The source for Rice sports news

Rice Basketball navigates COVID-19 — December 2021 Patreon Q&A

By

Both Rice basketball programs have missed multiple games because of COVID-19 issues. Is there an end in sight?

It’s been a quiet month on the court for Rice basketball. COVID-19 issues within both the men’s and women’s programs have forced both squads to cancel multiple games. Is there an end in sight? What’s next for both teams? We’ll provide some updates below.

Subscriber content.<br /> Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.

For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Q&A’s are reserved for our subscribers. Have questions? You can get those answered and get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and special features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

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

Rice Football 2021 Team MVP: Jake Bailey

By

The glue guy for a revamped offensive attack, Jake Bailey’s consistency and big-play ability led to him being named our 2021 Rice Football Team MVP.

There are countless ways to determine what “most valuable player” actually means. Raw numbers tell one story. Anecdotes and narrative can tell another. Then there’s that feeling on one’s gut. The kind one gets when you just know that one particular player contributes more to his team than one can distill down into one statistic or any singular storyline. For Rice football in 2021, the answer to all of those questions was Jake Bailey.

In modern football, MVP honors seemingly always default to quarterbacks. Rice had four different signal-callers appear in crucial moments this season. Wiley Green won the biggest game. Jake Constantine won the most. Luke McCaffrey and TJ McMahon accounted for perhaps the most improbable comeback.

But the only unifying factor among those four passers was the constant churn. In large part because of injuries, no one player in that room consistently put the team on his back every single week and found ways to will them to victories. Jake Bailey did.

Despite being knocked out of the UTEP game in the second half and missing the finale against Louisiana Tech entirely, Bailey still led all Rice pass-catchers in receiving yardage. He scored twice and had on remarkable endzone grab that would have been a touchdown called back by a questionable penalty. The raw numbers were good, really good.

When those catches game were perhaps even more important. Bailey led all Rice players in third-down receptions (17) and third-down receiving yards (209). He caught five passes on fourth down. All five moved the sticks, including a diving 36-yard stretch on a scramble from Constantine to help Rice mount a fourth-quarter comeback bid.

The Roost Podcast: Third Annual Edition of The Roostie’s Rice Football Awards

It probably shouldn’t be surprising Bailey became the focal point of the Rice offense. Head coach Mike Bloomgren noted Bailey was “becoming somebody the quarterbacks trust completely” in the early portions of fall camp, adding that Bailey was the kind of player that was always “finding a way to get open.”

There was a period of time when the Jake-to-Jake connection between Constantine and Bailey was the most productive dynamic on the entire roster. With Constantine at the controls and the pocket wavering, he’d often roll out and immediately fix his eyes on Bailey, who was seemingly always ready to make a play and move the sticks.

How’d we do? Rice football coverage postseason survey

That almost innate connection is part of what Bailey so effective on the gridiron. “It was never scripted,” Bailey said of one such schoolyard play. “There’s no formula for it, but it’s always great when it can work out and be something big.”

Big might be the perfect word to describe the size at which Bailey played. Standing 5-foot-10, there were only five players on the roster with a listed height shorter than Bailey. Yet Bailey never let that stop him. If anything, his stature aided his quickness and made him just that more difficult to bring down in the open field.

Bailey is one of the most dynamic playmakers Rice football has at its disposal, and the talented wideout still has two more seasons of eligibility remaining. As a redshirt sophomore, he’s taken home our Rice Football Team MVP honors. The rise of Jake Bailey might only be beginning. Those are some lofty expectations, but Bailey says he’s ready to embrace them.

“When there’s pressure in the situation that means you’re doing something important. That means you’re doing something where people have to look at you, expect from you. It’s always a great place to be. I think pressure is a privilege,” he said. Here’s to seeing where that pressure leads him in 2022 and beyond.

Support the Roost on Patreon. Join today!
Become a Patron!
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Football 2021: NFL Owls Week 16 Stats Update

By

Rice Football is well represented on 2021 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 16.

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 16 Result Week 17
LA Chargers Christian Covington (DL) at Houston L, 41-29 vs Denver
Denver Calvin Anderson (OL)
Bryce Callahan (CB)		 vs Las Vegas L, 17-13 at Los Angeles
Pittsburgh Chris Boswell (PK) at Kansas City L, 36-10 vs Cleveland (MNF)
Detroit Jack Fox (P) at Atlanta L, 20-16 at Seattle
Tampa Bay Nick Leverett (OL) at Carolina W, 32-6 at New York Jets
Indianapolis Andrew Sendejo (Saf) at Arizona (SAT) W, 22-16 vs Las Vegas

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

Anderson was placed on injured reserve following a leg injury suffered in the Broncos’ Week 13 loss to the Chiefs. He did not play in their Week 16 game against the Raiders.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett saw some work against the Panthers in Week 16. It was his first game action since being called upon in Week 12 against the Colts.

Defense

Bryce Callahan – CB, Broncos

Callahan has quickly returned to form and resumed his place in the starting lineup after missing six weeks on injured reserve. He had two tackles against the Raiders in Week 16.

Christian Covington – DL, Chargers

Covington notched his third start of the season in Week 16 on the road against the Texans, his former team. He posted a career-best nine tackles, including three solo takedowns.

Andrew Sendejo – S, Colts

Sendejo missed the Colts’ Week 16 game with a concussion.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox punted two times against the Falcons, including a long punt of 57 yards, but it was the work he did with his arm — not his leg — that drew the most attention. Fox dialed up this magnificent throw on a fake punt attempt late in the second quarter:

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell had a fairly quiet weekend along with the rest of the Steelers’ offense. He made his lone extra-point attempt and one of two field goal tries.

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

Rice Football 2021 Defensive Player of the Year: Elijah Garcia

By

A veteran leader and one of the most consistent players on the roster, defensive lineman Elijah Garcia is our 2021 Rice Football Defensive Player of the Year.

The pandemic altered everyday life as we know it with ripple effects spreading far past the gridiron. In 2020, there were real questions about whether or not the games would be played. One year later, the question turned to who’d be available to play. Granted an extra year of eligibility by the unprecedented COVID year, defensive lineman Elijah Garcia is our 2021 Rice Football Defensive Player of the Year

There was a time when Garcia didn’t believe he’d still be on campus in the fall of 2021. Whatever doubts had lingered were erased midway through the 2020 campaign when Rice upset Marshall on the road behind a stellar defensive effort. Garcia had four tackles and a pass deflection in that game, the moment he would go on to describe made his decision to return for one more season “a no brainer.”

When it was clear he’d be back on campus, the focus returned to getting better. That drive had always been a part of what made Garcia tick, dating back to his arrival on campus. When he arrived, there were stalwarts like Zach Abercrumbia blocking his path to playing time. Then De’Braylon Carroll and Izeya Floyd both arrived in the 2019 recruiting class. If Garcia wanted to see the field, he’d have to earn it. He did.

The Roost Podcast: Third Annual Edition of The Roostie’s Rice Football Awards

Defensive line coach Cedric Calhoun put Garcia on notice when Carroll and Floyd arrived. Garcia responded by winning the starting job and leading all interior linemen with 50 tackles. He progressed to finishing second on the team in tackles in 2020 and one-upped that mark this season, racking up a team-best 67 tackles as well as career highs in sacks (five), quarterback hits (nine) and total pressures (33).

Those gaudy numbers didn’t come as a surprise to those who knew Garcia best. In the lead-up to the season, defensive coordinator Bryan Smith said Garcia was “just scratching the surface” of how good he could become.

His play spoke for itself, but Garcia did a fair amount of talking, too. Although he wasn’t named one of the team captains during the preseason, Garcia was the man asked to take the mic frequently during postgame press conferences. On those hard nights, he showed composure and poise. He was a leader, on and off the field.

How’d we do? Rice football coverage postseason survey

“In life, things are not always going to go your way, but what matters is the fight you have in you,” Garcia said following the loss to Western Kentucky that officially took six-wins and a bowl berth off the table. He’d recovered a fumble and registered six tackles during the contest. Another strong showing regardless of what the final box score reflected.

The stat sheets don’t offend do many favors to players of Garcia’s position. They do so much more to impact games than making tackles. Forcing double teams, opening up gaps for teammates to get pressure are as important to a team as tallying sacks of one’s own. Garcia had always been an asset in the former skills, this year he added the numbers, too.

