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Rice Football 2020: Post Southern Miss presser and practice notes

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There’s a lot going on in the world of Rice football. Here’s a rundown of the weekly press conference and an update from practice headed into the UTSA game.

The season is back in full swing and we’ve got a full slate of Rice football updates on deck for everyone this week. I’ll include a few snippets from today’s press conference here as well as updates from practice on Monday. The players were off on Tuesday for the Election.

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Press conference notes and quotes

Head coach Mike Bloomgren did note a few players of the week following the victory:

  • Defensive Player of the Game – Chike Anigbogu
  • Offensive Player of the Game – Austin Trammell
  • Special Teams Player of the Game – Charlie Mendes
  • Offense Scout Team Player of the Week – Caleb James
  • Defense Scout Team Player of the Week – TJ McMahon
  • Special Teams Player of the Week – Terreance Ellis

“Anytime you are giving up big plays the way we did in the first game, that’s never a good thing. I think we talked a lot about eliminating the big plays, keeping it in front of us, and I think the guys got the message and we played a lot better in those critical situations at the end of the half and on third down.” – Brian Smith on the what the defense did differently from game one to game two

It felt good to get a win, it really did. It felt great to get a win on Saturday. An incredible effort from start to finish from our guys. I think, really the opening kickoff all the way through the fourth quarter you saw a lot of strain, a lot of physicality. And I can’t say enough about how proud I am of that team for continuing to work the way they did.” – Bloomgren on the Owls’ first win of 2020

“Mike [Collins] is the biggest change. It’s the best play we’ve had out of a quarterback in our time here… Mike is changing the game for our football team. He’s giving everybody a chance to showcase their talent. And it sure doesn’t hurt that the offensive line and the blocking unit is giving him time as well. Everything’s working together, but if I were to identify one change, so far, it would be Mike Collins.” – Bloomgren on the biggest change in the offense from last year to this year

“Two games in, we’re in a good spot… I just don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves I think we’ve got so much we can improve on right now. Yes, we’re better, but that was a pretty low bar. I want to see how good this offense can perform.” – Bloomgren on how the offense meets his expectations

Practice updates and Southern Miss takeaways

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Rice Football 2020 Game Preview: UTSA Roadrunners

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Fresh off their first win, Rice football returns to Houston in Week 10 to face UTSA. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Rice football bounced back (bad pun intended) from a rough loss to Middle Tennessee with an emphatic win over Southern Miss on the road. The victory marked the first over Southern Miss in Hattiesburg since 2014 and put the Owls back into the think of the C-USA West standings.

UTSA had a less-than-stellar week, falling to FAU on the road and failing to get into the endzone. After winning their first three, the Roadrunners have dropped four of their last five contests.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 2:30 PM CT
Venu | Rice Stadium – Houston, Tx
TV | ESPN3 (Streaming)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs UTSA on Episode 59 of The Roost Podcast which will be released on Thursday. Find us on the podcast page or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. (And consider leaving us a 5-star review while you’re at it.)

Visual Preview

Make sure you check out Inside the Hedges, a weekly show with myself and former Rice football quarterback Taylor McHargue. Watch it live on Wednesday nights at 7:00 p.m. here or watch it at your leisure on the Rice Athletics Youtube page.

Join the Conversation

What are your keys to victory this week? What pitfalls must the Owls avoid? Did you like that third down call? Share your thoughts on the matchup on the forum and make sure you tune in Saturday for our live game blog keeping track of every score and key moment.

Sizing up the contenders

A Rice win would push the Owls’ record to 2-1 and tie them for UAB for the top spot in the West, keeping them at least one game in front of Louisiana Tech in the loss column. After a long wait to start the season and a heartbreaking opening loss, Rice could control their own destiny once again.

UTSA is on the verge of losing all the momentum they had from their fast start, making a win over a surging Rice squad imperative for the Roadrunners. A win would be the first C-USA road victory for new head coach Jeff Traylor.

Series History

All Time | UTSA leads 5-3
Last Five | UTSA leads 5-0
Last Meeting | Away 2019, UTSA won 31-27

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Collins – 30/52 (57.7 percent), 475 yards passing, 8 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Otoviano – 45 carries, 195 yards (4.3 yards per carry)
Receiving | Trammell – 10 receptions, 219 yards (21.9 yards per reception), 5 TD | Bailey – 5 receptions, 67 yards (13.4 yards per reception), 1 TD
Tackles | Alldredge – 21, Montero – 17, Garcia – 13
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Devones – 1 PBU / McCord – 1 INT

UTSA Stat Notables

Passing | Harris – 93/160 (58.1), 895 yards passing, 4 TD, 4 INT
Rushing | McCormick – 171 carries, 921 yards (5.4 yards per carry), 7 TD
Receiving | Cephus – 40 receptions, 386 yards (9.6 yards per reception), 3 TD | Franklin – 32 receptions, 390 yards (12.2 yards per reception), 4 TD
Tackles | Wisdom – 63, Ligan – 52, Harmanson – 49
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Mayfield – 6 PBU / Wisdom – 2 INT

UTSA X-Factor | Keep Rice honest

Rice knows UTSA is going to attempt to pound the rock with Sincere McCormick, and winning on the ground would be huge for the Roadrunners’ chances, but connecting on explosive plays through the air could be the determining factor.

Frank Harris might not be an elite downfield passer, but Rice has allowed chunk plays through the air in each of their first two games. His ability to find pockets in the secondary will keep Rice from loading the box to stop McCormick. No passing threat, no reason to leave themselves vulnerable to the most explosive player on the UTSA offense.

UTSA is going to need to hit some deep shots. If they don’t, it’s going to be hard to keep the offense on the field and score with any level of consistency.

Rice X-Factor | Stop Sincere

UTSA is 3-1 when running back Sincere McCormick scores a touchdown this season. They’re 2-0 when he rushes for more than 150 yards, a feat he’s achieved twice. When he touches the football at least 23 times, UTSA is a perfect 3-0.

It really is that simple. If Rice can limit McCormick, they shut down the UTSA offense. Rice has been stingy on the ground through its first two games.

Middle Tennessee running back Chaton Mobley averaged 2.4 yards per carry and dual-threat quarterback Asher Ohara averaged 3.1, reaching 71 rushing yards including overtime. Southern Miss’ lead back Frank Gore Jr. had 71 yards on 11 carries, but was kept in check by the lopsided score and held in check for most of the game.

Injury Report (Subscribers only)

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Need More?

The Roost’s 2020 Rice Football Season Preview has four pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth charts, important new arrivals and depth chart breakdowns for every team in Conference USA. Better yet, it’s not just speculation, each profile was created with insight from local experts who cover those teams day in and day out. Pick up your copy today and get four pages and more than 1,000 words on every foe.

Pick ‘Em Contest

If you haven’t yet, make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and submit them on the forum thread to enter.

  1. Which team has more rushing yards?
    Rice / UTSA (or tie)
  2. What will be the combined point total?
    Over 49.5 / Under 49.5
  3. Will Rice commit more than four accepted penalties?
    Yes / No
  4. Will either team score on defense or special teams?
    Yes / No
  5. Who leads at halftime?
    Rice / UTSA
  6. Who wins?
    Rice / UTSA

One Final Thing

The narrative of a single season doesn’t often hang on a single game, but the Owls’ shortened 2020 campaign feels like it’s hit the highs and the lows of the emotional roller coaster through two weeks. Is the team as good as they looked against Southern Miss or are the issues showcased in the loss to Middle Tennessee too much to overcome with consistency? Another game will give us some answers.

It’s going to be hard not to react to either extreme. A win would put Rice (at least mathematically) tied atop the C-USA West standings with one fewer loss than Louisiana Tech, should the Bulldogs win. A loss would put Rice closer to the bottom half of the division in a home game where they’ll most likely be favorites to win.

Either way, the repercussions from this game in what is currently a six-game season, will carry weight. The Owls control their own destiny. All they have to do now is execute.

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Rice Football 2020 Practice Notes: Breaking down the wide receivers

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The Rice football receiving corps is running low on bodies. How will the Owls move forward and who will take the field against Southern Miss?

I was paying close attention to the wide receivers at practice this week and had some time to catch up with Rice football wide receivers coach Mike Kershaw. Between the injuries Rice had coming into the season opener against Middle Tennessee and the loss of a starter in the opener itself, the need for answers at the position has never been more pressing.

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Beyond the individuals, there’s also some insight below on the offense as a whole as a result of the thinned out receiving corps. How the Owls will line up against Southern Miss could be impacted by their limited numbers. If you’re looking for a deeper dive, I dug into the reasons I believe the offensive uptick can continue despite the injuries in this month’s All-American Q&A.

And then there were five…

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Is this Rice Football offense for real? All-American Q&A

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All-American Level subscribers on Patreon get access to a monthly Q&A with me. The October edition focuses on the sustainability of the Rice football offense.

Q. Rice football scored 34 points against Middle Tennessee. Was the offensive “explosion” caused by how bad MTSU’s defense was or because the Rice offense has actually figured things out?

A.  The story almost writes itself, doesn’t it? Journeyman quarterback transfers to a small school for one last ride. He steps onto the field and leads the team to more points in his debut than the school had scored in the previous 27 contests.

Rice last scored at least 34 points in a losing effort against Southern Miss in 2017. With the Owls set to face the Golden Eagles the weekend after this new offensive outburst, it’s only fitting this question arises.

So, can the Rice offense keep it up?

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Rice Football Film Room 2020: Middle Tennessee Review

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Rice Football has one game in the books. We learned a lot about this team, both good and bad in this week’s edition of the film room.

Well, that was a heartbreaker, wasn’t it? Normally after a disheartening loss like that, I’d be tempted to put it all behind us and use the Film Room to preview the next week’s opponent. The problem there is that Southern Miss, this week’s opponent, is now on their third head coach and possibly third quarterback of the year? So I don’t even know what that offense (the only part of this USM team really worth discussing) is going to look like at this point. Plus, I really do think there are some positives to take away from the MTSU game.

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Key mistakes early put Rice in a big hole, and conservative playcalling plus an absurdly improbable doomed the Owls in overtime. But the Owls dominated the game between the middle of the third quarter and the end of regulation, outsourcing MTSU 21-6 over that time period. If Rice can recreate the efficiency they displayed on both sides of the ball during that stretch, they’ll be in good shape going forward. Let’s look at a play from each side of the ball from that run of solid play.

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