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Rice Football rockets past McNeese State on Space Night

September 10, 2022 By Matthew Bartlett

Wearing space-themed jerseys, Rice football blasted past McNeese State, notching a dominant win for the Owls in their home opener.

On a night honoring the 60th anniversary of JFK’s Moon Speech, Rice football nearly reached 60 points, falling short of that sky-high total as they soared past the McNeese State Cowboys in dominant fashion. Rice dominated the scoreboard. They dominated on defense. They dominated on offense. From the time of possession to total yards and points, Rice ran away from McNeese to secure their first win of the season.

And they sure looked good doing it.

We choose to go to the Moon and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard!#GoOwls👐 x #Artemis1@NASA | @NASA_Johnson | @RiceUniversity | @RiceAlumni | @HoustonTX | @adidasUS | @UNISWAG pic.twitter.com/OqADRgZ8Xt

— Rice Football (@RiceFootball) September 6, 2022

Here are a few immediate reactions from the game:

Early jitters fade fast

Despite the space-themed jerseys, Rice football didn’t come out of the gate like they were aiming for the moon. It took some time to get all systems operational. TJ McMahon and the offense did move the ball fairly well, but were hampered by a holding call and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that forced a punt from midfield.

McNeese gifted them possession right away with a first play fumble, but Rice went spent three fruitless plays inside the 10-yard line including a third down pass that was rocketed out of the hands of Bradley Rozner as he careened towards the goal line. Instead of a possible touchdown, Rice settled for a field goal.

The Roost Podcast: Stay tuned for the game recap this week – Rice football vs McNeese state

Then the afterburners kicked on. The defense forced their second turnover of the day on the following drive courtesy of a deflected pass that landed conveniently in the open arms of safety Treshawn Chamberlain. The offense took the baton from there, marching down the field and capping the drive off with a nine-yard touchdown run by TJ McMahon to take a commanding 17-0 lead with 10 minutes to play before halftime.

From there, it was all Owls for the remainder of the contest.

Takeaways set the tone

McNeese State handed the ball directly to Rice on their first offensive snap. Then the Cowboys turned it over on their third drive. And on their fourth drive. And on their fifth drive. In fact, the only two drives the Cowboys had in the first half that did not end in turnovers were three-and-outs in which the Owls’ average starting field position was the McNeese 43-yard line.

The highlight of the night came courtesy of Gabriel Taylor, who returned this interception 91 yards to paydirt, the third longest interception return touchdown in program history.

Here's Gabriel Taylor delivering the back-breaking pick six. #GoOwls 💪 pic.twitter.com/TmVGaeYdQB

— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) September 11, 2022

Rice lost the turnover battle 4-0 against USC. They won 5-0 against McNeese and scored 23 points directly off those turnovers. It was a masterful effort by the defense.

Owls won despite costly mistakes

Tight end Jack Bradley was called for holding on the first offensive play of the game. Guard Braedon Nutter was drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the same drive. He was promptly sat on the bench for the next several series with John Hughes moving to left guard and Ethan Onianwa checking in at right tackle. Then Rice punted.

On a following drive, Luke McCaffrey committed a false start, negating a wide-open touchdown reception in the second quarter. The Rice defense roughed the passer, jumpstarting a drive that saw McNeese reach the redzone for the first time of the night.

All of that happened before halftime. Rice football committed all of those offenses in a far from clean performance. They gave up a 62-yard touchdown run to start the third quarter, missing several tackles along the way. And they still won by 42 points.

Recent history has suggested that Rice needed to play a near-perfect game to thump any opponent this badly. Rice was far from perfect today but their highs far exceeded their lows. If they can clean up those mistakes and mental errors this team could make some noise in Conference USA.

Taking care of business in style

Without their starting quarterback and starting center, Rice football rolled through their home opener against McNeese State and has moved to 1-1 on the season. Injuries aside, through two games, this is where this team was expected to be if they were to keep their aspirations of a postseason trip alive. So far, so good.

Winning was the priority on Saturday night. And although Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren may be hesitant to stump for it, the style points were noticed and appreciated.

Bloomgren elected to take a timeout with less than three minutes to go before halftime so that his team could have a shot to extend their 31-0 advantage. Immediately following McNeese’s breakaway touchdown, the Owls dialed up a 75-yard touchdown strike to Bradley Rozner.

Bradley Rozner. For Six.pic.twitter.com/rQG2bQPsto

— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) September 11, 2022

All actions indicated Rice not only wanted to win, but they wanted to make a statement.

It was heard, loud and clear. Now the bigger question looms, can they do it again?

Digging deeper

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Running away with it

If it felt like Rice football hadn’t delivered a good thumping in some time, that’s because what the Owls did to the Cowboys on Saturday night was the most decisive victory of the Bloomgren era. And it didn’t stop there.

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Filed Under: Featured, Football, Premium Tagged With: Bradley Rozner, Braedon Nutter, Ethan Onianwa, Gabe Taylor, game recap, Jack Bradley, John Hughes, Rice Football, TJ McMahon, Treshawn Chamberlain

Rice Football 2022: McNeese State Game Week Practice Report

September 8, 2022 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice football will play its home opener this coming weekend against McNeese State. Here’s what we learned from this week’s practices.

