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Why playing the blue bloods matters

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Rice football fell 42-10 in Death Valley to LSU in Week 11, but a score doesn’t accurately convey how meaningful this game was to this program.

Optically a 30+ point defeat doesn’t look good in a box score. Rice was outgained on the ground and through the air. The defense bent and bent some more. In the midst of what ended up becoming a one-sided affair, this team grew up.

Trailing by multiple touchdowns from the first quarter on, Rice fought. “In this world where it’s so easy to hit the reset button and to just quit, I don’t think you say any of our guys quit today,” said head coach Mike Bloomgren after the game, “I thought you saw them fight until the scoreboard said 0:00.”

As alluded to in the initial postgame reaction, playing the best teams makes you better. Against LSU, Rice had to play faster, hit harder and be more aggressive than they’d been at any point this season. Leaving Tiger Stadium with a loss is indicative of more work that needs to be done, but senior running back Aston Walter said the team was glad to have this chance.

“It was a great experience,” relayed Walter, “I feel like I got better this game, I fell like a lot of my teammates got better this game. It was good to say we played one of the top 10 teams in the country.” Their resolve was tested. Nevertheless, tucked away in a one-sided affair on the scoreboard were moments that individuals on this team will remember forever.

Freshman running back Juma Otoviano scored his first career touchdown. Hayden Tobola drilled a 51-yard field goal. Senior punter Jack Fox silenced the crowd with a booming kick, scampering down the field to make the tackle on his first punt of the day. All on one of the nation’s biggest stages against one of the nation’s best teams.

Fox called the moment “indescribable” and Walter echoed it, speaking positively about the trial-by-fire moment that forced he and his teammates to grow up quickly. Both players and Mike Bloomgren shared a crystal clear message. Winning and losing is what matters the most at the end of the day, but getting a chance to go 10 rounds with the best of the best is an unforgettable experience. One that, if you let it, impacts how you play your game moving forward.

The Owls are hoping they can harness those feelings and produce one more win next Saturday at home against Old Dominion.

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Owls’ offense snuffed out at Death Valley by LSU Tigers

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Rice football wrapped up their 2018 road schedule against LSU in Week 12, falling to the Tigers by a final score of 42-10 in Death Valley.

Few teams walk into Tiger Stadium and leave with a victory. Rice knew staying with LSU was going to be a challenge, but they hung in the ring with the Tigers and made them go the distance. LSU jumped out to a 28-3 halftime lead before coasting to victory.

Nobody likes losing, especially by a large margin, but the test makes the team better. Now, a few quick reactions from the loss:

1. Marquee games against brand-name opponents are good for this team

The loss marks the 11th defeat for Rice this season and their seventh consecutive loss to LSU. As an aside and irrespective of the final score, Rice football needs to keep playing these games. The atmosphere of playing in Death Valley is one of the premier experiences in all of college football and getting the chance to step into Tiger Stadium and be a part of that moment was a special experience for these players.

Rice was a heavy underdog, but they Owls fought, and the test provided by one of the premier teams in this sport will pay off for down the road. This game is more than a nice paycheck for the university, it’s a chance to see how you measure up against the best of the best. Rice has a long way to go, that’s clear, but now they know exactly what they’re up against.

2. Joe Burrow has strong outing against up and down Rice secondary

Joe Burrow made waves this summer when he transferred from Ohio State to LSU. The former blue-chip quarterback recruit was viewed as the last piece the Tigers needed to get over the hump and return to National Championship contention.

Through his first 10 games the returns were mixed. Entering the Rice game, Burrow ranked 13th in the SEC with a 54.8 completion percentage. His 14 pass plays of 30+ yards were just one more than the Owls’ 13 such plays.

Burrow was sharp against Rice. The Owls were forced to respect the speed on the outside and generally erred on the side of caution when it came to pressure at the line of scrimmage. The results were relatively clean throwing lanes for Burrow who didn’t miss. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 307 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

The Owls nearly had an interception, but it was taken off the board on an offsides call. Coverage down the field kept the ball in front of them with the exception of a few deep throws delivered perfectly by Burrow (one of which was ruled incomplete). Those have plagued the Owls all season and made an otherwise decent night in the secondary rather dour.

3. Prudy Calderon is already a difference maker

LSU brought in Jontre Kirklin to run a Wildcat package on their second possession of the game. Dylan Silcox brought him down after a short gain and ripped the ball out, Calderon was there to pounce on it and give the Owls possession and their 10th fumble recovery of the season.

Calderon has four interceptions in his last five games. He came close to adding another against LSU, but a diving attempt in the second quarter came up just short. Midway through the third quarter he picked up a pass break up, turning LSU away on third down.

The fumble recovery, pass break up, and three tackles were the only items on the stat sheet for Calderon on Saturday, but the impact he has on this team from the safety position has been huge. Teams don’t beat him over the top. When they try to go short, he’s there to make the tackle and deliver a big hit.

Calderon is a true freshman. He’s going to be a fixture on this defense for years to come and instrumental in turning this unit around in the coming seasons.

4. The Rice rushing attack remains a work in progress

By Mike Bloomgren’s own admission, the Rice offense is meant to be a run-first attack. The Owls have struggled on the ground over the last month and knew they’d be up for a challenge against LSU, the 30th-best run defense in the nation.  That expectation became a reality as crowded boxes dared Rice to throw the ball or face short pickups at the line of scrimmage.

Rice was held to -4 yards on the ground in the first quarter. Excluding sacks, that number marginally improves to 11 yards on six Aston Walter carries. Running for less than two yards a clip isn’t going to cut it for a run-first offense, but that’s part of the battle that comes with playing a defense with as much talent and speed as LSU.

Through four quarters, the rushing numbers did not improve. It didn’t matter who had the rock, it was tough sledding. Rice tallied 97 yards on 43 carries, good for 2.3 yards per carry.

It’s worth noting that Rice brought in the jumbo package needing one yard or less to convert on three separate occasions. They converted on all three occasions against one of the most physical defensive fronts in the country.

That’s been the theme of the season thus far, too much in the way of mixed results. The Rice coaching staff has done a decent enough job using things like the Wildcat package with Juma Otoviano and gadget plays with D’Angelo Ellis to jump-start the rushing attack, but the results haven’t been where they need to be.

5. On to Old Dominion

It’s been a long season filled with highs and more lows than Rice fans would have wished for — and just like that, it’s almost over. Rice hosts Old Dominion next weekend in the Owls’ 13th and final game of 2018. Head coach Mike Bloomgren is still looking for his first conference win, giving this team plenty to play for in their last contest.

A win against Old Dominion wouldn’t make up for several near-misses that could have given the Owls another win or two, but it would be evidence that the Owls are headed in the right direction.

As Bloomgren himself would say, it’s time for the team to put this one behind them and move on. The results weren’t what this team was looking for but the process continues on. Overmatched on several fronts against LSU, this team demonstrated the fight and the willingness to compete that fans have been waiting for all year.

Rice has one more chance to scratch across a win.

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The Amazing Jack Fox earns Ray Guy recognition

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After a tremendous 2018 campaign, Rice football punter Jack Fox has been recognized as a semifinalist for the Ray Guy award.

Jack Fox’s selection to the Conference USA Football Coaches Preseason All-Conference team was just the beginning of what has become an incredible senior season. The Owls’ punter has been selected as a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, an honor given the nation’s top punter.

Fellow state of Texas specialists Dominic Panazzolo of Texas Tech and Braden Mann of Texas A&M were also recognized.

Fox was honored to simply be mentioned in the conversation. “It’s something I’ve been working for since I was a freshman,” said Fox, who is now one of 10 players still in the running for the award. The list will be paired to three on Tuesday, Nov. 10 before the winner is formally announced during the Home Depot College Football Award Show on Dec. 6. If Fox wins, he’ll be invited to the formal presentation at the Gridiron Football Banquet in August, GA in January.

Special teams coach Pete Lembo was effusive with his praise, saying Fox’s contributions to the team go well beyond the box score — which is impressive in its own right. “Jack can see the big picture,” said Lembo, “He’s got a real good understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish and how he needs to do his job to make that happen.”

Making that happen, for Fox, has included a long list of statistical achievements. He booted a career-long 76-yard punt against North Texas earlier this season and kicked a career-high 12 punts against UAB which tied a school and conference record. Fox has amassed a 40.1 net while averaging 45.3 yards on 66 punts so far this season.

Lembo credits Fox’s willingness to learn and experiment with new things, like a rugby-style kick which he added to his game in the weeks prior to the Owls’ opener against Prairie View. “If there’s any critique its sometimes he’s too hard on himself,” admitted Lembo with a grin.

However he’s made it happen, Fox is having the senior season he could have only dreamed of. It’s only right that he’s being recognized as one of the best at what he does. You can vote for Jack Fox in the Ray Guy fan vote here.

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Retooling the offense, practice notes (11/15)

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Rice football is going to need to pull out the whole bag of tricks if they want to beat the LSU Tigers on the road, and that starts at practice.

In a season full of silver linings, the offensive adjustments and changes have been encouraging to see in practice over the last few weeks. The team isn’t sticking to the same ‘ol, same ‘ol, rather they’re adapting and adding to their repertoire week after week.

That was evident with their insertion of D’Angelo Ellis at wide receiver and the incorporation of Aston Walter in the running game, allowing Austin Walter to be split out wide. There were more wrinkles put into the gameplan for LSU this week, several of which the Owls haven’t put on tape at all this year.

There will be a few trick plays up Mike Bloomgren’s sleave, but most of the additions are schemes and plays designed to maximize the opportunities for the Owls to break big plays.

Looking for the fourth option in the passing game

Three different pass catchers — Austin Trammell, Aaron Cephus and Austin Walter — have caught 72.8 percent of the Owls’ passes this season. That speaks to the reliability of each of those players, but also the void that exists elsewhere in the offense.

None of the tight ends have really made their presence felt yet and the high hopes the coaching staff had for receiver Brendan Harmon have been put on hold via injury. D’Angelo Ellis has begun to play the lion’s share of reps on the outside and Jordan Myers is settling into the primary tight end role. Both had flashes during practice on Thursday, but someone is going to have to step up and help quarterback Shawn Stankavage.

All-Academic teams announced

Bloomgren recognized both Jorian Clark and Parker Hanusa who were named Google Cloud Academic All-District 7 team. Those selections were made by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

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10 Stats entering Owls’ game vs LSU

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Rice football has been through plenty of ups and downs in 2018. With a game against LSU looming it’s time to take a peek at some key stats.

4 – Interceptions by true freshman safety Prudy Calderon. One more than the entire team had last season.

5 – Number of players to register at least 25 carries so far this season. After relying on one lead back through his time at Stanford, several factors have led Mike Bloomgren to employ a variety of rushers. Aston Walter saw the majority of the work in the Owls’ most recent game against Louisiana Tech.

6 – Sacks by Anthony Ekpe, the most on the team and a career high. Since his breakout three-sack game against North Texas, Ekpe has 10 tackles and 1.5 sacks over his last two games.

10 – Touchdown passes for quarterback Shawn Stankavage. The most by an Owls’ quarterback since Tyler Stheling in 2016.

37-13-5 – Rice’s all-time record against LSU.  The Tigers and Owls went back and forth in the mid-’50s, but LSU has won 17 of the last 19 with one tie. The Owls’ last win came in 1980.

45 – Different players that have recorded at least one tackle this season. The volume of newcomers the Owls’ have played continues to grow every week.

45.3 – Average punt length from specialist Jack Fox. That distance leads Conference USA and ranks ninth in the nation.

48 – Tackles registered by Zach Abercrumbia this season, the most by an interior defensive lineman since Christian Covington in 2013

90 percent – Kicker Hayden Tobola has connected on 9-of-10 field goals. That accuracy leads Conference USA and ranks sixth in the nation.

600 – Receiving yards for Austin Trammell through 11 games. Trammel appeared in 12 games as a freshman in 2017 and tallied 51 receiving yards on four catches.

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