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Rice Football 2022: Concerns after spring ball? — Patreon Q&A

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It wasn’t all sunshine and roses for Rice football this spring. The April 2022 Patreon Q&A focuses on the concerns outstanding after spring practices.

It’s almost impossible to leave the spring without feeling some sort of optimism regarding the team as a whole. This year’s Rice football spring sessions were no different. And while much has been written to this point about what went right this spring, it also seems prudent to address the questions regarding what I saw that didn’t fill me with hope.

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Rice Football 2022: What we learned from the defense this spring

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It was a productive spring for the Rice Football defense. Here are five things we learned from the unit over the course of the six weeks of practice.

The defense started strong and carried its moment through more than a month during Rice football spring practices. A mix of up-and-coming stars-to-be joined up with several well-known veterans and combined to give the offense fits. Who stood out the most and what did we learn from this unit as a whole during the spring?

Get Caught Up

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For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Special updates like this are reserved for our subscribers. Get access to all Rice football practice notes, features and more insights like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

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Rice Football: After-season Transfer Portal updates

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Rice football has lost a handful of players to the Transfer Portal this week. Who is heading out and how what impact will that have on the Owls?

If the Rice football season spans from August to November, December is Transfer Portal season. The Owls aren’t alone in this modern college football phenomenon. There have been more than 250 transfers in the past week across the country and more are certainly coming.

Why now? At first glance, the end of the regular season seems to be a natural breakpoint in the calendar, but it’s what coincides with that break that is the more likely impetus. College programs around the country hold what many call “exit interviews” where players and staff sit down and talk through the season with individual players and discuss the future. If that future doesn’t align with the desire or expectations of a particular student-athlete, some will choose to part ways.

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That sort of changeover is happening at Rice right now, just as it’s happening in football facilities around the nation. To this point, Rice football has largely benefited from this process. For every Blaze Alldredge that enters the portal, Rice has found a Bradley Rozner or Naeem Smith. Current NFL offensive lineman Nick Leverett was a transfer addition, too, as have been five Rice starting quarterbacks.

With that as a preamble, here is the latest list of Rice football players that have reportedly entered the Transfer Portal this week:

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Rice Football 2021: Southern Miss presser quotes, practice notes and depth chart

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Rice football kicks off conference play this weekend against Southern Miss. Here’s what Mike Bloomgren had to say about it, injury updates and practice notes.

This is the first of a couple of updates coming this week as Rice football prepares to take on Southern Miss. We’ll include updates from head coach Mike Bloomgren’s midweek press conference, then dig further into the details on the depth chart and what the team looks like on the field headed into the weekend.

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Rice football found some answers at quarterback this past week and looks to be getting a bit healthier as conference play rolls around. One of those newly healthy players is back at the top of the depth chart this week. We’ll tackle that addition as well as a few developments from practice early this week. First, the quotes:

Press Conference Quotes

“I feel like we took some real steps forward as an offense. I think that’s a big thing for us to do. 620 yards, making explosive plays, being able to be efficient at the quarterback position — those are things that we’ve struggled to do over time. It’s really good to go into conference play knowing we’re on an upswing. That gives me a lot of comfort.

Knowing that our defense — we’ve been missing a couple of pieces in the past couple of weeks, but we should get some of those back — that’s really encouraging to me too. Special teams: we’re just continuing to grow. So what do I know? I know that we’re a team that is playing really hard for each other and at times playing really well, but we’ve got to become a consistent bunch for 60 minutes.” – Mike Bloomgren on what he learned about the team in nonconference play

“Defensively, we made a lot of adjustments during the game. I felt like they made a lot of plays. We were really close on a lot of things but kind of a step behind on getting those things done. I don’t think it’s anything we can’t get fixed this week and that’s what we’re working towards. Coach (Brian) Smith is really doing a great job with the defense, getting everyone on the same page. We’re going to try to get out there and look like our defense for 60 minutes. That’s the goal this week.” – Mike Bloomgren on the defense

“Great education and running the football. It’s pretty simple. I went to Colgate Unversity which was about greater education and running the football, so finding something that had they same type of patterrn and being able to get a great degree from it, that was pretty much a no-brainer. ” – Jovaun Woolford on what drew him to Rice

“It’s definitely a lot of fun, actually, just switching around positions on the d-line. Playing end, playing rush, playing tackle, playing nose — I’ve really played all four [positions] this season, I feel like. All the other guys on the d-line are what Coach Calhoun calls ‘bilingual’. It just makes us a lot more adaptable for to whenever sudden change situations come up in a game and makes us a better team in general.” – Ikenna Enechukwu on the versatility of the defensive line

Depth Chart

The Rice football depth chart shifted in response to last week’s performance and a key injury along the offensive line. Hopefully, there will be some more stability from this point onward. Bloomgren hinted he’d like to get to that point in his comments this week. “There’s no more experimenting going on right now,” he said. “We’ve got a group that we trust and we’re going to go forward with those guys.”

Secondary shifts after TSU’s passing outburst

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Rice Football 2021: Captains, position battles and practice notes

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Rice football announced captains this week and solidified some of the final starting spots for Saturday’s opener against Arkansas.

The 2021 Rice football season is approaching quickly. Rice football has wrapped up its final full practice prior to their flight to Arkansas. And has been customary over the last several years, the Owls announced their captains for the season at what is officially the end of fall camp.

This update will kick off with more on who those captains, including a significant quarterback inclusion, then we’ll turn our attention to (primarily) good news on the injury front, updates on key position battles at linebacker and corner and some last-minute notes from practice before the season begins on Saturday.

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For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Practice reports are reserved for our subscribers. If you want updates on how Rice football plans to deploy its quarterbacks, position battles, standouts, injuries and more, this is your go-to source. You can get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and special features like this one when you subscribe to our All-American Tier on Patreon today.

2021 Rice Football Captains Announced

As has been customary under Mike Bloomgren, Rice football announced its 2021 captains after wrapping up the final full practice prior to their season-opening game.

Jordan Myers and Cam Riddle are making repeat appearances after being chosen as captains by their teammates last season. Wiley Green, Trey Schuman and Naeem Smith are new additions this season.

This is Schuman’s fifth season at Rice. He made his collegiate debut at Stanford as a true freshman in 2017 and a fixture in the starting lineup when healthy since 2019.  Smith arrived at Rice in 2019 and became a vocal leader for the defense quickly. Like with Myers and Riddle, their teammates are quick to listen when they offer advice.

The Roost Podcast: Arkansas Game Preview

Green’s journey has been somewhat unique. He began his Rice career as the scout team quarterback in 2018, rising to starter midseason. He battled for the top job in 2019, making seven starters before falling behind in the pecking order in 2020, seeing only one relief appearance.

Many college football players have thrown in the towel after much less daunting odds, but Green persevered and remains the most probable man to get the opening snap against Arkansas. That speaks volumes to Green’s character and perseverance and how highly his teammates value his leadership. Starter or not, Green’s spot in the captain’s circle is significant.

Key players returning to practice

Rice has seen significantly better injury luck during fall camp this year compared to last year, but there have been some bumps and bruises along the way. It’s likely Rice will be without a handful of players on Saturday — but some good news, too — a few key players did return to practice this week.

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