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Rice Football: On offense, something’s gotta change

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It was another long Saturday for the Rice football defense, leading coach Mike Bloomgren to deliver an ultimatum: “Something will change.”

Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren is as unflappable as they come. The second-year head coach came to South Main with a vision, one he’s determined to see through to reality. But there have been several C-USA sized bumps along the way.

“The Process”, as Bloomgren likes to refer to his big-picture plan, has been a mixed bag. The defense, which ranked dead last in Conference USA in scoring a year ago, just held the conference’s top quarterback to a little more than half his passing yardage totals and zero touchdowns.

Meanwhile, the offense has regressed from 18.9 points per game in 2018 to 15.9 points per game this season. Bloomgren isn’t blind to that reality, far from it. He faced the music following another close loss over the weekend, this time to Southern Miss.

“Something will change,” he said. “The status quo is not good enough, the way we’re doing things is not good enough.”

What that change looks like remains to be seen. Wiley Green has played himself out of the starting quarterback job, but former backup Tom Stewart is hurt, and could be sidelined for some time. That leaves Bloomgren with two options at quarterback: sophomore Evan Marshman and true freshman JoVoni Johnson.

As recently as last Tuesday’s weekly press conference, Bloomgren’s tune was definitive: “I don’t have a plan for either of those guys to be the quarterback of the football team.” Well, plans change.

Bloomgren didn’t spell out what adjustments he had in mind. He only offered this clarifying comment. “Nothing is simplistic for us right now, offensively. Nothing is easy for us, offensively,” he said. “We have to assess. We have to make some changes.”

It’s not as if Bloomgren and the offensive coaching staff haven’t been working to improve the offense all this time. The Owls averaged 268 yards per game against their four non-conference foes (Army, Wake Forest, Baylor and Texas). Their production rose to 337 yards per game in their first three C-USA games (Louisiana Tech, UAB and UTSA). On Saturday, they registered 139 total yards.

Eliminating turnovers is an obvious first step. The Owls’ minus-six turnover margin in conference games is the worst in C-USA. Beyond that, the “elephant in the room“, as Bloomgren called it, remains a loosely defined challenge. And that makes this weekend’s upcoming game against Marshall so intriguing.

It’s homecoming weekend and Rice football fans from far and wide will return to South Main to see their team. If Bloomgren can push the right buttons and revitalize an offensive attack that has fallen stale, he could restore confidence in a fanbase seeking reasons to keep the faith.

“I want to make sure I’m saying this too. There’s no panic in my face, in this team,” Bloomgren declared. If Saturday was “a frustrating day, in so many ways,” perhaps we do see the scale of change potent enough to turn things around on South Main. The defense sure would appreciate it.

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Conference USA Football 2019: Week 9 C-USA Roundup

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Rice football took Southern Miss to the brink, but couldn’t finish while a few other Conference USA Football teams had thrilling finishes of their own.

Team Week 9 Result Week 10
Charlotte vs North Texas W, 39-38 vs MTSU
FAU at Old Dominion W, 41-3 at WKU
FIU at MTSU L,50-17 vs Old Dominion
LA Tech at UTEP W, 42-21 — OFF —
Marshall vs WKU W, 26-23 at Rice
MTSU vs FIU W, 50-17 at Charlotte
North Texas at Charlotte L, 39-38 vs UTEP
Old Dominion vs FAU L, 41-3 at FIU
Rice vs Southern Miss L, 20-6 vs Marshall
Southern Miss at Rice W, 20-6 — OFF —
UAB — OFF —  — at Tennessee
UTEP vs LA Tech L, 42-21 at North Texas
UTSA — OFF —  — at Texas A&M
WKU at Marshall L, 26-23 vs FAU

Notable Week 9 results – Standings

Houston, we need a quarterback

An up and down day from Rice football quarterback Wiley Green ended in disaster. An endzone interception doomed the Owls to their eighth consecutive loss despite a rousing defensive performance which kept C-USA’s leading passer Jack Abraham at bay for what was a close football game until the final seconds.

And the high score goes to… MTSU

The Blue Raiders had moved the ball fairly well through the first eight weeks of the season, but their Week 9 showing against FIU was a 50-point thing of beauty. Asher Ohara, Javy McDonald and Terelle West combined for more than 427 yards rushing and six touchdowns against an FIU defense that entered the week in the middle of the pack in terms of rushing defense.

