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Rice Football Film Room 2020: Middle Tennessee Preview

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The Rice Football Film Room is back for 2020! And, thanks to the weirdness of the 2020 season, we have actual game tape of Middle Tennessee.

When Middle Tennessee comes to Houston on Saturday they’ll be taking the field for their seventh game of the 2020 season. Rice football will, of course, be kicking off for the very first time. A slight benefit of this peculiar circumstance is the amount of game tape available on Middle Tennessee. We’ve got quite a bit of it. Let’s dive in, shall we?

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Just like last year, junior quarterback Asher O’Hara is the heart and soul of the Blue Raiders’ offense. There had been hope among the MTSU fanbase that the offense would diversify a bit this year to take some of the playmaking pressure off O’Hara.

Running backs Chaton Mobley and Jayy McDonald have both impressed in their carries thus far, but they’ve combined for 75 carries in the team’s six games, compared to a whopping 102 non-sack rushes for O’Hara. And even with a brief benching earlier in the season, he still accounts for 188 of their 210 pass attempts.

O’Hara is an effective runner if not an explosive one. He averages 4.8 yards per carry minus the sacks, but with a long of only 31 yards. What he lacks in straight-line speed, he makes up for in elusiveness, juking and spinning his way to extra yardage to move the chains. He’s unfortunately not taken the extra step as a passer this year, averaging only 6.3 yards per attempt, with 8 interceptions to only 9 touchdowns.

Key 1: Getting Pressure on the MTSU Offense

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Rice Football 2020: Owls in the NFL Week 6 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 6.

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

Week 6 results

Pittsburgh (Boswell, McDonald) def. Cleveland (Sendejo), 38-7
Indianapolis def. Cincinnati (Covington), 31-27
Denver (Anderson, Callahan) def. New England, 18-12
Detroit (Fox) def. Jacksonville, 34-16
Tennessee def. Houston (Gaines), 42-36
Seattle (Willson) — BYE

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

Anderson has remained a fixture on the Broncos’ special teams units through the teams’ first five games. He played on six snaps in their Week 6 win over the Patriots, all on special teams. The Broncos host the Chiefs in Week 7.

Vance McDonald – TE, Steelers

McDonald drew the start for the fourth time this season, but was held without a catch as the Steelers easily dispatched of Cleveland in Week 6. McDonald played on 62 percent of offensive snaps, but wasn’t targeted through the air, instead he made his mark as a blocker. The Steelers visit the Titans in Week 7.

Luke Willson – TE, Seahawks

The Seahawks were on bye in Week 6. They visit the Cardinals in Week 7.

Defense and Special Teams

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell has made five extra points in consecutive games, bringing his season total up to 17 makes in 18 attempts this season. He also converted a 35-yard field goal, his seventh on the season in as many attempts. The Steelers visit the Titans in Week 7.

Bryce Callahan – CB, Broncos

Callahan had his first interception of the season in Week 6 against the Patriots. It was one of three takeaways for Denver on the day, helping propel them to victory. Callahan also had one tackle and two passes defended. The Broncos host the Chiefs in Week 7.

Christian Covington – DL, Bengals

Covington had one tackle in the Bengals’ Week 6 game against the Colts, his third consecutive start and his fourth of the season. He’s played in more than 50% percent of the snaps in all but one game this season. The Bengals host the Browns in Week 7.

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox didn’t see much work this weekend as the Lions marched up and down the field against the Jaguars. He was limited to two punts on relative shorts field, averaging 45 yards. He still leads the NFL in average and net putting through six weeks. The Lions visit the Falcons in Week 7.

Phillip Gaines – CB, Texans

Gaines didn’t see much action for the Texans in their Week 6 overtime loss to the Titans. He played one defense snap, spending the bulk of his time on special teams. The Texans host the Packers in Week 7.

Andrew Sendejo – Saf, Browns

Sendejo had seven tackles in the Browns’ Week 6 loss to the Steelers. It was the second-most tackles Sendejo has had in a game this year (10 vs Cincinnati) and led the Cleveland secondary. The Browns visit the Bengals in Week 7.

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 2020: Middle Tennessee Depth chart released

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The first official depth chart of the 2020 Rice Football season has been released. Given the injuries and uncertainties, there’s a lot to unpack.

We’ve reach the end of fall camp and the beginning of Week 1 prep for Rice football. On Monday the Owls released their first depth chart for the 2020 season. Some positions aligned perfectly with expectations: Mike Collins is the QB1. Others provided more intrigue.

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Typically the weekly depth chart doesn’t come out until Tuesday when Rice will hold its weekly press conferences. Those came out a bit earlier than expected this week with everything going virtual. To that end, subscribers will want to stay tuned to practice reports later this week to see who will be in and out when game day arrives.

Don’t forget to put your entry in for the 2020 pick’em challenge

Here’s how Rice football will line up against Middle Tennessee

Rice Football depth chart

Expected results

Mike Collins is the Owls starting quarterback

This was never really in doubt during fall camp. Head coach Mike Bloomgren made it official last week. Now it’s been published in ink with no OR designation. Mike Collins will be the guy against Middle Tennessee. The third string man, if it had been listed, would have been Wiley Green, who started the Owls’ opener last season. That’s a pretty solid quarterback room after a few years of flux.

