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Looking ahead at the Owls’ 2019 Schedule

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Rice football has a schedule, sort of. With the game dates still to be set the Owls now know all of their 2019 opponents.

2019 Rice Football opponents

HomeAway
Wake ForestArmy
BaylorUTSA
Southern MissUAB
North TexasUTEP
Louisiana TechMiddle Tennessee
Marshall
Texas (at NRG Stadium)

1. More home games

Rice played 13 games last season, but the majority of them were away from Rice stadium. They’ll get the reverse in 2019, with seven games played in Houston including one game against the Texas Longhorns at NRG Stadium. The mass of burnt orange will still be plentiful, but staying home is always preferable to a long road trip.

2. Statement games

Rice gets three Power 5 opponents in Houston in 2019: Baylor, Wake Forest and Texas. The Owls won their first CUSA game in November, making an upset of this proportion seem a bit farfetched, but crazier things have happened and that’s why they play the games.

All three of these games come relatively early in the season giving the Owls a chance to get a quick jump on their opponent as both sides work out the kinks. Rice took Hawaii and Houston to the brink early on in 2018, coming a few plays short. 

3. Tough draw from the East

The final two teams added to the schedule were Marshall and Middle Tennessee. The Owls couldn’t have gotten much more challenging of a draw. MTSU was only CUSA team to beat eventual conference champion UAB. Rick Stockstill was named CUSA Coach of the Year for his efforts. The Blue Raiders will need to find a new starting quarterback, but they’ll still be a formibable opponent, especially on the road.

Marshall finished as the runner up in the East in 2018, narrowly missing out on a divisional crown themselves. The Thundering Herd have gone to bowl games in five of the last six seasons, winning double-digit games in three of those seasons under current head coach Doc Holliday.

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Owls in the NFL – Week 14

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Rice football has nine alumni currently active on NFL rosters. Here’s how the NFL Owls fared in their respective Week 14 games.

Chris Boswell, K (Steelers) – Converted three extra points in a loss to the Oakland Raiders. He missed one field goal and had a second blocked on the final play of regulation. Next week the Steelers host the New England Patriots on Sunday, December 16.

Bryce Callahan, CB (Bears) – Had one tackle for a loss in a two-tackle effort in the Bears upset of the Rams on Sunday Night Football. Next week the Bears host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, December 16.

Christian Covington, DE (Texans) – Registered two quarterback hits and one sack against Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts. Both totals tied JJ Watt for the team lead. Next week the Texans travel to New York to play the Jets on Saturday, December 15.

Phillip Gaines, CB (Browns) – Missed Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers with a knee injury. Next week the Browns travel to Denver to play the Broncos on Saturday, December 15.

Vance McDonald, TE (Steelers) – Caught four passes for 37 yards with a long of 19 yards against the Oakland Raiders. He finished third on the team in receiving, with two more yards than Antonio Brown. Next week the Steelers host the New England Patriots on Sunday, December 16.

Andrew Sendejo, S (Vikings) – Placed on injured reserve after missing extended time following a groin injury. Next week the Vikings host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, December 16.

Jordan Taylor, WR (Broncos) – On the PUP list following off-season surgery. He will not play this season. Next week the Broncos host the Cleveland Browns on Saturday, December 15.

Luke Wilson, TE (Lions) – Started against the Arizona Cardinals but was held without a catch. Next week the Lions travel to Buffalo to play the Bills on Sunday, December 16.

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Rice Football 2018 Team MVP: Austin Walter

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From start to finish Austin Walter put the team on his back, doing more than enough to be named the 2018 Rice football team MVP.

The 2018 Rice football team was built on young legs. Only four upperclassmen started the Owls’ final game of the regular season as the coaching staff opted to continue building toward the future. That bright future is possible because of the efforts of team players like Austin Walter who did everything that was asked of him and then a little more.

As the staff tinkered with the depth chart, working diligently to get the right players in the right places, Walter produced everywhere. Whether he was lined up in the backfield or split out wide, the senior from Crosby, TX was one of the most reliable players on the entire roster throughout the 2018 season.