Doing their part

FAU’s C-USA title hopes hit a snag in a heartbreaking loss in Marshall. The Owls rebounded with a resounding win over Old Dominion on the road to keep pace in what has become a tight race in the East.  If there were any doubts as to the legitimacy of this team’s prowess on both sides of the ball, a 41-3 beatdown provided plenty of answers.

Week 10 storylines

Speaking of the East

WKU’s loss, which came despite a rally from a 23-7 third quarter deficit, sets up a pivotal Week 10 game between the Hilltoppers and FAU. With one loss apiece, the upcoming matchup could settle the pecking order in the East. The winner will still have some work to do to secure their spot while the loser will more than likely be out of the running.

North Texas’ postseason fate hanging in the balance

Despite being picked to win the conference in the preseason, North Texas is in dire straights. A brutal non-conference schedule and Charlotte’s upset over the Mean Green in Week 9 have to have heightened the nerves in Denton. North Texas has to win three of four their next four to reach postseason eligibility — they can’t afford to lose to UTEP, one of C-USA’s remaining winless teams.

Can Charlotte make the most of their momentum?

On the heels of four consecutive losses, Charlotte’s upset win over North Texas put a bowl game back on the 49ers’ radar. A win over MTSU next weekend would put them two wins away with games remaining against UTEP and Old Dominion. After a rocky start, Will Healy’s bunch could be in for a fascinating finish.

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Rice Football: Stifling defense wasted as Owls fall to Southern Miss

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One of the most valiant efforts from the Rice football defense this season went for naught as the Owls fell at home to Southern Miss.

Rice football has found ways to be in games well into the fourth quarter. The means to take the next step, to close games out and celebrate with a win, continue to stay just out of reach. The Owls found themselves in a familiar place on Saturday. They left with a familiar result: a loss in a game the Owls probably could have won.

1. Offense sleepwalks through the first half

Rice broke its scoring ceiling midway through the third quarter against UTSA, reaching 24 points for the first time this season. From that point on, the Rice offense was held to one field goal and 121 yards over the next three quarters.

Scoring droughts are nothing new for this offense, but the Owls had been limited to three points in three quarters only one other time this season, the first three quarters in a blowout loss to Texas on Sept. 14.

A touchdown on the second drive on the third quarter turned a lackluster offensive showing into a one-score game. For all their warts, the Owls had managed to do just enough to hang around in the fourth quarter. The Owls couldn’t finish.

2. Quarterback play disappoints

A later injury during the week to Tom Stewart caught everyone off guard, forcing Wiley Green back into the starting role days after he’d been told he’d be the team’s backup going forward. There didn’t seem to be much in the way of rust, with Green doing all he could to avoid pressure and give his receivers opportunities down the field.

Green handled every snap with no fumbles. When he threw downfield, it was to spots where only his guys could make plays on the ball. He had a few big plays go for naught thanks to penalties (or the lack thereof on a first quarter deep shot to Brad Rozner). If the charge was to play smart and not turn the ball over, Green certainly achieved those expectations — right up til the biggest moment of the game.

More: Calvin Anderson joins The Roost Podcast

On first-and-goal from the 2-yard line, Green dropped back and was intercepted. That’s the third time this season a Rice quarterback has turned the ball over inside the 10-yard line. A touchdown in that situation would have tied the game, instead, the Owls walked away with no points in another crucial situation.

Green was benched immediately following the interception. Evan Marshman took over. That sets up a messy quarterback situation going forward. Who starts next week against Marshall? Stewart? Marshman? Green? Johnson? The lack of clarity 10 weeks into the season is agonizing.

3. Regaining some defensive swagger

A relatively positive defensive showing throughout nonconference play gave way to a somewhat inconsistent unit through the first three Conference USA games. The Owls played well on that side of the ball, but faltered in key moments, most notably in the final possessions against Louisiana Tech and UTSA.

Keeping Southern Miss out of the endzone was supposed to be a daunting task. The Eagles had scored 38, 47, 31, 45 and 30 points in games against non-SEC teams, scoring at least three touchdowns in each of those contests.

The defense started out strong, joining Alabama and Mississippi State as the only teams to hold Southern Miss to zero points in the first quarter this season. Southern Miss only managed 10 points at half and 20 at the end of regulation, 18.2 points fewer than their non-SEC season average (38.2).

Southern Miss had four redzone possessions, but only one touchdown. That came on a 2-yard carry by Kevin Perkins in the second quarter. The Rice defense is the reason this game remained winnable down the stretch.

4. Pass protection is still a problem

The infusion of graduation transfers into the Rice offensive line has rendered clear improvements from where the unit was at this point last season. The play up front has been better over the last few weeks, but their showing against Southern Miss was far from their best.

