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Rice Football 2024 Offensive Player of the Year: Matt Sykes

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The last man standing in the wide receiver room this season, Matt Sykes is our 2024 Rice Football Offensive Player of the Year.

A year removed from a one-catch season, Matt Sykes was expected to enter the fall as, at best, the fourth option in the Owls’ passing game. Instead, he became the go-to guy and the somewhat surprising 2024 Rice Football Offensive Player of the Year.

The journey from a second-string receiver to the Owls’ No. 1 downfield target was almost meteoric and came almost as much by necessity as by ability. Even still, Sykes had to seize the opportunity and make the most of it, and reality that proved more and more necessary as the injuries around him began to snowball.

Between the spring and the start of fall camp, Landon Ransom suffered an injury that would keep him out for the season. Florida transfer Thai Bowman made it one practice in camp before a lower-body injury sidelined him for the better portion of two months. Even still, Sykes was far from a lock to be the starting outside “X” receiver until Rawson MacNeill went down at the end of camp.

By the time Rice football opened its 2024 season it was Sykes — who had one Rice reception to his name at that point — who had emerged as the must trustworthy receiver for new starting quarterback EJ Warner.

More: 2024 Rice Football Season Superlatives

Sykes led the team in receiving in their opening game against Sam Houston. He caught his first touchdown with the Owls the following week against Texas Southern. Then, after a quiet two-catch game against Houston, Sykes took off in earnest, hauling in six or more passes in seven of the Owls’ final nine games.

Sykes’ emergence right around the start of conference play coincided with a meaningful step forward in the team’s offensive production. It was also around this time it became clear no more reinforcements were on their way. Bowman would be the only receiver expected to make a return during the year and even his reinsertion into the lineup was far from a sure thing.

The task of reinvigorating the offense fell to the few healthy weapons left in the passing game, Sykes at the forefront among then once again when tight end Boden Groen suffered an injury that would keep him out for the remainder of the year, another dose of bad news in a receiving corps that was running out of bodies.

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The SOS was answered emphatically by Sykes who delivered a walk-off touchdown reception against UTSA, one of 52 receptions he registered against AAC opponents, the most by any pass catcher in the conference by seven grabs. He averaged 78.9 yards per game in league play, finally surpassing the century mark in his final game, a 118-yard performance against South Florida on Senior Day.

Sykes wasn’t as flashy as Luke McCaffrey and he didn’t post the absurd touchdown tallies that Bradley Rozner did a few years prior. But he was consistent, reliably answering the call and helping a wounded offensive move the ball when all other external factors seemed to be against them. He was rewarded with AAC Honorable Mention status for his efforts, underappreciating just how impactful he was for this team.

Meant to be a reserve, Sykes led Rice football in receptions, yards and receiving touchdowns. He more than doubled the production of the next most active receiver alongside him, emerging from obscurity when his teammates needed him most. Dean Connors was the engine that made this offense go, but Sykes was the conductor that kept it on the tracks.

** Photo Credit: Maria Lysaker **
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Upset bid comes up short for Rice Football at Memphis

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Rice football had its chances, but missed opportunities proved too much to overcome, as the Owls fell to Memphis in a one-score game on the road.

Another strong start. Another furious fourth quarter rally. Another loss. Rice football was left with another all too familiar sour taste following a road defeat at Memphis on Friday night, the Owls’ seventh loss of the season. The Owls hung around with the Tigers all night but ran out of time in the fourth quarter.

“There’s a certain recipe that we know we have to cook to win the game. At the end of the day, we didn’t cook the full recipe,” interim head coach Pete Alamar said. Here are a few immediate reactions from the game:

Turnovers (almost) set the tone

A Rice football defense that felt allergic to turnovers for much of the season seems to have found the takeaway button at the most opportune time. The Owls went six games against FBS opponents before they registered more than one turnover in a game and went without a turnover at all in four of those games.

The tide began to turn two weeks ago against UConn when Rice took the ball away twice, but couldn’t muster enough points on the arm of a backup quarterback. With EJ Warner back at the helm and the offense up and running again, Rice knocked off Navy with the help of two turnovers from the defense, one of which came on the Owls’ first defensive possession.

A similar series of events put Rice football in front on Friday night. Following a Rice drive that stalled out to start the game the defense quickly got Memphis into third and long in the shadow of their own endzone. Tigers’ quarterback Seth Henigan tried to force the ball into a tight window but Rice corner Sean Fresch was ready and won the battle for the ball.

Fresch probably could have had another takeaway on the ensuing possession but wasn’t able to corral a missile from Henigan that deflected off his hands. The defensive effort was the difference early, though, staking Rice to a 6-0 first quarter lead. That marked the fifth time in the Owls’ last six contests that the defense held their opponent scoreless in the first frame. For only the fourth time this season, Rice won the turnover battle. They held Henigan in check for most of the night. When you’re looking to mount an upset on the road, that’s how you have to start.

Red Zone Woes

On paper, the Rice offense matched the Owls’ strong defensive start, but no matter how efficient quarterback EJ Warner was between the 20s, the lack of finishing ability of the entire offensive unit allowed Memphis to stay in the game. Rice took over at the Memphis 20-yard line following the turnover but managed one first down before settling for a chip-shot field goal. In the next possession, the Owls drove 76 yards in 11 plays but petered out in the red zone again, kicking another field goal.

Scoring points in the red zone has been a problem for Rice this season, but the degree to which the Owls have been unable to capitalize on opportunities is staggering. Rice entered this game 132nd in the nation in red zone scoring percentage, getting points on just 68 percent of their drives that reach their opponent’s 25-yard line. Nationally, only Houston and UTEP are worse.

When you take away the chip shot field goals, which Rice settled for in each of their first two red zone drives on Friday, the numbers get even more discouraging. Rice was already dead last in the AAC entering this game with a 50 percent red zone touchdown percentage. That rate will fall to 47 percent after a 1-for-4 showing against Memphis.

“It’s the little things, not executing,” Warner pointed to after the game, emphasizing the impact of a misstep here or a yard too far there makes on plays in that are of the field.

The feeble field goal lead fell apart no sooner than it had been established with Memphis closing the half with three successive scoring drives, getting points on all three possessions in the second quarter. The Owls’ only saving grace to that point was a 27-yard strike from Warner to Matt Sykes. Apparently, that’s the Owls’ current solution to their red zone issues: score from outside the 25.

Add in a turnover on the two-yard line when Warner and Dean Connors couldn’t connect on an exchange and you get a disastrous performance from up close. It’s hard to win football games when you don’t take advantage of those kinds of opportunities. Especially with Memphis going 3-for-3 in the red zone, scoring touchdowns on each trip.

Excellent EJ Warner

Even with their red zone issues, it’s impossible to discuss the Owls’ overall offensive renaissance of late without giving credit to Warner. The Owls’ transfer signal caller ran a vastly different offense at Temple and frankly looked out of his depth in his first month and change of live game action at South Main. Head coach Mike Bloomgren, who was always quick to support his guys, went on the record on multiple occasions demanding more from Warner who just wasn’t fully in sync with the offense early on.

Warner’s uncertainty showcased itself in very few throws downfield and lots of checkdowns to Connors who, not coincidentally, became the all-time receptions leaders for a running back in Rice football history against Memphis on Friday night. When Warner did air it out, passes were off the mark. As a result, defenses played close to the line of scrimmage and dared Warner to beat them. For the most part, he didn’t.

In Warner’s first four games, he averaged 3.85 adjusted yards per attempt, a statistic that measures a quarterback’s efficiency on his attempts, incorporating touchdowns and interceptions. As a rough rule, anything below five is sub-par. Warner only passed that number once, and it came against the Owls’ lone FCS opponent.

From the Charlotte game on, Warner has steadily shown progress. It’s not just the counting stats — he’s throwing for 90 more yards per game since that mark. He led what probably should have been the go-ahead drive in the fourth against the 49ers, missed field goal aside, and delivered the actual game-winning play a week later against UTSA.

Warner’s adjusted yards per attempt since Charlotte is 6.37. He registered 6.36 AYA against Memphis, right on the new standard he’s set for himself in the second half of the season. For as often as Warner was the problem early this year, he’s transformed himself into the solution.

He came through again on a key fourth down in the red zone, giving Rice football a chance to win a game they probably hadn’t earned the right to still be in.

What’s next?

The Navy game gave this team and this fanbase a reason to kindle hope for one more week. For at least a few more days, there was a chance this team had found their groove and could thread the needle, winning out to salvage one of the most unexpected bowl berths this program has ever seen. While there’s still an outside chance this team could go bowling with a five-win APR exception, the traditional path to a six-win season is officially not in the cards.

Senior Izeya Floyd say the team isn’t preoccupied with possible ways to sneak into the postseason.

“We don’t even think about it like that,” he said. “That’s not what we play for. We play to go win these games because that’s what we do. That’s what we do four our seniors, including myself. We’re going to go try and win these games. We’re going to go win these games.”

With that reality sinking in for the first time, the Memphis game felt a lot like a fair synopsis of this season. Rice did a lot of things well against a team expected to finish near the top of the American Athletic Conference. The Owls were one score away — giving the ball away on the doorstep in heartbreaking fashion along the way. Yet the result was the same as it’s been all too often this season, a loss in a competitive game the Owls couldn’t find a way to finish.

With the storybook finish likely done, all that’s left is to win the next two. For the first time all year, this feels like a team capable of getting that done.

“We got two games left. Let’s go win two games,” Alamar said post game. “Let’s be 3-1 in the month of November and let’s be playing out best football in the last game of the season. Let’s continue to grow as a football team and keep playing. I told our team in the locker room, our goals haven’t changed, to go out and win every week.”

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Rice Football 2024: Memphis Game Week Practice Report

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Rice football returned to the field with one focus: beating Memphis. Here’s what we learned from the Owls at practice this week.

Once again, it was hard to find space around the Rice football facility this week that didn’t have a “Beat Memphis” sign on full display. The Owls implemented a similar tactic against Navy last week and found success. Work has been put in the field, too. Here’s where the team stands prior to the Memphis game this weekend.

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Rice Football overcomes 5-hour delay to knock off Navy

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Rice football persevered through a five-hour delay and a water-logged field to knock off Navy in the Owls’ first game under interim head coach Pete Alamar.

The rain eventually let up, but Rice football never did. Despite the adversity of an in-season firing and a game against a Navy team previously unbeaten in conference play, the Owls took the Midshipmen to deep water and drowned them in the Houston storms. The win was the first for Rice over Navy since 2002 and the first-ever career win for interim head coach Pete Alamar. Here are a few immediate reactions from the game:

Hours, not minutes

When he met with the media on Tuesday for the very first time as interim head coach, Pete Alamar made a vow to all assembled. “A Pete Alamar led football team is going to fight their butt off for 60 minutes or however long it takes,” he said. Little did anyone know much more than 60 minutes would be required for the Owls’ interim head coach to make good on that declaration.

Rice football was scheduled to host Navy, undefeated in conference play, at 3:00 PM CST on Saturday afternoon. That start time came and went as roving thunderstorms took turns abusing South Main. The ball was finally kicked at 5:30 pm but the Owls were only permitted one drive, which ended in a punt, before the weather forced both teams to their locker rooms for another hour.

When play resumed — three and a half hours after the original kick time — Tyson Flowers intercepted Navy quarterback Blake Horvath’s first attempt. Rice ran three plays and got the ball inside the five-yard line before lightning again forced an extended delay.

In total, the delays would last five hours and six minutes, approximately 20 minutes shy of the longest recorded weather delay in college football history. The stadium clock read 8:39 pm when the ball was snapped and Dean Connors sprinted off tackle for the opening touchdown. Rice took the lead on that play and never let up.

Hours upon hours of frustration and angst following the dismissal of head coach Mike Bloomgen earlier in the week boiled over in an outburst that would not be quelled. Led by an interim head coach, the Owls posted their most impressive win of the season.

Offensive explosion

That outburst would not have been possible without precision execution from the Owls’ offense once the game truly began in earnest. Rice built on Connors’ touchdown run with a hook-and-ladder conversion on third and long to set up a pin-point touchdown toss from EJ Warner to Matt Sykes between double-coverage.

Tim Horn tacked on a 47-yard field goal on the Owls’ following possession. Just like that, the double-digit home underdogs had a three-score lead over one of the league’s three remaining unbeaten teams.

The offense was held in check for the next four drives. Navy was more disciplined on defense during that time, but they were also aided by an incredulous interception by Warner, who threw into double coverage in the endzone on a first down play in which his receiver was beaten off the line and never had a chance to play on the ball.

