Week 10 Update

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Vance McDonald had his first career carry on a quiet weekend for the NFL Owls in Week 10. Here’s the latest on the Rice Football alums at the next level.

There are former Rice football players are scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player.

Week 10 results

Broncos (Anderson, Callahan) – BYE
Vikings 28 (Sendejo) – Cowboys 24 (Covington)
Seahawks 27 (Ellerbee, Willson) – 49ers 24
Steelers 17 (Boswell, McDonald) – Rams 12
Texans (Gaines) – BYE

Calvin Anderson, OT, Broncos

Anderson has yet to appear in a game since joining the Broncos from the Jets practice squad midseason. The Broncos were on bye in Week 10. They visit the Vikings in Week 11.

Bryce Callahan, CB, Broncos

Callahan’s 2019 season has yet to start after an injury sidelined him at the tail end of last season. Early reports indicate he could return to practice as soon as Tuesday, a positive sign for his return this year. The Broncos were on bye in Week 10. They visit the Vikings in Week 11.

Christian Covington, DE, Cowboys

Covington did not register any stats in the Cowboys’ Week 10 loss to the Vikings. He’s appeared in all nine of the Cowboys’ games to this point but hasn’t registered a tackle since Week 6 against the New York Jets. The Cowboys visit the Lions in Week 11.

Andrew Sendejo, Saf, Vikings

Sendejo was released from the Eagles at the beginning of the week and claimed off of waivers by the Vikings, his former team. Sendejo wasn’t active in his return. The Vikings host the Broncos in Week 11.

Emmanuel Ellerbee, LB, Seahawks

Ellerbee was placed injured reserve prior to the start of the season. The Seahawks are on bye in Week 11.

Luke Willson, TE, Seahawks

Luke Willson left the Seahawks’ Monday Night Football game with the 49ers early with a hamstring injury. He did not have a catch before his exit. The Seahawks are on bye in Week 11.

Chris Boswell, K, Steelers

Boswell took the field three times on Sunday, connecting on all three of his attempts — one field goal and two extra points. The Steelers visit the Browns in Week 11 on Thursday Night Football.

Vance McDonald, TE, Steelers

McDonald tied for the team lead in targets with seven in the Steelers victory over the Rams. He caught three of those passes for 11 yards and added a two-yard carry. Now in his seventh NFL season, that was the first rushing attempt he’s registered in his career. The Steelers visit the Browns in Week 11 on Thursday Night Football.

Phillip Gaines, CB, Texans

Gaines was placed on injured reserve following an ankle injury suffered during the Texans’ Week 8 game against the Colts. The Texans were on bye in Week 10. They visit the Ravens in Week 11.

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.

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