The source for Rice sports news

The Roost Podcast | Ep 115 – ’22 UAB Preview with Evan Dudley

By

It’s preseason preview time at The Roost Podcast. We continue this week with a look at UAB football with Evan Dudley of AL.com.

The sudden retirement of Bill Clark sent shockwaves throughout the Conference USA universe this past week so naturally we went straight to UAB beat writer Evan Dudley to get his reaction and prognostication on what this means for the program moving forward. Is Bill Clark really done? What should we expect from the Blazers this season without him at the helm?

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 115.

Episode Notes

Announcements

The 2022 Conference USA Football Season Preview was released on Wednesday, June. Get it for free as well as all preseason Rice football content when you subscribe to The Roost on Patreon. It’s that easy! You can get more information here.

2022 Conference USA Football Season Preview

Housekeeping

  • Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice. Every little bit helps.
  • Please support us on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes updates from spring practices and more. Your support matters and makes The Roost better.
    Become a Patron!

Interview — UAB football with Evan Dudley

  • What is UAB football without Bill Clark?
  • Unpacking the Blazers’ quarterback battle
  • Which additional playmakers emerge outside of DeWayne McBridge?
  • Will the defensive line stay elite?
  • UAB’s place in Conference USA and (eventually) the ACC
  • The Lightning Round

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

The Roost Podcast | Ep 114 – ’22 Louisiana Tech Preview with Ben Carlisle

By

It’s preseason preview time at The Roost Podcast. We continue this week with a look at Louisiana Tech football with Ben Carlisle of Bleed Tech Blue.

Catching up for the last time in the preseason as Conference USA football foes, Carter and Matthew touch base with Ben Carlisle of Bleed Tech Blue this week and dive into Louisiana Tech football. The Bulldogs have new coach and somewhat reasonable expectations, but what will this team actually look like on the field in their first year under Sonny Cumbie? That’s the big question at the center of this episode.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 114.

Episode Notes

Announcements

The 2022 Conference USA Football Season Preview will be released on Wednesday, June. Get it for free as well as all preseason Rice football content when you subscribe to The Roost on Patreon. It’s that easy! You can get more information here.

Housekeeping

  • Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice. Every little bit helps.
  • Please support us on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes updates from spring practices and more. Your support matters and makes The Roost better.
    Become a Patron!

Interview — Louisiana Tech football with Ben Carlisle

  • Unpacking the somewhat surprising coaching transition
  • Who is going to play quarterback?
  • Who emerges in the backfield?
  • Will the offensive line do enough to support Cumbie’s new scheme?
  • Who else will help Tyler Grubbs on defense?
  • What should we expect from the all-transfer secondary?
  • The Lightning Round

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

The Roost Podcast | Ep 113 – ’22 North Texas Preview with Matthew Brune

By

It’s preseason preview time at The Roost Podcast and we get things started this week with a look at North Texas football with Matthew Brune of 247 Sports.

North Texas football had a wild ride last season, winning five in a row to reach bowl eligibility after a disastrous 1-6 start. Matthew Brune of 247 Sports joins The Roost Podcast this week to talk about the Mean Green, from their 2021 campaign to what we should expect from the program this coming season. This is the first of many team previews of the offseason.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 113.

Episode Notes

Announcements

The 2022 Conference USA Football Season Preview will be released on Wednesday, June. Get it for free as well as all preseason Rice football content when you subscribe to The Roost on Patreon. It’s that easy! You can get more information here.

Housekeeping

  • Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice. Every little bit helps.
  • Please support us on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes updates from spring practices and more. Your support matters and makes The Roost better.
    Become a Patron!

Interview — North Texas football with Matthew Brune

  • Unpacking a crowded quarterback room
  • Who will emerge as true playmakers in the North Texas offense
  • Thoughts on the running game and how balanced the offense will be this season
  • Replacing the Murphy brothers on defense
  • Taking stock of the secondary
  • What’s next for Seth Littrell at North Texas?
  • The Lightning Round!

