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The Roost Podcast | Ep 78 – Previewing North Texas Football with Matthew Brune

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Matthew Brune of Mean Green 247 joins us this week to preview the 2021 North Texas football season. What can we expect from the Mean Green this year?

The 2021 Rice Football is still a ways away, but we’re getting a head start on the Owls’ opponents this summer. This week Matthew Brune of Mean Green 247 joins the show to talk North Texas football. We take a step back to the Mason Fine years and walk through a brief history of how the program came to be where it is now, with brief tangents into recruiting graphic mishaps, viral Tweets and more.

Be sure to stick around for the lightning round and check out his answers to a selection of North Texas and Conference USA related topics. You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 78.

Episode Notes

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  • Matthew Brune joins the show — Matt shares his insight on North Texas football under Seth Littrell and what to expect from the Mean Green this coming season, including:
    • What to make of North Texas’ down 2020 season
    • Littrell’s hot seat
    • Jace Ruder, Austin Aune and C-USA quarterback situations
    • Expectations for the Mean Green in the upcoming season
    • The Lightning Round

Where can you find us?

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Rice Baseball: “Dreams do come true” for Jose Cruz Jr.

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Rice baseball officially welcomed Jose Cruz Jr. as its 22nd head coach, a moment that sparked hope and excitement in the Owls’ fanbase.

Flanked by his family, Jose Cruz Jr. was officially welcomed as the 22nd Rice baseball head coach on Tuesday evening. Donning a No. 22 jersey just like his playing days, the newest Owl coach flashed a familiar smile, delivering a confident, almost whimsical remark: “Hey, dreams do come true.”

In his introductions, athletic director Joe Karlgaard was crystal clear regarding the significance that Cruz has already had on South Main, calling him “one of the architects” that built Rice baseball into an Omaha-caliber program. Cruz didn’t stray far from his roots in his return to Houston, and in Karlgaard’s own estimation, “there weren’t many people who’d seen more Rice baseball games over the past five or six years than Jose.”

Cruz will have a much closer view the next time he walks through the gates of Reckling Park. For the time being, he’s been on the phone with his team. He already knows a good portion of the roster from his time around the ballpark. Now he’s going deeper, sharing his vision and talking about what he intends to build at South Main.

As for his coaching style, Cruz tipped his cap to former Houston Astros’ manager and current Detroit Tiger skipper, AJ Hinch for his teaching in recent months, saying he’s learned a lot from Hinch and others over his career in baseball.

More: Roost Podcast – Rice baseball to hire Jose Cruz Jr.

When it comes to how Cruz intends to run the ship, he plans to draw from several of those lessons learned along the way. “There’s some old school to it.” Cruz said of his coaching philosophy, “but it’s more of a modern style.” He went on to add that he’s “not going to be a big yeller about stuff”, stressing instead that he’ll focus on development and giving his players “the best possible opportunity” for success.”

With the pleasantries exchanged and opening remarks nearly finished, Cruz still wore his resolute smile. “We’re going to be closer to what we’re talking about being here at Rice,” he said, looking expectantly toward the future. A day both Jose Cruz Jr., and the Rice baseball family, are eager to embrace.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Breaking down the Luke McCaffrey commitment

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The 2021 Rice football recruiting class picked up its marquee player this week with the addition of former Nebraska quarterback Luke McCaffrey.

Luke McCaffrey, a bonafide blue-chip quarterback recruit, has decided to don the Blue and Gray and play for Rice football. That decision will have ripple effects on the Owls and Conference USA, starting with the impact McCaffrey’s arrival will have on the overall talent level of the Rice roster.

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BREAKING: Transfer Quarterback Luke McCaffrey commits to Rice football

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Rice Football has a quarterback. Former Nebraska signal-caller Luke McCaffrey has committed to play for the Owls.

On the surface, the Rice football roster looks more or less complete. The Owls have one of the best defenses in Conference USA. They’ve got talented wide receivers, a couple of good running backs and an offensive line that’s been reasonably effective. What they’ve lacked, for multiple years now, is a surefire quarterback. Enter Luke McCaffrey.

McCaffrey’s college football career began in 2019 with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He played in 11 games over two seasons in Lincoln, throwing for 608 yards and three touchdowns with six interceptions. He added 540 yards and four touchdowns with his legs. He would later transfer from Nebraska to Louisville, but shortly after arriving on campus at Louisville, decided the fit wasn’t right for him.

It was at that point the Owls swooped in. Head coach Mike Bloomgren coached Luke’s older brother, Panthers’ running back Christian McCaffrey, while the two were at Stanford. That connection, combined with McCaffrey’s interest to start and the Owls nebulous quarterback situation, made for a perfect pairing between McCaffrey and Rice.

At the time of his original recruitment, McCaffrey was the No. 1 athlete in the state of Colorado, the No. 13 athlete in the nation and a four-star rated recruit. From a pure composite score perspective, when McCaffrey takes his first snap he’ll become the most highly-rated player to ever play for Rice football. That distinction is currently held by safety Gabe Taylor, who took over the top spot last season.

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McCaffrey instantly becomes the favorite to be the quarterback for the Owls in 2021. He’ll have to get caught up on the playbook and work diligently to understand the scheme, but his talent level, particularly as a runner, has the potential to revolutionize the Rice offense. This was a big get for the Owls.

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Rice Baseball: 2021 MLB Owls update – June 12

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The 2021 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are busy on the mound and at the plate. Here’s the latest from the MLB Owls from this week.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon drove in his 600th career RBI on Tuesday in the midst of a hot streak he’s been riding. Since June 1, Rendon is hitting .297 with 11 hits and 12 RBI in nine games. On Saturday he added his first home run since May 3, shown below.

https://twitter.com/jgroc/status/1403826764485480451

Through June 12, Rendon is hitting .241 with 13 extra-base hits, 18 walks and 28 strikeouts. His OPS is .687 and he’s collected 30 RBI.

Brock Holt – Texas Rangers

Brock Holt had a productive week, culminating in a walk-off hit to beat the Giants on Wednesday night. He also had a pair of multi-hit games.

Through June 12, Holt is hitting .242 with seven extra-base hits, 13 walks and 23 strikeouts. His OPS is .684 and he’s collected 11 RBI.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey had two outings this week, giving up an earned run in both appearances. That’s the first time he’s surrendered an earned run in consecutive appearances this season.

Through June 12, Duffey has a 4.50 ERA with a 1.375 WHIP. He’s averaging 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

Lucas Luetege – New York Yankees

Luetege pitched parts of two innings in a single appearance this week. Of the five batters he faced, he allowed one hit with one strikeout and one hit batsman.

Through June 12, Luetege has a 2.97 ERA with a 0.956 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

J.T. Chargois – Seattle Mariners

Chargois appeared in two games this week, earning his fifth hold of the season on Sunday and his first win of the season on Wednesday. The win came in the 10th inning of a game with Detroit following a blown save by Chargois. He struck out two in the inning.

Through June 12, Chargois has a 1.80 ERA with a 0.667 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

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