The source for Rice sports news

The Roost Podcast | Ep 169 – Rice Football is bowl bound!

By

Rice football clinched bowl eligibility, downing the Owls from FAU to secure their sixth win of the season and allow us all to exhale.

The first play was scary, but Rice football responded well and found a way to make sure they scored at least one more point than the visiting Owls to secure back-t0-back bowl trips. The home Owls ground out a win in a game in which they felt like the much better team throughout. We talk through the win and try to make sense of some of the oddities along the way.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 169.

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. So is the brand new Luv-Ya-Owls shirt. Shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

Homefield

Patreon

Get exclusive insight on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes practice updates, analysis and more. Your support matters and makes The Roost better.

Become a Patron!

Recapping Rice Football vs FAU

  • AJ Padgett and the Rice offense did just enough
  • The offense is functional, but made a few costly mistakes
  • Just get the ball to Luke McCaffrey and Dean Connors
  • The defense played incredibly well, aside from the first play
  • Rice is going bowling, possibly somewhere tropical?
  • Six wins mattered for this team, and we’re glad they got there

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.ri

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Football 2023: NFL Owls Week 12 Roundup

By

Rice Football is well represented on 2023 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 12.

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
Denver Broncos Elijah Garcia (DL) vs Browns W, 29-12 at Texans
Detroit Lions Jack Fox (P) vs Packers (Thr) L, 29-22 at Saints
Indianapolis Colts Kylen Granson (TE) vs Bucs W, 27-20 at Titans
Los Angeles Rams Austin Trammell (WR) at Chargers (SNF) W, 37-14 vs Browns
New England Patriots Calvin Anderson (OL) at Giants L, 10-7 vs Chargers
Pittsburgh Steelers Chris Boswell (PK) at Bengals W, 16-10 vs Cardinals
Seattle Seahawks Myles Adams (DL) vs 49ers (Thr) L, 31-13 vs Cowboys
Tampa Bay Bucs Nick Leverett (OL) at Colts L, 27-20 vs Panthers

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Patriots

Anderson was active but did not play in the Patriots’ Week 12 game against the Giants.

Kylen Granson – TE, Colts

Granson saw a season-high six targets and posted a season-best four receptions on Sunday, accounting for 39 yards in the Colts’ victory over the Bucs.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett was active but did not play in the Bucs’ Week 12 game against the Colts.

Austin Trammell – WR, Rams

Trammell saw only a handful of offensive snaps for the Rams on Sunday, making his contributions instead of special teams, where he returned two punts for 22 total yards.

Defense

Myles Adams – DL, Seahawks

Adams was active for the Seahawks’ Thanksgiving Day game against the 49ers, his first time being active since Week 7. He stepped right into a prominent role on special teams, playing a season-high eight snaps with that unit.

Elijah Garcia – DL, Broncos

Garcia was inactive for the Broncos’ Week 12 game against the Browns.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox punted twice on Thanksgiving Day for 83 yards, with a long of 45 and one of his two balls downed inside the 20.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell did what he does on Sunday, delivering another perfect performance from the field. He drove through all three of his field goal tries and a lone extra point attempt, personally contributing 10 points to a 16-10 victory over the Bengals.

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.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Mike Bloomgren, Rice Football take another step forward

By

Rice Football is going bowling for the second season in a row as head coach Mike Bloomgren continues to elevate the program one step at a time.

When you look at the Rice football win totals in the five non-COVID seasons under head coach Mike Bloomgren (Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.) you see a pattern: ascent. Bloomgren never went backward. The gripe with his tenure as the Owls’ headman never had anything to do with direction, it was all about the speed of those steps.

It was that most recent step that meant the most, to qualify for a bowl game “the old fashioned way” as some would say, with six regular-season wins. It was the first time the program had done so since 2014 and officially made Blomgren only the third coach in program history to reach back-to-back bowl games — Rice has fielded a team since 1914, 110 seasons ago.

To get this far, flooded Bloomgren with memories of all sorts. “When I took this job, we had played Rice the year before in Sydney, Australia. I don’t want to take anything away from that team, but there were a lot of people in the national media and coaches that told me not to take this job because they could never go to a bowl again,” Bloomgren recalled.

He cited his own stubbornness, the patience of former AD Joe Karlgaard who allowed him to remain in his position despite no winning seasons in his first five years at South Main and his staff and players for fighting through what he referred to as “headwinds” of all different kinds.

“But this is so cool to be here at this moment with the administration we have in place, the alignment we have in place and the excitement. And when you have a board of trustees and a president and AD that are going to do everything they can to help a football program, let’s go.”

The Owls will find out exactly where they will be going a few days from now on the Sunday following conference championship weekend. Rice won’t be playing in that game, perhaps a goal for next year and beyond, but the Owls did play both teams (Tulane and SMU) within a score, the latter with a backup quarterback for the second half.

