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Rice Football 2023: NFL Owls Week 3 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 3.

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 3 Result Week 4
Denver Broncos Elijah Garcia (DL) at Dolphins L, 70-20 at Bears
Detroit Lions Jack Fox (P) vs Falcons W, 20-6 at Packers
Indianapolis Colts Kylen Granson (TE) at Ravens W, 22-19 (OT) vs Rams
New England Patriots Calvin Anderson (OL) at Jets W, 15-10 at Cowboys
Pittsburgh Steelers Chris Boswell (PK) at Raiders (SNF) W, 23-18 at Texans
Seattle Seahawks Myles Adams (DL) vs Panthers W, 37-27 at Giants (MNF)
Tampa Bay Bucs Nick Leverett (OL) vs Eagles (MNF) L, 25-11 at Saints

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Patriots

Anderson saw only special teams duty this week after starting each of the Patriots’ first two games.

Kylen Granson – TE, Colts

A week removed from his first NFL touchdown, Granson caught two passes for nine yards. That didn’t spoil the fun week he had prior, including this photo shoot with the ball.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett was active for the Bucs again this week, but did not see action in their Week 3 game against the Eagles.

Defense

Myles Adams – DL, Seahawks

For the third consecutive game, Adams was active but did not record any statistics.

Elijah Garcia – DL, Broncos

After being inactive in Week 2, Garcia was active in the Broncos’ Week 3 game against the Dolphins but did not register any tackles.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox was busy on Sunday, punting six times against the Falcons. He placed three balls inside the 20 and had a long of 62 yards.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell was stellar once again, drilling a 57-yard field goal on Sunday Night football, one of three field goals he made on the night, helping propel the Steelers over the Raiders.

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: East Carolina

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

East Carolina dismantled FCS Gardner-Webb this past weekend, much in the same way Rice Football disposed of their FCS opponent, Texas Southern, two weeks ago. The Owls were less fortunate in their conference opener on Saturday against USF, falling 42-29. Here’s everything you need to know about this week’s matchup between Rice and ECU.

Kickoff time | 6:00 PM CT
Venue | Rice Stadium – Houston, TX
TV | ESPN+ (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Varsity Radio App (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs ECU 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

Rice owns the lone FBS win between these two programs, upsetting Houston to clinch the Bayou Bucket in Week 2. Since then the Owls have seen their star quarterback JT Daniels get knocked out of a game with injury and are in need of some good news. ECU is still searching for an FBS win to alleviate some concerns in Greenville over the sluggish start. It’s a bit early in the season for a must-win game, but both programs really want this one.

Series History

All Time | Tied, 2-2
Last Five | Tied, 2-2
Last Meeting | Home 2010, Rice won 62-38

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Rice Football Stat Notables

Passing | Daniels – 80/125 (64.0 percent), 1237 yards, 11 TD, 3 INT
Rushing | Connors – 29 carries, 139 yards (4.8 yards per carry), 1 TD / Alexander – 17 carries, 35 yards (2.1 yards per carry), 5 TD
Receiving | McCaffrey – 20 receptions, 370 yards (18.5 yds/rec), 4 TDs / Walker – 8 receptions, 178 yards (22.3 yds/rec), 2 TD
Tackles | Wyatt, Morrison – 27 / Conti – 22 / Taylor – 20
Pass Breakups | Fresch – 4 / Jean – 3 / Wyatt, Taylor, Narcisse – 2 
Interceptions | Devones – 1

ECU Stat Notables

Passing | Flinn – 34/68 (50.0 percent), 365 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT / Garcia – 32/55 (58.2 percent), 234 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing | Harris – 42 carries, 171 yards (4.1 yards per carry), 3 TD / Garcia – 32 carries, 178 yards (5.6 ypc), 1 TD
Receiving | Johnson – 16 receptions, 178 yards (11.1 yards per reception), 0 TD / Hatfield – 9 receptions, 128 yards (14.2 yds/rec), 0 TD
Tackles | Wood – 30 / Edwards – 29 / Jackson – 19
Pass Breakups | Davis, Wilk, Rogers, Jones tied with 2
Interceptions | Jackson – 1

ECU X-Factor | Protect the Football

ECU enters the game +1 in turnover differential, but they were -3 entering their game against Gardner-Webb before posting a +4 differential in that contest. Even in that game, ECU still turned the ball over once. Through four games, they have yet to post a turnover-free result. That might not matter against an FCS opponent, but it has mattered in their FBS games so far. 

