The source for Rice sports news

Rice Football 2021: NFL Owls Week 5 Stats Update

By

Rice Football is well represented on 2021 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 5.

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 5 Result Week 6
Los Angeles Chargers Christian Covington (DL) at Seattle W, 47-42 at Baltimore
Denver Calvin Anderson (OL)
Bryce Callahan (CB)		 at Pittsburgh L, 27-19 vs Las Vegas
Pittsburgh Chris Boswell (PK) vs Denver W, 27-19 vs Seattle (SNF)
Detroit Jack Fox (P) at Minnesota L, 19-17 vs Cincinnati
Tampa Bay Nick Leverett (OL) vs Miami W, 45-17 at Philadelphia (TNF)
Indianapolis Andrew Sendejo (Saf) at Baltimore (MNF) L, 31-25 vs Houston

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

Anderson has appeared in all five of the Broncos games so far this season, exclusively playing on special teams. That meant three snaps for Anderson against the Steelers this past weekend.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett remained inactive for the Bucs’ Week 5 game against the Miami Dolphins. He still awaits his first regular season snaps.

Defense and Special Teams

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell converted both of his field goal attempts against the Broncos, including a long of 48-yards. He also added three extra points on three tries. He’s 8-of-9 on field goals so far this season.

Bryce Callahan – CB, Broncos

Callahan started his first game of the season this past weekend against the Steelers. He made a season-high three solo tackles with his first tackle for a loss and this big third-down stop:

Christian Covington – DL, Chargers

Covington tallied two tackles in the Chargers’ Week 5 win over the Browns, marking the fifth consecutive game he’s recorded multiple tackles.

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox made history midway through the Lions’ Week 5 contest:

He would go on to attempt four punts, averaging 51 yards for the game on those kicks with a long of 67 yards, tied for the longest punt of his career.

Andrew Sendejo – S, Colts

Sendejo made two tackles against the Ravens on Monday Night Football before exiting the game after his second, a hit on Ravens’ receiver James Proche.

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 Game Preview: UTSA

By

Rice Football took a pause for a bye week then began prep for its upcoming game against UTSA. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

The last time we saw Rice football take the field, they left as victors, defeating Southern Miss at home in their second consecutive win of the season after an 0-2 start. UTSA is also riding a winning streak, albeit a much longer one. The Roadrunners knocked off WKU in a thrilling affair on Saturday while Rice watched from afar. Now both teams are set to meet on the gridiron for the first time since 2019.

Kickoff time | 5:00 PM CT
Venue | Alamodome – San Antonio, TX
TV | ESPN+
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs UTSA this week’s episode of the Blue and Gray Preview Show, streaming live on Wednesday at Noon on the Rice Athletics YouTube channel. You can also catch the recap of last week’s game on The Roost Podcast, which should be released shortly. Find us on the podcast page or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. (And consider leaving us a 5-star review while you’re at it.)

Sizing up the contenders

As things currently stand, UTSA sits atop the West in a three-way tie with UAB and UTEP. Should the Roadrunner seek the most straightforward path towards a conference championship, keeping pace with UAB prior to their showdown with the Blazers in mid-November is an absolute must.

The Owls are one of five teams in C-USA West with unblemished conference records. The East, conversely, only has one program that can make such a claim, Charlotte. Staying among that company with a date against UAB looming the following weekend would position Rice extremely well for a darkhorse conference title run, and at the very least, get them within favorable striking distance of a bowl berth.

Series History

All Time | UTSA leads Rice 5-2
Last Five | UTSA leads 5-0
Last Meeting | Away 2019, UTSA won 31-27

Get the Inside Scoop

Get access to practice reports, analysis and special features during the week when you subscribe to our All-American Tier on Patreon today. If you want updates on how Rice football plans to deploy its quarterbacks, position battles, standouts, injuries and more, this is your go-to source. A few sections of this preview are reserved for those subscribers. Don’t miss out! Join now!

Become a Patron!

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Constantine – 46/60 (76.7 percent), 543 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Myers – 53 carries, 251 yards (4.6 yards per carry)
Receiving | Bailey – 21 receptions, 232 yards (11.1 yds/rec), 1 TD / Patterson – 10 receptions, 207 yards (20.7 yds/rec), 1 TD
Tackles | Montero – 39 / Smith – 31 / Garcia – 28
Pass Breakups | Smith/Nyakwol/Dunbar – 3, McCord/Montero – 2 
Interceptions | Nyakwol – 2, Five others tied with one

UTSA Stat Notables

Passing | Harris – 127/182 (69.8 percent), 1475 yards passing, 12 TD, 3 INT
Rushing | McCormick – 154 carries, 661 yards (4.3 yards per carry), 6 TD
Receiving | Cephus – 42 receptions, 457 yards (10.9 yards per reception), 3 TD / Franklin – 37 receptions, 447 yards (12.1 yds/rec), 4 TD
Tackles | Wisdom – 39 / Harmanson – 27 / Taylor – 25
Interceptions | Four tied with one apiece 
Pass Breakups | Robinson – 4, Woolen/Brown – 3

UTSA X-Factor | Flying Frank Harris

Quarterback Frank Harris has had a circuitous path to the starting job at UTSA. Whether by injuries or inconsistency, he’s never held onto the job for very long at any one time. Until now. Harris is playing some of the best football of his career. He ranks second among C-USA passers in completion percentage, fourth in passing yards and fourth in passing touchdowns.

