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Rice Football: Behind enemy lines with an Army Insider

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Army is next up on the 2024 Rice football schedule so we’re going behind enemy lines with Black Knights’ insider Omar Borja.

Black Knights’ insider Omar Borja was kind enough to stop by and answer a few questions about the upcoming matchup between Rice Football and Army. The answers below should shed some light on the Owls’ upcoming opponent.

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Rice Football 2024: Army Game Week Practice Report

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Rice football takes on Army this week with eyes on a bounce-back win. Here’s what we learned from the Owls at practice this week.

The Rice football offense is under the microscope this week after falling short against Houston last Saturday. Offensive coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo is confident in his unit, delivering a hopeful evaluation. “It was 60 minutes. It was a bad night. It’s not who we are,” he told The Roost this week. Here’s more on the offense, the quarterback, the injuries and additional reports from the practice field.

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For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Special features like this are reserved for our subscribers. Have questions? You can get those answered in our monthly Q&As and get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

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Rice Football 2024: Army presser quotes and depth chart

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Next up for Rice football: Army. Here’s what Mike Bloomgren had to say about the matchup and a few depth chart notes.

Head coach Mike Bloomgren and a set of players met with the media for their customary weekly availability. They recapped the Houston loss and looked ahead at their upcoming matchup with Army.

More: Game Preview: Rice Football vs Army

We touch on those items, then dig into the Rice football depth chart and what the team looks like heading into the weekend. First, the quotes:

Press Conference Quotes

“I still believe the Rice Owls are the only team that can beat the Rice Owls and we gotta stop [making mistakes]. We’ve got to play our kind of football. We’ve got to play the caliber of football I know we’re capable of and it can’t just be on Tuesday and Wednesday practices. It’s gotta be on Saturdays when the lights are on and our kids understand that.” – Mike Bloomgren on the state of the Rice football program right now

“We’ve also probably limited more in terms of what’s on the call sheet in the run game and pass game, partly because we want to make sure we’re masters of it and partly because we know we’re not going to get 50 base play calls in this game. You’re just not… We’re as dialed in as we can be with this gameplan to give our guys the chance to go out there with confidence and play the way that we believe they’re capable of.” – Mike Bloomgren on offensive adjustments following the Houston game 

“No. 13, their quarterback, he is a great leader, captain of their team. He does everything incredibly well, running the ball, falling forward, just being a natural tough… The thing with them is yes, you’ve got to do you’re job. They’re going to make you fit the run. They’re going to make sure you be assignment sound, even at a position like corner. But as we saw against FAU on the second drive, they’ll also drop back and throw one over your head. The play-action pass stuff is real.” – Mike Bloomgren’s on the Army offense

“I think it’ll be fun. Army’s kind of a team you grew up watching, you know, the Army/Navy Game, that’s always a fun environmen to see… On film, you can tell they’re incredibly disciplined, they’re going to be where they’re supposed to be and they play very, very hard. Like coach said, it’ll be a battle, but I’m super excited about it. It’s a unique opportunity that a lot of teams don’t get.” – Running back Christian Francisco on playing Army

“We’ve been going over this since the spring, going over the triple option and that’s helped us really just recognize it and know exactly what we’re supposed to do… They come out, they’re low, they’re aggresive and they’re very disciplined. ” – Defensive linemen Blake Boenisch on the Army offense

Depth Chart

Rice Football, depth chart

Depth Chart Notes

There were no changes to the official depth chart this week. Stay tuned to practice notes later in the week for subscribers for the latest on the injury front. There were a few players knocked up during the Houston game and several others who weren’t able to go last week with uncertain timelines.

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Rice Football 2024: NFL Owls Week 2 Roundup

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Rice Football is well represented on 2024 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 2.

There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player.

Team NFL Owl(s) This Week Result Next Week
Detroit Lions Jack Fox (P) vs Bucs L, 20-16 at Cardinals
Indianapolis Colts Kylen Granson (TE) at Packers L, 16-10 vs Bears
Pittsburgh Steelers Chris Boswell (PK) at Broncos W, 13-6 vs Chargers
New England Patriots Nick Leverett (OL) vs Seahawks L, 23-20 (OT) at Jets (TNF)
Seattle Seahawks Myles Adams (DL) at Patriots W, 23-20 (OT) vs Dolphins
Washington Commanders Luke McCaffrey (WR) vs Giants W, 21-18 at Bengals (MNF)

Offense

Luke McCaffrey – WR, Commanders

McCaffrey earned his first career start on Sunday and saw action on more than half of the Commanders’ offensive snaps for the second straight week. He did not get any targets.

Nick Leverett – OL, Patriots

Anderson was active and played five snaps on special teams in the Patriots’ Week 2 loss to the Seahawks. He also saw action on two plays with the offense for the first time this year..

Kylen Granson – TE, Colts

Granson was targeted twice in the Colts’ Week 2 loss to the Packers, catching one of those passes for nine yards.

Defense

Myles Adams – DL, Seahawks

After being inactive in Week 1, Adams played briefly in the Seahawks’ Week 2 game against the Patriots. He did not record any statistics.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox punted twice for 67 yards, pinning his opponent inside the 20-yard line on both of his kicks. His more impressive contribution, however, came with his arm, not his leg. A former high school quarterback, Fox showcased his passing skills on a gutsy fake punt, converting on fourth down with a 17-yard pass.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

A week removed from going 6-for-6 on field goal attempts, Boswell was only asked to kick twice on Sunday, but he made them both. His longest kick went 53 yards. His six points matched his opponent’s total, helping propel the Steelers to a 2-0 start.

More Owls in the NFL

From practice squads to current free agents, there are other 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 2024 Game Preview: Army

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Rice football leaves the state this week for the first time this season to take on Army. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

The first AAC game can’t get here soon enough for Rice football which wrapped up the bulk of its nonconference action this past weekend with a 33-6 loss to crosstown rival Houston. Army was idle, completing their first bye week of the season after a 2-0 start to the year. Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup between Rice and Army.

Kickoff time | 11:00 PM CT
Venue | Michie Stadium – West Point, NY
TV | CBS SN (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Varsity Radio App (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs Army on this week’s episode of the Blue and Gray Preview Show, kicking off live on Wednesday on the Rice Athletics YouTube channel. Look for a recap of the game on the site afterward as well as on The Roost Podcast, which should be released early next week.

Sizing up the contenders

The losses are already beginning to stack up for Rice football and head coach Mike Bloomgren who have suffered two painful defeats to begin what was meant to be a breakthrough season. While a road loss at West Point would be far from the most painful defeat, the Owls need to start putting numbers in the win column before things spiral further. As for Army, the Black Knights view themselves as AAC contenders and already own a conference win, taking down FAU in Week 2. A 2-0 start in a new league would put them among the leaders from the jump.

Series History

All Time | Tied, 4-4-1
Last Five | Army leads, 3-2
Last Meeting | Away 2019, Army won 14-7

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Rice Football Stat Notables

Passing | Warner – 59/95 (62.1 percent), 466 yards, 3 TD, 4 INT
Rushing | Connors – 32 carries, 197 yards (6.2 yards per carry), 5 TD / Atkins – 17 carries, 115 yards (6.8 yards per carry), 2 TD
Receiving | Sykes – 10 receptions, 127 yards (12.7 yds/rec), 1 TD / Groen – 10 receptions, 63 yards (6.3 yds/rec) / Connors – 18 receptions, 81 yards (4.5 yds/rec)
Tackles | Pearcy/Fresch – 14, Morris/Taylor – 13, Boenisch – 11
Pass Breakups | Fresech – 3, Green/Ahoia/Jean/Fresch – 1 each
Interceptions | Flowers/Williams – 1

Army Stat Notables

Passing | Daily – 4/10 (40.0 percent), 79 yards, 1 TD
Rushing | Daily – 35 carries, 195 yards (5.6 yards per carry), 2 TD / Udoh – 29 carries, 143 yards (5.0 yards per carry), 3 TD / Noah Short – 19 carries, 243 yards (12.8 yards per carry), 1 TD
Receiving | Reynolds – 2 receptions, 66 yards (33.0 yds/rec), 1 TD / Schurr – 2 receptions, 22 yards (11.0 yds/rec)
Tackles | Fortner – 12, DiDomenico – 10, Thomas – 9 
Pass Breakups | Shields – 2, DiDomenico/Modozie/Williams – 1
Interceptions | DiDomenico/Mayes/Platt – 1

Army X-Factor | Don’t get cute

A year ago Army head coach Jeff Monken dabbled in modernizing the Army scheme, moving away from the traditional option and taking to the air more often. That lasted about half a season before returning to what the Black Knights have always done best, running the ball. To that end, Army completed one pass in their thorough drubbing of Florida Atlantic in their first AAC game.

When it comes to taking on one of the conference’s other Owls, Army shouldn’t have to overthink it. Rice struggled to contain the quarterback run game against SHSU and while the Owls were better against Houston, they still were prone to give up an explosive play on the ground here and there. Against a team like Army which will stress the Owls’ schematic soundness time and time again, it might only take a few opportunities to take control of this game.

Rice X-Factor | Fix the offense, stat

Bloomgren said it best in the aftermath of the Houston defeat. “The worst thing you can do in the world against any of the academies is to go three and out because you put your defense in such a tough situation. So we’ve got to make sure we’re moving the sticks offensively, doing our part,” he said. “Also, the thing that comes with that is knowing that every offensive possession is like gold because they’re going to be minimized so much. You’re talking about getting eight nine or ten possessions in a game against an academy instead of 11 or 12. Everything’s magnified.”

That’s the reality Rice football is facing. How they go about addressing it remains to be seen. Bloomgren had some theories as to the root cause of the offensive issues so far this season, a topic addressed in detail here, but no matter the cause, an answer is essential. Rice might only get a few cracks at putting up points this weekend. They can’t afford to continue to walk away empty-handed. 

Injury Report (Subscribers only)

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One Final Thing

The last time this staff went to West Point they handled the option extremely well. Army won that 2019 game 14-7 and had it not been for a failed fourth down conversion and a relatively young, unproven quarterback, Rice might have walked away with a victory. The result of that game is less important to this one as was the Owls’ discipline and ability to stay fundamentally sound on defense. The 2024 version of the Rice defense is faster and more athletic which, on paper, bodes well for the Owls’ chances of rebounding this weekend.

But as any Rice football fan is painfully aware of right now, games aren’t played on paper. If they were, Rice wouldn’t have been blown off the field last weekend in their rivalry game and wouldn’t be entering conference play with a losing record. There’s evidence this team is capable of neutralizing Army’s biggest advantage, but they’re going to have to prove they can do it again before anyone feels comfortable asserting they’ve got this one in the bag.

Rice has a home game against Charlotte looming and the chance to get to their first bye week with a winning record. This team can’t afford to look past anyone, but the optics of a rebound are within the range of possibility. That all starts with getting the offense moving and finding a way to get revenge on the troops from that loss at West Point a few years back. 

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