The source for Rice sports news

The Roost Podcast | Ep 48 – Jack Fox interview and Special Teams Preview

By

The final episode in our three-part 2020 Rice Football season previews, Carter and Matthew discuss the Rice Football special teams and catch up with Jack Fox.

The start of the 2020 Rice Football season has been delayed. Rice will no longer play Lamar on Sept. 26 (Find out more about the schedule and the potential ripple effects of that decision on our Patreon page). But when they do play, podcast listeners will have ample insight on the roster.

This week Carter and Matthew catch up with former Rice punter and current Detroit Lion Jack Fox. He told us about his offseason, what he learned in the punter conclave in Birmingham, Alabama and how he’s approaching the battle for the starting job with the Lions. We also covered the specialists at Rice and what to expect from that unit on the field in 2020.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 48.

Episode 48 Notes

  • Housekeeping — Schedule news and other updates are coming fast and furious. Make sure you hit the button and subscribe on Patreon so you don’t miss what’s happening behind the scenes. As always, thanks to all of you who have followed the show on Twitter and left a review on iTunes. It’s quick, but it makes a difference.

Become a Patron!

  • Rice Football Special Teams Preview
    • Punter Charlie Mendes – Unproven, but has done well in preseason and practices. Will have to learn to be consistent in live-game situations, but the ability is there.
    • Kicker Collin Riccitelli – Stanford transfer once compared to Joe Burrow. No, he’s not winning the Heisman, but Riccitelli should find success at Rice after sitting behind All-Pac12 honoree Jet Toner.
    • Long snapper Cam Riddle – Jack Fox said Phil Steele doesn’t know what he’s talking about if he ranked Riddle lower than No. 1 in C-USA. (Steele had him No. 2)
    • NCAA weighing eligibility ruling: Proposition would allow all athletes an extra year of eligibility regardless of how many games they play in the 2020-2021 academic year.
  • Jack Fox interview: Jack updated us on…
    • What training for an NFL job looks like in the midst of a pandemic, including a gathering of pro punters in Birmingham, Alabama. The punter conclave (or rendevous as Jack called it) helped hone his game to prepare for the fall
    • Intricacies of punting that go through his head while he punts that casual observers might never consider
    • What he’s learned from Year 1 to Year 2 and his confidence heading into another competition

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.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Football announces 2020 schedule, game times and tv info

By

The 2020 Rice Football schedule has start times and TV information. With kickoff approaching, here’s where you can watch the Owls this season.

All currently scheduled Rice games are expected to be televised on Saturdays on either ESPN3 or ESPN+. You can subscribe to ESPN+ here.

Conference USA games will be broadcast on a combination of several media platforms including ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN+, CBS Sports Network and Stadium. Nonconference games could be featured on other networks depending on affiliations of the host broadcast partners.

Listen Now: Check out our Rice Football season preview episodes on The Roost Podcast

The 2020 C-USA Championship Game is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5. It will be aired on CBS Sports Network with a kickoff time to be announced at a later date.

Rice is scheduled to begin their season on Saturday, Oct. 3 againast Marshall. Their home opener is slated for the following weekend against UAB at 6:00 p.m. The remainder of the home games will be afternoon kickoffs.

The entirety of the C-USA schedule is available here. Southern Miss is the first C-USA team scheduled to play this season. They will host South Alabama on Thursday, Sept. 9 on CBS Sports Network. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. CT.

Here’s the 2020 Rice Football schedule

10/3 @Marshall ESPN3/+ 1:00 p.m. CT
10/10 UAB ESPN3/+ 6:00 p.m. CT
10/24 Middle Tenn ESPN3/+ 2:30 p.m. CT
10/31 @So. Miss ESPN3/+ 2:00 p.m. CT
11/7 UTSA ESPN3/+ 2:30 p.m. CT
11/14 @LA Tech ESPN3/+ 2:30 p.m. CT
11/21 @North Texas ESPN3/+ 1:00 p.m. CT
11/28 UTEP ESPN3/+ 12:00 p.m. CT

Whether there is football this fall or not, there’s going to be plenty to process as everyone works to find a new equilibrium in college sports. Stay current on those updates and following the always-active recruiting cycle by subscribing to The Roost on Patreon today.

Become a Patron!

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Baseball: 2020 MLB Owls update – August 27

By

The 2020 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are making noise. Here’s the latest on the MLB Owls from the week of August 27.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon had a stretch earlier this year where he went 0-for-21. Whether it was some rust from a longer than expected offseason or some bad luck, his slump has been emphatically ended.

From August 10 to August 24, Rendon hit .482 with five home runs and 13 RBI in 56 at bats. His OPS was 1.336. As David Adler points out in the tweet and story below, Rendon has been as consistent as ever.

According to Adler, “Rendon has been doing everything right when it comes to his hallmark, plate discipline. He was always swinging at all the right pitches; he just needed to hit them. Now the hits are coming. No one should be surprised.” Rice baseball fans certainly aren’t.

Through August 27, Rendon is hitting .316 with 10 extra-base hits, 20 walks and 19 strikeouts. His OPS is .982.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey is the only player in baseball who has appeared in at least 12 games with an ERA below 1.00 and a WHIP below .500. He’s just been dominant, allowing one hit or less in 11 of his 12 outings. He had two single-inning outings this week, striking out two batters apiece in each frame.

Through August 27, Duffey has a 0.75 ERA with a .417 WHIP. He’s averaging 12.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

Other Owls

Brock Holt was released on Thursday after the Brewers designated him for assignment last week. He hit .100 in 30 at bats this season before being released. His versatility and reliable glove should get him another shot with a big league team in the future.

Jon Duplantier is in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ player pool as he rehabs from an offseason injury. There haven’t been any updates regarding his status or when he might rejoin the team since the season began. Arizona could certainly use him.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

College Football: 2020 season schedule and first kickoff dates

By

The 2020 college football season kicks off this weekend. Here’s the most up to date schedule after many previously scheduled games were postponed.

The carousel of college football schedules has gone round and round over the past several weeks. Who was playing who has seemed like a make-believe exercise at times, with games coming and going within days. Now things are getting real.

The first college football game of the season is scheduled to kick off this Saturday when Central Arkansas takes on Austin Peay at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama. The first FBS matchup of the season is scheduled to follow five days later when Central Arkansas visits UAB for their second game of the season.

With real football mere days away instead of weeks, it’s time we familiarized ourselves with which teams are going to be playing in real games on television. As things stand, here’s what’s on the schedule over the course of the next week and a half. This includes all games featuring FBS and/or FCS teams.

*Conference USA teams in bold

Saturday, Aug. 29

  • Austin Peay vs. Central Arkansas – 8 p.m. CST, ESPN

Thursday, Sept. 3

  • Central Arkansas at UAB – 7 p.m CST, ESPN3
  • South Alabama at Southern Miss – 7 p.m. CST, CBSSN

Saturday, Sept. 5

  • Arkansas State at Memphis – 6 p.m. CST, ESPN
  • Eastern Kentucky at Marshall – 12 p.m. CST, ESPN
  • Houston Baptist at North Texas – 6:30 p.m. CST, ESPN3
  • Middle Tennessee at Army
  • SMU at Texas State –  3:30 pm. CST, ESPN
  • Stephen F. Austin at UTEP – 8 p.m. CST, ESPN3

Monday, Sept. 7

  • BYU at Navy – 7 p.m. CST, ESPN

Learn more about every C-USA team including players to watch, roster analysis and pressing questions in The Roost’s 2020 Conference USA Season Preview, available now for $5.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Conference USA Football: Reaction and “Snubs” from All-Conference team

By

The 2020 Conference USA Football Coaches All-Conference teams are out. Which players should have had their names mentioned?

Before we really get going, let’s all agree that all-conference lists are inherently subjective. The 2020 Conference USA Football Coaches Preseason Teams was never going to make every fan base happy. And frankly, it wasn’t supposed to achieve those ends.

It was meant to recognize athletes who have proven themselves to be the best their conference has to offer. With that as the ground rules, there are a few “snubs” that deserved recognition on this list of C-USA’s best in some form or another.

Asher O’Hara – QB, Middle Tennesse

If I were building a team from scratch with Conference USA quarterbacks, Chris Robison from FAU would have been my first pick, judging by on-field ability alone. He’s no longer on the Owls’ roster. Asher O’Hara would have been my second.

O’Hara carried the Middle Tennesee offense on his back last season, willing an injury-plagued team within a few unfortunate bounces of bowl eligibility. He’s dangerous with his legs and his arms, and he’s still getting better. His 1,058 rushing yards were more than five times any other player on his team.

Instead, Jack Abraham gets the nod. The Southern Miss quarterback has shown flashes of being a top-notch player, but his abundance of elite pass catchers and inconsistencies make it hard for me to anoint him the best quarterback in the conference. Top 5? Sure. No. 1? That’s a tough sell. Charlotte’s Chris Reynolds has an argument to be made for him, too.

Victor Tucker – WR, Charlotte

If the conference included an all-purpose slot or one more nomination for a receiver, Tucker would have been the next name mentioned. All three of the guys mentioned in front of him are equally as deserving, but Tucker isn’t far behind by much, if at all.

Tucker has already secured a place among the best receivers in Charlotte football history. He’s the second leading returning receiver in the conference entering 2020, trailing only UAB’s Austin Watkins. He’s a home run threat that will continue to be a key cog in the 49ers’ offense in 2020.

Brontae Harris – CB, UAB

Harris not making the cut for the preseason list is explainable. He missed the entirety of his junior season with a foot injury. It’s hard for players to stay on these lists when they miss that many games, to some extent it really is “out of sight, out of mind”. So perhaps Harris being omitted isn’t quite a “snub”, but he’s worthy of the honor.

Pro Football Focus graded Harris as the highest-rated corner during his redshirt sophomore season, his last healthy year. Entering 2019 he was named to the Jim Thorpe Award preseason watch list, just as he was this season. He’s an elite corner who won’t be overlooked if he gets in a full season in 2020.

You can get all our conference preseason team picks in The Roost’s 2020 Conference USA Season Preview, available now for $5.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts