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Owls key in on remaining targets for 2019 class

January 28, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

The 2019 Rice football recruiting class is almost in the books. Here are a few names to keep an eye on as National Signing Day approaches.

The Owls signed 17 players in the early signing period. Since then they’ve picked up commitments from three players — Atascocita linebacker Myron Morrison, Duncanville defensive tackle De’Braylon Carroll,  Harvard grad transfer Tom Stewart. That brings the 2019 Rice football recruiting class up to 20 players. Rice has 26 spots this year, which leaves six spots to fill.

A quick note on eligibility

As the Owls hone in on their final few names there are a few players who Rice would love to take who won’t be academically eligible. Out of respect to the individuals, I won’t be sharing any names, but keep that in mind when culling through the potential pool of candidates.

There are high academic standards at Rice. That will always be a part of the calculus when it comes to building the Owls’ yearly recruiting classes. Football is an important part of the equation, but every athlete has to have the grades too.

Grad transfers

As previously noted, Center Brian Chaffin and fullback Reagan Williams remain near the top of the priority list for Mike Bloomgren and his staff. Defensive lineman Mike Hinton from Columbia and offensive lineman Justin Gooseberry from Ouachita Baptist are two more players to watch. Both players will on campus this weekend, the final official visit weekend for Rice in the 2019 recruiting cycle.

Hinton was a team captain at Columbia last season. He started every game at defensive tackle where he racked up 3.5 sacks and 29 tackles. Hinton has experienced at defensive end, playing on the edge in both seasons prior to 2018.

Gooseberry was named a DII All-American and anchored an Ouachita Baptist line which allowed just 15 sacks all season, a mark which would rank in the top 11 nationally among FBS teams. For reference, Rice quarterbacks were sacked 24 times last season.

High school targets

Jovoni Johnson remains the clear-cut target at quarterback in this cycle. Stewart has only one season remaining, making replenishing the pipeline behind Wiley Green and Evan Marshman a focal point of this class.

If Rice can secure Johnson’s commitment and sign a few of those grad transfer targets they’ll be running out of space in the 2019 class. For example, Johnson plus three more grad transfers would put the class at 24 players, leaving room for two more high school players. The math is fairly simple, what’s less clear is who is going to get the last few spot(s).

Corner Kenyon Reed and wide receiver Ardell Brown are two interesting names to keep an eye on. Reed also offers from Iowa State and Kansas State but has built in a strong relationship with the Rice coaching staff. Brown’s offer list might be less decorated, but his speed would be a great addition to the offense.

Don’t Miss: Full list of Rice football 2019 signees and commits

At this point it’s not looking likely any of the former Houston signees will be a part of this class, but if there are one or two guys the Owls could make a late run at it would be corner Isaiah Essissima and receiver Ife Adeyi. Both have publically announced they were leaving UH. A few other names might be in the mix, but those would two of the most probable candidates.

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

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Filed Under: Featured, Archive, Football, Football Recruiting Tagged With: Rice Football, Rice Football recruiting

Quarterback Tom Stewart commits to Owls

January 27, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

For the second year in a row, Rice football adds a notable grad transfer quarterback, securing a commitment from Harvard passer Tom Stewart.

Having an experienced voice in the quarterback room was a priority during the 2019 recruiting cycle. Shawn Stankavage transferred from Vanderbilt last year, and in addition to serving as a mentor to underclassmen Wiley Green and Evan Marshman, he started the majority of the Owls’ games.

Rice went a bit farther north this year, earning the commitment of Harvard transfer Tom Stewart. He saw sparse action during his first three seasons with the Crimson before earning the starting job in 2018. Stewart threw 14 touchdowns and two interceptions. He was knocked out of the game against Yale with a hip injury, but has since made a full recovery.

Stewart will battle with Marshman and Green and incoming freshman Jovoni Johnson for the starting spot in 2019. With Green and Marshman one year wiser, he’ll have his work cut out for him to win the job. For now though, he’s going to get a shot with the ever-present guidance from coach Mike Bloomgren that the players that earn playing time will be on the field this fall.

Rice hoped the addition of Stewart would lead to one more Crimson addition. Stewart’s former wide receiver Justice Shelton-Mosley would eventually opt for Vanderbilt over Rice. Landing another playmaker would have been huge, but Stewart’s importance to this class shouldn’t be understated.

Stewart fills a void in the Owls’ depth chart and the locker room. He’s a veteran among a host of freshman and sophomores. His experience plus his ability make him a meaningful addition to the 2019 Rice football recruiting class.

Tom Stewart with the pocket presence and he finds Henry Taylor to strike first at Fenway! #BeatYale #GoCrimson

📺: https://t.co/r2Mh8tr26W pic.twitter.com/6VLI9eowhg

— Harvard Football (@HarvardFootball) November 17, 2018

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

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Filed Under: Football, Archive, Featured, Football Recruiting Tagged With: Rice Football, Rice Football recruiting, Tom Stewart

MBB: Late rally falls short vs UAB

January 27, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice basketball narrowly missed a homecourt victory as they watched their final shot bounce out, thwarting the Owls upset attempt at UAB.

With less than 10 minutes remaining in the game Rice trailed the visiting UAB Blazers by 13 points. The Owls’ had put together a decent night from the field at that point but turnovers had cost the Owls way too many possessions. Rather than cave, they pressed in.

The resiliency of this team has been tested in recent weeks. They rallied to cut the deficit to one-point, staying within reach for the remainder of the game, right up until an Ako Adams three-point attempt fell short at the buzzer. His shot would have forced overtime, instead, Rice ended up three-points shy on the scoreboard, losing 89-86 to a surging UAB squad who has quietly won four games in a row.

Box

Player PTS FG 3FG FT OR DR REB A PF TO BL ST MIN +/-
ADAMS 12 4-7 4-7 0-0 0 1 1 2 3 3 0 0 21 5
PETERSON 3 1-2 1-2 0-0 0 2 2 3 0 1 0 0 17 5
MULLINS 16 6-11 0-2 4-7 1 4 5 4 3 1 0 0 32 0
WILLIAMS 5 2-10 0-4 1-4 3 5 8 0 2 2 1 0 28 5
MILLORA-BROWN 11 5-7 0-0 1-2 3 5 8 2 2 2 3 0 31 -13
MOORE 0 0-1 0-1 0-2 0 0 0 3 1 1 0 0 11 -8
PARRISH 5 1-2 0-1 3-4 1 0 1 1 5 0 0 0 16 -10
MURPHY III 24 5-8 5-7 9-9 0 6 6 0 1 0 0 0 24 1
MARTIN 10 3-4 2-3 2-2 1 1 2 1 3 3 0 0 20 2

Player of the game – Trey Murphy

Trey Murphy scored 18 points in each of his most recent outings, a career high at the time. On Saturday against UAB he one-upped himself, tallying 24 points with a personal best five made three-point shots. It wasn’t just the distant shooting which paved the way for another big night from Murphy, he also went a perfect 9-for-9 from the line.

Shooting 71 percent from three doesn’t happen very often, but Scott Pera himself has given Murphy free range to take as many open threes as he can. He scored 10 points in two minutes on Saturday. When he’s hot, Rice needs to get him the basketball.

Up Next

A road trip to Charlotte looms next for Rice. The 49’ers are 5-15 on the season and 2-7 in conference play. They’re coming off a four-point loss to UTSA on Saturday.

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

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Filed Under: Basketball, Archive, Featured Tagged With: Rice basketball, Trey Murphy

MBB: Owls’ seek another streak with home with over UAB

January 26, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

Two days after ending a three-game losing streak Rice basketball looks to even their conference record at .500 with a win over UAB on Saturday.

Rice entered conference play with a 5-8 record. The Owls had put together some strong performances, but the consistency was lacking. They needed time to regroup and refocus. It’s almost as if a different team showed up after the holiday break. Their win over Middle Tennesse puts them one win away from returning to the middle of the pack in Conference USA.

To get back to .500 Rice will have to dispatch a UAB squad which has won three straight games, all against opponents who beat the Owls this season. Barring additional sets of unforeseen circumstances, the team will be ready for the Blazers on Saturday. A win would give Rice a tw0-game winning streak, their second of the season.

The game is scheduled for broadcast on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. CT. Radio is available via the Stretch Internet Portal.

UAB 13-7 (5-2), Last 5 (3-2)

  • W, 52-49 @ North Texas
  • W, 83-73 vs UTSA
  • W, 76-63 vs UTEP
  • L, 73-68 @ Southern Miss
  • L, 64-53 @ Louisiana Tech

Rice 8-12 (3-4), Last 5 – (2-3)

  • W, 79-68 vs MTSU
  • L, 76-75 vs North Texas
  • L, 65-64 @ UTEP
  • L, 95-79 @ UTSA
  • W, 78-66 vs Louisiana Tech

UAB players to watch

For most of the year, UAB has won basketball games with a suffocating defense. The Blazers rank fourth in CUSA with 65.8 points allowed per game and second in field goal percentage allowed, 40.1 percent. It’s been a complete team effort, sort of how the offense has gone for UAB, too.

Rice will have to keep their focus on the combination of Zach Bryant, Jalen Perry and Lewis Sullivan. The trio leads UAB in minutes played and seem to alternate on the night which of the three will have a big game. Most recently it was Bryant, who knocked down 6-of-13 from the field for 17 points, tied for his most productive shooting night in conference play.

Rice keys to victory

Play all 40 minutes of Saturday’s tilt with UAB with the same intensity of the final eight minutes against Middle Tennessee. After the second to last scheduled media time out the Owls outscored their opponents by 12, seizing control late in the game.

Rice shot 70 percent from the field after the timeout. Middle Tennessee shot 33 percent. A strong defensive performance from the Owls was just as important as their made shots down the stretch. This team has proven when both sides of the ball are operating well, they can beat anyone on their schedule.

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

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Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: Game preview, Rice basketball

MBB: Strong finish pushes Owls past Middle Tennessee

January 25, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice basketball avenged a pair of close losses with a big home win, closing strong in the second half to take down Middle Tennessee at Tudor Fieldhouse.

“Tonight they wanted to prove that what happened before was a fluke.” A little bit of angst, tinged with relief, could be heard through head coach Scott Pera following his team’s 79-68 win over Middle Tennessee on Thursday night at Tudor Fieldhouse. This marked the third consecutive game in which Rice had held a double-digit lead in the second half, but this performance was different. Unlike in the final moments against UTEP and North Texas, they finished.

Rice trailed Middle Tennessee (now 5-15) by four points at halftime. The Owls had been out-rebounded 24-17. They’d shot a meager 27.3 percent from three and converted on five of nine free throws. It was a slow start against won of the least successful teams in Conference USA. They needed to kick it into gear, and they did.

Both teams traded blows in the second half. Rice went on a 9-0 run. A few minutes later Middle Tennessee responded with an 8-0 run. Then, in the minutes following the under-8:00 minute media timeout, Rice scored 13 unanswered points, turning a 1-point deficit into a 15-point advantage.

“We showed some maturity. We showed some growth,” Pera remarked knowingly after the game. His confidence shone clear. This team has plenty to work on, but finally healthy in front of their home crowd, they seem to be putting all the pieces together.

The Box

Player PTS FG 3FG FT OR DR REB A PF TO BL ST MIN +/-
ADAMS 9 2-4 0-1 5-5 0 4 4 2 1 3 0 1 31 11
PETERSON 2 1-5 0-2 0-0 1 3 4 3 2 0 0 0 17 8
MULLINS 19 6-11 3-4 4-6 2 2 4 2 2 0 1 3 29 8
WILLIAMS 13 4-11 1-4 4-6 1 3 4 2 4 2 0 1 30 8
MILLORA-BROWN 8 4-6 0-0 0-3 2 6 8 0 4 0 3 1 24 6
MOORE 4 2-3 0-1 0-1 0 2 2 1 0 0 1 1 8 0
PARRISH 3 1-1 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 11 3
MURPHY III 18 4-8 4-8 6-6 0 1 1 1 1 2 1 0 23 3
MARTIN 3 1-5 0-2 1-3 3 7 10 2 3 1 0 1 27 8

Player of the Game – Trey Murphy

For the second game in a row, Trey Murphy was the catalyst for this young squad. It was his fourth three-pointer of the night which gave Rice their final lead of the game. The deciding shot was also his 18th point of the game, tying a career high set his last time out against North Texas.

“We knew that we had to play harder and give it 40 minutes, not 34 minutes or 36 minutes, an entire 40 minutes,” Murphy said emphatically following the game. It comes as no surprise then, that Murphy’s three-point shot which started the final push fell with just a little after 33 minutes of the game clock had expired.

Murphy’s shooting stroke is starting to settle in. That bodes well for Rice moving forward.

Up Next – UAB

UAB rallied from a half time deficit to knock out North Texas in Denton on Thursday night. The Blazers move to 13-7 on the season and 5-2 in Conference USA, locking themselves into a four-way tie for second place in the conference. If Rice wants to make a push up the ranks, they’ll need to get past UAB on Saturday.

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

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Filed Under: Basketball, Archive Tagged With: Rice basketball, Trey Murphy

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