Garcia is off to test the professional waters now, but that’s not that surprising. NFL scouts have been in and out of practices throughout the fall watching Garcia go through his paces.

If the growth he’s exhibited throughout his collegiate career is any indication, those scouts might not have seen the best version of Garcia that exists quite yet. He’s always had one more gear. His work on the field this season earned him our 2021 Rice Football Defensive Player of the Year honors. And the best might still be yet to come.

Support the Roost on Patreon. Join today!
Become a Patron!
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Football 2021 Offensive Player of the Year: Jordan Myers

By

Positionless, yet irreplaceable. Swiss-army man Jordan Myers was an obvious selection for our 2021 Rice Football Offensive Player of the Year.

The disjointed 2020 COVID-19 season was riddled with quirks and oddities of one kind and another. Among the most peculiar tidbits from the strange season was the number one. Rice football scored one rushing touchdown in their abbreviated five-game season, and it wasn’t scored by a running back. Sort of.

At that point in his career, Jordan Myers was still listed as a tight end on the official roster. Utilized as the short-yardage and goal line back and other similar situations in 2020, that designation would slowly morph. He worked almost exclusively with the running backs in the spring and was listed atop the depth chart entering the 2021 season.

When asked exactly what position he played during preseason media availability, Myers just shrugged. “Pretty much just wherever the team needs me,” he said. “As of right now, I’m kinda labeled as the utility player.”

Utility player is a destination occasionally reserved for that extra player on the bench of a traditional baseball team. He’s probably not good enough to be your everyday starter, but if you need a backup across the board, he can fill in sparingly well enough.

The Roost Podcast: Third Annual Edition of The Roostie’s Rice Football Awards

Head coach Mike Bloomgren would refer to him often as the team’s “swiss army knife”  ostensibly implying a similar level of versatility. Myers never really seemed to mind what terms were being tossed around regarding his position. He just showed up.

Myers saw sparse action in the Owls’ final four games of the season as he battled injuries and Ari Broussard took over the workhorse duties in the backfield.

Even though he missed a good chunk of time, he still finished the year with more plays from scrimmage than any other skill player on the roster. He led Rice with eight rushing touchdowns and added one more through the air. He and Cedric Patterson were the only Owls to find paydirt more than three times in 12 games. That tandem accounted for 16 of the team’s 35 touchdowns, just shy of 50 percent.

Myers rocketed up those stat sheets with a career game in Week 4 against Texas Southern. Rice football was in desperate need of a boost entering the game, having scored a combined 24 points in their first three non-conference games, all losses.

Not only did Myers show up, he rushed for 160 yards and four touchdowns and caught four passes for 48 yards. The combined 208 all-purpose yards would have ranked in the top seven among all Owls’ season totals. Myers got there in four quarters.

Bloomgren was understandably beaming in the postgame sessions following that big day. “He is exactly what I want our team to be. He is the perfect college football player in so many ways,” he said, delivering the quintessential complement every ballplayer hopes his coach will someday refrain. And honestly, it’s hard to argue with Bloomgren’s pronouncement.

How’d we do? Rice football coverage postseason survey

“He’s probably too smart to ever get into coaching, but I’d hire him the moment he did,” Bloomgren added next. Whether he goes into coaching or finds something else to apply his abilities to after a lengthy collegiate career, Myers curious combination of excellent and versatility have seemingly shown no bounds.

But despite all of the praise and the accolades he received over the course of his six-year career, Myers remains the same calm, humble guy from Dickinson, Texas that signed with Rice football prior to the arrival of this current coaching staff. “I’m just happy I can be someone the guys can lean on,” he murmured following his spectacular game against Texas Southern.

By the time he hung up his cleats, Myers had graduated from being labeled as simply a utility player. He was someone Rice could count — and did count on — in the most crucial moments. Myers was the man handed the football on fourth and short and asked to find a yard. More often than not, he did.

No Myers, wasn’t just a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none. He was a dude, and an easy selection for our 2021 Rice Football Offensive Player of the Year.

Support the Roost on Patreon. Join today!
Become a Patron!
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts