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Rice Football 2019 Game Preview: Week 6 vs UAB

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Rice Football hits the road in search of their first road win Saturday against UAB. How to watch, stats to know, x-factor picks for both teams and more.

On Saturday Rice football will square off with UAB in the Owls’ first road test in conference play. Rice is still looking for their first victory of the season after falling in overtime to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs last weekend. Despite never trailing in regulation, the Owls were unable to close things out at home.

The test won’t be any easier this week against a UAB squad coming off their first defeat of the young season. The Blazers weren’t able to must much in the way of offense, falling on the road to Western Kentucky, 20-13.

Both teams are 0-1 in Conference USA action. One will take home their first conference victory this weekend. Here’s what you need to know about both teams prior to their Week 6 game.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 6:00 PM CT
Venu | Legion Field – Birmingham, Al
TV | ESPN+ (Streaming ($))
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio Preview

We’ll preview the UAB game on Episode 10 of The Roost Podcast which will be released on Wednesday. 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

Rice has fallen just short too many times to count. The Owls have discovered a formula to keep things close — physical defense and methodical offensive attacks. Finishing has been the struggle. Rice needs to find whatever switch they need to flip this week. If they can do that, the Owls could be a dangerous team in the second half of the season.

UAB has had quite a different road. Rather than face a slew of Power 5 teams like Rice, the Blazers whipped through a slate of relatively weak foes in nonconference play. The defending Conference USA champs’ toughest test came last week; they lost. Nevertheless, Bill Clark’s squad didn’t raise the trophy a year ago on accident. UAB will be out to prove last week was an aberration, not the norm.

Series History

All Time | UAB leads 4-3
Last Five | UAB leads 3-2
Last Meeting | Home 2018, UAB 42-0

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Green – 37/64 (57.8 percent), 387 yards passing, 0 TD, 0 INT
Rushing | Walter – 76 carries, 293 yards (3.9 yards per carry), 3 TD
Receiving | Rozner – 20 receptions, 314 yards (15.7 yards per reception)
Tackles | Alldredge – 42, Montero – 33, Chamberlain – 32
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Thornton – 5 PBU, no team interceptions

UAB Stat Notables

Passing | Johnston – 63/101 (62.4), 927 yards passing, 8 TD, 6 INT
Rushing | Brown – 78 carries, 262 yards (3.4 yards per carry), 5 TD
Receiving | Watkins – 15 receptions, 289 yards (19.3 yards per reception), 3 TD
Tackles | Wilder – 25, Boler – 20, Moll – 19
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Marino – 2 PBU, no team interceptions

UAB X-Factor | Winning the line of scrimmage

Spencer Brown is one of the best running backs in Conference USA, but he’s averaging 3.4 yards per carry, the 21st best mark in the conference. As capable as Brown is, a relatively young offensive line hasn’t done enough up front to open up room for him to operate.

The status of senior center Lee Dufour, injured in practice last week, is up in the air. If he can’t go for the Blazers their ability to win against a stingy Rice defensive front would be made much more challenging.

Regardless of Dufour’s status, if the Owls can force UAB to be one dimensional, they’re going to be better off. Quarterback Tyler Johnston attempted a season-high 31 passes last week and threw a season-high four interceptions.

Rice X-Factor | Third down

What eventually doomed Rice against Louisiana Tech last week was of their own doing. The Owls could not stay on the field and sustain drives. They converted 4-of-16 third downs (including 2-of-11 in the second half), half the number of third down conversions they managed a week prior against Baylor.

Whether its more aggression, better run blocking or a higher level of play from quarterback Wiley Green, Rice is going to have to find a way to win on third down.

This has been a sticking point for the team since Bloomgren’s arrival. The Owls were dead last in third down conversion rate last year (28.7 percent) and enter the UAB game 12th in the conference (32.4 percent). If they can solve this problem, they’ll open up the offense significantly.

Injury Report

Freshman receiver Zane Knipe got off the injury list and made his collegiate debut last week against Louisiana Tech. While he should be set going forward, the status of fullback Reagan Williams remains in limbo. Bloomgren wasn’t confident he would be back this soon, but we’ll be monitoring the situation going forward. Stay tuned here for updates later in the week.

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. Will Rice commit more than four accepted penalties?
    Yes / No
  2. How many third downs will UAB convert?
    Over 8.5 / Under 8.5
  3. Which team registers the longest play from scrimmage?
    Rice / UAB
  4. Will Wiley Green throw at least one touchdown pass?
    Yes / No
  5. How many total yards will the Rice defense allow?
    Over 365 / Under 365
  6. Who wins?
    Rice / UAB

One Final Thing

Anything can happen in Conference USA. The talent differential between the top teams in the conference and the lower-tiered squads is slimmed than in the Power 5 conferences. At this point in the season, it’s still too early to decipher who belongs with the top dogs anyways.