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Conference USA Football: Summer Transfer Portal Pickups

By

Summer hasn’t slowed the Transfer Portal and several Conference USA Football programs have benefited from new additions over the past few weeks.

Players have come and gone this offseason with each and every Conference USA football program feeling the good and the bad enacted upon it by the Transfer Portal. Here are three new additions within the Conference over the course of the last few weeks who could play meaningful roles on the field this season.

North Texas – QB Grant Gunnell (Memphis)

The starter at Arizona in 2019, Gunnell transferred to Memphis last year but missed the 2021 season with a leg injury. Now healthy, Gunnell opted for the portal where he received a good amount of interest before landing in Denton with the Mean Green.

Gunnell threw for 1,864 yards in 12 appearances with Arizona, tossing 15 touchdowns with just three interceptions. A highly sought-after recruit coming out of high school, Gunnell will have a legitimate chance to win the starting job at North Texas this season and could be extremely productive in Seth Littrell’s system.

UTSA – RB Trelon Smith (Arkansas)

With no Sincere McCormick lining up in the backfield in San Antonio, it always seemed plausible UTSA would add another running back to the fold, but Trelon Smith isn’t just another body to pad the depth chart.

A former Cy Ridge product and Arkansas transfer Smith led the Razorbacks’ running backs in carries and yards in each of the past two seasons, averaging 5.2 yards per carry and scoring 10 touchdowns. Smith will get plenty of work with the Roadrunners this season and could find his way into contention for a few Conference USA football offensive awards.

Rice – OL John Hughes (West Virginia)

A former starter at West Virginia, Hughes will compete for a starting job in Houston among a front five that ended spring on a high note. Rice started and finished spring with the same starting five and didn’t appear to be in the market for a proven transfer until now.

The Owls’ feelings on the matter clearly changed when someone with Hughes’ resume became available this late in the cycle. Hughes will join wide receiver Isaiah Esdale, a former WVU teammate, at Rice this coming season.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Conference USA Baseball Tournament 2022 Preview, schedule, how to watch

By

The Conference USA Baseball Tournament is headed to Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Here’s how to watch and what to be looking for this week.

The final weekend of regular season play saw teams jockeying for position, but now the Conference USA Baseball Tournament field is finally set. The top eight squads will square off with hopes of an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and their chance to play for a trip to the College World Series.

All games will be streamed on ESPN+ with the exception of the tournament championship, available on CBS Sports Network. The tournament runs from Wednesday, May 25 to Sunday, May 29. The full schedule and updated bracket are available on the Conference USA Baseball Tournament website.

Assessing the field

The favorite | Southern Miss enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed with a three-game lead on the next closest member of the field. The Golden Eagles are the conference’s only nationally ranked team and possess enough firepower on both sides of the ball to separate themselves from the next bunch behind them.

The contenders | Old Dominion, Florida Atlantic and UTSA finished the regular season with identical conference records (19-11) just one game back of Louisiana Tech (20-10). If any of those clubs and win their first two games, they’ll be in the driver’s seat to win the tournament. The field is rather deep this year behind Southern Miss and it shouldn’t surprise anyone if one of these “next four” wins it all.

The darkhorse | Charlotte dropped their final conference series against Louisiana Tech two games to one, but prior to that the 49ers had won four straight series with two sweeps. Winners of 16 of their last 20 games, this is a team playing way above what their record says they are entering the tournament.

The wild card | UTSA has somewhat quietly assembled a remarkable season, posting at least one win over every team in the tournament field. They can score runs in bunches. If they can avoid taxing their pitching staff, a run through the winner’s bracket is certainly within reach for this squad.

The bracket

The opening day of games will take place on Wednesday, May 25:

Game 1 – 9:00 AM | (3) Old Dominion vs (6) Middle Tennessee

Game 2 – 12:30 PM | (2) Louisiana Tech vs (7) Charlotte

Game 3 – 4:00 PM | (1) Southern Miss vs (8) UAB

Game 4 – 7:30 PM | (4) Florida Atlantic vs (5) UTSA

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts