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The Roost Podcast | Ep 63 – Rice Football vs Marshall Preview

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Rice football never got to kickoff against UTEP. Carter and Matthew discuss the Owls’ third postponement and preview the Marshall game.

Things were going well for Rice football when they woke up last Saturday morning, but shortly before kickoff, the Owls scheduled home game against UTEP was delayed and eventually canceled. Carter and Matthew work through the disappointment from the Owls’ third postponed game in their last four weeks and discuss the ramifications of the disjointed scheduling.

From there, it’s Marshall preview time. The Herd lead Conference USA in several key statistical categories, making it a tough challenge for the Owls on the road.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 63.

Episode Notes

  • Housekeeping — Don’t miss this opportunity to subscribe on Patreon. You’ll get practice reports, film room sessions, recruiting news (the Early Signing Period is fast approaching!) and the latest analysis and updates on all things relating to Rice Athletics.
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  • Conference USA news and notes
    • The midweek brunch bowl between Western Kentucky and Charlotte was canceled, then rescheduled
    • Louisiana Tech goes rouge and plans a nonconference game
    • UAB and UTSA are squabbling about tiebreaker scenarios
    • Southern Miss hired a new head coach, their fourth coach of the season, and it’s not the strangest thing going on in the conference this week
  • Rice Football vs Marshall preview
    • Quick trivia: When is the last time Rice football beat a ranked opponent? How about played a close game against a ranked team? Answer on the podcast.
    • What’s the formula for Rice against Marshall?
    • Key facts to know and expectations for the Owls down the stretch

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

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Rice Football 2020: NFL Owls Week 12 Stats Update

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Rice Football is well represented on 2020 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 12.

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

Week 12 results

Pittsburgh (Boswell, McDonald) def. Baltimore, 19-14
New York Giants def. Cincinnati (Covington), 19-17
Cleveland (Sendejo) def. Jacksonville, 27-25
Houston (Gaines) def. Detroit (Fox), 41-25
New Orleans def. Denver (Anderson, Callahan), 31-3 
49ers (Walter) def. Los Angeles Rams, 23-20

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

After making a spot start in Week 9 against the Raiders, Anderson has spent his time on special teams over the past two weeks. He only played one snap in Week 12 when the quarterback-less Broncos were held to just one field goal attempt. The Broncos visit the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football in Week 13.

Vance McDonald – TE, Steelers

McDonald returned to action for the first time after being activated from the COVID-19 list prior to the team’s Wednesday game against the Ravens. The Steelers host the Washington Football Team in Week 13.

Austin Walter – RB, 49ers

Walter was active on special teams in the 49ers Week 12 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. He didn’t return any kicks, but played 13 snaps, his second-most this season. The 49ers host the Bills on Monday Night Football in Week 13.

Luke Willson – TE, Ravens

Willson signed to the Baltimore practice squad a few weeks ago when tight end Nick Boyle went down with a knee injury. He made his debut with the Ravens on Wednesday afternoon. He was targeted twice in the passing game but not catch any passes and also saw some special teams action.

Defense and Special Teams

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell made both of his field goal attempts on Wednesday and one of two extra points. The Steelers host the Washington Football Team in Week 13.

Bryce Callahan – CB, Broncos

The Saints more or less grounded the ball against the Broncos in Week 12, completing nine passes compared to 44 rush attempts. Callahan had two tackles before being ruled out during the game with a foot injury. The Broncos visit the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football in Week 13. Recent reports indicated Callahan will miss some time, but won’t be done for the season.

Christian Covington – DL, Bengals

Covington had four tackles in the Bengals’ Week 12 loss to the Giants. The team visits the Dolphins in Week 13.

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox had a strong Thanksgiving performance for the Lions, despite the loss. He punted three times, pinning the Texans inside the 20 twice including a long of 50 yards. The Lions visit the Bears in Week 13.

Phillip Gaines – CB, Texans

Gaines’ time in the defensive secondary has been limited over the last few weeks, but he’s remained a fixture on the Texans’ special teams. He saw all of his Thanksgiving action on that front, playing eight snaps in the win over the Lions. The Texans host the Colts in Week 13.

Andrew Sendejo – Saf, Browns

Sendejo has started every game for the Browns so far this season, playing every single defensive snap in nine of 11 contests, including the Browns’ Week 12 win over the Jaguars, in which he had one tackle and his first official pass deflection of the season. The Browns visit the Titans in Week 13.

More Owls in the NFL

From practice squads to current free agents, there are others 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.

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Rice Football Film Room 2020: Marshall Preview

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Following a third cancelation, Rice football returns to the field to face a stout Marshall squad. How big is the task at hand? We discuss in this week’s film room.

Well, at this point I’m running out of pithy things to say about postponements and cancellations. This stinks! Three very winnable games gone from Rice’s schedule, all in the division, and a rescheduled one this Saturday in Huntington against a juggernaut of a Marshall team.

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I won’t sugarcoat this for y’all. Marshall is very, very, very good. Both of ESPN’s analytical power ranking systems (FPI and Bill Connelly’s SP+) have them as one of the top 25 teams in all of FBS. They’re led on both sides of the ball by ferocious lines: an OL with every spot manned by a senior and a defensive front that’s put up 41 tackles for loss and 22 sacks in seven games. Rice is going to have to play damn near perfect to pull this one off.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Grant Wells has been stellar for the Herd so far, but the heart and soul of their offense is junior running back Brenden Knox. He’s not the most explosive back (5.0 YPC, and his longest run this year is the 45-yarder we’ll see below), but he’s tough, agile, and has great vision.

Knox can make you pay

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2021 CB Jojo Jean commits to Owls

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The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class continues to build on a strong secondary haul with a new commitment from corner Jojo Jean.

The early signing period is fast approaching and the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class keeps picking up steam. The Owls have landed another commitment, this time from corner Jonathan “Jojo” Jean from Lakeland, FL.

Prior to receiving an offer from Rice, Jean had picked up offers from Tennessee State and Robert Morris. He committed to Robert Morris at the end of the summer but changed his plans following an offer from the Owls in late October. After thinking it through for the better part of a month, he decided he wanted to make the move and join FlightSchool21.

Jean echoed what several commitments in this class have already said, the combination of what he called “a top notch education and top notch football” was something he couldn’t pass up. When it came down to deciding whether or not Rice was the right fit for him, those two pieces were the difference makers.

He joins a secondary haul that is starting to look rather formidable. The Alabama safety tandem of Marcus Williams and Joshua Williams kicked off the secondary commitments at the end of the summer.  Corner Michael Taafe joined in early November. Now Jean rounds out the group.

Premium: 2021 Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

Jean can do a couple of different things on the back end of the defense. That versatility undoubtedly was something that drew the Owls to him in the first place. He’s got a good eye for the ball when he’s deep at safety, but he possesses the necessary quickness and agility to cover one-on-one as well. No matter where he lines up for the Owls, he has the talent to impact the game from several spots.

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What happened to the December Conference USA Football schedule? All-American Q&A

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All-American Level subscribers on Patreon get access to a monthly Q&A with me. The November focuses on the upcoming month of Conference USA football.

Q. How badly did Conference USA bocth the end of season scheduling? Shouldn’t Rice be playing UTSA this weekend instead of Marshall?

A. You could see the writing on the wall when Rice had the Marshall game added back to their schedule the same week the UTSA game was postponed. I understand the impetus from the league office to get as many games back on the schedule as possible, but using hindsight (not a luxury they had at the time) it seems pretty clear that most if not all of those impacting programs were going to have multiple games unplayed by the time the calendar got to December. So, what’s the right answer?

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