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Rice Football 2023: South Florida Game Week Practice Report

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Rice football hits the road for their first-ever AAC game against South Florida. Here’s what we learned from practice this week.

Hoping to be 3-1 for the first time since 2001, Rice football heads to Florida to take on USF and first-year head coach Alex Golesh this weekend. The Owls had plenty of film to review following the Texas Southern win and had a few changes to make as a result.

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This week’s roundup focuses on how Rice football plans to address the tempo USF plays with as well as some potential personnel decisions at linebacker and running back that could be intriguing as the team prepares for Week 4.

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Tempo, tempo, tempo

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Rice Football 2023: South Florida presser quotes and depth chart

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Rice football visits South Florida this week. Here’s what Mike Bloomgren had to say about the matchup at hand 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 last week’s game and looked ahead at their upcoming matchup with USF.

Listen Now: The Roost Pod – Breaking down Rice Football vs Texas Southern

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

“It makes our job as coaches, easy. When you can see the quality of the opponent on the film you watch all week, you know we got to be locked into the details if we want this dub… They played like a very confident group against Alabama on Saturday. I thought their defense did exceptional and their offense had many opportunities. They were not ever struggling to move the ball.” – Mike Bloomgren on what Rice learned from watching USF play Alabama

“I just think like that tempo is going to be a deciding factor in how successful we are. If we’re ready for the fight, I’ll bet on our defense. If we’re ready for the fight every play I just believe so strongly in the way these guys are performing the effort and they’re playing with.” – Mike Bloomgren on preparing for USF’s tempo on offense

“I think they do a lot of movement, a lot of good things for them that fit their scheme, but I believe it’s on us up front. If we handle our business and give JT [Daniels] the time he needs, there’s nothing that can stop our offense, to be honest.” – Offensive lineman Lavel Dumont on preparing for USF’s defense

“The last time I was at the Buccaneers Stadium was 2006 with Sean… Being behind the bench, him scoring and handing me the ball, it’s probably going to bring back a lot of memories but our main focus is to win, go 1-0 with the team and head back to Houston.” – Safety Gabe Taylor on returning to Raymond James Stadium and remembering his brother, Sean Taylor 

Depth Chart

Rice Football

Depth Chart Notes

The depth chart continues to be uneventful each week, and that’s probably a good thing. Bloomgren did not during the press conference this week that he was hopeful offensive lineman Clay Servin and backup quarterback AJ Padgett would be available this weekend, but couldn’t say for certain if they would be at this time. He noted the team did not expect Chibby Nwajuaku to be available.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 160 – Rice Football blasts TSU

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Rice Football wasted no time in a thorough drubbing of Texas Southern, moving to 2-1 and securing the “Clutch City Sweep” over all Houston programs.

Texas Southern barely stood a chance on Saturday in their matchup with Rice football, which dominated their visiting intra-city foes from the very first snap. It was a cathartic and to some degree, unexciting game, a welcome occurrence for Owls fans hoping to see an uneventful victory. Let’s recap the game.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 160.

Episode Notes

DCTF

The Roost Podcast is now part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner.

Homefield

We’re thrilled to partner with Homefield Apparel, the premier proprietor of college football clothing. First-time buyers can use the code ROOST for 15% off their order. The Owls hoodie is a personal favorite. Shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

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Recapping Rice Football vs Texas Southern

  • Another first drive takeaway from the defense
  • JT Daniels is awesome
  • Chase Jenkins looked solid in mop up duty
  • The running game was okay… but could be better?
  • The defensive performance was pretty darn close to perfect
  • Rice is 2-1!

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Rice Football 2023: NFL Owls Week 2 Roundup

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Rice Football is well represented on 2023 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) Week 2 Result Week 3
Denver Broncos Elijah Garcia (DL) vs Commanders L, 38-35 at Dolphins
Detroit Lions Jack Fox (P) vs Seahawks L, 37-31 (OT) vs Falcons
Indianapolis Colts Kylen Granson (TE) at Texans W, 31-20 at Ravens
New England Patriots Calvin Anderson (OL) vs Dolphins L, 24-17 at Jets
Pittsburgh Steelers Chris Boswell (PK) vs Browns (MNF) W, 26-22 at Raiders
Seattle Seahawks Myles Adams (DL) at Lions L, 37-31 (OT) vs Panthers
Tampa Bay Bucs Nick Leverett (OL) vs Bears W, 27-17 vs Eagles

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Patriots

Anderson posted his second start of the season this weekend in the Patriots loss to the Dolphins.

Kylen Granson – TE, Colts

Granson was the third most targeted player for the Colts on Sunday, hauling in three passes for 16 yards and the team’s only receiving score of the day. It was the first touchdown of his career.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett was active for the Bucs again this week, but did not see action in their Week 2 win over the Bears.

Defense

Myles Adams – DL, Seahawks

Adams was active but did not record any tackles in the Seahawks’ Week 2 game against the Lions.

Elijah Garcia – DL, Broncos

After appearing in the Broncos’ season opener, Garcia was inactive for their Week 2 game against the Commanders.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox was only called upon once on Sunday, booting a 53-yard punt in his only touch against the Seahawks.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell was perfect under the Monday Night Football lights, connecting on a pair of extra points and both of his field goals tries, including a long of 52 yards.

