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Rice Football 2020: Post Southern Miss presser and practice notes

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There’s a lot going on in the world of Rice football. Here’s a rundown of the weekly press conference and an update from practice headed into the UTSA game.

The season is back in full swing and we’ve got a full slate of Rice football updates on deck for everyone this week. I’ll include a few snippets from today’s press conference here as well as updates from practice on Monday. The players were off on Tuesday for the Election.

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Press conference notes and quotes

Head coach Mike Bloomgren did note a few players of the week following the victory:

  • Defensive Player of the Game – Chike Anigbogu
  • Offensive Player of the Game – Austin Trammell
  • Special Teams Player of the Game – Charlie Mendes
  • Offense Scout Team Player of the Week – Caleb James
  • Defense Scout Team Player of the Week – TJ McMahon
  • Special Teams Player of the Week – Terreance Ellis

“Anytime you are giving up big plays the way we did in the first game, that’s never a good thing. I think we talked a lot about eliminating the big plays, keeping it in front of us, and I think the guys got the message and we played a lot better in those critical situations at the end of the half and on third down.” – Brian Smith on the what the defense did differently from game one to game two

It felt good to get a win, it really did. It felt great to get a win on Saturday. An incredible effort from start to finish from our guys. I think, really the opening kickoff all the way through the fourth quarter you saw a lot of strain, a lot of physicality. And I can’t say enough about how proud I am of that team for continuing to work the way they did.” – Bloomgren on the Owls’ first win of 2020

“Mike [Collins] is the biggest change. It’s the best play we’ve had out of a quarterback in our time here… Mike is changing the game for our football team. He’s giving everybody a chance to showcase their talent. And it sure doesn’t hurt that the offensive line and the blocking unit is giving him time as well. Everything’s working together, but if I were to identify one change, so far, it would be Mike Collins.” – Bloomgren on the biggest change in the offense from last year to this year

“Two games in, we’re in a good spot… I just don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves I think we’ve got so much we can improve on right now. Yes, we’re better, but that was a pretty low bar. I want to see how good this offense can perform.” – Bloomgren on how the offense meets his expectations

Practice updates and Southern Miss takeaways

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Rice Football: Most impressive freshman performances of fall camp

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The 2020 Rice football freshman class has impressed throughout fall camp. This weekend they’ll have their first opportunities to do it in a collegiate game.

Rice football has wrapped up fall camp. They’ll take the field on Saturday against Middle Tennessee. Players like Austin Trammell and Blaze Alldredge have been as impressive as ever in practices, but neither of those performances comes as much of a surprise.

Beyond assessing such proven commodities, this time of year is sometimes better spent looking for who might be the next wave of playmakers on the rise.

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Here are a few freshmen who’ve impressed me and earned accolades directly from the coaching staff during camp. They’ll see varying degrees of involvement this weekend, but each guy has the potential to be an important piece on this roster in the weeks and years to come.

RB Khalan Griffin

Last fall Khalan Griffin suffered a lower-body injury that prematurely ended his senior season. He arrived at South Main buried on the depth chart behind the likes of Juma Otoviano, Jawan King, Cam Montgomery and Ari Broussard. Injuries opened the door for him to get some time with the first team offense. He kicked that door down … and then kept running.

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Rice Football 2020: Practice Notes, starting quarterback and projected depth charts

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Rice football has two scrimmages in the books. Mike Collins has been named the starting quarterback and the depth chart behind him is starting to materialize.

Head coach Mike Bloomgren has been cautiously optimistic in each of his previous post-practice media sessions. “We’re not where we need to be to play a football game, but thank God we’re not where we used to be,” he said following Saturday’s scrimmage. “We’ve made a lot of progress in the last week and we’ve got a lot of progress we need to make in the next two weeks.”

Among the most notable points of progress this week was the official endorsement of a starting quarterback. Grad transfer Mike Collins has officially won that job. As for takeaways from the rest of Saturday, injuries and the announcement of wide receiver Brad Rozner’s opt out took center stage.

After seeing both scrimmages and talking with those close to the program, I’ve put together my first pass at what a depth chart for the Rice football’s season opener against Middle Tennessee might look like.

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For those on the fence when it comes to subscribing, you’ll get access to all previous practice reports and special features throughout the season. Plus, you’ll get to see which true freshmen I think could be starting against Middle Tennessee.

Defense wins the day

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Buy Now: The Roost’s 2020 Rice Football Season Preview and C-USA Preview

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The Roost is pleased to announce the release of the 2020 Rice Football Season Preview and the Conference USA Football Season Preview. These digital magazines are the one-stop-shop for every Rice and Conference USA Fan.

Buy Rice Preview
Buy C-USA Preview

The 2020 Rice Football Season Preview

This 160-page publication details everything you could imagine about Rice Football. It includes insight on the entire Rice roster as well with commentary on all 110 players on the active roster. From there the scope widens to breakdowns of every Conference USA team and all four of the Owls’ non-conference opponents. Each profile was compiled with the help from local experts who cover that beat on a daily basis with timely transfer information and any available spring updates.

As one Rice administrator dubbed it:
it’s the bible for Rice Football fans.

Get answers to questions like “Who has the leg up in the Rice quarterback battle?” or “Which incoming players could make the biggest impact?” or “Who are the top returning players Rice will face in Conference USA?”

This year’s edition included a feature story based on an interview with Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard. In the piece, we discuss how he evaluates head coach Mike Bloomgren’s coaching tenure.

The 2020 Conference USA Football Season Preview

The complete contents of the Conference USA Preview are contained within the Rice Preview. This 72-page guide includes everything Conference USA fans need to know for the upcoming season. Every team in the conference has a four-page profile. These profiles including coaching notes, pressing questions and the major storylines each squad faces this season. It also includes roster breakdowns with profiles on the biggest incoming and outgoing players.

No preview would be complete without the numbers, and this one has those in bunches. Each team section includes Conference USA metrics, returning production notes and analysis as well as stat lines for every returning player. There’s also a more detailed review of the conference’s top returning players for each major statistic. And it’s all at your fingertips rather than a dozen google searches away.

The Conference USA Preview omits the Rice-specific content like the position and player breakdowns, rising stars and more. Most Rice fans would prefer the Rice Preview whereas fans of other C-USA schools might prefer this version.

What are people saying about the Previews?

Don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what people are saying:

  • “The Roost’s C-USA preview has been an indispensable resource for me as I make my preparations for this season.”
  • “I just spent 30 minutes going through it, but barely skimmed the surface. It’s a great way to learn the new players.
  • “I don’t know any preview that could be more detailed than that.”
  • “This is worth spending the money on. Best you will get for CUSA”
  • “I liked everything.”

Want more?

You can always find additional Rice Football and Conference USA Football content on the website. If you enjoy the Preview and want to get further involved, consider supporting us on Patreon or check out The Roost Shop. Our subscribers get exclusive content ranging from recruiting and practice updates to special analysis. For starters, they got a copy of the Preview for free!

Buy Rice Preview
Buy C-USA Preview
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Rice Football: Jersey numbers revealed for incoming freshman class

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The incoming Rice football freshman is one step closer to taking the field for the first time. The new Owls have been assigned jersey numbers.

The past few months have been unique for everyone. The incoming Rice football freshman class has been no exception. In a more traditional offseason, each player would have received a virtual copy of the playbook and instructions to study up before they got to campus for summer workouts. Their understanding would have been primarily driven by their own study and willingness to get ahead of the curve.

The virtual learning environment brought about in response to the COVID-19 pandemic allowed for those freshmen to mee with their teammates. In many ways, they’ve had more exposure to the program and the scheme than any class has had before them. Rather than begin their learning cover in earnest over the summer, the incoming class had a significant head start.

The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our Extended Offseason Interview Series

With voluntary workouts set to begin soon, Rice football players and staff will begin to arrive on campus. That will include the 27 true freshmen that Rice will add to the team for the 2020 season. Here are the jersey numbers for those newcomers:

6. Griffin, Khalan (RB)
13. Narcisse, Lamont (CB)
14. Kamper, Nate (TE)
16. Doddridge, Jonah (S)
23. Tawa, Casey (WR)
25. Dunbar, Jordan (CB)
25. Mason, Andrew (WR)
26. Taylor, Gabe (S)
27. Awe, Andrew (LB)
28. Campbell, Kobie (RB)
29. Fresch, Sean (CB)
34. Ellis, Terreance (LB)
40. Reeves, Jalen (DE)
41. Wyatt, Plae (S)
42. Hibbard, Brian (FB)
44. Hargon, Geron (LB)
52. Nutter, Braedon (OL)
53. Leone, Mike (OL)
61. Witt, Harry (OL)
69. Lovell, Payton (OL)
72. Phillippi, Trey (OL)
81. Chappelle, Caleb (WR)
83. Wallace, Ryan (WR)
89. Haack, Michael (WR)
95. James, Caleb (DT)
98. Heitmann, Van (DE)
99. Latos, Cole (DE)

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