Rice quarterbacks were sacked eight times and forced to pay way too much attention to the pass rush. Scrambling became a necessity. The lack of clean pockets forced the quarterbacks to make most of their high-pressure throws on the move rather than with two feet on the ground.

The lack of impact plays in the running game put the Rice offense, once again, between a rock and a hard place. Rice struggled to run the ball and didn’t have the protection to make it through more than one or two reads in the passing game.

5. Another step backward

If Mike Bloomgren and company new before they game their defense would hold Southern Miss to 13 points through 59 minutes and stay even in the turnover battle they would have liked their chances. Sure enough, Rice was in this game to the very end. Again, the final score came up in favor of the Owls’ opponents.

Rice has done good things on both sides of the ball this season — we saw that again in this game — but they remain plagued by an inconsistent offense. Good teams will take all the lucky bounces they can get to push them over the edge. It sure feels like Rice needs those favorable bounces to have a chance at their first C-USA win this season.

The road ahead isn’t any easier. Marshall comes to town next weekend before Rice has their second off weekend of the year. If the Owls are going to turn things around and eclipse their C-USA win total from last season, they’re going to have to find a way to generate their own luck. Because right now, the sum total of the parts hasn’t found a way to get over the hump.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 14 – Special interview with Calvin Anderson

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Former Rice football offensive lineman Calvin Anderson stopped by The Roost Podcast for a special interview with Matthew and Carter.

Despite the school’s smaller enrollment numbers, Rice Football has continued to churn out NFL talent. The Owls have several players in the NFL, CFL and XFL and should have more in the way in the coming years.

Current Denver Broncos offensive lineman Calvin Anderson, who recently made his home at South Main before stops in Austin and a few NFL practice squads, knows how crazy that journey can be first hand. Join us and Calvin as we talk about life in the NFL, Rubik’s cubes and what it’s like to practice against Von Miller in this special edition of The Roost Podcast.

Don’t miss our Southern Miss preview

This is the second podcast we’ve put out this week. We opted to split the show up instead of putting together a longer single show. Be sure to give the UTSA recap and Southern Miss preview show a listen as well. In that episode we work through the fallout of another heartbreaking loss and discuss what things Rice football needs to do going forward to find the breakthrough they’ve been searching for all season. Should Owls fans have hope? We think so.

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

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Rice Football Recruiting: New targets emerging in 2020 class 🔒

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The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class continues to take shape with new targets emerging as the Owls work to finish off a strong class.

The results on the field haven’t been to the Owls’ liking, but things are looking up on the 2020 Rice Football recruiting front. The current commits remain locked in. The family atmosphere is already building with the next wave of Owls who are ready to make their own marks at South Main.

The most recent addition, defensive end Jalen Reeves, committed to the Owls in September over a slew of prominent programs. Here are a few additional targets who could join the 2020 Rice Football class:

Daylin McLemore – QB – Junipero Serra HS (CA)

Rice moved on their quarterback of the 2021 class recently, offering Cibolo Steele dual-threat Wyatt Begeal. At the same time, the Owls were doing their homework on a 2020 quarterback they have interest in. There have been a few names pop up here, but McLemore seems to have moved into the forefront of the Owls’ focus at the quarterback position. He has good touch through the air and some wheels, too.

Armaj Adams-Reed – OT – Desoto HS (TX)

Adams picked up a Rice offer last week following a visit from the Rice staff during the bye week. From Desoto HS, Reed is a tremendous athlete at the offensive line position and he looks the part. The 6-foot-5, 315-pound holds down the blindside for his school and could serve the Owls well at the next level.

Will Sheppard – WR – Mandeville HS (LA)

The Owls will be selective about when it comes to the right pass catchers to round out the 2020 class. Sheppard clears that bar and could be a difference-maker at the position for the Owls. For that reason, he’s been near the top of that list and has been pursued by Rice for several months now.

River Woods – DB – Dallas Episcopal HS (TX)

Woods has been in the mix for a while now. The two-way player from Dallas remains a priority for the Owls on the recruiting front. Reinforcing the secondary will be an emphasis in this class, making the looks into Woods important.

Mike Leone – OT – Hun School (NJ)

Pulling Mike Leone out of New Jersey would be a big pickup for the Owls. He’s a highly regarded offensive line recruit who is currently committed to Yale, but his offer list seems to be growing quickly. Rice has beaten out Power 5 schools already to land some of their top members in the 2020 class. Snagging Leone would require some work, but Rice is certainly in the mix.

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