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Rice Football: 2022 Spring semester roster notes

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The Rice football roster has seen some significant changes since the Owls last played a game. Here are the most prominent adjustments.

Roster churn impacts every college program in the country and the changes have only been exacerbated by the ever-changing transfer climate. Rice football has experienced a large number of adjustments to its roster from where things left off last season. Some of those shifts can be attributed to transfers, others involve players who have left the program for one reason or another.

This update highlights which key players have been left off the most recently released roster as of the end of January as well as incoming spring enrollees and various notes regarding position shifts, number changes and more.

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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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Rice Football 2021: Arkansas presser quotes, practice notes and QB news

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Rice football opens its 2021 season at Arkansas. Here’s what Mike Bloomgren had to say about it and some notes from the first official depth chart.

This is the first of a couple of updates coming this week as Rice football prepares to take on Arkansas. Stay tuned for more on projected quarterback usage and more in the days ahead.

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Head coach Mike Bloomgren addressed the media this week prior to the Owls’ game against the Arkansas Razorbacks. A few players chimed in as well. We’ll start with some high points from the presser then hit on the depth chart changes and additional notes from practice.

Press Conference Quotes

“I think it’s got us in a place where we’re very excited looking at a number of spots on our roster where we’ve got more depth than we’ve ever had. We had competitions in spots where we never could really get the competition to be what it needed to be.” – Mike Bloomgren on growth in fall camp

“My comfort level is to have a starter and to have him take every rep in practice. That’s not where we are right now. The people at Arkansas are going to see two quarterbacks this weekend because they’ve earned the right to do it. They can do everything in our offense, but one of them is a little more dynamic when he’s running with the football.” – Mike Bloomgren on the QB battle

“I don’t want to put a ceiling on Jake Bailey, but what I will tell you is that same ascension you saw last year we saw and that it’s really progressed even more this offseason. His confidence as a football player, his confidence and knowledge in this offense has been really good. I’m excited to have him on the field. Obviously, I think its natural to compare him to some Austin Trammell type role because Austin was our go-to guy and a guy we targeted a lot of plays for on third down.” – Mike Bloomgren on Jake Bailey’s role in the offense

“Unfortunately I had to take off some time, being a little banged up in the spring, so getting back to a fall camp and getting back out there with my guys [is great]. It’s fun to be involved [from the sideline], but there’s nothing like actually doing it and it makes it a lot easier to lead when you can lead by example instead of being the guy on the sidelines trying to tell them to do better. I’ve had a great time and I feel really good.” – Defensive lineman Trey Schuman on returning from injuries

“The depth is the depth is definitely incredible. Guys like [Bradley] Rozner, guys like August Pitre who are going to be huge contributors to the offense this year, it’s a blessing to get to take the field with them every day… And then the guys know behind us, we just have amazing depth. It’s just really incredible, being able to have those guys to share the moments with. It definitely brings my confidence up as well, having my brother’s behind me.”  – Wide receiver Jake Bailey on the depth at wide receiver

Depth Chart

Here’s an updated depth chart from Rice football heading into the Arkansas game.

Rice football, depth chart

Depth Chart Reaction and notables

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Rice Football 2021 Game Preview: Season opener vs Arkansas

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Rice Football is set to open its 2021 season on Saturday at Arkansas. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

The 2021 Rice Football season opens this coming Saturday against Arkansas. The quarterback battle remains unsettled, but expectations for the Owls’ 2021 season remain high.

The Owls’ first opponent, Arkansas, also finds itself riding a wave of increasing expectation. The Razorbacks showed progress under Sam Pittman last fall, proving to be a tough out in the SEC despite their first-year coach at the helm. Getting back to a bowl game is part of the marching orders in 2021, and that starts, they believe, with a home tilt with Rice.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 1:00 PM CT
Venue | Razorback Stadium – Fayetteville, AR
TV | ESPN+ / SEC+ (Streaming)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs Arkansas on this week’s episode of The Roost Podcast which will be released later in the week. Find us on the podcast page or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. (And consider leaving us a 5-star review while you’re at it.) If you haven’t yet, consider checking out our extended offseason interviews with folks like Phil Steele, Shehan Jeyarajah, and notable Owls like Christian Covington, Jack Fox, Austin Trammell, Aston Walter and more!

Sizing up the contenders

Rice football is kicking off its season on Labor Day Weekend, more than a month ahead on the calendar of when they opened their 2020 season. Last fall the Owls played their first game on October 24, just barely getting two games in before the calendar turned to November. This time around they’ll open against another team playing their first game, rather than their seventh.

Last season went better for Arkansas than in years past, but the Hogs have had trouble in their most recent outings with Conference USA opponents. They fell to Western Kentucky 45-19 in 2019 and lost to North Texas 44-17 in 2018. That was under a different coaching staff, but the losses still sting.

Series History

All Time | Arkansas leads 35-29-3
Last Five | Arkansas leads 4-1
Last Meeting | Road 1991, Arkansas won 20-0

Rice Stat Notables (Returning 2020 Leaders)

Passing | McCaffrey (at Nebraska) – 48/76 (63.2 percent), 466 yards, 1 TD, 6 INT
Rushing | Griffin – 72 carries, 249 yards (3.5 yards per carry)
Receiving | Myers – 24 receptions, 209 yards (8.7 yards per reception), 1 TD / Bailey – 23 receptions, 276 yards (12.0 yds/rec), 2 TD
Tackles | Garcia- 28 / Chamberlain – 27 / Montero – 24
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Bird – 3 PBU, Five returning players tied with 1 INT

Arkansas Stat Notables (Returning 2020 Leaders)

Passing | Jefferson – 20/41 (48.8 percent), 295 yards passing, 3 TD, 0 INT
Rushing | Smith – 134 carries, 710 yards (5.3 yards per carry), 5 TD
Receiving | Burks – 51 receptions, 820 yards (6.1 yards per reception), 7 TD / Smith – 22 receptions, 159 yards (7.2 yds/rec), 1 TD
Tackles | Morgan – 110 / Pool – 101 / Catalon – 99
Interceptions/Pass Breakups | Morgan, Pool, Brown – 5 PBU / Catalon, Clark – 3 INT

Arkansas X-Factor | Will the front seven turn the corner?

Arkansas was, for the most part, unable to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks last season. Their 14 sacks in the span of 10 games were the fewest of any SEC team and nine of those sacks came in their first four games. The more they put on tape, the less pressure they were able to generate.

That’s going to have to change if Arkansas is going contend with the rigors of an SEC schedule, but it’s equally imperative against the Owls, too. Rice hasn’t been particularly effective on third and long under Mike Bloomgren and has seen drives stall out when the sticks get too far away. If Arkansas can put Rice behind the chains early, they’ll force them off schedule.

There’s optimism that the Rice passing game is going to be better in 2021 than in the recent past, but that doesn’t change the Owls’ commitment to running the football. More pressure will throw those plans out of whack. Arkansas needs to find a way to make that happen.

Rice X-Factor | Generate explosive plays

Rice averaged 1.3 gains of 30+ yards per game in 2020, near the bottom of Conference USA. The Arkansas defense allowed 1.9 such explosive plays last fall, one of the better marks in the SEC. If Rice ends this game anywhere in that ballpark when it comes to field-flipping type plays, they’ll be in trouble.

The defense proved it could win games on its own in 2020, accounting for five turnovers and a defensive score in the shutout win against Marshall. But that’s more likely to be the exception than the rule moving forward. Rice is going to have to help its defense by sprinkling in some big offensive plays, too.

Whether it’s via the legs of one of Luke McCaffrey, their stable of running backs or a big catch from a suddenly deep receiving corps, Rice needs to find ways to shorten drives and maximize every offensive possession. If they can get a couple of big plays in each half they’ll force Arkansas onto their heels, in turn, enabling the Rice defense to feast.

Pick ‘Em Contest (Subscribers only)

Make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. There will be swag and prizes for the top finishers at the end of the season. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and comment on this post on the Patreon page to enter. It’s that easy.

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Injury Report (Subscribers only)

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Need More?

The Roost’s 2021 Rice Football Season Preview has FIVE pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth charts, important new arrivals and positional breakdowns for every team in Conference USA sourced from local beat writers and sources on the ground who cover these teams every day. It’s the most thorough C-USA publication on the market.

One Final Thing

There hasn’t been any beating around the bush when it comes to discussing expectations at South Main. Rice football expects to be playing in a bowl game at the end of this season, which makes the nonconference slate all the more important. The schedule is brutal (at Arkansas, vs Houston, at Texas, vs Texas Southern), but postseason rules won’t be as forgiving in 2021.

We’re going to learn a lot about this team over the next four weeks, starting with the opener against Arkansas. Be patient. The schedule will get easier and the talent on this team will shine through.

With that quick caveat, it’s also worth noting oddsmakers give Rice a better chance of beating Arkansas (the Owls are currently 20-point underdogs) than they did to beat Marhsall (Rice entered that game as 24-point underdogs). Math isn’t deciding the outcome of this game, but the “experts” are giving Rice a fighting chance. Sometimes, that’s all you need.

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Rice Football 2021 Fall Camp Report: Defense dominates in first scrimmage

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As has been the case in recent years, the Rice football defense stole the show in the first scrimmage of fall camp. Here are a few things we learned.

The first official scrimmage of fall camp is in the books and there’s a lot to unpack. As expected Wiley Green and Luke McCaffrey split first-team reps, but they were the only players who had their performances scrutinized on Saturday. There will be more on them coming soon. For now, a few notes of impressive performers and takeaways from who was (and wasn’t) available.

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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 the quarterback battle, camp 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 on Patreon today.

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