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Rice Football: 2022 ESPN FPI projects Rice near C-USA bottom

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The 2022 ESPN FPI projections are out. Where did Rice football come in and how much stock should we put in these projections?

ESPN has released its Football Power Index (FPI) for the 2022 season. FPI is a statistic meant to help predict team performance. Rice football (-14.5 FPI) checked in No. 10 in Conference USA, ahead of only UTEP (-15.0) in the conference. On the opposite end of the spectrum, UAB and Western Kentucky were the frontrunners.

2022 ESPN FPI

  1. UAB, 0.2
  2. WKU, -0.4
  3. UTSA, -2.0
  4. MTSU, -3.9
  5. FAU, -4.4
  6. LA Tech, -5.5
  7. North Texas, -6.2
  8. Charlotte, -7.5
  9. UTEP, -12.1
  10. Rice. -14.5
  11. FIU, -15.0

Looking Closer

Last year, FPI projected Rice to finish with somewhere in the ballpark of five to seven wins. The Owls undershot that mark, winning just four. The numbers don’t project an easier road for the program this season, giving Rice football just a 4.5 percent chance of reaching six wins in 2022. If they were to prove the computers wrong it would mean the first bowl-berth for the program since 2014.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. FPI actually projects the Owls to be better at the onset of 2022 than they finished 2022 (-14.5 vs -18.1). Additionally, the majority of the Owls’ opponents are expected to be below the 0.0 average expected from the metric.

Replacing Elijah Garcia, Naeem Smith, Jordan Myers, Jovaun Woolford and Jake Constantine won’t be easy, but it doesn’t seem that much more challenging than replacing Mike Collins, Austin Trammell and Blaze Alldredge as they had to do last season. Finding a quarterback will be a challenge, but that’s not a new problem at South Main.

Ultimately, FPI projects Conference USA will be a below-average conference in 2022 with the possibility of only a handful of truly good to great teams. That’s who the Owls will have to beat if they want to return to the postseason, and they did topple UAB (the highest rated C-USA team this coming season) in Birmingham last season.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2023 WR Drayden Dickmann commits to Owls

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More speed is coming to the 2023 Rice Football recruiting class. Wide receiver Drayden Dickmann has committed to the Owls.

The fireworks continue at South Main as Houstonians prepare for the Fourth of July weekend. The latest boom for the 2023 Rice football recruiting front comes in the form of an in-state wideout from Georgetown, TX: Drayden Dickmann has committed to the Owls.

Dickmann had several offers at the time of his commitment to Rice. North Texas had thrown their hat in the ring, as had Navy, Army, Air Force and several Ivy League institutions. For Dickmann, Rice was home. “I loved the feel of it,” he told The Roost. “The campus, the area, the staff, the facilities, the current players. Everything there felt like home for me.”

Beyond the aesthetics and the atmosphere, Dickmann was drawn to the pro-style system. For Dickman, having offensive coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo calling the shots was exciting. Coach Tui hasn’t been afraid to take shots over the top in his time as the Owls’ OC. Dickmann is a burner who can and will run past opposing defensive backs. This pairing should be an exciting one.

Dickmann is the second wideout in the fold so far, following Byron Nelson (TX) receiver Landon Ransom who committed to Rice two weeks before Dickmann arrived at his decision.

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The raw speed jumps out from Dickmann’s highlights as soon as you hit play. He plays at a velocity that just can’t be taught. And at 5-foot-10 and 169 pounds, he won’t be a pushover wherever he lines up relative to the line of scrimmage. Dickmann moves well and has game-changing ability, something the Owls will always welcome to South Main.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2023 P/K Reese Keeney commits to Owls

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The first specialist is on board in the 2023 Rice Football recruiting class. Punter/Kicker Reese Keeney has committed to the Owls.

Scholarships for specialists don’t grow on trees. That’s what makes the most recent commitment to the 2023 Rice football recruiting class most notable. A dual-skilled punter and kicker, Farragut (TN) product Reese Keeney has committed to the Owls.