After trading punts to start the second half, the offense returned to form, grinding out an 11-play, 80-yard drive punctuated by another touchdown run from Connors to put Rice in front 24-7. Buoyed by an impressive defensive showing, that proved to be more than enough to get the job done.

Defensive dominance

Navy came into the contest averaging 46.5 points per game in conference play, the best mark in the AAC. The Midshipmen run a triple-option scheme similar, albeit not quite the same, as the offense Army runs. The Black Knights dropped 37 points on the Owls a few weeks ago and didn’t seem to break a sweat. Holding Navy to a respectable output would have been a reasonable measure of success, but the Rice football had loftier goals in mind.

Rice held Navy to 112 yards of total offense in the first half, allowing exactly one drive in the Midshipmen’s first seven to extend beyond 15 yards. Owls were flying to the ball and making tackles, keeping deep shots out of the hands of receivers and, in at least two cases, taking the ball away themselves.

The defense stonewalled Navy on fourth and short in the redzone midway through the third quarter. They held the Middies to a field goal on an 18-play, 8-minute drive in the fourth quarter, utilizing sure-tackling and the clock to stifle the triple-option attack. Two fumbles, both of which Navy recovered, slowed that march, draining the clock and further.

Nothing was easy for the Navy offense on Saturday. The option attack, which had fooled so many teams, was rendered almost entirely ineffective against the Owls who were as assignment-sound of defense as they’ve been in any game this season. Navy had one run of 20+ yards, who made the right defense read time and time again.

A Navy offense that led the conference at 7.8 yards per play against conference foes was kneecapped on Saturday night and limited to just 4.3 per play. Horvath, who had been sacked three times in seven games, was sacked twice by Rice alone. The defense never flinched.

Just enough special teams

Not to be outdone, special teams did their part as well. Tyson Thompson routinely set the offense up with superb field position, averaging 17 yards per return on punts including a long of 30 yards. He put one on the deck but was able to recover. After taking over the job from Sean Fresch midseason, Thompson has found his niche and made several important contributions to this game.

Horn’s 47-yard field goal was the longest by an Owl this season and while Alex Bacchetta’s 50-yard boot wasn’t a season-long for the Owls’ punt team it rolled to a stop on the one-foot line, marking another superb field position win in a game in which every yard came at a premium.

It wasn’t a perfect day on the special teams front. Horn missed a 45-yard kick that would have made it a three-score game with 4:25 on the clock, but by that time the writing was on the wall. Everyone had done just enough and Rice football was going to win.

Predictably unpredictable

In many ways, Saturday’s stunner will become a fitting footnote on the 2024 Rice football season, which has not gone according to plan in any respect since the year began with a home upset to Sam Houston. The Owls weren’t expected to go 2-6, nor was snapping a decade-long losing streak to UTSA in the cards. Beating Navy with an interim head coach on the helm as double-digit underdogs? That wasn’t in the realm of possibility either.

But in the same way that none of this year has made sense, the unexpected continues to find Rice football.

Against Navy, that pendulum swung back in favor of the blue and gray as hard as it possibly could. Rice got a marquee win and the players in a locker room that has absorbed so much sadness in recent weeks had the chance to celebrate and exhale. Finally, after everyone had counted them out and the season had been written off as a failure, relief had come in the form a Homecoming win that so many on this team will remember for a lifetime.

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Rice Football 2024: Tulane Game Week Practice Report

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Rice football is getting clarity on some injuries and getting to work preparing for Tulane.  Here’s what we learned from the Owls at practice this week.

There were many players in and out of the lineup this week as the rigors of the physicality of the sport have made themselves present within the Rice football roster. This week, that meant a lot of good news including a couple of potential starters the Owls are trending toward having back on the field against Tulane.

However, head coach Mike Bloomgren did disclose an update regarding the trio of receivers the Owls expected to be their top three options entering fall camp: Landon Ransom, Rawson MacNeill and Thai Bowman.

“I don’t know that Landon [Ransom] or Rawson [MacNeill] will play this year,” Bloomgren told The Roost “I do expect Thai to [play].” How does that change the complexion of the receiving corps if two of the Owls’ frontline options are indeed expected to miss the entirety of the 2024 season? And about the other moving parts as the Owls ready for the Green Wave? Here’s where the team stands prior to the Tulane game this weekend.

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And then there were few

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