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Rice Football: What to expect from the Early Signing Period

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The first members of the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class will sign this week. Here’s where the Owls stand entering the Early Signing Period on Wednesday.

It’s been nine months, almost to the day, that the 2021 Rice Football Recruiting class truly started in earnest. On March 8, offensive lineman Faaeanuu Pepe committed to the Owls. He was the first of four commitments Rice picked up in the span of five days, and part of a thinning number of 2021 commits that actually stepped foot on South Main during this calendar year.

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For many in this class, the virtual recruiting landscape has been the norm. That speaks volumes of the work Recruiting Director Alex Brown and his staff have done, navigating a pandemic to assemble what is currently on pace to be the highest-ranked class in Rice history. That would be a nice encore to the 2020 class, which currently holds the top spot.

Subscribers will have access to a live blog on Wednesday tracking all the developments throughout the day as well as several pieces in the coming days breaking down the class. Stay tuned. This is going to be a fun week. Not a subscriber? Join now.

Where things stand right now

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Rice Football: Owls’ succumb to beat up Blazers in season finale

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Rice Football fought to the end but couldn’t overcome an explosive UAB offense, falling in their regular season finale to the divisional champs.

Fresh off a momentous road win, Rice football ran out of gas in front of their home fans. The Owls took UAB to the wire, but couldn’t finish things off in their regular season finale, falling by a final score of 21-16.

Like they’ve become accustomed to, Rice started strong, shutting out UAB in the first quarter and taking a 6-0 lead of their own. UAB founds it’s footing and exploded for to take the lead, forcing Rice into comeback mode in the second half. Down to their third-string quarterback, the Owls could not muster the comeback they needed. Here are a few immediate takeaways from the game:

Pound the rock, control the clock and play great defense… early

It’s fitting that the final home game in Year 3 of the Mike Bloomgren era started out how it did. After a quick three-and-out by the Rice defense, the offense took the ball and delivered on its’ Intellectual Brutality mantra.

Rice marched down the field on 20 plays, going 62 yards, converting multiple third down and fourth down attempts en route to a field goal and an early 3-0 lead. In the process, the Owls burned more than 12 minutes off the clock.

UAB got the ball, went three-and-out again, and the same sequence transpired. Rice crept down the field, this time aided by a few penalties from UAB, and tacked on another field goal. This one followed an eight-play, 35-yard drive that took 4:35 off the clock.

Secondary shows leaks

The strong start turned sour when UAB started to connect on some deep shots. UAB Quarterback Tyler Johnston was able to do what Marshall quarterback Grant Wells was not and the results were jarring to a defense that had just pitched a shutout seven days ago.

Rice was physical along the line of scrimmage, but they were surprised downfield too many times. Those three big plays, one for 54-yards, another for 63-yards and one more for 42-yards, were directly responsible for all of the Blazers’ points.

In many ways, the game showed eerie similarities to the matchup between these teams in Birmingham last season. In that game Johnson threw touchdown passes of 46-yards, 36-yards and 57-yards. All positive momentum the Owls’ had gained early faded with each successive bomb.

The passing game lacks consistency

Jovoni Johnson threw for 86 yards against Marshall. He threw for 161 yards on Saturday against UAB before leaving in the fourth quarter with an injury. In comparison, Mike Collines threw for 242, 233 and 327 yards in his three outings as the starter.

To be fair, Johnson never had the benefit of playing alongside team captain and leading receiver Austin Trammell, but the lack of any downfield presence completely siphoned the big play potential from this offense.

Rice can run the ball effectively and control the game, but without the ability to threaten a defense over the top, you wind up where they did midway through the second quarter: trailing 7-6 despite outgaining their opponents and racking up more than 16 minutes of possession to the Blazers six minutes.

Committing to your identity as a smashmouth, run-the-ball football team is one thing. Not being able to consistently pick up yards through the air when you need to is another. Collins showed this team can do it. Now they need to find a way to get it done no matter who is taking snaps.

So Close

A win on Saturday would have secured Rice football a winning record in conference play. Instead, the Owls’ strange five-game slate officially came to an end on Saturday with a loss to divisional winner UAB.