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Walter finished the year with 1,580 all-purpose yards, 17th most in the nation. That total included 564 yards rushing, 525 yards receiving and 491 kick return yards. He averaged 27.3 yards per return, eighth best in the nation. At one point during the season, he led the nation in all-purpose yardage. That’s no small feat for a player on an offense that wasn’t all that efficient and struggled to stay on the field.

The success for Walter was bittersweet. He admitted going out on top with his best statistical year was special, but added he was “not as happy” as he could have been given the two-win season. “I wanted to leave a legacy as a team,” said Walter, “but God has a bigger plan for all of us… looking back at it, there’s nothing I regret.”

As young as this team is, they won’t have many holes in the two-deep to fill next season. The gap in the offense left by Walter will be the toughest to patch and will likely require a combination of players to match what Walter was able to do on his own.

That’s because he was more than just a running back, more than a receiver and more than a kick returner. He was a leader in the locker room and the key cog in a team still learning their own identity. Hats off to you Austin Walter, the 2018 Rice football MVP.

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Jack Fox leaves legacy of excellence as he pursues his NFL dreams

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Rice football punter Jack Fox has accomplished just about everything he can at the collegiate level. Next stop? The NFL.

Jack Fox, the even-keeled leader of the 2018 Rice football team, can seldom be found without a gentle grin plastered across his face. It’s hard to blame him; he’s had plenty to be happy about this season.

Fox’s accolades stretch far and wide. He was the only Rice player named to the All-Conference USA preseason team and the only one of the Owls to make first team All-Conference at season’s end. If that wasn’t enough, he was named a semifinalist for the Ray Guy award, given annually to the nation’s top punter. Most recently he was named Conference USA’s Special Team’s Player of the year, the first punter to ever win the award.

Through all of the accolades, Jack Fox has stayed levelheaded and complimentary of those around him. “A lot went into it, obviously a lot more than one player,” said Fox as he looked back on the season and the CUSA special teams honor. “My name is on the award, but we have to have a good gameplan and really good execution from all 11 guys on the field.”

Those 11 guys, several teams deep are a part of the legacy Fox is leaving at South Main. In the midst of his record-breaking season, Rice football has undergone a culture shift that started with special teams. The oft-forgotten third phase of the game has been given a seat of honor (literally) and now includes the entire roster. Everyone from the stars to the scout team plays special teams.

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“People understand now that if you play on offense or defense you’re going to play special teams. That’s just part of the Rice culture now. Nobody is too good for special teams. Nobody is too good for anything here,” Fox proclaimed.

With that honest admission, Fox echoed all head coach Mike Bloomgren has been working for months to achieve. Rice strives for excellence in all they do, from special teams all the way to the top. There’s no way around it, as much as Fox seeks to distance himself from the spotlight, he’s going out on top.

Now the only question that remains for Fox is what’s next? If things go as he hopes, the NFL. He’s currently in the process of finding an agent and preparing for the NFL Draft. Drafted or not, Fox is working as best he can to familiarize himself with his next challenge and making a way to play at the next level.

He’s been in contact with James Farrimond frequently this season, his predecessor at Rice and a fellow Ray Guy watch list member. Farrimond never made it to the league, but he did participate in the pre-draft process, something Fox says has already been extremely helpful. Farrimond, along with Bloomgren, have already begun prepping Fox for his shot at becoming a professional football player.

Fox understands the weight of what lies in front of him. “It would mean the world to me, obviously it’s the dream,” he admitted. But with the same grin he’d wore form the start, he looked confidently on and offered one direct promise. “All I need is a shot.”

He’s going to get a shot. His leg alone makes him worth an audition, but his passion and character leave no remaining doubt. If Fox isn’t the kind of guy you want in your locker room, who is? Rice football doesn’t part with Jack Fox willingly, but they know he has bigger things ahead. He’ll have a new jersey on soon enough.



