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Rice Football: Offense explodes as Owls knock off Middle Tennessee

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An explosive offense, stingy defense and strong special teams performance propelled Rice Football to their first win of the 2019 season.

Rice football had come close too many times to count. Staring down the barrel of an 0-10 start, the Owls turned in a complete game. On the road, against an unfamiliar opponent, Rice won. No points scored after halftime is concerning, but the season-high 31 points was absolutely a step in the right direction.

There will be plenty of good (and some bad) to work through in the days that follow. Here are a few immediate reactions from the win:

1. Boom!  goes the offense

A lack of explosive plays had put a hard ceiling on Rice offense all season. The Owls have been forced to execute at an unsustainable rate to simply stay on the field. As a result, way too many of their drives have ended in either punts or long field goals. Rice needed someone to jump-start the offense. On Saturday, Bradley Rozner delivered.

It started out with a big play, a 30-yard toss from quarterback Tom Stewart to Rozner in the endzone. One. Then the same duo connected for a second score, this time from 18 yards out. Two. With 14 seconds remaining in the first half and no timeouts, Rozner hauled in another one. Three.

Rozner, who led all of junior college in touchdowns last season, more than doubled his D1 touchdown tally against Middle Tennessee. That might have been enough on its own, but several others joined in the offensive explosion.

Juma Otoviano had a season-high 20 carries, several on direct snaps including a fourth-down conversion that set up one of Rozner’s long touchdown receptions. Zane Knipe joined the fray with his first career carry, a 12-yard end-around for another Rice first-down. Aston Walter iced the game with a thundering 24-yard run on third and 11 in the final minutes.

Seem like a lot? That’s because Rice hadn’t scored 30 points since August 25, 2019 — a walk-off win over Prairie View A&M in Mike Bloomgren’s head coaching debut. Here are each of the scoring plays:

2. Defense paves the way, then hangs on

The offense will get plenty of praise for their dazzling showing after two consecutive games with just one touchdown. As impressive and exciting as Stewart and company were with the football, it was the defense that set them up for success.

Middle Tennessee managed 40 yards of total offense in the first quarter. They had one first down and went 1-for-4 on third downs. As a result, the Rice offense began their scoring drives on the Middle Tennesse 24-yard line, the Rice 47-yard line and midfield. The longest Rice scoring drive of the day went 53 yards.

It wasn’t a perfect performance. MTSU’s first touchdown came on a drive in which the Owls committed three penalties on what could have been driving-ending plays, including a fourth down stop in the redzone. They also gave up a 90-yard bomb from O’Hara to Lee. Despite the warts, they gave the offense a chance, and they took advantage of it.

Middle Tennessee entered the weekend as the No. 1 rushing offense in Conference USA. Dual-threat quarterback Asher O’Hara was kept in check on the ground as the Blue Raiders were held to 120 yards rushing. They came into the game averaging 222 yards on the ground in conference play.

Blaze Alldredge tied Larry Izo’s TFL record, upping his tally to 17 tackles for a loss on the season.

3. A complete game

The offense played well. The defense played well. So did the special teams.

Chris Barnes hit a career-long 42-yard field goal to open the scoring for the Owls in the first quarter. His punting partner Adam Nunez came on and pinpointed a punt inside the 10-yard line, his ninth such kick of the season. Barnes later punned MTSU inside the five.

Nahshon Ellerbe had a career-long 37-yard kickoff return in the second quarter. Following an MTSU score, he had a 34-yard return which set up the final Rice touchdown of the first half. For perhaps the first time all season, all three phases played quality football. As a result, Rice football won its first game.

4. No JoVoni, No problem

The difference between the Rice offense under Tom Stewart compared to the same unit with JoVoni Johnson on the field could not have been any more clear after the team’s last outing against Marshall. When Johnson was in the game, the Owls marched down the field. When Stewart stepped in, the offense stalled, immediately.

Were it not for Johnson’s injury, the freshman signal-caller would have probably gotten the start against Middle Tennessee. With Johnson unable to go, Stewart got the call.

Stewart’s biggest plays were touchdowns hauled in by Rozner in which the quarterback threw it up and let the 6-foot-5 wideout make a play. To Stewart’s credit, the balls were well placed. Stewart isn’t the long-term answer for Rice football — he has two more games of collegiate eligibility — but the rush to get Johnson back on the field will lessen this week. The Owls know they have someone who can run the offense well in his place.

5. Winners win

Sludging through an 0-9 start puts the Owls’ Week 12 win over Middle Tennessee into proper perspective. We’ve seen this team play down to their competition; unfortunately, that’s happened more than Rice football fans would like. But now we’ve seen the upside, and oh boy, it’s nice.

In 2018 Rice beat 5-6 Prairie View and 4-8 Old Dominion. On Saturday they beat a Middle Tennessee squad that had scored 70 points in its previous two conference games and already had a win over Marshall under their belt.

There’s no debating it, this was the most impressive, most impactful victory in the history of the Mike Bloomgren era. This staff hadn’t won away from the confines of Rice Stadium. Now they have. After many had thrown in the towel on what had become a disappointing season, this team kept fighting, found a way to take a team to deep water in the fourth quarter. More importantly than any cliche, they won.

The Owls still have to prove they can replicate the product they put on the field this weekend, but it’s clear they’ve gotten over the hump. North Texas will be a tough test with a road trip to El Paso the week after that. But now we know — and this team knows — Rice football can win.

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Rice Football: MTSU practice notes and injury updates 🔒

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Rice football is ready to take the field against Middle Tennessee in Week 12. Here are some notes on who’s in, who’s out and the plan at quarterback.

Rice football has three games remaining in the 2019 season. There’s a potential for younger players to see action and questions at the quarterback position 🔒. Amidst all of those variables, the coaching staff is tightening up their focus.

Entering the bye, the message from the top was clear. “This week, stuff has to be proven in practice,” Mike Bloomgren said. “We gotta fix things in practice. It’s gotta look good in practice or we can’t call them in a game.” He noted that standard applies to everything from formations to individual players. The tolerance for errors was already low and it’s continuing to shrink.

“You either win or you learn,” Bloomgren said, “and we’ve learned a lot.”

Quarterback

On the final Thursday walkthrough before traveling on Friday, it was Tom Stewart who took the first-team reps. JoVoni Johnson is currently listed as a game time decision and will make the trip to Murfreesboro. Whether or not he’s healthy enough to go, and be mobile while he’s out there, remains to be seen. My expectation is that Stewart will start against Middle Tennessee.

As for Stewart, Bloomgren was encouraged by what he saw during the bye week from his veteran passer. “He made the most of his reps,” Bloomgren said. “I think it’s been really good, what he’s done this week.”

Stewart seems to be back to his normal self following a back injury which kept him off the field for the majority of the Marshall contest. The medical staff has done everything they can to get him back to health as quickly as possible and early returns are promising.

Since Stewart went down, the Owls offense has changed. It’s less complex and geared more towards helping Johnson command the offense comfortably. We’ll still see that slimmed down offense against Middle Tennessee. Stewart noted that’s probably a good thing, regardless of who is lined up under center.

“It’s helped everyone,” Stewart said. “Let’s do we do well, let’s play fast. And I think that’s kind of been a trend, we haven’t played as fast as we want to. So, I think the tempo and how fast we’re able to process everything has really improved.”

Healing up

There’s at least a chance Rice will get some combination of Andrew Bird, Anthony Ekpe and Brian Chaffin back after the bye week. All three have returned to practice, at least in a limited fashion, with the hope they will be progressively eased back into the flow of things over the next week.

Chaffin still retains his No. 1 spot at center on the depth chart, but spent the majority of the week at guard. It looks like the Owls will move last year’s starter Shea Baker back to center and keep Chaffin next to him, at least for this week.