Keeney was one of two specialists that picked up offers from the Owls this month. He quickly took Rice up on their bid, making his pledge official two weeks later.

Noted kicking specialist Chris Sailer had high praise for Keeney. In Sailer’s profile on Keeney, he calls him “an outstanding kicker” who “hits a clean ball and easily has 50+ yard range.” He also noted that Keeney “excels at directional punting” and can handle kickoffs as well.

The kicking game was an adventure for Rice football last fall, so the renewed emphasis on finding a longer-term solution at the position seems prudent. Rice brought in several options for the 2022 season, but isn’t leaving the future to chance, either.

Keeney is the 14th commitment in the 2023 Rice football recruiting class that has picked up significant steam this summer. He’s the first — and likely last — specialist.

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For those who don’t spend hours grinding punter and kicker tape, the highlights should suffice. Keeney puts his field goals between the pipes and boots his punts down the field.

During his junior season, Keeney averaged 39.5 yards per punt with a long of 62 yards. He placed 15 of his 40 punts inside the 20. He’s converted 74-of-76 extra-point tries (97.4 percent) in his high school career and made 6-of-12 field goals (50 percent), including a long of 43 yards this past season.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 115 – ’22 UAB Preview with Evan Dudley

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It’s preseason preview time at The Roost Podcast. We continue this week with a look at UAB football with Evan Dudley of AL.com.

The sudden retirement of Bill Clark sent shockwaves throughout the Conference USA universe this past week so naturally we went straight to UAB beat writer Evan Dudley to get his reaction and prognostication on what this means for the program moving forward. Is Bill Clark really done? What should we expect from the Blazers this season without him at the helm?

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 115.

Episode Notes

Announcements

The 2022 Conference USA Football Season Preview was released on Wednesday, June. Get it for free as well as all preseason Rice football content when you subscribe to The Roost on Patreon. It’s that easy! You can get more information here.

2022 Conference USA Football Season Preview

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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Interview — UAB football with Evan Dudley

  • What is UAB football without Bill Clark?
  • Unpacking the Blazers’ quarterback battle
  • Which additional playmakers emerge outside of DeWayne McBridge?
  • Will the defensive line stay elite?
  • UAB’s place in Conference USA and (eventually) the ACC
  • The Lightning Round

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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Rice Football Recruiting: 2023 DL Chris Clark commits to Owls

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The 2023 Rice Football recruiting class added its first defensive pledge in the trenches. Defensive lineman Chris Clark has committed to the Owls.

After stockpiling a small army along the offensive front, the focus of the 2023 Rice football recruiting class has pivoted back toward the other side of the football. With five offensive lineman already committed, Rice has landed their first pledge from a defensive lineman in this cycle. Furr High School product Chris Clark has committed to the Owls.

Clark was initially offered by Southeast Missouri on May 12, but picked up his Rice offer shortly afterward on May 17. He also had offers from Air Force and Alabama State by the end of June when he decided he was ready to pull the trigger and proclaim his allegiance to Rice.

The addition of Clark wraps up one of the most productive June recruiting months in recent Rice football recruiting history.

The 2023 Rice football recruiting class picked up six public commitments in throughout the month, even though MacArthur CB AJ Stephens, the first commitment of the month, didn’t announce his decision until June 9. The remaining five commitments transpired in the span of 15 days. The class now sits at 13 commitments.

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While Clark’s offer list isn’t too exciting, his film speaks for itself. For a man of his size (6-foot-6, 251 pounds, he flashes some burst. Clark profiles as an interior player at the collegiate level, but he told The Roost he’s comfortable lining up everyone along the line and particularly enjoys playing defensive end.

Watching him combine speed power and some nimble feet to find ways into the offensive backfield is exciting. Clark is versatile, a coveted trait among the Rice coaching staff and one that should serve him well at South Main in the future.

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