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 2023 Game Preview: South Florida

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Rice football visits USF in their first-ever AAC game this weekend. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Winners of two in a row, Rice football heads to the Sunshine State for their first ever AAC game against a South Florida squad that  played well against Alabama in Week 2, albeit in losing fashion. Head coach Alex Golesh didn’t mince words with the result. “Valiant efforts are for losers. Moral victories are for losers,” he said. “That’s what losers say. Winners win.”

There will be no moral victories this weekend. Someone will be tied atop the conference standings and someone else will be o-1. Here’s everything you need to know about this week’s matchup between Rice and USF.

Kickoff time | 3:00 PM CT
Venue | Raymond James Stadium – Tampa, Florida
TV | ESPNU (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Varsity Radio App (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs USF on this week’s episode of the Blue and Gray Preview Show, streaming live on Wednesday at Noon 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

Neither USF nor Rice football were expected to be among the contenders for the AAC this season. The Owls were picked to finish 12th, the Bulls picked just behind them at 13th. The winner will be tied with Memphis at 1-0 for first place. If Rice wins, they’ll be 3-1 with a Power 5 victory already under their belt. If USF wins, they’ll be .500 through four games under a first year head coach. This is a big one.

Series History

All Time | n/a
Last Five | n/a
Last Meeting | n/a

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Rice Football Stat Notables

Passing | Daniels – 53/85 (62.4 percent), 805 yards, 8 TD, 3 INT
Rushing | Connors – 24 carries, 137 yards (5.7 yards per carry), 1 TD / Alexander – 14 carries, 40 yards (2.9 yards per carry), 5 TD
Receiving | McCaffrey – 11 receptions, 171 yards (15.5 yds/rec), 4 TDs / Walker – 7 receptions, 151 yards (21.6 yds/rec), 2 TD
Tackles | Wyatt – 17 / Morrison – 16 / Pearcy – 15
Pass Breakups | Fresch – 4 / Devones, Jean, Wyatt, Narcisse – 2 
Interceptions | Devones – 1

USF Stat Notables

Passing | B. Brown – 49/96 (51.0 percent), 450  yards, 4 TD, 3 INT
Rushing | B. Brown – 65 carries, 269 yards (4.1 yards per carry), 4 TD / Wright – 41 carries, 210 yards (5.1 ypc), 0 TD
Receiving | Atkins – 16 receptions, 142 yards (8.9 yards per reception), 0 TD / K. Brown – 6 receptions, 109 yards (18.2 yds/rec), 2 TD
Tackles | Shuler – 21 / Gordon – 19 / Evans – 18
Pass Breakups | Berryhill, Logan – 2 /  Five others – 1 
Interceptions | Berryhill – 2 / Stokes – 1

USF X-Factor | Contain the passing attack

USF ranks in the bottom quartile of the country in explosive passing plays allowed on defense (12), averaging four 20+ yard completions against their defense through three games. Against Alabama last weekend, though, USF gave up just one such play and (not coincidentally) posted their best defensive performance of the season against one of the most talented teams in the country. 

If one is inclined to believe the box scores, as unthinkable as this might have been to those outside of South Main until even a few weeks ago, Rice quarterback JT Daniels has been better than either of the signal callers Alabama played against USF last weekend. He will test USF downfield. If they can stand tall and take that element away from the Ric offense, things could get interesting. 

The Rice running game was more productive in the second half against Texas Southern than it had been yet this season, but it certainly hasn’t been fantastic quite yet. Someone is going to try to force the Owls to be one dimensional and it might just be USF.

Rice X-Factor | Win the turnover battle

Sometimes, it’s not rocket science. The Owls were -3 in turnovers against Texas and lost the game by four scores. They were -1 against Houston, allowing the Cougars to erase a 28-point Owl advantage because of miscues. Against Texas Southern, inarguably the least talented team Rice football has played thus far, they won the turnover battle 2-0 and won in dominant fashion.

The USF offense has shown spurts of ability in the early days of the Golesh era. If they’re able to move the ball well against the Owls, adding a turnover deficit on the road would not be a recipe that portends success. For Rice to enable themselves to play their game and stay on schedule, being turnover neutral, at a minimum, is a must.

In practice, that means a bit more poise from Daniels on some of his bolder throws and sure hands from the skill players, who have put the ball on the deck a few times so far this season. 

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One Final Thing

Rice football has never started 3-1 under head coach Mike Bloomgren. The Owls got to 3-2 last year but had to knock off UAB in game five to get there. 3-1 would be a first. As Bloomgren continues to make his case that 2023 will be his breakthrough season, a strong start like that would certainly be noticed. It also could set up something more.

Rice returns home the following weekend and plays ECU (0-3) and UConn (0-3) before a bye week. This program is not far enough removed from some very hard seasons to start counting a single win before it happens, but it’s not too presumptive to say the schedule couldn’t be set up much more favorably for this team in the weeks ahead. A 3-1 start could turn into much more.

First, though, Rice football has to take care of business. Win this game on the road, their first road victory of the season, and come home healthy. If you can achieve that, we could be looking at a rare opportunity and an intriguing start to a season that hasn’t been seen on South Main in quite some time. They’ll just need to beat first-year head coach Alex Golesh to get that chance. 

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