Coaching and execution are where games are won and lost. Mike Bloomgren and his staff have been hard at work preparing a gameplan capable of taking down the Blazers. Members of the staff were up through the later hours of Sunday morning following last week’s loss, literally not sleeping until they found answers.

The Owls are committed to finding a breakthrough. The groundwork has been laid. All that’s left is to put the pieces together for four quarters.

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Rice Football 2019: Owls in the NFL Week 4 Update

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Former Rice football Luke Wilson made his return to the field on Sunday and helped the Seahawks win. Here’s how other NFL Owls fared in Week 4.

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 4 results

Eagles 34 (Sendejo) – Packers 27 
Saints 12 – Cowboys 10 (Covington)
Jaguars 26 – Broncos 24 (Callahan)
Seahawks 27 (Wilson, Ellerbee) – Cardinals 10
Steelers 27 (Boswell, McDonald) – Bengals 3
Panthers 16 – Texans 10 (Gaines) 

Chris Boswell, K, Steelers

Boswell remains perfect on the season. He connected on three extra points and a pair of field goals (including a long of 49 yards) on Monday Night Football against the Bengals. The Steelers host the Ravens in Week 5.

Bryce Callahan, CB, Broncos

Callahan was inactive for the Broncos’ Week 4 game with the Jaguars. He’s still waiting to make his 2019 debut with the team. The Broncos visit the Chargers in Week 5.

Christian Covington, DE, Cowboys

Covington picked up two tackles (one solo) against the Saints on Sunday Night Football. The Cowboys host the Packers in Week 5.

Emmanuel Ellerbee, LB, Seahawks

Ellerbee was placed injured reserve prior to the start of the season. The Seahawks host the Rams in Week 5.

Phillip Gaines, CB, Texans

Gaines made his first tackle as a Houston Texan on Sunday, finishing with two tackles (one for a loss) in the loss to the Panthers. The Texans host the Falcons in Week 5.

Vance McDonald, TE, Steelers

McDonald was inactive against the Bengals with a shoulder injury. The Steelers host the Ravens in Week 5.

Andrew Sendejo, Saf, Eagles

Sendejo finished second on the team in tackles in the Eagles’ Thursday night win over the Packers. He had one tackle for a loss and a pass break up. The Eagles host the Jets in Week 5.

Luke Willson, TE, Seahawks

Willson signed with the Seahawks last week and made his mark on the field immediately. In his first action of the year, Willson grabbed two balls for 26 yards including a long reception of 17 yards. The Seahawks host the Rams in Week 5.

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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Rice Football: Owls frustrated after dropping winnable game

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Rice Football never trailed in regulation but left their own stadium without a win. That’s not something that will sit well with any Owls.

“This week was huge for us. This was supposed to be our breakout game… and it really stinks that we couldn’t finish it.” A Rice football team captain, Austin Trammell’s disappointed words were weighty as they hung in the air during a postgame press conference which lasted just over 10 minutes. Question were fired away. They were met with honest, frustrated answers.

Trammell said the goal of this week was to show everyone the Owls are “a lot better than our record shows.” Although they never trailed in regulation, they’ll have to wait at least one more week.

In a season littered with moral victories, Saturday’s overtime loss to Louisiana Tech doesn’t quite qualify. Once more, the Rice defense was superb, holding their opponent to multiple scores less than their season average through regulation. The offense didn’t hold up their end.

Rice scored touchdowns on their first two possessions. Then Mike Bloomgren stuck to the predetermined script, swapping quarterback Wiley Green for backup Tom Stewart. And all the momentum Rice had generated up to that point began to disintegrate. After a three and out, Stewart moved the ball down the field and into the redzone. That possession ended in an interception, the first thrown by a Rice quarterback this season.

In a game which ended in overtime, Rice could ill afford to leave points on the field. They did with that interception, a missed field goal and a three-play overtime possession which ended in a field goal instead of a touchdown.

More: Takeaways from Rice’s OT loss to Louisiana Tech 

“I’m sure there will be some calls that I regret as we watch this film, there’s no doubt about that,” Bloomgren admitted, “I don’t know if anybody in our program will watch this film and not have any regrets at their job or their position. I think we’ll all have things we wish we had done different.”

