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Rice Football Practice Report: Offense bounces back from scrimmage woes

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Rice football is halfway through fall camp. The offense had a bit of a bounce back and a few individuals are making waves.

The Rice football defense stole the show in the first scrimmage of fall camp, putting the onus on the offense to respond. The unit bounced back in earnest this week, putting together a much more cohesive performance than they did last Saturday.

This practice report will dig into what went right for the offense as well as highlight a few individuals on that side of the ball who continue to rise through the ranks.

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Rice Football 2023 : Takeaways from Fall Camp Scrimmage 1

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The first scrimmage of Rice football fall camp is in the books and the defense came to play. What went right for that unit and what can the offense improve?

Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren summed it up rather well in his comments following the Owls’ 10th fall camp practice. “I’ve done this too long to be surprised that the defense is ahead at scrimmage number one,” he remarked, going on to reiterate his confidence in the offense and the growth of the team as a whole.

This practice report will dig into what the defense did well as well as identify some of the key problems the offense had. There’s a lot to improve before Rice football hosts its second scrimmage next week.

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Rice Football 2023 Season Preview: Roster Grid

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Rice football has a 113-man roster entering the 2023 season. From position changes to eligibility remaining, this chart will help keep everything in order.

Keeping track of eligibility and positions can be challenging and there wasn’t one single source that had the most up-to-date information — now there is. In addition to the roster tracker and as a complement to the roster, which has been updated to account for all the final additions and changes with the start of camp, this grid tracks every Rice football player by position and classification. Position changes from last season and/or the spring are also detailed below.

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

This piece is part of our 2023 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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2023 Rice Football Season Preview: Wide Receiver

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Next up in our 2023 Rice Football Season Preview: wide receiver. Let’s dive into the position and break down the Owls’ plans for the group this year.

As of the end of June, it seemed reasonable to conclude the wide receiver room was the deepest position group Rice football would bring into the 2023 season. That might still very well be the case, but the room dynamics will inevitably shift with the loss of star wideout Bradley Rozner to the Transfer Portal in early July. Here’s how the position looks in 2023.

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

This piece is part of our 2023 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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Rice Football Recruiting: WR Matt Sykes commits to Owls

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The 2023 Rice Football recruiting class continues to add reinforcements from the Transfer Portal, this time with a commitment from former UCLA WR Matt Sykes.

On the eve of National Signing Day, the 2023 Rice Football recruiting class continues to add talent. After taking a few high school receivers in December the Owls have added their first transfer at the position, picking up a commitment from former UCLA wide receiver Matt Sykes.

Sykes is a former 4-star recruit in the 2020 class, picking UCLA over Cal and BYU at the time. Current Rice offensive coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo was at Cal at the time and was recruiting Sykes to join the Bruins. A few years later, both have circled back together, but this time in Houston.

Rice has had tremendous success at the wide receiver position from transfer players in recent years. The Owls leading trio of pass catchers last season — Bradley Rozner, Luke McCaffrey and Isaiah Esdale — all transferred to Rice from elsewhere. Sykes could potentially fill in for the departing Esdale and enable the offense to keep rolling without skipping a beat.

“I pride myself on being versatile when it comes to running routes, and being strong through the catch,” Sykes told The Roost. “I think I can add more length, speed, and experience to the offense.”

Sykes also contributes to a growing contingent of players with Hawaiin ties on the roster. Kicker Tim Horn, punter Connor Hunt and running back Dean Connors all played high school football on the islands, as did Sykes.

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Listed at 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds on the UCLA roster,  Sykes is long and quick. With only 10 collegiate receptions to his name, there’s not a ton of film to pull from during his time with the Bruins, but he appeared in 30 games over three seasons and did grab this touchdown last season.

His high school highlights showcase a player with speed and size, and he’s had three seasons within the UCLA program to grow since then. Rice has had tremendous success with underutilized, talented players who have transferred from Power 5 programs to South Main. Perhaps Sykes could be next on that list.

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