The source for Rice sports news

Offense flounders as Rice Football succumbs to UConn

By

Rice Football delivered a dazzling defensive effort but never got the offense in gear, losing to UConn on the road and falling to 2-6 on the season.

“Obviously disappointed with the way we performed today on the offensive side of the ball,” head coach Mike Bloomgren, said, beginning his post game press conference at the heart of the Owls’ issues on Saturday. “I thought there were a lot of opportunities the defense gave us.”

Those offensive shortcomings were impossible to overlook and set the tone for what was an underwhelming afternoon on the East Coast. Here are a few immediate reactions from the game:

Devillier debut comes up short

It wouldn’t be a Rice football season without a start from a backup quarterback. Seven years into his tenure, head coach Mike Bloomgren has not yet been fortunate enough to see the same passer take the opening snap in every regular season game. Facing a similar quandary this week, Bloomgren gave starter EJ Warner a shot to play against UConn on Saturday but when Warner was unable to go, it cleared the way (officially) for freshman Drew Devillier to make his first collegiate start.

Devillier had taken the vast majority of the reps with the first team offense during the week and his insertion into the starting lineup didn’t come as a surprise. But no amount of practice reps can simulate the real thing and mop-up duty against Texas Southern and Houston doesn’t produce the same stakes as a zero-zero tilt at the opening kickoff.

Add a strong wind, gusting up to 26 miles per hour, and a defense that ranks top five in the nation in third down stops to those first-start jitters and you get a tough day at the office for Devillier and the Rice offense.

“I think that’s what it comes down to. First start on the road against a very, very complex defense. That’s not an ideal situation,” Bloomgren said. “Those are tough things.”

Bloomgren was quick to acknowledge how difficult the UConn defense made it for Devillier, crediting their post-snap movement with confusion early in downs and acknowledging they were part of the reason for the young quarterbacks’ struggles.

“The ball disruption was real tonight,” Bloomgren said. They did a great job getting their hands up and not allowing some of those short completions that could have turned into big things to happen.”

UConn knocked down at least four passes at the line of scrimmage and sacked Devillier twice, including on the Owls’ penultimate snap of the game, thwarted any final hopes of a comeback.

Things would have looked even worse had it not been for a 100-yard kick return touchdown from Quinton Jackson, the longest in program history. His effort gave the Owls offense one more chance late in the fourth, but it would prove to be too little, too late.

“We know what kind of player QJack is,” his roommate, Tyson Flowers exclaimed after the game. “He’s explosive. It’s about dang time he got in the endzone. It was really cool, and for him to do it in a game at a time like this, as clutch of a score as that was, that was really, really exciting.”

Turnover fortune bounces back

Winning the turnover battle was a key talking point during practice this week, understandably so after Rice gave the ball away five times in their loss against Tulane. Even still, it was hard to be overly confident the Owls would be able to produce immediate results on this front given their struggles to produce takeaways of any kind during Bloomgren’s tenure.

Sure enough, Rice, not UConn, put the ball on the ground first. A botched exchange between the center and Devillier on a third and short produced a mass of blue and white jerseys fighting for the ball. The Owls were fortunate to come out of the pile with the pigskin, preserving an even turnover margin for at least a while longer until fortune finally found the turnover-starved Rice defense.

Daveon Hook came streaking out of the secondary on a safety blitz and hit UConn quarterback Nick Evers. As the signal caller was headed to the ground, reinforcements arrived allowing Hook to punch out the ball. Rice recovered. A few plays later Tim Horn kicked a field goal, putting Rice ahead and turning that takeaway into points.

Two drives later, Gabe Taylor stepped in front of a quick pass from Evers and picked it off, the second takeaway in the span of a few minutes of real time.

The jury is still out on whether or not any of this is sustainable. Another fumbled snap and a muffed punt from return man Tyson Thompson, who was able to fall on it, all went the Owls’ way. There’s another version of this game in which Rice loses the turnover battle despite those important takeaways they forced early on.

Penalty problems persist 

Whether it was the cold or the angst of two teams that really needed this game, the level of tension and angst was palpable in this contest from start to finish. Neither team played a clean game and mistakes and penalties were plentiful. Rice was the beneficiary of the games’ most impactful mishaps, the aforementioned turnovers, but the Owls shot themselves in the foot way too many times to pass over.

Rice committed 12 penalties for 95 yards in the game. At halftime, the Owls’ 70 penalty yards at that point were equal to UConn’s combined offensive output: 70 yards on 36 plays. The final Rice penalty before the break came on a botched center/quarterback exchange, the second of the afternoon. That resulted in a 10-second runoff, taking the game clock to zero and preventing Rice from attempting what would have been a 49-yard field goal attempt.

During Bloomgren’s first three years with the Owls, Rice averaged 3.97 penalties per game. The program might not have had the talent to contend, but they didn’t beat themselves with foolish mistakes very often. That hasn’t been the case for the last several seasons and it’s been noticeably problematic this year. Rice committed a season-high 11 penalties for 93 yards against UTSA.

Rice is now averaging seven penalties per game.

When you’re playing with margins as slim as the Owls have been working with this year, every yard counts. This team can’t afford to be giving so many of them away for free, particularly when it comes to dead ball, unsportsmanlike conduct fouls, which Rice was whistled for on multiple occasions on Saturday.

Out of options

Earlier this year after the Owls had gotten off to a tough start, Bloomgren commented that no more reinforcements were on the way. If this team was going to figure it out and get back to their winning ways, they were going to have to find their answers internally.

Those comments weren’t directed at individual players who had yet to see the field, but any illusions that there were remaining personnel waiting in the wings to save the Owls’ season were quelled on Saturday in East Hartford.

Against UConn, Rice saw extensive run from their backup quarterback — often the assumed savior whenever a starter struggles — and finally got receiver Thai Bowman back on the field. Neither was able to produce a meaningful difference in an offense that has been stuck in the mud in recent weeks. There aren’t any other players to turn to. This is the team. This is the coaching staff. And they’ve almost run out of time.

Sitting at 2-6, any subsequent loss will knock Rice football out of bowl contention. A failed season is staring Bloomgren and Co. in the face and putting his future at the head of the program in jeopardy. Running the table feels improbable, at best, but that’s the only hope this team can cling to as they move ahead.

“We have been playoff football mode many times, where we got to win out and we gotta get this thing done to get to a bowl,” Bloomgren said. “I think this team wants to play in a bowl, badly. And I think this team can earn the right to do that. But you also know, 1-0 next week ain’t going to be easy. We’re gonna have to play our butts off and we’re gonna have to find a way to score some points and get our defense to stop an offense that’s been scoring a lot of points in Navy.”

Digging deeper

Every week we’ll have a stat, storyline or key learning from the game reserved for our subscribers. Haven’t joined yet? Sign up here:

Become a Patron!

Defensive prowess not enough

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 Football 2024: UConn Game Week Practice Report

By

It was an interesting week for Rice football as the team juggles injuries and prepares for UConn.  Here’s what we learned from the Owls at practice this week.

Injured on the final play of their game against Tulane, Rice football starting quarterback EJ Warner has been a significant question mark as the team prepares to make the trip east to take on UConn. Head coach Mike Bloomgren has issued some positive remarks about Warner’s status, but more light was shed during practice this week. And that might not be the only position with important injury-related news.

This update will touch on the good and the bad from the injury front plus some individual highlights and comments on the team the Owls are likely to trot out on Saturday. Here’s where the team stands prior to the UConn game this weekend.

Subscriber content. 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.

EJ Warner

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 Football 2024: Charlotte Game Week Practice Report

By

Rice football takes on Charlotte this week with eyes on a bounce-back win. Here’s what we learned from the Owls at practice this week.

It’s midseason and injuries are starting to take a toll on the Rice football roster. The Owls have made a lot of adjustments to counteract those personnel losses this week and keep tweaking the offense as they go. How much improvement can they make in a short window of time as they face a must-win game against Charlotte on Saturday.

Subscriber content. 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.

Can I get a safety, please?

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 Football 2024: Army Game Week Practice Report

By

Rice football takes on Army this week with eyes on a bounce-back win. Here’s what we learned from the Owls at practice this week.

The Rice football offense is under the microscope this week after falling short against Houston last Saturday. Offensive coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo is confident in his unit, delivering a hopeful evaluation. “It was 60 minutes. It was a bad night. It’s not who we are,” he told The Roost this week. Here’s more on the offense, the quarterback, the injuries and additional reports from the practice field.

Subscriber content. 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.

On Alert

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 Football blasts Texas Southern in bounce-back win

By

Rice Football took command early and never let up, eviscerating Texas Southern in one of the most dominant wins of the Mike Bloomgren era.