If Rice doesn’t throw that interception and instead kicks that field goal, they might have avoided overtime altogether. The same is true if they’d converted that missed attempt. The Owls might not have watch J’Mar Smith end the game with his overtime touchdown run had they found a way to get the ball into the endzone on their first overtime possession. Instead, Rice football is surrounded with “ifs”.

Bloomgren is tired of those “ifs”. He, more than anyone, wants answers to the Owls’ inefficiencies on the offensive side of the ball. Ultimately, he’s the one that’s going to have to. If Rice had a few mulligans, they could be sitting at 3-2. Instead, they’re a painful 0-5. But it’s the same team that sat in the locker room at the Patterson Center on Saturday night and began to process another tough defeat.

Regardless, they’re still fighting. Results aside, the Owls unquestionably continued to battle eright up until the final whistle. They’re playing for four quarters.

Trammell’s sneak peek into the mindset of the team proved to be a fitting way to end his comments. “Usually most people need that extra push, but our team right now,” he said,” everyone is in. Everyone is fully in. Everyone’s after the same goal, the same mission”

United, Rice football isn’t throwing the towel any time soon. They’ll take it in, breakdown the film, and move on, knowing they’re closer to breaking through than their now 0-5 record reflects.

The Owls tend toward of conservative approach on offense; So far it hasn’t worked. They need to find a way to finish, a way to turn three-and-outs into downfield successes, and more importantly, into points. Until that happens, Rice could continue to find themselves in this uncomfortable position.

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Conference USA Football 2019: Week 5 C-USA roundup

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Rice football fell in overtime, but they weren’t the only Conference USA Football to come down on the wrong end of a close game in Week 5.

Team Week 5 Result Week 6
Charlotte vs FAU L, 45-27 — OFF —
FAU at Charlotte W, 45-27 — OFF —
FIU — OFF —  — vs UMass
LA Tech at Rice W, 23-20 (OT) — OFF —
Marshall vs Cincinnati L, 52-15 at MTSU
MTSU at No. 14 Iowa L, 48-3 vs Marshall
North Texas vs Houston L, 46-25 — OFF —
ODU vs East Carolina L, 24-21 vs WKU
Rice vs Louisiana Tech L, 23-20 (OT) at UAB
Southern Miss vs UTEP W, 31-13 — OFF —
UAB at WKU L, 20-13 vs Rice
UTEP at Southern Miss L, 31-13 vs UTSA
UTSA — OFF —  — at UTEP
WKU vs UAB W, 20-13 at ODU

Notable Week 5 results – Standings

South Main’s first chance at victory soured late

The bottom line was the same for Rice football in Week 5 as it was in the Owls’ first four games. Defeat. This time the Owls pushed their heartbreak further than 60 minutes, falling in overtime to Louisiana Tech in a game in which they left too many points on the board.

Blazers bow out of the ranks of the undefeated

UAB was the lone remaining unbeaten in Conference USA, but wins over Alabama State, Akron and South Alabama weren’t on par with the level of competition they’ll face in Conference USA. Finally faced with their first big test, the Blazers came up short — to a Western Kentucky team which fell to an FCS squad not that long ago. The Hilltoppers have improved a lot, but UAB fans have reason to be concerned.

FAU could be on to something

Early losses to Ohio State and UCF took the early spotlight off the Owls this season. Since then, they scored 40+ points in three consecutive games. FAU routed a quietly impressive Charlotte squad. Now 1-0 in C-USA, the Owls are squarely back in the race for a division crown, especially considering the struggles of Marshall and FIU.

Week 6 storylines

Time to sound the alarm?

Both 1-3, UTSA and UTEP meet in a telling Week 6 matchup. The winner earns their first conference victory of the season while the loser falls to 0-2 with a rigorous slate ahead of them. It’s pretty early in the season to call anything a “must win”, but both teams will have an extra push to lock this one down.

Brick by brick

It’s been a long season for FIU. The Panthers sit at 1-3 with a close win over New Hampshire their only bright spot. The road to salvaging the season and getting back on track starts Saturday against a 1-4 UMass squad who earned their first win over 0-4 Akron last week. If there’s such a thing as a must-win game, this is it.

Take 5

Thanks to the extended calendar this season, each Conference USA Football team will have two open weeks. The first big wave comes in Week 6 with five teams each taking their first open weekend at the same time — Charlotte, FAU, Louisiana Tech, North Texas and Southern Miss. This is the second-most idle teams C-USA will have this season. Six teams are off in Week 12.

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Rice Football: Mistakes cost Owls in overtime loss to LA Tech

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Despite never trailing in regulation, Rice Football dropped their conference opener in overtime to Louisiana Tech in agonizing fashion.

Two quick touchdowns, a full 60 minutes of defensive intensity and just enough oomph at the end couldn’t push Rice over Louisiana Tech on Saturday night. Here are a few immediate thoughts from the loss:

Picture perfect start

Entering Saturday’s game with Louisiana Tech, Rice hadn’t done well with their opening possessions: punt, fumble, punt, punt. Not only did the Owls reverse that trend quickly against the Bulldogs they looked almost as good as they have on offense all season.

Rice picked up three first downs, averaging 7.7 yards per play. Wiley Green was 3-for-3 for 31 yards, overcoming second and 24 following an uncharacteristic bad snap in the middle of the drive. Aston Walter finished things with a 16-yard run for the Owls first lead of the 2019 season.

The second drive went the same way. Green moved the offense methodically down the field and Walter punched it in yet again. The theory entering this game was fairly straightforward; against an evenly matched opponent, the Rice offense should succeed. On Saturday, Rice proved they could. They just couldn’t sustain the success.

Running with a vengeance

The return of tackles Clay Servin and Justin Gooseberry to the lineup paid tremendous dividends against Louisiana Tech. After struggling to average three yards per carry in their previous three games, Rice moved the ball on the ground with great success all night. Once they get fullback Reagan Williams back on the field that efficiency could get even better.

With that healthy line paving the way, Aston Walter had a career game. The sixth-year senior rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns, shattering a previous career-best 72 yards, a mark he’d matched on three separate occasions.

Charlie Booker racked up 70 yards on 21 carries, becoming the battering ram the Owls needed in the second half. Altogether, the Rice running backs averaged 4.4 yards per carry. That’s closer the kind of stat line the Owls need to see going forward, but the Owls can do better.

Rice defense stands tall again, and again, and again

As the offensive line and running game took control of the line of scrimmage on their side of the ball, the defensive front seven clamped down in parallel. J’Mar Smith and the Louisiana Tech offense looked hampered for the duration of this game.

There weren’t many clean pockets and Smith, forcing him to be perfect when he had time to throw. That’s a high bar to set for any quarterback, even a four-year starter like Smith. The Louisiana Tech offense had to resort to shorter throws and crossing routes, failing to connect on the majority of their long plays downfield.

Entering Saturday night, Smith’s longest passes of the season were 26 yards (vs Texas), 40 yards (vs Grambling State), 49 yards (vs Bowling Green) and 54 yards (vs FIU). Smith’s longest completion against Rice went for 22 yards to star wideout Adrian Hardy.

That lack of downfield success can be traced back to that dominant front seven. Rice registered three sacks on the night (including freshman De’Brayon Carroll’s first) and five quarterback hits.

Too many self-inflicted wounds

Rice has shown improvement over the course of the season, but they’re still too inconsistent on the offensive side of the ball to continually shoot themselves in the foot. Here are a few of the errors that cost Rice a game they controlled for the majority of its duration:

  • A bad snap cost Rice 14 yards of possession
  • Tom Stewart threw an interception in the endzone.
  • Rice fumbled four times
  • Will Harrison missed a 36-yard field goal.
  • Rice committed five penalties for 40 yards.
  • The defense allowed Justin Henderson to run 26-yard untouched for a touchdown
  • Austin Trammell dropped a third-down pass early in the fourth quarter
  • Rice was held to a field goal on the first possession of overtime

To have that many mistakes and still be in a position to win is a great start. More so, it’s proof that this team has a lot of work to do to get to where they want to be. After their first two drives, this felt like a game Rice could win, maybe even that they should win. Then the offense went inexplicably ice cold.

Just like the loss to Army and the loss to Baylor, Rice walks away from this game with a bad taste in their mouth. They were close, again, but couldn’t play sound enough for 60 minutes to turn walk away with the victory.

It’s Wiley Green’s job to lose

Wiley Green was near flawless in his first two drives, completing 6-of-7 passes for 62 yards and leading the offense on back-to-back touchdown drives.

As planned, Stewart entered the game on the Owls’ third offensive possession. His first drive went three and out including a pass that just missed an open receiver. Rice drove down inside the redzone on Stewart’s second drive, overcoming a fumble from Stewart in the process. That final drive ended with a poor decision by Stewart, who was intercepted in the endzone on a throw into heavy traffic.

Credit Bloomgren to sticking with his guns and playing both guys, but it’s hard to argue with what Green was able to with this offense. After looking stagnant for the better part of four games, Green got things going and led the Owls on all three of their scoring drives.

Barring injury, Green seems to give the Owls their best chance to win going forward.

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