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Mailbag: Transfers, recruits and a quarterback battle

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Rice football enters the offseason with momentum on the recruiting trail and plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future.

Q: How badly did our season damage recruiting?

Honestly, not much at all. Nobody likes to lose, but the poor record is a selling point in itself. Mike Bloomgren and the coaching staff aren’t selling the same thing Nick Saban is selling at Alabama. The Owls’ pitch centers moreso on playing time and building the program from the ground up. It’s messy, sure, but it puts the onus on the player to be the difference maker and the Owls are after a lot of difference-making type players.

Just take a look back at the UTEP game. Rice lost what was expected to be their best chance at a conference win and fell to 1-9 on the season. Josh Landrum and Kirk Lockhart committed that weekend. Hunter Henry called and committed a few days later.

You’d be hard pressed to find a lower point of the 2018 season and Rice landed three recruits, one of which had never set foot on campus. If that’s not a testament to the caliber of recruiters Bloomgren has assembled on this staff, I don’t know what is.

Now the interesting part comes with the 2019 season. If this staff can recruit at a high level with two wins what will they be able to do with more? Building upon the groundwork laid in 2018 is going to be huge. The results next season will play a far greater role than this season, which was essentially year zero for Bloomgren and his staff.

Q: What 2019 recruit are you most excited about?

Can I pick more than one? Yes? Alright. On offense, I’m going to go with one of the newest additions — receiver Bradley Rozner. He led JUCO in receiving touchdowns last season with 13 scores in 9 games. Rice pass catchers tallied 13 receiving touchdowns in 13 games last season. He’s not a burner, but he should provide a complimentary piece on the outside and his sure hands will help the Owls a lot on third down.

On defense, I’m excited to see linebacker Garrett Braden in action. He’s not the biggest guy, but he just makes tackles. Tackling in space was an issue for the defense at times this season. That’s why you saw a guy like Antonio Montero, all 6-foot of him, crack the starting lineup and stay there. Braden is slightly taller than Montero at 6-foot-2 and plays with the same “no-quit” motor.

Q: Are the players transferring out being forced out by Bloomgren or are they transferring out on their own accord?

I talked with coaches and players and from everything I can see the partings have been peaceable. It’s no secret this team is in the midst of a youth movement. Four upperclassmen started the Owls’ regular season finale against Old Dominion: Sam Pierce, Graysen Schantz, Roe Wilkins and Zach Abercrumbia. The remainder of the starters were young guys who rose above their junior and senior counterparts on the depth chart last season.

Jackson Tyner, Emmanuel Esukpa, Justin Bickham and Houston Robert are the four grad transfers that have been announced. I wouldn’t have expected any of those four to be starters next season, and depending on the play of the incoming 2019 recruiting class, a few of them might not have cracked the two-deep by midseason. Given those circumstances, it seems to make the most sense for everyone to move on. They get the chance to play and Rice gets more room to bring in new talent.

Bloomgren never minced words during the season. He mentioned on multiple occasions the senior class and the freshman class was the strongest classes on this team. These early transfers are in line with that assessment.

Q: Do you think Wiley Green will have any competition at QB heading into the offseason?

Mike Bloomgren saw enough between Jackson Tyner and Shawn Stankavage during fall camp to have a pretty solid idea who was going to be his starter entering the year. It took him less than a half of live game exposure for him to solidify this decision, but he still let the competition play out. I don’t think you see much different of an approach in 2019.

The starting job figures to come down to either Wiley Green or Evan Marshman. Both guys had some good moments this season and while Green has the higher upside as a passer, he probably didn’t do enough in four appearances this season to lock the job down entering fall camp.

Marshman and Green will battle it out this spring and into the fall, but unlike last year, Bloomgren will have enough exposure with his passers to have a decision in place before the start of the year. Competition is a good thing, and it will make both guys better. That’s especially true with younger players, but don’t be surprised if Bloomgren calls it an open competition at any point this offseason.

If I were projecting right now, Wiley Green is your QB1 with Marshman as the backup.



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