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Rice Football 2024: NFL Owls Week 17 Roundup

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Rice Football is well represented on 2024 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 17.

There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player.

TeamNFL Owl(s)This WeekResultNext Week
Detroit LionsJack Fox (P)
Myles Adams (DL)		at 49ers (MNF)W, 40-34vs Vikings (SNF)
Indianapolis ColtsKylen Granson (TE)at GiantsL, 45-33vs Jaguars
New York GiantsElijah Garcia (DL)vs ColtsW, 45-33at Eagles
Pittsburgh SteelersChris Boswell (PK)
Calvin Anderson (OL)		vs Chiefs (Christmas)L, 29-10vs Bengals (Sat)
Washington CommandersLuke McCaffrey (WR)vs Falcons (SNF)W, 30-24 (OT)at Cowboys

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OL, Steelers

Anderson was active but did not see action in the Steelers’ game against the Chiefs on Christmas.

Luke McCaffrey – WR, Commanders

McCaffrey played 22 snaps on offense but wasn’t targeted in the Commanders thrilling win over the Falcons. He returned his lone kickoff return 29 yards.

Kylen Granson – TE, Colts

Granson was highly involved this week tying a season high in targets (four) and receptions (three), tallying 34 yards receiving on the day.

Defense

Myles Adams – DL, Lions

Adams had his first sack of the season and first with the Lions, contributing towards a big Monday Night Football win.

Elijah Garcia – DL, Giants

Garcia made his 2024 debut with the Giants in Week 13 but made his most impactful play of the season this past Sunday against the Colts, recovering a game-sealing fourth quarter fumble to secure the win. He also made three tackles.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox did not punt on Monday Night Football. The Lions scored 40 points and went for it on fourth down on three separate occasions rather than calling in the special teams units.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell went 1-for-1 on field goals against the Chiefs on Christmas, converting from 36 yards. He made his lone extra-point attempt. He’s made 40-of-43 field goals this season

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 details on current contractual agreements and former Rice football players waiting for their next opportunity here.

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Rice Athletics: Top 10 Moments from 2024

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2024 was filled with highs and lows for Rice Athletics. The Roost picked out 10 moments that stood out the most along the way.

10. Rice basketball defeats Memphis

It was a season of mixed results, but the high points were worth savoring for Rice basketball this year. Head coach Scott Pera’s team earned perhaps their most memorable win of his tenure on January 31, upsetting Memphis on the road.

9. Rice Football defeats Navy under interim coach Pete Alamar

Days removed from the dismissal of head coach Mike Bloomgren and following the second-longest rain delay in college football history, Rice football stunned the AAC by knocking off Navy, which had previously been undefeated in league play.

8. Soccer posts dominant home season

Rice soccer bounced back from a down season in 2023 in tremendous fashion, nearly completely an undefeated season at home before falling on Senior Day 1-0 to Charlotte. Nevertheless, a dominant 10-1-1 record at home was impressive after the squad went winless at Holloway Field the year prior.

7. Lots of new beginnings

This year, Rice introduced new coaches (Rob Lanier – basketball, Scott Abell – football) and new sports. The women’s diving team returned for the first time since 1991 and the Owls announced the coming addition of the women’s golf team which will debut in 2026.

6. Parker Smith drafted by hometown Houston Astros

A Houston native and multi-year Friday night ace for Rice Baseball, Parker Smith was a fourth round selection of the Houston Astros in July, the highest an Owl has been drafted since Trei Cruz went in the third round in 2020.

5. A two-fer of Tennis successes

Divna Ratkovic won the AAC women’s individual championship right at home, clinching the victory on campus at the George R. Brown Tennis Center. The men’s team didn’t take home the AAC crown, but they did clinch their first trip since 2017 to the NCAA Championship as a team.

4. Genny Volpe posts 400th career win

If it feels like Volpe has been leading Rice Volleyball to successful seasons year after year for quite some time, that’s because she has. Volpe earned career win number 400 this season when the team beat Tulane in their AAC opener. All 400 of those wins have come at Rice.

3. Two podiums for Women’s Track and Field at NCAA Championships

Tara Simpson-Sullivan took home second and Mckyla Van der Westhuizen placed third in their respective events, hammer throw and javelin, at the 2024 NCAA D1 Outdoor Championships. Simpson-Sullivan broke her own school record and AAC record in the process while Van der Westhuizen delivered a personal best to reach the podium.

2. Luke McCaffrey drafted 100th overall

With the final pick of the third round, the Washington Commanders selected Rice football wide receiver Luke McCaffrey. McCaffrey became first Rice player drafted since Christian Covington in 2015 and the highest Owl drafted since Phillip Gains went in the third round to the Chiefs in 2014.

1. Rice women’s basketball wins AAC, makes NCAA Tournament

Following a tough stretch in February, 10-Seed Rice Women’s Basketball caught fire in March, running through the AAC Tournament on their way to the programs first ever AAC Tournament Championship. That earned them a trip to the NCAA Tournament, where they gave 3-Seed LSU all they could handle before falling on the road.