Neither Ekpe or Bird were listed on the depth chart released on Tuesday. That doesn’t rule them out against Middle Tennessee, but their outlook to return seems a bit more tenuous. It’s a situation we’ll continue to monitor. Of the two, Bird is more likely to play while Ekpe remains a somewhat hazy game-time decision.  Like we mentioned on Ep. 17 of The Roost Podcast this week, don’t be surprised if he’s held out one more week.

Fresh faces

With three games remaining, expect to see freshman and others who haven’t participated much this season to get a few looks down the stretch. The coaching staff won’t put young players on the field just to do it, but those who have earned opportunities through the year will get a shot, whether that’s on special teams or as part of a rotation on offense or defense.

Jawan King saw his first action of the season against Marshall. In addition to him, two names jump out at the moment: linebacker Myron Morrison and safety Chike Anigbogu. Morrison was elevated to the No. 2 spot behind at linebacker behind Blaze Alldredge, filling in for veteran Dylan Silcox who will miss the rest of the season after suffering an injury against Marshall.

Anigobgu has drawn rave reviews for his effort and intensity during practice for several months. Bloomgren said he’s a guy who is “working his butt off and earning out trust.” He’s played in two games to this point and will be a guy who gets in two more in the coming weeks.

Other names that flashed during the past week include corner Josh Landrum, wide receiver Jake Bailey, safety Hunter Henry and safety Kirk Lockhart.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep. 17 – 2019 Middle Tennessee Preview

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Matthew previews Rice Football vs Middle Tennessee in Week 12 and recaps a busy week in Rice Athletics as the football team was on bye.

The bye week was a busy one for Rice Football and the Owls are still on their hunt for their first win. An extra week of prep work and time to get everyone healthy should aid their efforts. Stay tuned for a closer look at the matchups on both sides of the ball and an interview with Eric Henry of Underdog Dynasty in this week’s show.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, Give a listen to Episode 17 below.

Episode 17 Notes

  • News and notes —  Rice Basketball has been busy. The men started the season 3-1 with the women starting 2-0 prior to an upset at the hands of SMU (completed after recording). More on how both teams have looked so far and some big-picture thoughts on their respective seasons.
  • Middle Tennessee Preview — The Blue Raiders are led by quarterback Asher O’Hara, one of the most talented athletes Rice has faced at the quarterback position this season. MTSU’s commitment to the ground game has a similar look and feel to a team like Army, which fits well with the Owls’ strengths. How the Rice offense responds, and who is healthy enough to play quarterback, are also brought into focus.
  • Eric Henry Interview — As someone who spends his days looking at the broader scope of Conference USA, Eric was able to give a great overview of where the conference stands entering the final weeks of the season. We talked championship game scenarios, surprising teams and results and, of course, the upcoming matchup between Rice and Middle Tennessee.

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 Women’s Basketball: SMU upset sours Nancy Mulkey’s record game

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A record-setting outing by Nancy Mulkey was not enough to stave off upset-minded SMU who were able to hand Rice Women’s Basketball their first loss.

Nobody said it would be easy. After rolling through their first two opponents (Nicholls St and Little Rock), Rice Women’s Basketball hit the road to take on SMU. The Mustangs weren’t supposed to the big test — that was to come on Sunday against Texas A&M. But the Owls found out the hard way that every opponent they’ll face is going to be primed for an upset.

Rice started slowly, going 1-for-11 from the field with nine turnovers in the first quarter. Their ever-ready defense kept the Owls in the game, holding SMU to 10 points in the first frame. Then the Owls fired back, outscoring the home team 18-7 in the second quarter, including a 14-0 run to close out the half.

The two teams traded punches throughout the second half. Neither team had a great shooting day, with both teams finishing below 30 percent from the floor. SMU would make the ones that counted the most, including a pair of rim-rattling free throws to extend their lead to 50-43 with 43 seconds to play. The Owls had nothing left in the tank, falling on the road by a final score of 55-43.

Player of the Game

Nancy Mulkey put together a record-breaking performance in defeat. She single-game record with 11 blocks on her way to becoming the second Rice women’s basketball player to ever record a triple-double. In addition to the 11 blocks, Mulkey also tallied 11 rebounds and 15 points.

Mulkey and Ogwumike combined for 11 of the Owls’ 14 made baskets and 32 of the team’s 43 points. The supporting cast didn’t offer much support on a disappointing night for a program that had set much higher expectations for themselves than this.

Up Next

The Owls don’t have any time to feel sorry for themselves. They’ve got plenty still to play for, including their biggest game of the year upcoming. On Sunday, they host No. 5 Texas A&M at Tudor Fieldhouse. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. A win in that game would quickly put this loss in the rearview mirror as they prepare for a full schedule ahead of them.

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Rice Football 2019: Week 12 Middle Tennessee Press Conference quotes

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Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren debriefed a busy bye week then turned his attention to the Owls’ Week 12 game against Middle Tennessee.

More: Rice Football game preview for Week 12 vs Middle Tennessee

Safety Naeem Smith and running back Juma Otoviano joined Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren at the podium on Tuesday. The trio discussed final bye week of the season and made comments on the team’s upcoming game at Middle Tennessee.

From Mike Bloomgren

On what he’s learned about the team so far…

“This team has proven to me time and again, that they will respond to challenges. So we did challenge them in the bye week. We challenged them to really understand that we do have three games promised to us in our season, but we needed to live in the moment. We needed to be where their feet are, and really take this thing in day by day, minute by minute increments and just play by play. And that’s how they responded. And that was really cool.”

On conversations with Rice Women’s Basketball coach Tina Langley at the radio show on Monday night…

“Last night I got to hang out with Tina Langley, our women’s basketball coach. I love talking to her every chance I get. We love talking culture, we love talking motivation. I just think she’s outstanding. I’m trying to grab some of her mojo while she was at the radio show.”

On the quarterback situation …

“So obviously [we were] pleased with some of the things that JoVoni [Johnson] was able to do in the first start. We thought he moved the chains pretty well. He was eight of nine passing in the first half and I thought that was a really impressive start for him. And then Tom Stewart is the other one that we’re going to have on the ready. So we’re going to have those guys go and take a look at how practice goes and whoever is healthy and gives us the best chance [to win] is who we’ll trot out there.”

On running back rotation…

“Whoever’s got the hot hand. We trust all those guys. Juma [Otoviano] is a guy that we proven is explosive. Old Dominion, in his first start, he rushed for 224 yards, that’s no secret. But we have guys that we trust it’s not just Charlie [Booker]. It’s not just Aston [Walter]. It’s also Nahshon Ellerbe. All those guys can have roles and really whoever has the hot hand — and some people may have certain plays earmarked for them going into this game — that’s where we’ll go.”

On MTSU quarterback Asher O’Hara …

“I think probably at the level he’s doing it, he is the best dual-threat [quarterback that Rice has faced] because I compare him — obviously a very different offense — but to the Army, in terms of running the ball and a lot of things going through him, with him being their leading rusher in eight of nine games this year. But as a true dual-threat, I think he’s completed 71 percent of his passes. Yeah, he might be the top dog. The one at Texas wasn’t bad either.”

From Saf Naeem Smith

On the matchup against MTSU quarterback Asher O’Hara…

“I actually played [against O’Hara] in JUCO … Definitely a great athlete. He can throw it too. I remember in JUCO we thought that was the best quarterback we played against or maybe even the best player. So I have a lot of respect for him. As a defense, I see it as an opportunity.  We have to make sure we’re all on the same page. Everyone needs to know their run fit, and then everybody needs to lock up on the outside. We make sure we do our job. And if we can do that, I think we can be successful. They got a great offense.”

From RB Juma Otoviano

On what the running backs focused on during the bye …

“I’d say it’s a lot of reps and then going back and watching ourselves on film. We’ve been harping on our footwork on our outside zone… that was something that we all kind of struggled on early on, but moving forward now we’ve gotten a lot better.”

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