This season won’t (and shouldn’t) be remembered for its tough finale. But the lack of a bowl berth that was one win away will serve as a reminder that although this team has come a long way, they have some work to do before they get to where they want to be.

Were it not for an unbelievably bad bounce against Middle Tennessee, Rice would have that opportunity to play in a bowl game this year. This team was good enough to be postseason bound. And they came pretty close to doing so. The ball (literally) didn’t bounce their way.

There will be plenty of time to dig through the strange happenings of this year. Along the way, the Owls bludgeoned Southern Miss and blanked Marshall, two notable road wins. Now, Rice football will turn its attention to the Early Signing Period, which begins Wednesday. Rice currently has a Top 5 class in Conference USA.

Digging deeper (Subscribers only)

Every week we’ll have a stat, storyline or key learning from the game reserved for our subscribers.

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Rice Football 2020: UAB Presser quotes, practice notes and injury news

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Rice football seeks to finish strong against UAB on Senior Day. Here are the latest notes and press conference quotes from the week.

It was a great week for Rice football. Although fans are still riding high from the Owls’ historic road win against Marshall, the team has turned the page and has their attention focused squarely on UAB. For the first time this season, there will be fans allowed into Rice Stadium to see the contest in person.

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Head coach Mike Bloomgren spoke about the week that was and the task at hand. A few players chimed in as well. Then there’s the depth chart to get to, including some unfortunate injuries at key positions and some notes on what we might see on the field on Saturday.

Press Conference Quotes

“Because it’s such a big win, I probably let myself go an extra day with it. I probably went 48 hours instead of 24 hours enjoying it, because it is an absolutely huge win. But we know that that game, as good as we played, it won’t give us any points on the scoreboard. It won’t have a single stop on defense or a single interception. We have to go earn that this week.” – Mike Bloomgren on switching focus from Marshall to UAB

“UAB has a great offensive line. We’re gonna take the same things that we did last week, change up the scheme, and do the same thing this week. It’s no different. Whoever you put in front of us, that’s who we gotta go hit. So we gotta make it happen.”- Offensive lineman Jovaun Woolford on the UAB defensive front

“Awards come with wins. I think the biggest thing that I see when I see that I won that award is that we had a dominant team because I’ve had better individual performances but it doesn’t mean anything when you don’t get that W. The biggest thing that I’m excited about is that we got such a big team win.” – Linebacker Blaze Alldredge on being named C-USA Defensive Player of the Week

Depth Chart Notes

Here’s an updated depth chart from Rice football heading into the UAB game and some comments on a few notable additions and omissions as well as some injury notes:

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Rice Football Film Room 2020: Marshall Review

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Rice Football shocked Marshall last Saturday, shutting out the Herd in their own house. We take a look at how it happened in this week’s film room.

HOW ‘BOUT THEM OWLS, Y’ALL? I hope you’re all still riding as high as I am after a potential program-defining win for this team and coaching staff. With apologies to my hometown Blazers, I’m devoting this week’s Rice Football Film Room to the Marshall win; for more on UAB, go check Matt and Taylor McHargue on Inside the Hedges tonight or tune into The Roost Podcast on Thursday.

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With Saturday’s win fueled by—surprise!—a dominant performance by the defense, we’ll focus on that side of the ball.

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Rice Football 2020 Game Preview: UAB

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Rice Football is soaring after a landmark victory over Marshall. Can they finish strong and beat UAB? How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Down their starting quarterback, starting running back, top wide receiver and a few starters on defense, Rice football walked into Huntington, WV last weekend and bludgeoned No. 15 Marshall in their own building. The resounding 20-0 win has Rice riding high entering their last scheduled game of an up-and-down 2020 season.

UAB just wants to play a football game. They’ve been idle since Halloween, following four cancelations.  Their last time out they lost a nailbiter to Louisiana Tech in double overtime.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 12:00 PM CT
Venue | Rice Stadium – Houston, TX
TV | ESPN3 (Streaming)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs UAB on Episode 66 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 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

This game has a lot riding on it for both parties. Fresh off their upset over Marshall, Rice football can clinch a winning record (3-2) with a win in what is likely to be their regular season finale. Going from 3-9 to 3-2 in the midst of a pandemic with a signature win would be definitive evidence the program is on the rise.