Honorable Mentions…

How about you? Which of these moments from Rice Athletics did you enjoy the most? Cutting this down to 10 was challenging. Which Rice Athletics events should be added to the list?

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Rice Women’s Basketball falters late to South Florida

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Rice Women’s Basketball lost a fourth quarter lead and the game, falling at home to preseason AAC favorite South Florida.

Rice women’s basketball came out of the gates slowly, falling behind 15-7 in the early moments of the first quarter before catching fire behind the sharp shooting of Victoria Flores — who led the team with 22 points on the day — put an exclamatory three-pointer on an 11-0 run. That shot put Rice in front by five near the end of the frame.

The game would stay close for some time after that, but Rice was able to maintain a three-point lead after one and a one-point lead at halftime. That advantage grew to as many as eight points in the third quarter, putting the Owls in a great position to notch a big conference win at Tudor Fieldhouse, but that would not come to pass.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball 2024-2025 Season Preview

South Florida caught fire late, shooting 53.8 percent from the field in the fourth quarter as the Rice offense went silent. The Bulls went to the line 12 times and were able to keep the Owls off balance as their lead turned into a deficit in a matter of minutes. Rice would score just eight points in the final quarter, falling by 10 points in a that was highly contested for nearly 35 minutes.

Final Box | South Florida 74, Rice 64

Key takeaway | Fourth quarter foibles

A disturbing pattern has emerged in many of Rice Women’s Basketball’s defeats this season. Outside of a drubbing at the hands of a Top 25 Georgia Tech squad, the Owls have more or less been no worse than evenly matched against the remainder of their opponents. In many of those matchups, like in this one, they even led late in the game. The commonality? An inability to finish.

Rice led South Florida by six to start the fourth quarter on Sunday afternoon. Playing even basketball down the stretch would have kept Rice in the game, at a minimum, instead, the Owls watched as the Bulls rattled off 13 straight points to open the frame, seizing a seven point lead. Before they could steady themselves, another 9-2 run essentially put the game out of reach.

The Owls made two field goals in the fourth quarter after shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor for most of the afternoon. A one-off poor quarter is understandable, but it’s hard not to notice a trend of winnable games this team has let get out of hand in the fourth quarter.

Entering the fourth quarter, Rice led South Dakota State by 13 points and lost. Rice trailed by two against Louisiana entering the fourth before losing by 10. They led Gonzaga entering the fourth and lost.

This team has the talent and the experience. Building that many fourth quarter leads isn’t possible without it. But finishing is a learned skill, and one the Owls had best figure out if they want to avoid more painful experiences like this one.

Up Next: at Tulane (Wed, 1/1)

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Rice Football Roundup: December Q&A

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A lot has happened since Rice football hired head coach Scott Abell. Where does the program stand concerning staffing, the portal and more?

Interspersed between Rice basketball games, holiday happenings and so much else, Rice football has had a busy month of its own, with a good amount of change happening since head coach Scott Abell was hired almost a full month ago. This month’s Q&A flows from a request to summarize everything that’s happened since and what decisions still need to be made as the program moves forward:

Q: Where are we on a football staff?

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Rice Football Recruiting: OL Justin Michaelis commits to Owls

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Scott Abell’s first new high school addition to the 2025 Rice Football Recruiting class is in. Offensive lineman Justin Michaelis has committed to the Owls.

The first objective for Scott Abell was to retain as many existing commitments to the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class as possible. With that objective largely met and a dozen players signed in December, he and his staff were able to turn their attention to potential new additions, landing their first from the high school ranks this week. Offensive lineman Justin Michaelis has committed to the Owls.

The connection between Michaelis and Rice is rather straightforward. His father, Derek Michaelis, played baseball for Rice from 1998-2000 before going on to reach AAA within the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.

Further still, Justin was offered by Abell at Davidson before subsequently being reoffered by Abell when he took the job at South Main. After letting the dust settle on most of the coaching staff, Michaelis then quickly opted to follow Abell to Rice where he became the fourth new member of the class.

The marriage of family ties and Abell’s scheme made it an easy decision. “I like how run-heavy they were,” Michaelis told The Roost. “They don’t just have the offensive line sit back and pass block. They instead use them to attack the defense and block and that’s what I like to do.”

The previous trio of new faces all hailed from the transfer portal. In the weeks between Abell’s hiring and Christmas the Owls signed JUCO defensive backs Jerrick Harper and Jo Chavez as well as former Cincinnati wide receiver Aaron Turner.

Premium: Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

Clearly the staff liked what they saw on film when they offered Michaelis the first time and those traits pop immediately upon further examination. Despite being a relatively large human being (6-foot-4, 290 pounds), Michaelis has quick feet and moves well.

“I feel that my lower body and explosiveness is my strength,” he said. “I am very hard and powerful off the ball and can down block or get to the second level very well.”

He’s well suited for this offense and has experience playing with his hand in the dirt and up as more of a tradition h-back or fullback role.

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