The Pirates lost the turnover battle in each of their first three games and were tied for fourth-worst in the AAC in turnovers entering Saturday. That’s a recipe for disaster, especially on the road. Rice has only forced three turnovers so far this season, but they’ve been close on a few other plays and have enough playmakers on defense to make ECU nervous. They can’t afford to tempt fate here.

Rice X-Factor | Get off the field

For all the missteps Rice football suffered in their loss to South Florida, the inability to get off the field on defense was the most concerning.  Excluding drives that ended in the end of the half, Rice kept USF from scoring three times. Five touchdowns allowed and two field goals, seven scoring drives, against three stops is not sustainable, particularly when everyone in the stadium knows who is getting the ball before the play happens.

If JT Daniels is available, winning a shootout will always be a possibility, and backup quarterback AJ Padgett has flashed in limited duty before, but winning football for Rice will always rely in some capacity on a competent defense. The Owls didn’t have that last weekend and the results were, unfortunately, predictable.

ECU is converting a modest 36 percent of their third downs on offense and scoring 22 points per game, which includes their recent thumping of Gardner-Webb. This shouldn’t be an offense that can run circles around the Rice defense. The Rice pass rush needs a bounce-back game in the worst way, as does the secondary. No matter the quarterback, this one is going to depend on a solid defensive showing. 

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One Final Thing

Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren always likes to fall back on the mantra that things are never as good and never as bad as they feel in the moment. The Owls’ season seemed to be rocketing upward after the Houston win and falling to pieces after the USF loss. This team has to hope the reality is somewhere in between.

There are no more Power 5 opponents on the schedule. Instead, the road ahead should be manageable. If Rice proves they can bounce back and take care of business at home against a sub-.500 team, things will revert back toward their optimistic beginnings. If not, there probably should be some soul-searching done after a strong start.

Regardless, no referendums should be made as a result of any one game. That’s a statement, as I write it, feels doomed to be ignored no matter how the East Carolina game goes. But in all fairness, that’s how this sport is consumed, more often than not and this program showed Saturday it has work to do before it fully earns the benefit of the doubt. 

So, as Bloomgren and his players often say, Rice needs to go 1-0 this week in a very winnable and very much-needed game.

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“We were not at our best”: Rice Football wrestling with AAC opening dud

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Rice football did not impress in their first-ever American Conference game, squandering a halftime lead in disappointing fashion.

Even before star quarterback JT Daniels left the game with an injury in the third quarter, it was a disappointing showing across the board for Rice football in its first-ever American Conference game. The Owls defense got torched for a staggering 597 yards. The running game posted just one (not a typo, that’s literally just one) total yard on the ground. Special teams contributed two missed field goals and a series of well below-average punts.

“Every phase of this game that we played today, offense, defense special teams, we were not at our best, to say the least,” head coach Mike Bloomgren said in the aftermath, specifically singling out his teams’ second half performance.

The Owls led 14-13 at halftime and were outgaining the Bulls while limiting their opponents to just 2-of-5 conversions on third down. When the second half arrived, everything fell apart, starting with the opening series in which USF raced down the field and took the lead before the team was (mentally) back from halftime.

USF scored touchdowns on three successive drives in the second half. Slicing and dicing a Rice defense that had no answers. Rice lost one-on-one matchups over and over again.

“I didn’t think anybody could do that to our defense,” Bloomgren said, stunned.

Even though it reached 29 points, the offense had its own woes. Bloomgren said he decided to “scrap the run game” because of how the Owls were having success down the field. That fizzled when Daniels left, giving way to backup quarterback AJ Padgett who took some time to settle into the game. Unfortunately for the Owls, time was not on their side.

