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Rice Football 2022 Rising Star: Blake Boenisch

January 12, 2023 By Matthew Bartlett

From a reserve to a marquee defensive player, Blake Boenisch was a difference maker this season and our 2022 Rice Football Rising Star.

If spring ball was any indication, Rice football was going to have an abundance of riches on the defensive line entering the 2022 season. Unlike at wide receiver where injuries thinned the group near the bare minimum number of bodies needed to operate, the defensive line was relatively healthy this year. Which made the emergence of Blake Boenisch, our 2022 Rice Football Rising Star, even more impressive.

When Boenisch arrived on campus, all the reports were glowing. Head coach Mike Bloomgren called him a “big specimen” with “a great mindset” heading into Boenisch’s true freshman season in 2021. The true freshman from Needville, TX would appear in two games, but not record any statistics.

Boenisch would be one of the first to tell you he had to get adjusted to the college game. Everything was a step up, from the workouts to the practice field. The coaching staff was patient, challenging him and working with him until things started to click this spring.

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“The kid is a freak of nature,” fellow teammate and captain Trey Schuman said of Boenisch. “He’s 6-3, 330 and can move. It’s not every day that you see somebody like him. Really the thing about Blake is his maturation process has been insane.”

Following the spring game, Bloomgren began a short synopsis of who he viewed as the players who stood out the most during the sessions. Blake Boenisch was near the top of the list.

“Blake Boenisch made the jump you want someone to take from freshman ball to spring,” Bloomgren said. “And I’m really encouraged by what he’s doing.” Those wishful platitudes would turn into bonafide praise soon enough.

Boenisch saw some action against USC but really made his mark in the Owls’ first home game of the year against McNeese State. De’Braylon Carroll was forced to exit the game early with an injury, opening the door for Boenisch who wasted no time in announcing his presence.

He racked up five tackles including 1.5 sacks, flashing time and time again. It was impossible not to notice how much impact he was having on the field, regardless of whether or not he registered any tangible statistic on the play. He changed the game, no small praise for someone working in just their fourth collegiate contest.

It was wheels up from that point onward. Boenisch would no longer be a “break glass in case of emergency” reserve. He became part of the active rotation, seeing meaningful minutes from that point onward.

More: Special Teams Player of the Year — Christian VanSickle

Boenisch had four tackles against UAB and four more against UTEP on his way to 28 total tackles for the season. Only Quent Titre (31) had more tackles from the interior line position and outside of Josh Pearcy (43 tackles) off the edge, Boenisch finished just five tackles short of Ikenna Enechukwu who is expected to be an NFL Draft selection this offseason.

When asked to sum up just how impactful the second-year player had been for the Owls, Bloomgren was almost at a loss for words. “Blake’s a lot to deal with,” he remarked, praising Boenisch on the heels of his second consecutive start of the season, which came against UTSA in mid-November.

Rice football will always employ a heavy rotation on the defensive line. Keeping players fresh is a maxim defensive coordinator Brian Smith will forever hold true. But make no mistake, Boenisch has climbed very near to the top of that pecking order and he’s not backing down any time soon.

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Filed Under: Archive, Football Tagged With: Blake Boenisch, postseason awards, Rice Football

Rice Basketball Roundup: MBB and WBB each fall to MTSU

January 11, 2023 By Matthew Bartlett

Both Rice basketball teams were in action against Middle Tennessee. Here’s a brief rundown of how the men and women faired and what’s next for both.

Rice Basketball

A last-second three-point attempt at the buzzer hit iron as Rice basketball ran out of time for a second-half comeback against MTSU.

Rice basketball arrived ready to play on Wednesday night against MTSU. Things were back and forth for a few minutes before Rice basketball started to click.

Travis Evee knocked down a couple of threes to help spark a 32-12 finish to the first half. The Owls shot the ball well, connecting on 50 percent of their shots from the floor in the first half, but defended even better, holding the Blue Raiders to 10 field goals before the break on 33 percent shooting.

Middle Tennessee would get their sea legs in the second half, cutting a 14-point Rice lead down to a single point with just over nine minutes to play. Then, after some back and forth, they’d take their first lead of the second half with just over five minutes remaining in the contest. Rice had their chances, including a three-point shot at the buzzer, but they ran out of time.