To the Rice football players and staff, the bowl game destination is less relevant. Getting to this mountain top was a significant step, the next one would be winning, regardless of locale or opponent.

“I think the sky’s the limit,” senior running back Juma Otoviano said after the win. “We started from the ground up, but [we’re] looking at back-to-back bowl games and expecting to win this one.”

So in an era of rapid reaction and fast-moving chairs, under the leadership of a new athletic director who did not hire him, Bloomgren and his staff have taken yet another step on their climb in a conference incredibly more challenging than the one they played in over the previous five seasons. And there’s still a chance to win one more game and make this season even more special than it has already become.

“It makes me really proud of these kids and these coaches because nobody’s ever blinked. Anybody who’s still in this building has just kept fighting for what they believe in for these kids. That’s what’s all about,” Bloomgren said. “This team is always been worth fighting for for me, so it’s really cool.”

And the job isn’t done just yet. Bloomgren and Rice can turn that six into a seven with a bowl victory, a feat that hasn’t happened by the team on South Main since 2014.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

AAC Football 2023: Week 13 Roundup

By

AAC Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 12.

Team Record  This Week Result Up Next
Charlotte 3-9 (2-6) at USF L, 48-14  —
ECU 2-10 (1-7) vs Tulsa L, 29-27  —
FAU 4-8 (2-6) at Rice L, 24-21  —
Memphis 9-3 (6-2) at Temple (Fri) W, 45-21 Bowl
Navy 5-6 (4-4) at SMU L, 59-14 vs Army
North Texas 5-7 (3-5) vs UAB W, 45-42  —
Rice 6-6 (4-4) vs FAU W, 24-21 Bowl
SMU 10-2 (8-0) vs Navy W, 59-14 at Tulane (AAC Championship)
Temple 3-9 (1-7) vs Memphis (Fri) L, 45-21  —
Tulane 11-1 (8-0) vs UTSA (Fri) W, 29-16 vs SMU (AAC Championship)
Tulsa 4-8 (2-6) at ECU W, 29-27  —
UAB 4-8 (3-5) at North Texas L, 45-42  —
USF 6-6 (4-4) vs Charlotte W, 48-14 Bowl
UTSA 8-4 (7-1) at Tulane (Fri) L, 29-16 Bowl

Notable Results and Storylines // (Standings)

Conference Championship Game Set

SMU and Tulane will meet in the AAC Championship Game next weekend at Yulman Stadium after both teams posted resounding victories in the final weekend of regular season play. Unfortunately for the Mustangs, their win came with a great cost. Starting quarterback Preston Stone had to be carted off the field with an injury and presumably will not be available for the championship game,

Bowl Trip Secured

Rice football hadn’t been to bowl games in consecutive seasons since 2013-2014 until Mike Bloomgren accomplished the feat this season, clinching back-to-back bowl trips for his team with a win over FAU at home. USF also punched it’s postseason ticket on the final week of the regular season, taking down Charlotte.

Where the Media Went Wrong

The Media correctly tabbed the top four finishers in the preseason, albeit in a slightly different order with SMU (preseason No. 3) edging UTSA (preseason No. 2) out for the championship game berth. Having Temple, Tulsa and Charlotte in the bottom five proved to be correct as well.

The biggest surprises? Rice and USF. Picked to finish 12th, the Owls will finish sixth in the league, seven spots higher than projected. USF was the preseason No. 13 team. They’ll finish fifth in Alex Golesh’s first season at the helm. Their rise coincides with the falls of FAU and ECU, who were tabbed fifth and sixth only to finish 10th and 14th, respectively.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Football tops FAU, clinches bowl eligibility

By

Rice Football is going bowling for the second year in a row following a Senior Day victory over FAU, led by former Owl Tom Herman.

FAU struck first, but Rice football weathered the storm and gutted out its sixth win of the season, securing a second-consecutive bowl trip for head coach Mike Bloomgren and the Owls. On the arm of backup quarterback AJ Padgett, a resilient defense and an unrelenting desire to finish, Rice made the plays when they mattered most and found a way to win. Here are a few immediate reactions from the game:

This team is tough

Everything about this week of preparation suggested that Rice football would be ready for this game, so it was quite a surprise when FAU’s first play from scrimmage was a 75-yard touchdown run, possibly aided by a hold on Rice corner Tre’shon Devones. To follow that up with a long drive on offense that resulted in zero points and a turnover on downs inside the 10 was crushing.

Both the offense and the defense had come up short on their opening sequence whilst FAU had made the big play, twice. Rice had a choice to make. Was it going to be “Here we go again?” or would it be a call to arms with a renewed focus? Fortunately, it was the latter.

The offense got things back in gear, marched down the field and scored. The defense, after allowing 75 yards on the first play of the game, allowed FAU just 47 yards in the rest of the half.

A redzone interception by quarterback AJ Padgett didn’t do the Owls any favors, but the young signal caller recovered by leading a scoring drive on the next possession to put Rice in front at halftime. After so much going wrong for Rice in the first half, to enter the locker room with a lead spoke volumes. This team wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

It was fitting, then, that after a clock-killing drive that came up short on a failed fourth down conversion attempt the Rice defense was thrust back onto the field to make one last stop. With the game (and the postseason) literally on the line, the Owls got the job done.

Growing up before our eyes

Padgett took almost every snap during practice over the past two weeks but played relatively poorly in his two starts entering Saturday. His struggles, combined with the four-game redshirt rule which left backup freshman quarterback Chase Jenkins with one more game to play this season, led the staff to split reps between the quarterbacks during practice this week.

Bloomgren was adamant Jenkins would play. Offensive coordinator Marques Tuiasopop0 said he’d been in the game early. Yet when the halftime whistle sounded, Jenkins hadn’t moved from his perch on the Rice sideline. Why? Padgett, although not perfect, was moving the offense up and down the field.

In the first half alone, Padgett completed 12-of-19 passes for 172 yards, one touchdown and one pick. The interception was an impressive leaping grab by an FAU defensive back that wasn’t nearly as inexcusable as turnovers Padgett had committed in previous games. Despite only one score to show from it early on, the Owls’ redshirt freshman quarterback was playing well.

Bloomgren believed he could have been even better, though. “Still not the best of AJ Padgett,” he said after the game. “He is such a much better quarterback than what we’ve been able to put on display in games.”

Given a resilient running game and some penalties committed by FAU — at long last, a break on the officiating front for Rice — Padgett wasn’t asked to do too much in the second half. He calmly guided the team down to what would be the game-winning touchdown drive, finding Boden Groen in the back of the endzone for the score.

He finished the game 24-of-37 for 255 yards and three touchdowns with 32 yards rushing, before sacks. He was great on Saturday. And Rice needed every bit of it to win this game.

We’re going to miss Luke McCaffrey

“We talk about Luke McCaffrey so much, and we don’t talk about him enough. I think that couldn’t be more true,” Bloomgren said. “The impact that he has on our team and the player that he is. I feel so blessed to be able to work with him.”

Expectations were sky-high when McCaffrey committed to Rice prior to the 2021 season. A dual-threat quarterback, he was electric with the ball in his hands so hopes remained high when quarterbacking didn’t pan out and he made the decision to switch positions to wide receiver. Still, few could have expected just how impactful his time as a Rice pass catcher would be.

Despite only playing the position for two years, McCaffrey will leave Rice football among the top 10 in several all-time receiving record lists, climbing those charts on Saturday against FAU.

In what is expected to be his final regular season collegiate game, McCaffrey hauled in 12 passes for 141 yards and one touchdown reception, also adding 31 yards on the ground. “Whether he was running the ball today or catching it, I thought he was exceptional,” Bloomgren lauded.

McCaffrey has now caught at least one touchdown in seven consecutive games and scored in 10 of the Owls’ 12 games this season. In one of the games he didn’t score, he went off for a career-best 206 all-purpose yards

“Like earn it, for real”

There wasn’t a soul in the Brian Patterson center that was going to pass over a trip to the Lending Tree Bowl to play Southern Miss last season. Getting to the postseason, even with only five wins, was a meaningful step for the Rice football program a year ago. But at the same time, everyone knew they hadn’t quite delivered on those preseason expectations.

Offensive coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo said it best this week when asked about how much a win on Senior Day to reach six regular season wins would mean to this team. Defeating FAU and clinching a bowl berth, in his words would be to “like earn it, for real.”

Saturday’s bowl-clinching win over FAU comes with no asterisks or what-ifs. It was a hard-fought, progress-proving victory, one that transpired without the Owls’ star quarterback JT Daniels.

“It makes me really proud of these kids, of these coaches,” Bloomgren said. “Because nobody has ever blinked. Everyone who’s still in this building has just kept fighting for what they believe in, for these kids… this team has always been worth fighting for for me, so it’s really cool.”

Rice concludes its 2023 regular season with six wins, the most for the program since 2014. The Owls were the only AAC team with a Power 5 victory, knocking out rival Houston to win the Bayou Bucket for the first time since 2010. Against a much more challenging schedule, Rice was better than they’ve been in a decade, “for real.

Digging deeper

Every week we’ll have a stat, storyline or key learning from the game reserved for our subscribers. Haven’t joined yet? Sign up here:

Become a Patron!

Sneaky solid defense

Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts