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Rice Football 2025 Spring Practice Notebook 3: Defense takes shape

March 26, 2025 By Matthew Bartlett

The first signs of a hierarchy within the Rice football defense are beginning to form as the Owls work through the first few weeks of spring ball.

So much focus has, understandably, been given to the Rice football offense as it installs a new scheme under head coach Scott Abell. And while that has been fun to watch and filled with unexpected twists and developments, the relatively smooth deployment of the defensive scheme under first-year DC Jon Kay has begun to crystallize.

More: Spring Practice Notebook 2 — Unpacking the offense and QBs

This update digs into what potential starting roles on defense are nearly secured, which pieces are fighting for meaningful depth spots and a host of other spots still up for grabs as spring progresses.

Early contenders for First Teamers

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Filed Under: Archive, Football, Premium Tagged With: AJ Stephens, Andrew Awe, Aquantis Clemmons, Beau Barton, Blaise Tita, Blake Boenisch, Chibby Nwajuaku, Christian Edgar, Cooper King, Davion Hook, Jo Chavez, Joseph Mutombo, Kenny Seymour, Marcus Williams, Max Ahoia, Michael Amey, Michael Daley, Omari Porter, Peyton Stevenson, practice notes, Rice Football, spring practice, Ty Morris

Rice Football squanders fourth-quarter lead in loss Charlotte

September 28, 2024 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice Football had their chances to put the game away against Charlotte, but couldn’t close when it mattered most. The Owls are 1-4.

A 10-0 halftime lead was not enough as Rice football fell by a single point to Charlotte at home on Saturday night. In the final two minutes, Rice had chances to win the game on offense, but couldn’t convert a third and short. They had a chance to win on defense, but allowed a go-ahead touchdown in the final minute. They had the chance to win with special teams, but a last-second kick sailed wide.

“I think I’ve given this speech a few too many times this year,” Bloomgren said at the podium following the Owls’ fourth loss in five games. “We performed better than we have been, but when the crunch time was here in that fourth quarter we failed in all three phases and Charlotte made more plays.”

Here are a few immediate reactions from the game:

Trust your playmakers and let them produce

In the highest leverage moments, it’s the stars that have to shine. For Rice football right now, that means the most critical offensive moments should involve Dean Connors and EJ Warner and/or Matt Sykes. They’re not the only talented playmakers on this offense but that trio has largely been at the forefront when that offense is moving the ball well.

Warner overshot a makeable touchdown pass to Sykes on the Owls’ first possession but redeemed himself soon afterward with a nice dish to Jackson for the opening score. Connors had more rushing yards on his first touch of the game than Charlotte did in the entire first quarter.

Now, this reality comes with a very real, and very important caveat: your playmakers have to produce.

Warner hasn’t overcome his tendency to elevate throws downfield. He overshot Sykes on multiple third downs in the first half. Sykes was better this week than he was against Army a week ago, but his lack of consistency has been part of what’s gummed this offense up at times. Both have played better as the season progresses, but each would (correctly) admit they have room to grow.

Dean Connors has been and continues to be the most valuable man on this side of the ball. He only touched the ball seven times in the first half; that’s not enough. He finished with 16 touches for the game and 135 yards of total offense. Your best offensive weapon — and Connors is most certainly that — needs more of the ball.

“We got other good backs. We don’t want to just wear Dean out. If you tell me Dean is going to get 20 to 30 touches every game, that’s probably the right number,” Bloomgren said after the game. “16 total touches? Would you wanna program a few more for him? Absolutely. He’s a really good player, but the flow of the game was going the way it was.”

Rice does have other good backs, but 16 is not 30. It’s not 20 either.

Rice racked up 463 yards of total offense, their highest total against an FBS opponent yet this season. It’s not a particularly impressive number on the whole, but it’s a step in the right direction. Those playmakers have to get things going if this offense is ever going to come close to the ceiling it’s shown in previous years.

Bring out the depth

So much of the discourse this offseason around the Rice football roster centered on the depth the Owls’ had accumulated in Bloomgren’s seventh season. Unfortunately, the only way to truly evaluate that depth is to have it forced into action. The results have been mixed when former twos and threes have been thrown into the first with the first units this season, but Saturday’s win against Charlotte probably doesn’t happen without some important contributions from former backups being asked to step up.

The offense line, featuring just two players in the same position they played on opening day, consistently opened up holes for the running game. Both Dean Connors and Taji Atkins got to the second level on plays that were blocked well. Although he took a few shots, Warner wasn’t sacked.

Likewise, the defense churned out some big plays from lesser-known faces. Peyton Stevenson and made consecutive plays to help stonewall a Charlotte drive in the second quarter. Daveon Hook led the team in tackles. Mutombo had the interception and followed it with a sack. None of those three were on the two-deep against Sam Houston in Week 1.

The go-ahead fourth quarter touchdown was scored by Elijah Mojarro, who wouldn’t have been on the field had Boden Groen been healthy.

What an incredible play call by the offensive staff.

What an incredible effort from Elijah Mojarro.

CLUTCHpic.twitter.com/tJFlC0kTDZ

— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) September 29, 2024

Obviously, the Owls would love to have as many of their starters back on the field as possible. A bye week with extra rest will help those efforts, but even if reinforcements do arrive, this depth matters. Especially if Rice wants to make good on some of their preseason aspirations and get things turned around.

Unfortunately, the reliance on depth has it’s downsides too. Kicker Enoch Gota missed his first do-or-die attempt of his young career, turning what could have been a celebratory night into another painful defeat.

The defense gets some of its swagger back

The Rice offense got a big play from Dean Connors but didn’t put any points on the board in the first quarter, turning the ball over inside the redzone and punting on their ensuing possession. That put the onus on the defense to make sure they kept their team in the game.

Aided by favorable field position on a few occasions, the defense delivered one of their better starts to a game this season. Blake Boenisch didn’t suit up on Saturday, but the Owls still held Charlotte to 1.2 yards per carry in the first quarter. The safety room was as depleted as it’s ever been under head coach Mike Bloomgren, but they limited Charlotte quarterback Trexler Ivey to 5-of-10 passing for 35 yards on the 49ers’ first three offensive series.

The Charlotte never got in gear under Trexler Ivey. When they did finally get the ball across the 50-yard line midway through the second quarter they were swiftly turned away by this interception from defensive lineman Joseph Mutombo, who has seen an elevated role in the defense partly because of the slew of injuries in front of him.

Joseph Mutombo with the big INT in the first half. pic.twitter.com/4n9M7ekHA6

— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) September 29, 2024

Charlotte finally found life under backup quarterback Deshawn Purdie, who connected on three deep passes, all of which resulted in scoring drives. That was essentially it for the Charlotte attack. Three plays. But it was enough.

As the offense works through its challenges in real time, more and more pressure is going to be put on this defense to win games. On Saturday against a woeful Charlotte offense, they came close enough but got little help from the other phases. If they can translate that to more talented opponents, Rice is going to have a fighting chance to win some games, but they’re the last bastion of hope for a team that’s hurting.

Losing on the Margin

A fourth down pass interference call against Sean Fresch changed the outcome of this game. A block in the back penalty on the ensuing possession might very well have swung the outcome, too. Both plays exemplified the dangerous tightrope Rice Football attempted to walk in this game. Rice let a bad Charlotte team stick around to the point where one blown coverage could shift the result of the game.

The best teams in the sport create margin. You can afford a bust on any particular play or phase of the game when there’s a buffer to cover those shortcomings. When you’re stuck in a one-score game, every mistake matters. Teams with more faults make more mistakes. There’s some truth to the old adage that good teams stay good and bad teams stay bad.

This is a bad football team right now.

One that, in Bloomgren’s own words “failed in all three phases” to one of the few teams left in the country that had yet to beat an FBS opponent. It’s hard to imagine a lower point than this in a season that was supposed to be a breakthrough campaign. Picked to finish in the thick of a competitive AAC, Rice football sits dead last in the standings and they have yet to play UTSA, Tulane, Memphis or South Florida.

This is a team out of excuses and out of answers. There’s a lot of soul-searching to be done during this bye week from everyone in the program. This isn’t how this season was supposed to go.

Digging deeper

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Fourth and the Woe Zone

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Filed Under: Featured, Football, Premium Tagged With: Daveon Hook, Dean Connors, EJ Warner, Enoch Gota, game recap, Joseph Mutombo, Josh Pearcy, Matt Sykes, Peyton Stevenson, Rice Football, Taji Atkins

Rice Football 2024: Houston Game Week Practice Report

September 12, 2024 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice football takes on Houston with eyes on keeping the Bayou Bucket on South Main. Here’s what we learned from the Owls at practice this week.

Rivalry week is the best week. For Rice football, that means it’s time to battle for the Bayou Bucket against the University of Houston across town. How much does this game mean to the Owls? Veteran corner Sean Fresch, who will make his fourth start in this rivalry series on Saturday, tried to put it into words.

“I’m excited. It’s always fun to play against these guys. We don’t like them. They don’t like us. But I’m pretty sure we don’t like them a little more,” he said. I love getting to this week because all the guys are fired up, not like we don’t every week, but this week is just different, rivalry week.”

Here’s more on the game, some injury news on the Rice front and news from the practice field.

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For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Special features like this are reserved for our subscribers. Have questions? You can get those answered in our monthly Q&As and get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

Depth chart check

Scheduling was tight this week with Bayou Bucket activities, so there was no formal press conference. I was able to get the depth chart, though, and there are a few changes this week from the initial depth chart which Rice football has kept consistent through each of the first two games.

Rice Football, depth chart

On offense, Chad Lindberg is listed as the starting left guard, a position he held last week but has now been formalized. On defense, Plae Wyatt has been taken off the two-deep. Marcus Williams and Peyton Stevenson move up the depth chart behind him. The only other change on defense is Andrew Awe moving in front of DJ Arkansas as the Owls’ starting Mike linebacker.

Enoch Gota, who handled all placekicking duties against Texas Southern, has been moved to the top of the depth chart above Tim Horn. While there is still an OR designation, Gota is expected to be the starter against Houston. There are no other official changes, but player availability might impact how the Owls take the field on Saturday.