Final Box | MTSU 71 – Rice 68

FINAL | MTSU 71 – @RiceMBB 68

Last second three hits the rim as Owls drop to 2-3 in C-USA play. pic.twitter.com/dhNvSqNUPE

— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) January 12, 2023

Key takeaway | Which team is it going to be?

It was hard to avoid feeling like the sky was falling on Rice basketball through the first eight days of their 2022-2023 season. The Owls opened the season with a 39-point defeat against Pepperdine (a team they handled comfortably last season) and followed it up seven days later with a 35-point loss to Middle Tennessee. The season has just started and things were already a mess.

Since then? Rice is 9-3 with crucial conference wins over WKU and UTEP and a heartbreaking Middle Tennessee team that embarrassed them in Murfeesborro two months ago. Even Wednesday was a tale of two halves. The first half looked like the team that played through most of December. The second half was reminiscent of the November version.

Head coach Scott Pera took the loss hard on himself, calling the team’s second half defense “atrocious” and vowing “I have to do better,” as a string of challenging league games await them.

Guard Quincy Olivari shared the disappointment but was resolute in his focus on moving forward and climb out of their 2-3 conference start. “We can only win one game at a time,” he said. ” We can only focus on the next game ahead.”

Up Next: vs UTEP – Saturday, Jan. 14 at 2:00 p.m.


Rice Women's Basketball

Rice women’s basketball put together an early push, but fell apart late, getting blown out on the road against Middle Tennessee.

Middle Tennesse made one field goal in the first four and a half minutes of regulation, allowing Rice women’s basketball to build an early 9-3 advantage. After some challenging starts for the Owls, an early lead felt meaningful, but it quickly disappeared. They ended the quarter trailing by three and were outscored by the same 16-16 margin in the second quarter, too.

Trailing by six at halftime, things started going further south until — as the broadcast put it — “the wheels came off.” Rice was outscored 53-30 in the second half. Leading players Malia Fisher and Ashlee Austin each fouled out. The team shot 32.7 percent from the field in the game and allowed MTSU to shoot 51.6 percent. Rice missed nine free throws. It wasn’t a good night.

Final Box | MTSU 85 – Rice 56

FINAL | MTSU 85 – @RiceWBB 56

Owls fall to 1-4 in C-USA play after 9-0 start. pic.twitter.com/n0Gve9DeQO

— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) January 12, 2023

Key takeaway | Something isn’t right

For the fourth time in their last five games, Rice women’s basketball has lost. They’ve also allowed 74 points or more in all four of those losses, a scoring threshold they’d allowed opponents to pass just twice in their first eight games that didn’t reach overtime. The defense hasn’t been stellar in recent weeks.

But that’s not the only cause for concern. Rice scored at least 76 points in their first six games of the season, only failing to reach that mark three times in the non-conference play, against Texas A&M, TCU and Sam Houston (all wins). In five conference games, Rice has scored 76 points zero times.

There haven’t been significant changes to player availability. They aren’t playing teams that are drastically more talented than they are. But something isn’t working. It’s time to go back to the drawing board and figure it out, beginning with a win against UTEP on Saturday.

Up Next: at UTEP – Saturday, Jan. 14 at 1:00 p.m.

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Filed Under: Archive, Basketball Tagged With: game recap, Rice basketball

Rice Football 2022: NFL Owls Regular Season Recap

January 9, 2023 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice Football is well represented on 2022 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls from this week and the season as a whole.

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 18 Result Next
Denver Broncos Calvin Anderson (OL)
Elijah Garcia (DL)
vs Chargers W, 31-28  —
Detroit Lions Jack Fox (P) at Packers W, 20-16  —
Indianapolis Colts Kylen Granson (TE) vs Texans L, 32-31  —
LA Chargers Bryce Callahan (DB)
Christian Covington (DL)
at Broncos L, 21-28 at Jaguars
LA Rams Austin Trammell (WR) at Seahawks L, 19-16 (OT)  —
Pittsburgh Steelers Chris Boswell (PK) vs Browns W, 28-14  —
Seattle Seahawks Myles Adams (DL) vs Rams W, 19-16 (OT) at 49ers
Tampa Bay Bucs Nick Leverett (OL) at Falcons L, 30-17 vs Cowboys

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

Anderson appeared in 14 of the Broncos’ games this season, including seven starts. Before this year, he’d started five games in the 2020 and 2021 seasons combined. The Broncos did not make the playoffs.

Kylen Granson – TE, Colts

Granson set career-best marks across the board, making four starts for the Colts this season. He caught 31 passes for 203 yards. The Colts did not make the playoffs.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett started his tenth consecutive game this weekend. He’s appeared in every game for the Bucs following Week 7 after making two appearances for the Bucs a season ago with no starts. The Bucs host the Cowboys in a Wild Card game on Monday night.

Austin Trammell – WR, Rams

Trammell played in the Rams’ final six games, catching two passes for 13 yards. His primary role was on special teams this season where he played roughly a third of his total snaps. The Rams did not make the playoffs.

Defense

Myles Adams – DL, Seahawks

Adams appeared in a career-high 10 games for the Seahawks this season, tallying 16 tackles with one tackle for a loss, one quarterback hit and one pass defended. The Seahawks visit the 49ers in a Wild Card game on Saturday.

Bryce Callahan – CB, Chargers

Callahan appeared in a career-high 15 games for the Chargers this season, setting career highs in starts (11), tackles (47) and interceptions (3). He also posted six passes defended, two tackles for a loss and two quarterback hits. The Chargers visit the Jaguars in a Wild Card game on Saturday.

Christian Covington – DL, Chargers

Covington appeared in four games for the Chargers this season before being placed on Injured Reserve after suffering a pec injury in the Chargers’ Week 10 game against the 49ers. He finished the season with 12 tackles. The Chargers visit the Jaguars in a Wild Card game on Saturday.

Elijah Gacia – DT, Broncos

Garcia was signed off the Rams practice squad and appeared in his first game with the Broncos in Week 17. He recorded his first career tackle a week later against the Chargers. The Broncos did not make the playoffs.

First career NFL tackle for @EEG_92 !#GoOwls👐 x #RFND pic.twitter.com/L1EQIBOgBq

— Rice Football (@RiceFootball) January 8, 2023

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox punted 52 times this season with a long of 66 yards. He pinned 14 balls inside the 20 and averaged 48.6 yards per punt, the sixth-best mark in the league. The Lions did not make the playoffs.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell made 20-of-28 field goal attempts this season and all 18 of his extra point tries. He was lethal from long range, converting on 7-of-9 field goal tries from 50+ yards away. The Steelers did not make the playoffs.

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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Filed Under: Archive, Football Tagged With: NFL Owls, Rice Football

Rice Women’s Basketball: 2022-2023 New Year’s State of the Program

January 8, 2023 By Matthew Bartlett

After a program-best start, Rice women’s basketball has hit a rough patch. Here’s where the Owls stand with the bulk of Conference USA play ahead.

Rice women’s basketball couldn’t have asked for a better start to its 2022-2023 season. The Owls roared out to a 9-0 start, picking up a slew of in-start victories over rival programs and a few hard-fought wins on the west coast as well. Everything was going right… until it wasn’t.

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A cold spell to open conference play has put this program in a lurch. Can they right the ship, and if so, how quickly can the turnaround begin? Let’s dig in.

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Filed Under: Archive, Basketball, Premium, Women's Athletics Tagged With: Destiny Jackson, Rice Women's basketball

The Roost Podcast | Ep 138 – Rice Football 2023 Recruiting Class Early Signing Roundup

January 8, 2023 By Matthew Bartlett

From JT Daniels to a few ultra-athletic individuals, the 2023 Rice Football Recruiting Class is flush with talent. We recap everything from the Early Signing Period.

The nation was talking about the addition of JT Daniels to the 2023 Rice Football recruiting class, but that was just the tip of the iceberg on the Owls’ highest-ranked signing class in program history. On this week’s edition of The Roost Podcast we dig into the 24 additions, discuss where they fit with the makeup of the Owls’ roster and put a few more items on our wish lists for the Owls to add to the fold before the class is complete.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 138.

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Episode Notes

Housekeeping

  • Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice. Every little bit helps.
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2023 Rice Football Recruiting Early Signing Period Recap

  • JT Daniels’ journey to Rice, his prospects as a player and what he means for the Owls’ offense as a whole
  • Star power and athletic measurables becoming more and more common in Rice football recruiting classes
  • 10 early enrollees, including four from the high school ranks
  • What positions Rice still needs to target over the next few months

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

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Filed Under: Archive, Football, Podcast Tagged With: podcast, Rice Football, Rice Football recruiting

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