As he’s said in prior years, head coach Mike Bloomgren reiterated expectations this week that his team would take a big step forward between Game 1 and Game 2. When asked Thursday if he’d seen that progression, he seemed elated. “They’ve been focused. They’ve been great. They’ve given it in the heat. They’ve worked their butts off,” he said about his team.

With four days of practice in the books and a more manageable opponent looming in McNeese State, the mood around South Main remained upbeat this week. Here are a few important takeaways from practice this week and a couple of nuggets on how Rice football might choose to attack this coming Saturday.

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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.

Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts
  • Rice Baseball blows past PVAMU at home
  • 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

Filed Under: Featured, Football, Premium Tagged With: Bradley Rozner, Braedon Nutter, Cam Montgomery, Clay Servin, Ethan Onianwa, Isaac Klarkowski, Isaiah Esdale, Jack Bradley, John Hughes, John Long, Jojo Jean, Lamont Narcisse, Luke McCaffrey, Marcus Williams, Miles Mccord, practice notes, Rice Football, Shea Baker, TJ McMahon, Trey Phillippi, Wiley Green

Rice Football 2022 Fall Camp Notebook 2: Assessing the Offense

August 6, 2022 By Matthew Bartlett

Offensive Coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo unpacked his plans and outstanding questions for the Rice football offense as the Owls start fall camp.

On Saturday, Rice football practiced with pads for the first time during fall camp, giving the skill position players their chance to perform against real coverages and real pressure. For many, it was the opening stanza of a three-week-long interview with precious starting spots on the line. It was also the first of six consecutive practice days following which the team will host a meaningful scrimmage.

More: Rice Football Preseason Preview Series

In his second season at South Main, Rice football offensive coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo is eager to make the most of every period. He was kind enough to sit down with The Roost to debrief what he’s seen so far and share expectations and key storylines he’ll be paying attention to as fall camp progresses.

Subscriber content.<br /> Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.

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.

Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts
  • Rice Baseball blows past PVAMU at home
  • 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

Filed Under: Archive, Football, Premium Tagged With: Ari Broussard, Boden Groen, Bradley Rozner, Braedon Nutter, Cedric Patterson, Clay Servin, Connor Welsh, Dean Connors, Ethan Onianwa, Gavin Reinwald, Isaac Klarkowski, Isaiah Esdale, Jack Bradley, Jaggar Hebeisen, John Hughes, Kobie Campbell, Luke McCaffrey, practice notes, Rice Football, Shea Baker, TJ McMahon, Tyson Thompson, Uriah West, Wiley Green

Rice Football 2022 Fall Camp Notebook 1: Depth Chart

August 3, 2022 By Matthew Bartlett

The first Rice football depth chart of the fall camp has been released and there’s a lot to discuss as the run-up to the season begins.

At the end of the day, depth charts aren’t nearly as important as we’d like to make the out to be. Coaches don’t spend as much time pouring over the particulars as one might initially think. The first Rice football depth chart of fall camp is no different. It’s a guideline and a starting point for what promises to be several weeks of interesting developments.

More: Rice Football Preseason Preview Series

To that end, it’s always instrumental to begin the exercise by looking at which faces are new to the roster, who isn’t listed at all and which notable changes have occurred since the last iteration was published. This update will go through all of those particulars and highlight a few key position battles to keep an eye on as Rice football opens fall camp.

Subscriber content.<br /> Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.

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.

Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts
  • Rice Baseball blows past PVAMU at home
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Filed Under: Archive, Featured, Football, Premium Tagged With: Andrew Awe, Bradley Rozner, Braedon Nutter, Cal Varner, Cedric Patterson, Chike Anigbogu, Dean Connors, Ethan Onianwa, Isaac Klarkowski, Isaiah Esdale, John Hughes, Josh Pearcy, Kenneth Orji, Kenny Seymour, Myron Morrison, practice notes, Rice Football, TJ McMahon, Tyson Thompson, Uriah West, Weston Kropp, Wiley Green

Rice Football: Schedule, depth, recruiting — July Patreon Q&A

July 24, 2022 By Matthew Bartlett

A host of great questions came in this month targeting various areas of Rice football so we’re answering them all in this month’s Patreon Q&A.

Our subscribers came through with a host of Rice football related questions for this month’s Patreon Q&A. We’ll start by discussing optimal results for non-conference play, segue into the backup, backup quarterbacks, check in on the depth along the edge behind Kenneth Orji and Josh Pearcy before landing the plane with a brief recruiting discussion in this month’s Patreon Q&A.

Want to get your questions answered? Subscribe on Patreon for our monthly mailbag, get access to this and our Rice football season preview content PLUS a free copy of our Conference USA Season preview for our new patrons.

Subscriber content.<br /> Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.

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.

Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts
  • Rice Baseball blows past PVAMU at home
  • 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

Filed Under: Archive, Football, Football Recruiting, Premium Tagged With: Aidan Siano, AJ Padgett, Braedon Nutter, Cole Latos, DeMone Green, DJ Arkansas, Jaggar Hebeisen, Jake Bailey, Jalen Reeves, Mike Leone, Q&A, Rice Football, Rice Football recruiting, Shawqi Itraish, TJ McMahon, Van Heitmann

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