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Rice Football: 2021 Blue-Gray Spring Game Review

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Rice football spring practice wrapped up this week with the Blue-Gray Game. Final thoughts and takeaways from the last session of the spring.

What a difference a week can make. The last update came following the final scrimmage of the spring in which the defense dominated the offense from start to finish. The reversal came true on Friday night during the annual Rice Football Blue-Gray Spring Game. The offense went on to win 48-34, holding on to a commanding first-half lead.

The offense scored on five of their first seven drives, with Wiley Green and TJ McMahon each leading a pair of touchdown drives. Then the defense took charge, limited the offense to just three scoring plays over the final 12 drives, one of which came on a 65-yard touchdown bomb from McMahon to wideout Andrew Mason.

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For those that might have missed it, you can check out the initial depth chart reactions as well as the Week 1, Week 2, Week 3 and Week 4 practice notebooks. Not subscribed? The Roost will have you covered every step of the way this spring and beyond. Subscribers get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and special features. Subscribe on Patreon and get access to it all today.

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Rice Basketball: Owls land commitment from UMass transfer Carl Pierre

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Rice basketball has added another impactful scoring threat, picking up a commitment from UMass grad transfer Carl Pierre.

The Transfer Portal was not kind to Rice basketball last spring. No sooner had the regular season ended than was head coach Scott Pera abruptly met with an exodus of outgoing players. Pera and Co. reloaded, taking the Owls further into the Conference USA Tournament than ever before under his watch.

Set on making a return trip and going further into March, Rice hopes to add the “finishing touch” to a strong corps. To this point, only graduate Payton Moore has elected to not return to South Main next season. He’ll look to play his final year of eligibility elsewhere. His absence opens up a roster spot that Rice will move to fill quickly with former UMass guard Carl Pierre.

Pierre is a former high school teammate of current Rice Owl, Travis Evee. Although the two went their separate ways for college, they both retained the propensity for scoring. Evee finished second (to teammate Quincy Olivari) in three-point field goal percentage among all C-USA shooters. Pierre shot 33.3 percent from three last season, a mark that would have put him fifth among all C-USA players last year. He’s 38.4 percent shooter from three in his career.

The Roost Podcast | Spring practice “Believe it or Not”

Pierre leaves UMass second all-time in career three-point field goals made. He started 99 straight games for the Minutemen and should slide right into a starting spot at Rice. Given his track record and the opportunities presented by the Rice offense, the Owls very well boast three of the best distance shooters in the entire league next season.

As things currently stand, Pierre would join a starting rotation that includes Olivari, Evee, Max Fielder and Quincy Olivari. If you like scoring, you’re in luck. There won’t be a more potent offense in Conference USA. The season can’t get here soon enough.

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Rice Baseball 2021: Previewing the MTSU Series

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Rice baseball departed for their first Conference USA road trip, paying a visit to Murfreesboro, TN. Here’s how the Owls stack up with the Blue Raiders.

The beginning of four-game weeks is officially upon us. Rice won’t play another midweek game until mid-April. For the time being, the focus will be solely on Conference USA opponents. They’ll get one more crack at an opponent from their own division this week when they take on Middle Tennessee.

Game Notes

Times: Thursday 3:00 p.m. | Friday 1:00 p.m. / 4.00 p.m. | Saturday 1:00 p.m.
Venue: Reese Smith Jr. Field
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
Watch: CUSAtv

How each team fared this week

Rice baseball (12-12) saw a relatively hot streak snapped this past weekend, going 1-3 against UTSA at Reckling Park. A walk-off Saturday afternoon win was the bright spot.

Middle Tennesse (13-10) split a four-game series with UAB in Birmingham their last time out. The Blue Raiders were shut out 8-0 in their opener before rebounding to win two of the back end of a Friday doubleheader and split the remaining games.

Probable Pitchers

Friday | Blake Brogdon (2-3, 6.67)
Saturday 1 | Roel Garcia (1-1, 3.97)
Saturday 2 | Mitchell Holcomb (3-2, 4.86)
Sunday | Brandon Deskins (1-3, 5.47)

MTSU Pitching

Middle Tennessee ranks in the top 10 nationally in WHIP and strikeout-to-walk ratio. If Rice hopes to get on base this weekend, they’re going to have to earn it. Typical Friday night starter Aaron Brown has already amassed a staggering 52 strikeouts in 33.1 innings pitched. Trent Siebert also has more K’s (39) than he does innings worked (33.0).

The rest of the staff is equally stout. Only one member of the Blue Raider’s pitching corps that has gone 10+ innings has an ERA above Brown’s 4.10. Opposing batters are hitting .227 on the season against MTSU pitching.

MTSU Hitting

The offense hasn’t been as prolific. Two MTSU hitters are batting better than .300 with right fielder Cole Escher pacing the offense with a .356 average. While the rest of the lineup doesn’t boast an impressive average, they do pack some power. Four different hitters have seven or more extra base hits, led by Brett Coker who has eight (three doubles, two triples and three home runs).

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Can Rice football field the No. 1 defense in 2021? All-American Q&A

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All-American Level subscribers on Patreon get access to a monthly Q&A with me. This update focuses on Rice football and its stalwart defense.

Q. The spring practice updates have only underscored how excited I am to see the Rice defense against non-Conference USA opponents in 2021. Can Rice shut down everyone else like they blanked Marshall?

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A. What defensive coordinator Brian Smith has accomplished with the Rice football defense is nothing short of amazing. He inherited one of the worst defenses in the FBS and elevated it to the No. 12 scoring defense in the nation last season.

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Rice Football 2021: Spring Practice Week 4 Notebook

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Rice Football has completed its final scrimmage prior to the Blue-Gray Spring Game. There was a ton to unpack from this week’s sessions.

The second of two spring scrimmages wrapped up last Friday. Rice football took the field for 12 drives then finished up with a few situational drills. The defense won the day in what head coach Mike Bloomgren dubbed “a defense-dominated scrimmage”, but the biggest gleanings might have come from what transpired on the other side of the ball.

There is a lot to discuss regarding the quarterback situation. From there we’ll touch on the offensive line a bit and some of the highlights from the skill players. Then, yes, we will bestow some well-deserved praise on the defense.

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For those that might have missed it, you can check out the initial depth chart reactions as well as the Week 1, Week 2 and Week 3 practice notebooks. Not subscribed? The Roost will have you covered every step of the way this spring and beyond. Subscribers get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and special features. Subscribe on Patreon and get access to it all today.

The elephant in the room

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