Stepping In

Safety Plae Wyatt announced on social media this week he would miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, an injury he suffered in the loss against Sam Houston in Week 1. The leading tackler for the Owls last season, Wyatt’s loss is a big one for this defense. If there’s any consolation, it’s that the next man up, Marcus Williams, is far from an unknown commodity.

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Filed Under: Archive, Football, Premium Tagged With: Andrew Awe, Chad Lindberg, Daveon Hook, DJ Arkansas, Drayden Dickmann, Enoch Gota, Faybian Marks, James Falk, Kobie Campbell, Marcus Williams, Peyton Stevenson, Plae Wyatt, practice notes, Quinton Jackson, Rawson MacNeill, Rice Football, Taji Atkins, Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman, Tim Horn

Rice Football 2024: TXSO Game Week Practice Report

September 5, 2024 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice football looks to bounce back this week against Texas Southern. What adjustments can be made? Here’s what we learned from the Owls at practice this week.

Last week was a rude awakening for Rice football. The entire locker room was put on notice as head coach Mike Bloomgren called for leaders to step up and hold this program regain its football before Texas Southern arrived on campus this coming Saturday. Who suits up, and who will miss this matchup only further adds to the rising stakes in this Week 2 contest.

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For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Special features like this are reserved for our subscribers. Have questions? You can get those answered in our monthly Q&As and get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

Following the Leaders

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Recent Posts

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  • Rice Football Recruiting: WR Artis Cole commits to Owls
  • Rice Football Recruiting: Khary Crump’s path to the Owls

Filed Under: Archive, Football, Premium Tagged With: AJ Stephens, Brant Banks, Chad Lindberg, EJ Warner, Elijah Mojarro, Ephraim Dotson, Ethan Onianwa, Faybian Marks, Graham Walker, Lamont Narcisse, Marcus Williams, Matt Sykes, Peyton Stevenson, Plae Wyatt, practice notes, Rawson MacNeill, Rice Football, Shepherd Bowling, Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman

Rice Football 2024 Season Preview: Roster Grid

August 7, 2024 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice football has a 121-man roster entering the 2024 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 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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Recent Posts

  • Rice Football Recruiting: WR David Kasemervisz commits to Owls
  • Hickson gem propels Rice Baseball to series win over Charlotte
  • Rice Football Recruiting: WR Artis Cole commits to Owls
  • Rice Football Recruiting: Khary Crump’s path to the Owls

Filed Under: Archive, Football, Premium Tagged With: 2024 Rice Football Season Preview, AJ Padgett, AJ Stephens, Alex Bacchetta, Alex Scherle, Andrew Awe, Aquantis Clemmons, Ashton Ojiaku, Bailey Fletcher, Beau Barton, Blaise Tita, Blake Boenisch, Boden Groen, Brad Baur, Brant Banks, Braylen Walker, Chad Lindberg, Chali Taylor, Charlie Looes, Chase Jenkins, Chibby Nwajuaku, Chike Anigbogu, Chris Bruce, Chris Clark, Chris conti, Christian Edgar, Christian Francisco, Colby Connell, Coleman Bennett, Colin Giffen, Conor Hunt, Cooper King, Cullen Witt, Daelen Alexander, Daveon Hook, David Stickle, Dean Connors, DeMone Green, DJ Arkansas, Drayden Dickmann, Drew Devillier, EJ Warner, Elijah Mojarro, Elroyal Morris, Enoch Gota, Ephraim Dotson, Ethan Broughman, Ethan Onianwa, Ethan Powell, Faybian Marks, Gabe Taylor, Geron Hargon, Graham Walker, Isaiah Gonzalez, Izeya Floyd, Jabari Ellison, Jabari McAlmont, Jackson Ranucci, Jaggar Hebeisen, Jake Dragoo, Jalen Hargrove, Jamarion Clark, James Falk, Jeremiah Williams, John Long, Jojo Jean, Jordan Campbell, Joseph Mutombo, Josh Pearcy, Joshua Williams, Jovoni Johnson, Justin Williams, Kaleb Blanton, Kenny Seymour, Kobie Campbell, Lamont Narcisse, Landon Ransom, Lane Jeffcoat, Larry DeBose, LaVonte Johnson, Luke Miller, Luke Needham, Marcus Williams, Matt Hall, Matt Sykes, Max Ahoia, Micah Barnett, Michael Amico, Michael Daley, Michael Larbie, Miguel Cedeno, Moh Bility, Myron Morrison, Nate Bledsoe, Netane Fehoko, Owen Carter, Patrick Valent, Peyton Farmer, Peyton Stevenson, Plae Wyatt, Quinton Jackson, Rawson MacNeill, Reese Keeney, Rhys Phillips, Rice Football, Ryan Guillo, Sean Fresch, Shawn Irwin, Shawqi Itraish, Shepherd Bowling, Spencer Cassell, Taji Atkins, Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman, Tim Horn, trace norfleet, Trey Kibbles, Ty Morris, Tyler Day, Tyson Flowers, Tyson Thompson, Weston Kropp, wyatt freeman

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