The typically even-keeled Luke McCaffrey, who reeled in nine passes for a career-best 199 yards, owned up to the team’s lackluster day. “I don’t think next Saturday can come soon enough,” he said. “I think this is one of those games you want to make up for.”

Rice plays its first AAC home game next Saturday against East Carolina. JT Daniels’ status is uncertain, but no matter who plays quarterback, Rice has a lot to fix before they return to the field again.



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American Conference Football 2023: Week 4 Roundup

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American Conference Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 4.

Team Record  This Week Result Up Next
Charlotte 1-3 at Florida L, 22-7 at SMU
ECU 1-3 vs Gardner Webb W, 44-0 at Rice
FAU 1-3 at Illinois L, 23-17  —
Memphis 3-1 at Missouri L, 34-27 vs Boise St
Navy 1-2  — vs USF
North Texas 1-2  — vs ACU
Rice 2-2 at USF L, 42-29 vs ECU
SMU 2-2 at TCU L, 34-17 vs Charlotte
Temple 2-3 vs Miami L, 41-7 at Tulsa
Tulane 3-1 vs Nicholls W, 36-7 vs UAB
Tulsa 2-2 at N. Illinois W, 22-14 vs Temple
UAB 1-3 at Georgia L, 49-21 at Tulane
USF 2-2 vs Rice W, 42-29 at Navy
UTSA 1-3 at Tennessee L, 45-14  —

Notable Results (Standings)

First place Bulls

Losers of their last 18 games against FBS opponents, a streak that dated back to the 2021 season, USF has found the win column. The Bulls rallied from a first-half deficit, throwing all over the Rice defense en route to a huge conference win for first-year head coach Alex Golesh. Picked to finish 13th in the league before the season, USF is currently tied for first.

Skilletless

In what was the final scheduled meeting between TCU and SMU, the Horned Frogs claimed the Iron Skillet for the foreseeable future. This rivalry is, ostensibly, a casualty of conference realignment, despite there seeming to be plenty of workable solutions to continue the series. Alas, the Mustangs might not get a chance to avenge this loss anytime soon.

Almost upset

Memphis briefly led Missouri 10-7 in the early goings of their game and mostly played catch-up from that point onward, never falling more than two scores behind, but running out of time after their final fourth quarter touchdown. FAU’s bid was more heartbreaking. After taking a 10-0 lead, they allowed 23 unanswered points before a drive in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter got them back within one score.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Can the Owls bounce back?

Entering Week 5, East Carolina and Rice share one combined FBS win. The Owls upset Houston to win the Bayou Bucket, but some of the wind was knocked out of their sails when quarterback JT Daniels was injured in the second half against USF. Both programs could use a conference win to keep things from going sideways, setting up a particularly important midseason bout.

Where does Memphis rank?

Boise State has been the gold standard for Group of Five football for decades now. The Broncos have struggled this season, but edged San Diego State in Week 4 and played UCF to the wire a few weeks ago. The G5 spot in the New Year’s Six is up for grabs. If Memphis wants to make their case they belong, this might be one of their best remaining chances.

First-year fortunes?

Navy put a scare into Memphis two weeks ago and USF is riding high off their first AAC win. One of these two first-year head coaches can extend their case and send a message they’re ahead of schedule with a win on Saturday. Which one will it be?



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USF outguns Rice Football, hands Owls first AAC loss

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Rice Football traded blows with a potent USF offense early, but was unable to sustain the fight for four quarters, falling in their AAC opener on the road.

As if the loss wasn’t painful enough, the added insult of an injury to Rice football quarterback JT Daniels cast a further shadow over what was meant to be a hopeful beginning for the Owls in AAC play. Here are a few immediate reactions from the game:

Set the tone

The opening quarter didn’t quite go according to plan for Rice football on Saturday. They were forced to punt on their opening drive and allowed a 12-play, 62-yard scoring drive by the USF offense, aided by some penalties and missed tackles along the way. Holding their opponents to a field goal was a good start, but the Owls needed to ensure they gave their defense a breather by producing an extended drive the next time out.

Not only did JT Daniels and Co. deliver, they delivered their message emphatically. Dean Connors converted a short third down and moved the sticks on the ground. Then Luke McCaffrey hauled in a 47-yard reception to get Rice inside the redzone.

Rice brought the jumbo package in, but Daelen Alexander was stopped for a minimal gain on third down, setting up a critical fourth and one. For the brand and for the psyche of his team, head coach Mike Bloomgren had no choice to make. He absolutely had to go for it. But how he elected to get that final yard and change, that had some room for creativity.

The big men trotted onto the field once again after a timeout, but this time Bloomgren and offensive coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo threw a curveball that nobody on the USF defense was ready for. Daniels faked to Alexander, then calmly tossed the ball to the freshman tailback for the go-ahead touchdown.

Rice found themselves in a similar “momentum moment” in the final minute of the second quarter. Trailing for the first time that day, quarterback JT Daniels led a 10-play, 70-yard touchdown drive to put Rice back in front that included a big fourth down conversion.

There have been times in recent seasons when it has felt like everything was breaking the wrong way for this team. There were a few plays on Saturday that served as small counterpoints.

One-on-none

USF goes as Byrum Brown goes. The Bulls quarterback is a lethal threat on the ground, but Rice was able to neutralize that aspect of his game. His arm was the problem, or at least, what his arm was able to do to the Owls’ secondary.

After a sluggish start to the game, Brown and the USF offense got into gear and started their aerial assault. From the middle of the second quarter on, Brown completed passes of 53, 51, 59, 42, 49 and 52 yards. One long bomb is too much. Three is a problem. But six pass plays allowed of 40+ yards? That’s a disaster, regardless of which offense is on the other side of the field.

Getting prepared for the furious tempo USF plays with was a focal point all week. But the defensive backs in coverage had plenty of time and space to make sure the ball wasn’t able to get behind them and it didn’t seem to matter.

The pass rush has been a huge boost to a young secondary so far this season. But when the pass rush doesn’t get home (or doesn’t have time to reach its target) the downside is terrifying. Rice experienced what had to be pretty closer to the worst-case scenario on Saturday and they’ll have plenty of film to watch as they attempt to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Don’t beat yourself

The notion of not beating yourself has saturated the Rice football culture this season. Bloomgren reiterated the concept quite eloquently during his midweek availability.

“I just can’t sell these guys enough that it’s all about us. That’s a very good football team on the other side,” Bloomgren said. “They’re playing with a lot of belief right now. I think Alex [Golesh] is doing a great job instilling his culture there, but right now, this game is not going to be about what South Florida does. It’s going to be about the Rice Owls do.”

Although there were plenty of big Rice moments, what the Rice Owls did on Saturday was littered with sloppy play and self-inflicted wounds. Kicker Tim Horn missed two field goals. Punts were short. The Owls had their fair share of inconvenient penalties. USF’s lone first quarter touchdown run would not have happened had Rice not allowed a deep shot earlier in the drive and then missed several tackles on the run itself.

And that’s all before accounting for the secondary’s terrible day. Most of the time, playing sloppily on the road results in a loss. On Saturday, it did.

Gut punched

Including Rice football’s debut game in the Southwestern Conference in 1915, more than 100 years ago, Rice has yet to win its conference opening game. That includes a loss to start SWC play, WAC play, C-USA play and now AAC play.

On Saturday, Rice had the chance to begin the season 3-1 for the first time since 2001 and squash some uncertainty lingering within the program. They missed that chance. Instead of looking at the standings this weekend and seeing Rice tied with Memphis for first place in the conference, the Owls are tied for last.

The road ahead looks (somewhat surprisingly) more manageable than it might have before the season began. Both East Carolina and UConn entered Saturday winless. Rice gets both teams on their home turf. Making the most out of that pair of games is paramount now after the Owls missed their first opportunity to find their first American Conference win.

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When you’ve got a quarterback…?

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