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Rice Football: Austin Walter makes XFL debut with Dallas Renegades

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The NFL season has come to an end, but professional football is still being played. Former Rice football running back Austin Walter made his XFL debut on Sunday.

Austin Walter’s professional football journey entered its next chapter on Sunday. After being released by the New York Giants midseason, the free agent running back had been looking for his next opportunity to play professional football. He found that chance with the Dallas Renegades of the newly rebirthed XFL.

Walter made it through training camp and earned a spot on the active roster. His first action came Sunday in the league’s final game of their inaugural weekend. The Renegades, coached by former Oklahoma headman Bob Stoops, took on the Saint Louis Battlehawks led by Jonathan Hayes.

Initially listed as a kick returner on the Dallas depth chart, Walter saw limited action until the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game. He returned the opening kickoff 16 yards on the Renegades’ first possession of the fourth quarter. On that drive, he caught a pass for eight yards and carried the ball once for 13 yards. He ended the day with 37 all-purpose yards, a decent total considering the Renegades had one player register more than 50 yards from scrimmage (Lance Dunbar).

More: Find the latest info on Rice football players in the NFL on our NFL Owls page

Midway through his senior season at Rice, Walter led the nation in all-purpose yards. Special teams will always afford him a role on whatever team he plays for. He has a knack for generating explosive plays, something Dallas could use more of next weekend. The Renegades were one of two XFL teams which failed to find the endzone during opening weekend.

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Rice Women’s Basketball 2020: Owls dispatch MTSU for 30th straight C-USA win

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In a rematch of last season’s Conference USA Championship Game, Rice women’s basketball beat Middle Tennessee with relative ease.

For the 30th time in as many tries, Rice women’s basketball won a conference game. The Owls’ most recent victory, a 77-60 win over Middle Tennessee at Tudor Fieldhouse on Saturday served as the most recent reminder of this team’s dominance.

Rice had dispatched of every C-USA opponent they’d faced this season, but they had yet to play either Old Dominion or Middle Tennessee, the two programs still in striking distance of the Owls’ in the conference standings. Facing their toughest test of the season, Rice verified their supremacy with their trademark level of suffocating defensive intensity.

Middle Tennessee made two of their first 15 shots and nine of their first 32. The Lady Raiders entered with a 40% shooting percentage on the season. Rice held them to 33.8% shooting while knocking down 47.3% of their own shots.

Winning conference games is hard. Rice women’s basketball has made it seem easy. And beating one of the conference’s better teams by nearly 20 points only underscores the expectations the Owls are putting on themselves. Perfection isn’t the goal — the NCAA Tournament is — but the more Rice wins the closer they get to achieving that greater aspiration.

Final Stats

Player of the Game – Erica Ogwumike

The impressiveness of Rice women’s basketball leading scorer Erica Ogwumike continues to be understated. On Saturday she tallied a double-double at halftime. That would have been her 10th consecutive double-double had she not been subbed out with nine rebounds when Rice had a commanding lead over UAB their last time out.

Ogwumike finished with ## points and ## rebounds. Her presence on the court gives Rice a chance to win every possession, something few teams in college basketball can say of any one individual.

Up Next

Rice women’s basketball will hit the road for their next two contests. On Thursday, Feb. 13 they’ll face Old Dominion in arguably their most important C-USA game of the season to this point. That game is scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m. Saturday they’ll head to Charlotte for a 3:00 p.m. game. Both are scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN+.

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Rice Basketball 2020 Game Preview: Men and Women vs MTSU

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Both Men’s and Women’s Rice Basketball teams are on winning streaks. Can they keep them going against Middle Tennessee on Saturday?

Rice Basketball

Time: Feb. 8 at 5:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Murphy Athletic Center
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: CUSA TV 

MTSU 6-18 (2-9), Last 5 (2-3)

  • 80-73 (L) vs Louisiana Tech
  • 65-63 (W) vs Southern Miss
  • 67-66 (L) at UTEP
  • 83-80 (W) at UTSA
  • 75-70 (L) vs North Texas

Rice 11-13 (3-8), Last 5 (2-3)

  • 79-59 (L) at North Texas
  • 72-64 (L) vs UTEP
  • 90-88 (L) vs UTSA
  • 84-75 (W) vs North Texas
  • 86-72 (W) at UAB

MTSU statistical leaders

  • Scoring | C.J. Jones – 16.2 per game
  • Rebounds | Tyson Jackson – 5.0 per game
  • Assists | Donovan Sims – 3.5 per game
  • Steals | Donovan Sims – 1.7 per game
  • Blocks | Tyson Jackson – 0.8 per game

Rice keys to victory

Beyond an incredible stretch of shooting, the Owls’ recent two-game winning streak has featured a pair of hot starts that have put a renewed sense of confidence in a team coming off a tough stretch. Rice tends to be a streaky shooting team. If the Owls can keep the game close early until they find their stroke, they might have found a recipe for success that could work.

Rice Women's Basketball

Time: Feb. 8 at 2:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: ESPN3

MTSU 16-7 (8-3), Last 5 (4-1)

  • 78-60 (L) at Louisiana Tech
  • 77-69 (W) at Southern Miss
  • 76-60 (W) vs UTEP
  • 69-48 (W) vs UTSA
  • 80-60 (W) at North Texas

Rice 15-6 (10-0), Last 5 (5-0)

  • 75-64 (W) vs Southern Miss
  • 69-61 (W) at UTEP
  • 74-62 (W) at UTSA
  • 67-52 (W) at North Texas
  • 64-53 (W) vs UAB

MTSU statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Anastasia Hayes – 17.7 per game
  • Rebounds | Charity Savage – 11.2 per game
  • Assists | Anastasia Hayes – 4.1 per game
  • Steals | Charity Savage – 1.9 per game
  • Blocks | Charity Savage – 1.5 per game

Rice keys to victory

This will be a rematch of last year’s conference championship game. The Owls’ won that game, but it wasn’t easy. Middle Tennesse led by eight points at halftime before Rice turned on the jets in the third quarter and eventually punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

The third quarter has been where Rice has made its move. Tina Langley’s squad makes adjustments, executes and outlasts. Saturday’s contest should be no different. If Rice can win the third quarter, they’ll have enough firepower to prevail at home.

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Rice Basketball 2020: Owls blow out UAB to stay white-hot

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Rice basketball snapped out of a cold spell with a blazing shooting streak, riding their hot hands to a huge road win over UAB on Thursday.

The last time Rice basketball was on the court they posted a potentially season-altering win over Conference USA leading North Texas that, quite frankly, came out of nowhere. A switch flipped at some point during that win. The Owls duct taped that switch to the floor, maintaining their torrid shooting pace on the road against UAB.

Entering Thursday’s contest, the Blazers were far less consistent than the Mean Green. But it really didn’t matter how well UAB was playing. Rice couldn’t miss.

UAB scored first. Then Rice took over. Rice led by 19 at the break, their largest lead at halftime in any game this season. They stretched that lead to as many as 29 points, squeezing the fight out of a UAB team that had won their last two C-USA games.

Rice shot 52.7 percent from the field and made 13 three-pointers. That’s a step down from their 61.5 percent shooting performance against North Texas, but more than enough to get Rice beyond 80 points for the third straight game.

Final Stats

Player of the Game – Drew Peterson

Not only did Peterson lead the Owls in scoring, but he was also the point man who commanded the team on both sides of the court. He was the only player on either team to play more than 31 minutes — he played 39. His six assists marked the second game in a row with at least six assists and he added five rebounds, second-most on the team.

Up Next

Rice basketball will play its final road game of the season prior to pod play on Saturday. They’ll travel to Murfreesboronext to play Middle Tennessee. That game is scheduled to tip off on Saturday at 5:00 p.m.

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Rice Basketball 2020 Game Preview: Men and Women vs UAB

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Rice Basketball had a great weekend, sweeping North Texas in emphatic fashion. The men and the women return to action on Thursday against UAB.

Rice Basketball

Time: Feb. 6 at 7:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Bartow Arena
Radio: Stretch Internet Portal
TV: ESPN+ (If you don’t have ESPN+ you can access a free trial or subscribe here.)

UAB 14-9 (5-5), Last 5 (3-2)

  •  68-65 (W) at FAU
  • 84-77  (L) vs Southern Miss
  • 72-58 (L) vs Louisiana Tech
  • 76-68 (W) at UTSA
  • 69-55 (W) at UTEP

Rice 10-13 (2-8), Last 5 (1-5)

  • 81-68 (L) at Southern Miss
  • 79-59 (L) at North Texas
  • 72-64 (L) vs UTEP
  • 90-88 (L) vs UTSA
  • 84-75 (W) vs North Texas

UAB statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Jalen Benjamin – 12.5 per game
  • Rebounds | Makhtar Gueye – 5.3 per game
  • Assists | Tyreek Scott-Grayson – 1.9 per game
  • Steals | Tavin Lovan – 1.1 per game
  • Blocks | Tyreek Scott-Grayson – 0.6 per game

Rice keys to victory

In their most recent outing, Rice proved they can beat anyone when they shoot the lights out. Barring another historic performance from the field, Rice will have to get better on the other side of the court. North Texas shot 51 percent from the field and 48.5 percent from three. Most nights, that’ll be good enough to win in Conference USA. Rice has to get that percentage down into the 40s, at least.

Rice Women's Basketball

Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
Venue: Tudor Fieldhouse
TV: ESPN3

UAB 15-7 (7-3), Last 5 (5-0)

  • 92-73 (W) vs FAU
  • 74-68 (W) at Southern Miss
  • 71-51 (W) at Louisiana Tech
  • 94-55 (W) vs UTSA
  • 63-51 (W) vs UTEP

Rice 14-6 (9-0), Last 5 (5-0)

  • 60-47 (W) vs Louisiana Tech
  • 75-64 (W) vs Southern Miss
  • 69-61 (W) at UTEP
  • 74-62 (W) at UTSA
  • 67-52 (W) at North Texas

North Texas statistical leaders

  • Scoring | Rachael Childress – 17.5 per game
  • Rebounds | Angela Vendrell – 8.1 per game
  • Assists | Angela Vendrell – 4.7 per game
  • Steals | Angela Vendrell – 1.1 per game
  • Blocks | Angela Vendrell – 1.0 per game

Rice keys to victory

UAB is going to trust Rachael Childress and Angela Vendrell to run the show. The matchup between those two and the Owls’ tandem of Erica Ogwumike and Nancy Mulkey will be pivotal in determining the outcome of this gam . So far, they’ve been up to the task.

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