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The Roost Podcast | Episode 4 – 2019 Rice Football defense preview

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Give a listen to Episode 4 of The Roost Podcast. Carter and Matthew are back, breaking down the 2019 Rice football defense.

After walking through the schedule in Episode 1 and the offense in Episode 2, Carter and Matthew have turned their attention to special teams in Episode 3 and now defense for Episode 4. With fall camp still underway, there’s plenty of time to go back and catch what you’ve missed so far before we turn our attention to Army and game previews in a few weeks.

Give a listen to Episode 4 below.


Episode 4 Notes

  • Defensive line — Despite losing two important starters at the position to the Transfer Portal, there’s plenty of ammo returning in 2019. That includes true freshman De’Braylon Carroll who could force his way onto the field sooner rather than later.
  • Linebacker — The tandem of Blaze Alldredge and Antonio Montero is going to be special, but the depth behind them is equally exciting.
  • Safety — JUCO transfer Naeem Smith and a few experienced hands in Prudy Calderon, Treshawn Chamberlain and George Nyakwol make this another strong spot.
  • Corner — Redshirt freshman Andrew Bird has locked down a starting spot, but the rest of the depth chart is fluid. Could a freshman force their way into the mix here?
  • Carter and Matthew each give a potential defensive MVP and a sleeper to watch for in the 2019 season

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.

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The Roost Giveaway winner and preseason update

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Thank you to all who participated in The Roost’s preseason giveaway. Congratulations to Mark Jones, the winner the 2019 giveaway. Mark will receive some gear from us!

Didn’t win but still want cool stuff? The Roost Shop is open. Use the code ROOST for 10% off all orders made before the Owls season opener against Army.

The response was overwhelming, which we assume means you:

  1. Like free stuff
  2. Like what we’re doing at The Roost

The 2019 Rice Football Season Preview has been the focal point of our offseason coverage. We received some meaningful feedback in our giveaway survey from the simple question: what did you like about the Preview?

Here were some of the responses:

  • “Roster breakdown by position – this was an excellent guide to understanding where the team is and who are newcomers to watch.”
  • “I loved the breakdown of all the teams. It gave me a great view of what Conference USA will be like this season.”
  • “Overall loved the complete review of the Owls and their chances for 2019”
  • “Player profile write-ups”
  • “The information on the individual players and depth chart”
  • “It was awesome. Everything!”
  • “It is awesome. Tons of information.”
  • “Good insights and data”
  • “All of it!”

The asking price is $12.99. We published this believing that good analysis and information is worth paying. All content on the website is free and we pay our own bills. The hard work has been done, all you have to do is download and read, (which many of you have already done. Thank you!)

We remain confident this is the most comprehensive, complete source of Rice Football information for 2019. This is only the beginning. There will continue to be daily updates on the Owls and a few more surprises in store with our coverage this fall.

We hope you’ll support The Roost and pick up your copy today.

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Rice Football: Wiley Green’s rise from scout team to potential starter

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Only a sophomore, Rice football passer Wiley Green has emerged as a team leader as he grows into his own shoes as a Division 1 quarterback.

A lot can change in a year. That’s true of life, and even more so true of college football. When Rice began fall camp in 2018 Wiley Green was the scout team quarterback. Juma Otoviano was his running back. Almost five months later, that duo was largely responsible for the first conference win of the Mike Bloomgren era.

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Green still hasn’t fully grasped the whirlwind that has been his last 12 months. The redshirt freshman is in line to be named the Owls’ starting quarterback for the 2019 season, a title which he feels he’s steadily working toward the entire time.

“The best way of knowing that you’ve learned is being able to teach,” Green said. “I think that was a big step forward for me, really taking in that leadership role and being able to teach others.” Those others include incoming grad transfer Tom Stewart and true freshman Jovoni Johnson. Both players have had to go through the same learning curve Green experienced last season.

For Green, he had the benefit of a mentor in the form of Vanderbilt transfer Shawn Stankavage. “[Shawn taught me a lot, you know. How to handle being a Division 1 quarterback,” Green said as he looked back at his freshman season, “He’s been one of those guys I’ve leaned on. He’s been a leader on and off the field for me and he’s been one of those guys I can kind of look for as a mentor.”

Hear More: Matthew and Carter break down the Rice football offense on The Roost Podcast

Green is no senior. He can hardly believe his four games of experience make him one of the more experienced second-year players. But it’s that transition — from rookie to leader — which has set Green apart in the quarterback room. With Stankavage out of eligibility, Green took on the leadership role and ran with it. He’s been working hard through the spring and into the fall. The results have been encouraging.

Never one to be too braggadocious, Green tends to downplay the tremendous progress he’s made in such a short amount of time. “We’re not where we need to be,” he says, “but we’re definitely taking steps in the right direction to get there.”

That direction will be put to the tests in less than two weeks when Rice visits Army. The trip to West Point marks the start of the 2019 season. The young vet will be tasked with leading in one of the most challenging environments he’s ever played in. Green isn’t worried; his nerves seldom show. He’ll prepare well and attack it like he’s attacked every game he’s ever played.

“We’re building something special here and every single person in this room believes it,” Green declared. “That’s what’s really going to propel us forward and really surprised some people this year.” He hopes, as do the Rice faithful, that surprise starts at Army.

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Conference USA Football not featured in 2019 Preseason Top 25 polls

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There weren’t any Conference USA football teams ranked in the preseason polls, but there will be plenty of opportunity for the conference in 2019.

The AP Poll and the Coaches Poll don’t often feature many Group of 5 programs in their preseason editions. It takes proven production, returning starters and a track record of success to crack the initial list. That was true of the 2019 polls as well.

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One Group of 5 program, UCF, received enough votes to be ranked. They check in at No. 17 in both polls.

Boise State (38), Cincinnati (16), Fresno State (8), Utah State (8), Memphis (6), Appalachian State (5) and UAB (3) each received votes in the AP Poll. Boise State (118), Fresno State (32), Utah State (32), Cincinnati (25), Memphis (24), Appalachian State (4), Houston (3), North Texas (3), Temple (2) and Troy (1) earned votes in the Coaches Poll.

North Texas and UAB were the only CUSA programs recognized in either poll. Both received first place votes to win the conference during Conference USA Media Days, but so did four other programs.

The easiest way for any additional CUSA squads to force their way onto the ballots is winning. Several of the conference’s more prominent programs will have opportunities to make statements early in the season. FAU faced ranked UCF on Septemeber 7. North Texas hits the road to take on Cal on September 14.

Find out more about the prominent non-conference games to watch and get a deeper dive on all 14 CUSA teams in our 2019 Conference USA Football Preview. The preview is available to download on your device today.

Complete AP Poll
  1. Clemson(52)
  2. Alabama(10)
  3. Georgia
  4. Oklahoma
  5. Ohio State
  6. LSU
  7. Michigan
  8. Florida
  9. Notre Dame
  10. Texas
  11. Oregon
  12. Texas A&M
  13. Washington
  14. Utah
  15. Penn State
  16. Auburn
  17. UCF
  18. Michigan State
  19. Wisconsin
  20. Iowa
  21. Iowa State
  22. Syracuse
  23. Washington State
  24. Nebraska
  25. Stanford
Complete Coaches Poll
  1. Clemson(59)
  2. Alabama(6)
  3. Georgia
  4. Oklahoma
  5. Ohio State
  6. LSU
  7. Michigan
  8. Florida
  9. Notre Dame
  10. Texas
  11. Texas A&M
  12. Washington
  13. Oregon
  14. Penn State
  15. Utah
  16. Auburn
  17. UCF
    Wisconsin
  18. –tie–
  19. Iowa
  20. Michigan State
  21. Washington State
  22. Syracuse
  23. Stanford
  24. Iowa State
  25. Northwestern
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Rice Football: Wiley Green emerging as favorite to win Owls quarterback battle

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With all fall camp scrimmages complete, the Rice Football quarterback battle is gaining clarity and a favorite to win the starting job has emerged.

The quarterback battle will continue to be the biggest storyline through fall camp until coach Bloomgren names a starter. Although there’s no timeline set for an official announcement, incumbent Wiley Green is starting to put some distance between himself and challenger Tom Stewart.

Green had a great redzone session during scrimmage on Saturday. Stewart missed his opportunity to make a statement. He’s had his moments in camp, but done little to impress in either scrimmage setting.

Bloomgren has reserved comment as to who is the leader in the race. However, with days (rather than weeks) left between now and the season opener, the race seems to be drawing to a close.

I have become increasingly more confident that Wiley Green will be the Owls’ starting quarterback in their Week 1 game against Army.

More: Jack Fox joins The Roost Podcast to talk NFL and Rice special teams

Green stands above every other quarterback on campus in terms of his intellectual ability and command of the offense. His strong capabilities as a passer, combined with that knowledge have kept him a step ahead in the quarterback competition through fall camp.

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Stewart has talent. What he lacks is the time in the system to execute at a level equal to Green. If he continues to progress the door could open down the road. That said, the coaching staff would obviously prefer to make a selection and ride that one guy to the end of the season.

As for Jovoni Johnson, the freshman has done well in camp so far. But, as to be expected, there’s a steep learning curve with the offense. The outlook for his 2019 season looks to be akin to what Parker Towns was asked to do in brief moments last year.

Johnson will most likely have a set package which features his athleticism and ability to make plays on the ground. If the situation warrants it he could throw a pass or two. Given the current state of the quarterback room, he’s got a few guys to surpass before he’s an every game player.

The staff feels comfortable with the depth at the position and is encouraged by what they’ve seen from the unit as a whole this fall. Barring an injury, I believe this Wiley Green’s job to lose.

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