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Rice Football 2021: Spring Practice Week 1 Notebook

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Rice football returned to the practice field this week. Here are a few initial reactions from the first week of spring ball.

For the first time in three months, Rice football put on the pads and hit the practice field. It was a refreshing sight that seemed almost normal after a winter that was anything but conventional.

There were a few new faces this time, including quarterback Jake Constantine. But there were things to be learned from players head coach Mike Bloomgren would dub “the old heads” as well. We dug into some initial thoughts on the depth charts earlier this week. This edition will focus on what transpired on the grass itself.

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The Roost will have you covered every step of the way. Subscribers get access to all spring practice notes, recruiting updates and special features. Subscribe on Patreon and get access to it all today.

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Rice Football 2020 Game Preview: UTEP

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Rice Football looks to rebound from a disappointing loss with a home win over UTEP. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

The next game can’t come fast enough for Rice football. The Owls are eager to put last weekend’s road loss to North Texas behind them and shake off whatever rust lingered from the back-t0-back postponed games in the weeks prior. Rice looked rattled and far from the dominant form they displayed in their win over Southern Miss.

UTEP wasn’t in action last weekend, losing a game against UAB (scheduled to take place on Friday morning in Midland, TX) because of COVID-19 concerns among the Blazers. Last time out, UTEP was outgunned by UTSA, falling 52-21 in San Antonio.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 12:00 PM CT
Venue | Rice Stadium – Houston, Tx
TV | ESPN3 (Streaming)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs UTEP on Episode 62 of The Roost Podcast which will be released on Thursday. 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.)

Visual Preview

Make sure you check out Inside the Hedges, a weekly show with myself and former Rice football quarterback Taylor McHargue. Watch it live on Wednesday nights here or watch it at your leisure on the Rice Athletics Youtube page.

Join the Conversation

What are your keys to victory this week? What pitfalls must the Owls avoid? Did you like that third down call? Share your thoughts on the matchup on the forum and make sure you tune in Saturday for our live game blog keeping track of every score and key moment.

Sizing up the contenders

Rice has swung between extremes so far this season, but can get back to .500 on the season with a win against UTEP. The remaining weeks of their schedule are still a bit up in the air with postponed games against UTSA and Louisiana Tech possible candidates to replace a road trip to Marshall on Dec. 5. Before they get there, Rice has to control what’s in front of them, and this weekend, that’s scheduled to be UTEP.

UTEP wants so desperately to rebound from an unfavorable start to conference play. The 3-win Miners haven’t won four games in a season since 2016. Doing so in a shortened year would be a tremendous step forward for Dana Dimel’s bunch.

Series History

All Time | Rice leads 15-8
Last Five | Rice leads 3-2
Last Meeting | Away 2019, Rice won 30-16

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Collins – 53/86 (61.6 percent), 802 yards passing, 10 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Otoviano – 45 carries, 195 yards (4.3 yards per carry) | Griffin – 41 carries, 159 yards (3.9 yards per carry)
Receiving | Trammell – 16 receptions, 335 yards (20.9 yards per reception), 6 TD | Myers – 14 receptions, 138 yards (9.9 yards per reception)
Tackles | Alldredge – 32, Montero – 23, Garcia – 19
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Calderon – 2 PBU / McCord – 1 INT

UTEP Stat Notables

Passing | Hardison – 108/199 (54.3 percent), 1419 yards passing, 5 TD, 5 INT
Rushing | Hankins – 99 carries, 493 yards (5.0 yards per carry), 7 TD
Receiving | Cowing – 36 receptions, 573 yards (15.9 yards per reception), 1 TD | Garrett – 36 receptions, 498 yards (13.8 yards per reception), 3 TD
Tackles | Forester – 56, Knight – 43, Harrell/Inyang/Prince – 32
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Amaewhule – 8 PBU / Lowe – 2 INT

UTEP X-Factor | Capitalize on opportunities

Turnovers and self-inflicted wounds have proven to be fatal flaws in each of Rice’s losses to date. The Owls haven’t played a turnover-free game yet. UTEP hasn’t been productive on that front this year. The Miners are averaging just one turnover per game and nearly one and a half giveaways themselves, but recent history suggests they’ll have more opportunities handed to them by Rice — what will they do with those chances?

UTEP enters the game second-to-last in conference play in total offense, averaging less than 300 yards per game. Even North Texas had trouble at times when it came to driving the length of the field against the Rice defense. UTEP’s best chance of putting up points will be to take advantage of opportunities Rice hands to them. And when they get their chances, they need to turn them into touchdowns.

Rice X-Factor | Win in the trenches

When Rice wins on the offensive and defensive lines, they’re going to be in a position to win. Through three games, that’s happened more often than not. There is no Dion Novil in the defensive trenches for UTEP and the Rice front seven won’t be pulling double duty to support coverage threats on the outside. There shouldn’t be any reason why Rice can’t win on both fronts.

Rice is still without a rushing touchdown this year, an odd occurrence considering they’ve run the ball a conference-high 43.4 times per game. The Owls’ woeful 3.1 yards per carry has also been problematic. A kick start from one of their talented running backs and consistent lanes to run through will help them set the tone in this game.

Injury Report (Subscribers only)

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Need More?

The Roost’s 2020 Rice Football Season Preview has four pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth charts, important new arrivals and depth chart breakdowns for every team in Conference USA. Better yet, it’s not just speculation, each profile was created with insight from local experts who cover those teams day in and day out. Pick up your copy today and get four pages and more than 1,000 words on every foe.

Pick ‘Em Contest

If you haven’t yet, make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and submit them on the forum thread to enter.

  1. Will either team score on defense or special teams?
    Yes / No
  2. How many combined touchdown passes with be thrown (both teams)?
    Three or less / Four or more
  3. Does Rice rush for at least one touchdown?
    Yes / No
  4. How many total yards will the Rice defense allow?
    Over 330.5 / Under 330.5
  5. Which team defense forces the first turnover?
    Rice / UTEP / No turnovers
  6. Who wins?
    Rice / UTEP

One Final Thing

How Rice football lost to North Texas was almost more concerning than the defeat itself. Rice just wasn’t ready for what the Mean Green threw at them and failed to get things going on offense until time had run out. When this team is on, they’ve proven they can be dangerous. Now they need to prove they have the fortitude to respond to adversity and win a very winnable game.

This upcoming weekend also marks the end of November. With the Conference USA Championship game four weeks away and bowl season beginning on the same day, Rice is running out of opportunities to play football this fall. They simply have to make every Saturday count.

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Rice Football 2020 Practice Notes, Presser Quotes and the next men up

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After another postponement, Rice football is ready to take the field again, hopefully as soon as this weekend against North Texas. Here are the latest practice notes and press conference quotes.

Rice football is two weeks removed from their most recent football. Oddly enough, the Owls’ first game against Middle Tennessee was the week following a matchup between North Texas and Middle Tennessee. The Mean Green haven’t returned to the field since.

Owls’ head coach Mike Bloomgren met with the media today to share some of his thoughts on the game ahead.

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There is a lot of encouraging news on the injury front. Bloomgren said the team didn’t have “many people left to get healthy.” That should include a few starters returning to the field soon as well as a practice sighting on the offensive side of the ball. Injuries and depth chart fluidity has afforded several players additional opportunities. We’ve also got some notes on a few guys that have stepped up in the interim.

Press Conference Quotes

“We want to make this the most exclusive offer in the country… one out of every four offers is committed to you or signing with you, we feel good about that because we get a chance to really develop real relationships, get to know the parents, the families and otherwise.” – Director of Recruiting Alex Brown on the upcoming 2021 class

With the way we prepare and with our process and what it’s all about, I don’t know if I’m real excited about those possibilities… I really would like more than 48 hours of notice that you saw UCLA and Cal last week. I certainly think that that would cause a lot of coaches in this building not to sleep for 48 hours. But hey, we’ll make it work if that’s the case. We want to play a game. And right now, we’re certainly planning on playing Seth Littrell and North Texas.” – Mike Bloomgren on the possibility of last-minute scheduling changes

“I think they probably found their guy in Jason Bean, and he’s the one that we’re going to prepare to stop. If Austin [Aune] jumps in there, their offense won’t change too much. They’re still going to try to find number one Jaelon Darden, and they should.” – Bloomgren on the North Texas offense

Who’s back and who’s not

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Rice Football 2020: Middle Tennessee Depth chart released

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The first official depth chart of the 2020 Rice Football season has been released. Given the injuries and uncertainties, there’s a lot to unpack.

We’ve reach the end of fall camp and the beginning of Week 1 prep for Rice football. On Monday the Owls released their first depth chart for the 2020 season. Some positions aligned perfectly with expectations: Mike Collins is the QB1. Others provided more intrigue.

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Typically the weekly depth chart doesn’t come out until Tuesday when Rice will hold its weekly press conferences. Those came out a bit earlier than expected this week with everything going virtual. To that end, subscribers will want to stay tuned to practice reports later this week to see who will be in and out when game day arrives.

Don’t forget to put your entry in for the 2020 pick’em challenge

Here’s how Rice football will line up against Middle Tennessee

Rice Football depth chart

Expected results

Mike Collins is the Owls starting quarterback

This was never really in doubt during fall camp. Head coach Mike Bloomgren made it official last week. Now it’s been published in ink with no OR designation. Mike Collins will be the guy against Middle Tennessee. The third string man, if it had been listed, would have been Wiley Green, who started the Owls’ opener last season. That’s a pretty solid quarterback room after a few years of flux.

Surprises

Fullback

Brendan Suckley hasn’t been spotted so far during camp, so I wasn’t expecting him to be on the depth chart against Middle Tennessee. Brian Hibbard, who had taken reps in his place, was out last week as well. That left Jerry Johnson working with the ones. The move to insert Jaeger Bull is a surprise to be sure, but his skillset as a blocker and h-back type players makes the move a reasonable one.

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Rice Football 2020 Practice Notes: Quarterbacks, specialists and injuries

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Rice football is nearly halfway through fall camp. The quarterback situation is clearing up but the running back depth chart is heating up.

On Monday, Rice football had its first practice following Scrimmage No. 1. That extra session, combined with time to break down the scrimmage film, gave head coach Mike Bloomgren a better feel for where the team stands as the midpoint of fall camp approaches.

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The quarterback situation is starting to crystalize, but Khalan Griffin is making the running back depth chart extremely hard to parse out. I’ve got more notes on both position battles, how the special teams situation is looking right now and an update on injuries including three players that I haven’t seen take the field for the Owls this fall.

Timetable for a QB1 decision

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