For UAB, the win would put them even with Rice at three wins, but more importantly, give them claim to the Conference USA West Division Title. As far as the tiebreakers stand right now, a 3-1 UAB would get in over a 5-2 UTSA based on winning percentage. With a loss, the Blazers fall to 2-2 and would finish behind Rice in the conference standings.

Series History

All Time | UAB leads 5-3
Last Five | UAB leads 3-2
Last Meeting | Away 2020, UAB won 35-20

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Collins – 53/86 (61.6 percent), 802 yards passing, 10 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Otoviano – 45 carries, 195 yards (4.3 yards per carry) | Griffin – 58 carries, 215 yards (3.7 yards per carry)
Receiving | Trammell – 16 receptions, 335 yards (20.9 yards per reception), 6 TD | Myers – 15 receptions, 147 yards (9.8 yards per reception)
Tackles | Alldredge – 42, Montero – 23, Garcia – 23
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Calderon – 2 PBU / Six players tied with 1 INT

UAB Stat Notables

Passing | Lucero – 79/146 (54.1 percent), 969 yards passing, 7 TD, 8 INT
Rushing | Brown – 156 carries, 740 yards (4.7 yards per carry), 10 TD
Receiving | Watkins – 34 receptions, 468 yards (13.8 yards per reception), 3 TD | Mitchell – 26 receptions, 360 yards (13.8 yards per reception), 2 TD
Tackles | Moll – 47, Wilder – 42, Boler – 33
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Marshall, Miller – 3 PBU / Six tied with one interception

UAB X-Factor | Take care of the football

Notwithstanding any rust they might have accrued over month long wait, holding onto the football will be paramount for the Blazers this Saturday. UAB is minus-three in turnover margin this year, but they’re carelessness with the football was significantly worse over the second half of their games compared to their start.

UAB committed four turnovers in their first three games, forcing six of their own for a plus-two margin. In their last four games, which includes all three of their C-USA contests, the Blazers have committed 11 turnovers while forcing just six of their own. They’re 2-2 over that stretch.

Rice just showcased what happens when opposing teams hand them extra mistakes and the Owls probably left points on the board against Marshall. UAB can’t afford to be sloppy.

Rice X-Factor | Win on third downs

For all the Owls did right in their upset of Marshall, they didn’t fair well on third down Rice converted 5-of-13 attempts, with their first successful conversion not occurring until the final two minutes of the first half. A fourth down conversion and a defensive touchdown helped them put enough points on the board, but the Owls’ base their success on being able to stay on the field and control the clock.

In 2019, Rice was 3-2 when converting at least 42% of their third down attempts. They’re 1-0 this year, representing their win over Southern Miss in which they converted 9-of-15 third downs (60 percent).

The offense has the potential to be significantly better, no matter what skill players take the field, if they can manage to extend drives. Converting on a few more third downs will ensure that happens.

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. How many turnovers will the Rice defense force?
    One or fewer / Two or more
  2. How many yards will the longest Rice scoring drive be?
    Over 59.5 / Under 59.5 
  3. Will there be a fourth down conversion by either team?
    Yes / No
  4. Which team completes more passes?
    Rice / UAB (or tie)
  5. Which teams score in the first quarter?
    Only Rice / Only UAB / Both teams score
  6. Who wins?
    Rice / UAB
  7. Bonus (3 pts)
    How many points does Rice score? (Must be exact)

One Final Thing

To some extent, it feels like Rice is playing with house money in this game. As long as they show up and put forth a respectable performance against the defending C-USA West Champions, the Owls will have done enough this season to prove they’re heading in the right direction.

But, if they do win, the ripple effect would be massive. A win against UAB would secure a 3-2 record, including wins over the two teams considered to be the best in the conference entering the year. They’d be one bad loss (North Texas) or one weird bounce (Middle Tennessee) away from outright clinching the West division, a 4-1 record would have been enough.

Way back when this was expected to be a normal 12-game season, going to a bowl game was the expectation. Coming one win away from playing in the conference championship game would have been widely considered a step beyond that. That’s what’s on the table for Rice against UAB.

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