Surprises

Fullback

Brendan Suckley hasn’t been spotted so far during camp, so I wasn’t expecting him to be on the depth chart against Middle Tennessee. Brian Hibbard, who had taken reps in his place, was out last week as well. That left Jerry Johnson working with the ones. The move to insert Jaeger Bull is a surprise to be sure, but his skillset as a blocker and h-back type players makes the move a reasonable one.

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Rice Football 2020 Game Preview: Season opener vs Middle Tennessee

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Rice Football is set to open its 2020 season on Saturday against Middle Tennessee. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

After delaying their season of four separate occasions, Rice football intends to play football this coming Saturday. The Owls are the last Conference USA school that intends to play this fall to get underway. Once they kick off, Old Dominion will be the lone C-USA team to forgo football this fall.

The Owls’ first opponent, Middle Tennessee, began their season on Sep. 5, almost two months (49 days to be precise) before Rice begins its campaign. Even given the extra time, Middle Tennessee is only one game up in the win column in seven tries. They beat FIU in Week 6, falling to 1-5 this past weekend with a road loss at North Texas. On the plus side, they’re one of two Conference USA schools that hasn’t had a game postponed by COVID-19 protocols.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 2:30 PM CT
Venu | Rice Stadium – Houston, Tx
TV | ESPN3 (Streaming)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs Middle Tennessee on this week’s episode of The Roost Podcast which will be released on Thursday. 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.) If you haven’t yet, consider checking out our extended offseason interviews with notable Owls like Anthony Rendon, Taylor McHargue, Christian Covington, Erica Ogwumike and more!

Sizing up the contenders

Rice football will experience one of the more peculiar oddities of the 2020 season first hand. Their opponent has played six games before Rice has played any. Rice gets the added advantage of six games worth of film — Middle Tennessee hasn’t seen Rice quarterback Mike Collins take a single snap in the Owls’ offense.

On the other hand, Rice will have plenty of early-season rust to knock off. Injuries have left question marks on the depth chart that might not be resolved before Saturday. Quarterback Asher O’Hara and the Blue Raiders look dreadful in their season opener against Army and have gotten better in every game since. Which side has the edge? Time will tell.

Series History

All Time | Rice leads 1-0
Last Five | Rice leads 1-0
Last Meeting | Road 2019, Rice won 31-28

Rice Stat Notables (Returning 2019 Leaders)

Passing | Green – 75/142 (52.8 percent), 787 yards passing, 4 TD, 2 INT
Rushing | Johnson – 27 carries, 159 yards (5.9 yards per carry), 2 TD
Receiving | Trammell – 60 receptions, 726 yards (12.1 yards per reception), 4 TD
Tackles | Alldredge – 102, Montero – 83, Chamberlain – 65
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Nyakwol – 6 PBU, Smith/Chamberlain – 2 INT

Middle Tennessee Stat Notables (2020)

Passing | O’Hara – 120/168 (63.8), 1176 yards passing, 9 TD, 8 INT
Rushing | O’Hara – 117 carries, 407 yards (3.5 yards per carry), 4 TD | Mobley – 50 carries, 277 yards (5.5 yards per carry), 3 TD
Receiving | Pierce – 40 receptions, 389 yards (9.7 yards per reception), 2 TD | Ali – 19 receptions, 243 yards (12.8 yards per reception), 1 TD
Tackles | Grate Jr – 47 | Thomas – 43 | Blankenship – 43
Interceptions/Pass Breakups | Grate Jr, Riley – 2 INT /  Riley – 3 PBU, Shepherd – 3 PBU

Middle Tennessee X-Factor | Can anyone else please step up?

The 2019 Middle Tennessee offense was built on the back of Asher O’Hara. He had 29 total touchdowns, including nine on the ground. The rest of the offense tallied seven rushing touchdowns and none of the MTSU running backs surpassed 300 total yards. All were dwarfed by O’Hara’s 1058 rushing total.

Head Coach Rick Stockstill brought in some transfers in the backfield and vowed to give his quarterback some help. So far, not much has changed. No rusher other than O’Hara is averaging more than 30 yards per game on the ground. That’s not a high bar. Jarrin Pierce has been the most sure-handed pass catcher but has just two scores so far.

O’Hara tried to will his team past the Owls last year and it didn’t work. He’s going to need some help. If another skill player or two can come to his aid, the Blue Raiders will be much more dangerous on offense and have a better chance to win this game.

Rice X-Factor | Be Like Mike

Rice football has been after consistent quarterback play for some time. The Owls think they’ve found their answer in the form of TCU grad transfer Mike Collins. The veteran signal-caller impressed in fall camp, winning the job midway through. Now he’ll get his first chance to don the Rice uniform and put his strong practice record to the test.

Collins has better arm talent than previous Rice quarterbacks, but he’ll be without last year’s leading receiver Bradley Rozner who had wrist surgery before opting out of the 2020 season. With so many moving parts around him, it’s hard to pin down who will emerge to come to his aid, but having an answer at quarterback is the first step to solving the weapons problem.

If Collins can be what Rice expects him to be, this offense can work. If the offense works, and the defense continues on the trajectory it was on last fall, Rice could be looking at the most complete team of Bloomgren’s tenure.

Pick ‘Em Contest

If you haven’t yet, make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and submit them on the forum thread or the Patreon page to enter.

  1. How many points does Middle Tennessee score?
    Over 20.5 / Under 20.5
  2. Who leads Rice in rushing?
    Juma Otoviano / Khalan Griffin / Other
  3. How many sacks will the Rice defense register?
    Over 2.5 / Under 2.5
  4. Which team wins the turnover battle?
    Rice / Middle Tennessee / Tie
  5. Who scores first in the second half?
    Rice / Middle Tennessee
  6. Who wins?
    Rice / Middle Tennessee

Injury Report (Subscribers only)

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Need More?

The Roost’s 2020 Rice Football Season Preview has four pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth charts, important new arrivals and depth chart breakdowns for every team in Conference USA. Better yet, it’s not just speculation, each profile was created with insight from local experts who cover those teams day in and day out. Pick up your copy today and get four pages and more than 1,000 words on every foe.

One Final Thing

2020 was meant to be the year Rice football went bowling. Revised requirements have made the Owls bowl-eligible before they play their first snap of the season. With that threshold somewhat removed, the only tangible measure beyond wins and losses is a conference championship.

It would be a stretch to demand perfect with a schedule in flux and so many uncertainties, but how close Rice comes to obtaining that ultimate goal will be how this season is measured. The wacky offseason has quelled whatever momentum was left over from last fall, but the mindset within the Brain Patterson Center remains undeterred. This team believes they’re ready to take that next step.

No matter where Rice lands on that spectrum, reaching the field safely is an accomplishment given the circumstances. With that achieved, it’s time to start with Saturday against Middle Tennesse. Go 1-0 this week, and as cliche as it sounds, the rest of the schedule will take care of itself.

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Conference USA Football 2020: Week 7 C-USA Roundup

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Conference USA Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 7.

Team Week 7 Result Week 8
Charlotte vs FIU PPD vs UTEP
FAU — OFF —  – at Marshall
FIU at Charlotte PPD — OFF —
LA Tech vs Marshall L, 35-17 at UTSA
Marshall at LA Tech W, 35-17 vs FAU
MTSU vs North Texas L, 52-35 at Rice
North Texas at MTSU W, 52-35 — OFF —
Rice — OFF —  — vs MTSU
Southern Miss at UTEP PPD at Liberty
UAB vs WKU w, 37-14 vs Louisianna
UTEP vs USM PPD at Charlotte
UTSA vs Army L, 28-16 vs LA Tech
WKU at UAB L, 37-14 vs Chattanooga

Notable Week 7 results – Standings

Medic!

What UTSA was able to accomplish to start its season is praiseworthy. Going 3-0 with a first time head coach with the offseason as challenging as it was proves something is in the works in San Antonio. What the new staff couldn’t do is predict the quarterback carousel. UTSA lost Lowell Narcissa against Army, after losing Josh Adkins earlier in the season. Previously injured Frank Harris replaced him. That’s a lot of injuries in a short span of time, which somewhat explains the backstep to 3-3.

If you can’t play defense…

North Texas can’t play defense. Regardless of who is available on any given Saturday, the Mean Green are just going to have to outscore their opponents. It worked this week. North Texas gained 768 yards, a season-high, and tallied 52 points, the most the team has scored against a Conference USA opponent since beating UTEP at home last November,

Sitting at home on Saturday

Two Conference USA games were postponed this week, bringing the total up to 14 conference games postponed since the season began. Some schools have been hit harder than others and only two schools (Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee) have avoided any postponements to this point.

Week 8 storylines

Rice Football is back!

After delaying its season on several occasions, Rice football returns to the gridiron in Week 8. The Owls host Middle Tennessee next weekend with no fans permitted inside the stadium. Rice is trending upwards and has high expectations for the year, making a win in their home opener an important first step.

Those extra weekends could come in handy

Conference USA announced a delay to its conference championship game this week. Rather than playing it on Dec. 5, the game was moved to Dec. 18, giving two more weekends of buffer at the end of the year. FAU already has a game that weekend and could need the other weekend soon. The Owls are working through an outbreak and have already postponed multiple games this season.

Sun Belt showdown

UAB has proven itself to be the creme of the crop in Conference USA. Their coming test against Louisiana could be another feather in the Blazers’ cap. For the most part, nonconference play hasn’t treated C-USA well this year. A UAB win would help ease a few lopsided losses the conference has suffered so far.

Rice Football Opponent Scouting Report

A weekly update on who the Owls will be playing this season including updates on key storylines, injuries and more.

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