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2024 Rice Football Season Preview: Tight End

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Next up in our 2024 Rice Football Season Preview: tight end. Here’s our breakdown of the Owls’ plans for the group this season.

Perhaps the deepest room on the Rice football roster, the second and third levels of the wide receiver depth chart represent a fierce battle for playing time that will be worth following throughout fall camp and into the regular season. Replacing Luke McCaffrey is just part of the intrigue at this position which boasts a couple of experienced returns a pair of transfers and a host of players vying for more time on the field this coming season.

Rice Football Preseason Preview: Check out the rest of the series here.

This piece is part of our 2024 Rice Football Season Preview. Get access to it, as well as all other preview posts such as positional breakdowns, depth chart and schedule analysis and more when you subscribe on Patreon today. 

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** Photo credit Maria Lysaker **
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The Roost Podcast | Ep 178 – 2024 USF Preview with Seth Varnadore

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Next up as The Roost Podcast continues its AAC opponent previews: Seth Varnadore of the Bay Area Examiner dives into South Florida football in 2024.

South Florida went from bottom dweller to front runner in the span of one offseason. How reasonable have expectations gotten in Tampa? Can the Bulls compliment a high-powered offense with just enough defensive improvement to get by? Seth Varnadore of the Bay Area Examiner gives us a rundown of the Bulls and their place in the AAC pecking order this season.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 178.

Episode Notes

DCTF

The Roost Podcast is now part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner.

Homefield

We’re thrilled to partner with Homefield Apparel, the premier proprietor of college football clothing. First-time buyers can use the code ROOST for 15% off their order. The Owls hoodie is a personal favorite as is the Luv-Ya-Owls shirt. Make sure you check out the brand-new sailor hat (pictured below) as you shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

Patreon

Get exclusive insight on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes practice updates, analysis and more. Your support matters and makes The Roost better.

Become a Patron!

Previewing 2024 USF Football with Seth Varnadore

  • Dealing with sky-high expectations
  • Alex Golesh’s roster strategy moving forward
  • The Byrum Brown show
  • Addressing the (defensive) elephant in the room
  • The Lightning Round

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

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

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2024 Rice Football Opponent Season Preview: Memphis

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Memphis has been close but hasn’t won a conference title in five years. What can Rice Football expect from the Tigers in 2024?

Head Coach: Ryan Silverfield
Record at School: 31-18 (4 Yr) | Career FBS Record 31-18 (4 Yr)
Offensive Coordinator: Tim Cramsey | Defensive Coordinator: Jordon Hankins

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Rice Baseball 2024: MLB Owls Update – July 23

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The 2024 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are busy on the mound and at the plate. Here’s the latest from the MLB Owls.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon has gotten off to a quiet start to the second half, collecting four hits in five games since the All-Star Break. He’s been the Halos’ third basemen during all of those games before getting a day off on Wednesday.

Through July 24, Rendon is hitting .233 with five extra-base hits, 10 walks and 26 strikeouts. His OPS is .568 and he’s collected six RBI.

JT Chargois – Miami Marlins

Chargois has made two appearances since the break, both against the New York Mets. He pitched a scoreless inning on Saturday before returning two days late to surrender just his second earned run of the month, completing one more inning of work. He’s allowed zero earned runs in 11 of 14 appearances so far this season.

Through July 24, Chargois has a 1.72  ERA with a 1.213 WHIP. He’s averaging 6.9 strikeouts per nine innings.

Injured List

Dane Myers – Miami Marlins

Myers’ strong season will be delayed several weeks. The Marlins’ outfielder fractured his left ankle during a game against the Reds prior to the All-Star Break. The injury occurred while kicking a clubhouse door, venting frustration from a called third strike and subsequent ejection at the plate. He has since issued this statement on social media:

Through July 14, Myers is hitting .265 with eight extra-base hits, seven walks and 32 strikeouts. His OPS is .759 and he’s collected 14 RBI.

Knocking on the Door

The following Owls began the season in AAA:

  • Matt Canterino – St Paul Saints (Twins)
  • Tyler Duffey – Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals)
  • Jon Duplantier – Syracuse Mets (Mets) *released
  • Tristan Gray – Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins)
  • Evan Kravetz – Louisville Bats (Reds)
  • Lucas Luetge – Worcester Red Sox (Red Sox)
  • Dane Myers – Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins) *promoted
  • Glenn Otto – El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres)
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Expectations Rising for Mike Bloomgren, Rice Football

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Rice Football was projected to finish seventh in the AAC Preseason Media Poll, the highest preseason rank for the Owls under head coach Mike Bloomgren to date.

In recent memory, expectations have, quite literally, never been higher for Rice football. The 2024 AAC Media Poll, released during Media Days on Tuesday morning, projected Rice to finish seventh in the 14-team conference. Not only is that higher than the Owls’ were picked last year (12th), but it’s also higher than any team head coach Mike Bloomgren has coached at South Main thus far.

“To see us tied for seventh, I guess that’s improvement,” head coach Mike Bloomgren said. “But again, that’s not where I think we should be with our team and what this coaching staff and these players have built together collectively.”

Rice was never picked to finish higher than second from the bottom in the West in Conference USA’s divisional structure. In 2021, the Owls’ only year in the league without divisions, Rice was tabbed to finish 10th. For this program to overcome outside perceptions and get recognition in the middle of the pack is not insignificant. The five-spot rise is the second biggest of any team in the AAC. South Florida was the only other program in the league to climb more than two spots, moving from 13th to fourth.

Rice has been a program content to play the underdog role as they’ve built from a two-win season in 2018 to back-to-back bowl campaigns in their most recent seasons. They aren’t the favorites just yet, but those outside of South Main clearly don’t view this program as a perennial underdog any longer.

No longer is this a team expected to finish in the bottom view. First impressions might not change quickly, but something has certainly shifted when it comes to the perception of Rice football around the AAC.

The players inside the locker room have noticed the shift, too. “Talking together as a group, we feel like we should be in the championship conversation,” proclaimed veteran safety Gabe Taylor. “We can’t make no excuses this year. We have to learn how to win and make sure we take care of business one week at a time.”

At the end of the day, media polls are worth the paper they’re printed on. Outside prognostications don’t determine the actual order of finish, that’s what the games are for. And until you start winning those games with regularity, those polls will likely be a lagging indicator of the quality of the program you’ve built. Seventh is better than tenth, but it’s a far cry from first. There is work left to be done.

“I think that’s a good thing. I think the less eyes that are on us the better,” said running back Dean Connors.” We fuel off the underdogs. We have a lot of guys that weren’t highly recruited. The longer we stay like that, the better.”

If things go according to plan, Rice football might not be flying under the radar for much longer.

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