Harris threw a career high six touchdown passes against Western Kentucky last time out. Unless this game turns into a similar shootout, reaching that high of a bar probably won’t be a must. But, Harris needs to continue to be efficient on third down and get the ball to his playmakers. If the Rice defense can slow down Sincere McCormick to any degree, it’s going to fall to Harris to carry the load.

Rice X-Factor | Win the line of scrimmage

The Owls’ most recent outing against Southern Miss was perhaps the most impressive showing they’ve had in the trenches on both sides of the ball so far this season. The defensive line forced copious amounts of pressure and the other side of the ball more than held their own, giving quarterback Jake Constantine plenty of time and room to maneuver.

It wasn’t a coincidence those strong outings up front led to one of the more complete games this team has posted this season. Now they have to prove they can do it again and improve on the consistency that has been missing at times thus far.

UTSA is more well-rounded and dangerous on both sides of the ball than Southern Miss is, but Rice has shown they have the ability to execute, be disciplined and win one-on-one battles. That starts up front. Sometimes it really is that simple.

Pick ‘Em Contest (Subscribers only)

Make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. There will be swag and prizes for the top finishers at the end of the season. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and comment on this post on the Patreon page to enter. It’s that easy.

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?

Injury Report (Subscribers only)

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?

Need More?

The Roost’s 2021 Rice Football Season Preview has FIVE pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth charts, important new arrivals and positional breakdowns for every team in Conference USA sourced from local beat writers and sources on the ground who cover these teams every day. It’s the most thorough C-USA publication on the market.

One Final Thing

This should be a great “measuring stick” game for Rice football. One way or another, everyone will know how close they are to the upper-echelon of Conference USA over the next two weeks (UAB is on deck). Winning at least one of these games would be a definitive step forward from where this program has been in years prior, and having a healthy enough roster to go toe-to-toe with an undefeated UTSA squad should give as good of a shot as they could have asked for this season.

The past two weeks really felt like must-win games for this team. This one doesn’t have that same level of direness to it, but the opportunity present is undeniable. It’s a big game for Rice, which was unable to turn things around at the Alamodome in 2019. How poetic a season to continue an upward ascent than this? Rather than returning to ashes, this could really be an opportunity for the Owls to take flight.

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

Recent Posts

Conference USA Football 2021: Week 6 C-USA Roundup

By

Conference USA Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 6.

Team Week 6 Result Week 7
Charlotte at FIU W, 45-33 — OFF —
FAU at UAB L, 31-14 — OFF —
FIU vs Charlotte L, 45-33 — OFF —
LA Tech — OFF —  — at UTEP
Marshall vs Old Dominion W, 20-13 OT at North Texas
MTSU at Liberty L, 41-13 — OFF —
North Texas at Missouri L, 48-35 vs Marshall
Old Dominion at Marshall L, 20-13 OT vs WKU
Rice — OFF —  — at UTSA
Southern Miss vs UTEP L, 26-13 vs UAB
UAB vs FAU W, 31-14 at Southern Miss
UTEP at Southern Miss W, 26-13 vs Louisiana Tech
UTSA at WKU W, 52-46 vs Rice
WKU vs UTSA L, 52-46 at Old Dominion

Notable Week 6 results – Standings

CharLIT catching fire

With wins under their belt over Duke and Middle Tennessee, Charlotte had already gotten off to a strong start. Taking care of business against FIU in Week 6 boosted their record to 4-2 (2-0), putting them in first place in the East. The 49ers struggled to a 2-4 finish last year among several COVID-related challenges. So far, they look like they’ve quickly moved past that.

POINTS!!!

UTSA and Western Kentucky was an absolute barn burner. The two teams combined for more than 1200 total yards and 98 points with Hiltoppers’ gunslinging quarterback Bailey Zappe somehow throwing for 523 yards and five touchdowns in defeat. Sincere McCormick was fantastic. Frank Harris played one of his best games ever. UTSA is 6-0.

Marshall escapes

Old Dominion has been a tough out in recent weeks. They lost to Buffalo by a point, UTEP by a touchdown and fell on Saturday to Marshall in overtime. The Monarchs might be feisty, but Marshall was expected to win comfortably at home. Sitting at 3-3 this team doesn’t look anywhere near the level of a conference title contender. Not yet.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Time for a break

The bye weeks are here in earnest. Four conference teams won’t play in Week 6, a prequel to another quartet of open weekends for C-USA schools in Week 7. That means fewer intraconference matchups, but fortunately still a handful of notable pairings, several of which could have conference title implications. For those in action, the stakes are as high as ever.

Rice in waiting

UTSA’s Week 6 matchup with WKU was a highly anticipated C-USA bout, but the Roadrunners won’t have much time to recover. Next week they draw a Rice squad they haven’t seen in two seasons, and a lot has changed at South Main over that time period. Winners of six of their last nine conference games, Rice will be eager to return to the Alamodome on Saturday.

Bowling Miners?

Perhaps not one of the games circled as a must-watch entering the season, UTEP vs Louisiana Tech has the makings of a sneaky-good game, with significant ramifications for both programs. UTEP can win their sixth game, the most in any season since 2014 and maintain top position in the conference standings. Meanwhile, if Louisiana Tech has true C-USA title aspirations, they’ve got to win this one, too.

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

Recent Posts

Where does Rice football fit in the realignment mix?

By

Conference realignment continues to be a hot-button topic in college football news. Where does Rice football fit in the mix? Could the Owls be on the move?

Quiet for almost a decade, the sleeping giant of college football realignment was spurred awake earlier this year when Texas and Oklahoma bolted for the SEC, seemingly out of the blue. That shift set off a domino effect. The Big 12 scooped up BYU, Houston, UCF and Cincinnati which left the American on the lookout. More chaos is certain to follow.

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. This piece, and others like it, are exclusive to our subscribers. You can get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and special features like this one when you subscribe to our All-American Tier 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

Conference USA Football: Highlights from the midpoint of the 2021 season

By

We’re roughly halfway through the 2021 Conference USA football season. Here are a few highlights from the first half and some musings on what’s to come.

As is always the case, it’s been an eventual year for Conference USA football. While realignment rumors swirl around the sport and teams jockey for position on the field, there have been several intriguing results. With approximately half the season in the books, here are some of the top moments and storylines from C-USA.

1. Power 5 upset No. 1 – Charlotte knocks off Duke (Week 1)

It was a tough 2020 for Charlotte and head coach Will Healy. The up-and-coming star in the coaching ranks lost some luster as his team struggled through the season. But any signs of trouble were vanquished immediately upon the start of 2021. Not only did Charlotte beat Duke — their first win over a Power 5 program in school history — they engineered two go-ahead fourth quarter drives to do so.

2. Power 5 upset No. 2 – UTSA upsets Illinois (Week 2)

Not to be outdone,  UTSA and Jeff Traylor doubled C-USA’s Power 5 win total the next weekend. The Roadrunners were so impressive early that ESPN FPI gave them better than a 50 percent chance of winning with the score tied 0-0 in the waning minutes of the first quarter. Frank Harris and Zakhari Franklin would go on to seal the deal.

3. Outlook on title contenders

The West seems fairly straightforward at this point, even though five teams sit at 1-0 in C-USA action. UTSA is 5-0 on the season and 1-0 in C-USA action so far with a highly anticipated matchup against Western Kentucky looming. UAB is 3-2 with losses to Georgia and Liberty, which can largely be written off as understandable. UTEP is 4-1 (?!?) but their four wins have come against opponents with a collective record of 4-17.

In the East, things are significantly more muddled. Charlotte and FAU are the lone unbeaten in C-USA play and the only teams on the season with records above .500. Preseason favorite Marshall is 2-3 (0-1) and Western Kentucky hasn’t played any conference games thus far. At this point, the race is completely wide open.

4. Early conference MVP favorites

To date, only three players have repeated in the three weekly conference awards. Charlotte quarterback Chris Reynolds and Western Kentucky quarterback Bailey Zappe are two-time Offensive Player of the Week recipients. UTSA punter Hunter Duplessis has taken home the Special Teams Player of the Week on two occasions. He’s probably the front-runner for the season-long aware at this point. No defensive players have repeated yet.

More: Week 5 Conference USA Football roundup

It’s only a matter of time before UTSA running back Sincere McCormick takes home an Offensive POTW award. He leads the conference in rushing attempts and rushing yards. No singular pass catcher has emerged as truly dominant, although there have been some flashes and elite play from UTSA’s Joshua Cephus and UTEP’s Jacob Cowing, among others. Right now, it’s probably a three-way race between Reynolds, Zappe and McCormick with room for others to enter down the road.

Things are much more wide open on the defensive side of the ball. MTSU’s Reed Blankenship leads the conference in tackles with 46. Josh Carr from Southern Miss has four sacks, with a host of other players tied with three apiece. Others like UTSA’s Rashad Wisdom and Rice’s George Nyakwol have had less to show on the stat sheet, but very productive performances on this field.

5. Conference USA as we know it

Realignment has been at the forefront of the 2021 college football season. Reports have tabbed UAB as a heavy favorite to earn an invitation to the AAC, at the very least. UTSA could be in the running as well. Meanwhile, just about every program in the conference has their hopes set on getting to green pastures, somewhere, anywhere. All of that to say we could be nearing the end of Conference USA as we know. Soak up every ODU/UTEP matchup while we’ve still got it.

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

Recent Posts