Rice football took the field on Saturday with a newfound sense of urgency following last week’s debacle against Sam Houston. In that game, the Owls were ineffective in all three phases and were summarily thumped on their own (brand new) turf. Head coach Mike Bloomgren was adamant that his players and staff would take the wake-up call for what it was. “We will respond,” he vowed. His team did just that. Here are a few immediate reactions from the game:

Physically dominant

Perhaps the most irksome aspect of the Owls’ Week 1 loss was the degree to which they looked outclassed on both lines of scrimmage. Although the defense tallied seven sacks, Sam Houston ran the ball effectively. On the other side, the Owls’ offensive line offered little support for EJ Warner, continually leaving their quarterback under fire and failing to keep defenders out of the backfield.

A completely different team showed up Saturday night against Texas Southern.

“More than anything, we just need to play another game. I would have played Jones Junior High or I would have played Alabama. We need to play somebody today,” Bloomgren said. “We just needed to get a chance to get our room back and play football and love this thing and we did that. That’s what I’m happy about. We got a chance to play this game.”

The offensive line bullied the Texas Southern front for four quarters, making running lanes for Dean Connors and providing Warner plenty of time to work through progressions and find the open man. Consider the first touchdown of the game (below) which features a well-executed fullback block, a nice block from long pulling from the right side allowing Connors to get a couple of yards past the line of scrimmage before contact. Then he finishes the play in the endzone.

It was the same story on defense. The difference in intensity was night and day, highlighted by a celebratory three-player sack on the final drive of the first quarter. Officially the sack was shared by Blaise Tita and Myron Morrison — NCAA rules limit sacks shared to two individuals — but the play capped off a first quarter in which the Rice defense held Texas Southern to six total yards on three successive three-and-out series.

The first series that didn’t end with three plays and a punt for Texas Southern came early in the second quarter. That drive stopped on the second play, a pick-six by Tyson Flowers. Rice needed 60 minutes to score twice against Sam Houston. They had 28 points on the board against Texas Southern in less than 20 minutes. Rice was the more physical team in this one and that was readily apparent on almost every snap.

The second half was more of the same. Prior to their final possession, Texas Southern had not crossed midfield and had three total first downs. They never threatened to score until the final drive when the Owls had emptied their bench, and even then, it was close. Meanwhile, the Rice offense continued to march up and down the field in the final minutes of regulation.

Those final minutes included a 12-minute fourth quarter, a stipulation permitted should both head coaches agree to it. Rice dominated to such a degree that the game was shortened in the college football equivalent of the mercy rule.

The Taji Atkins Show

At least one player refused to check out when the game entered its later stages. True freshman running back Taji Atkins made waves during the offseason and made his debut last week against Sam Houston. On Saturday against Texas Southern, he made his presence felt in a very real way. Atkins scored his first career touchdown on a five-yard plunge in the third quarter.

Atkins wasn’t going to settle for just one cameo, though. Minutes later he exploded through the line, found the corner and accelerated for a 33-yard score.

Atkins carried the ball 11 times for 91 yards, narrowly missing the century mark in just his second career game. Had the field been a few yards longer on that second score, he probably would have gotten there. It seems likely we’ll see a lot more of that from Atkins moving forward.

Clean it up

The impressive showing was only marred, in part, but self-inflicted wounds. Those first two big plays by the special teams, Fresch’s return and the blocked punt, were both erased on penalties. Rice would be flagged eight times for 72 yards. Texas Southern’s only scoring drive was aided by a facemask penalty that put the Tigers in the redzone.

The Texas Southern offense only tallied 87 yards for the game and had 14 total yards before their final drive. Rice came ever so close to spotting their opponent more yards than their defense allowed.

Bloomgren, who is usually quick to pounce on penalties as a straightforward place for his team to get better, was largely dismissive of the calls in this game. “I’ll look forward to seeing those flags that were thrown, watching those players later tonight on the iPad because I’m not sure I completely understand what was called,” he said. If his assumptions are correct, perhaps that bodes well for the future.

It wasn’t just penalties, though. A fumbled snap almost erased a fourth down conversion in the first quarter. Fortunately this time Warner was able to scoop the ball up and slam it in the gut of Connors who plowed straight forward for the first down. Warner was less fortunate a few series later when he hung a ball out to Matt Sykes in a hook route that was intercepted, his third pick of the young season.

When you’re playing an FCS team that entered the game as more than a four-touchdown underdog, you can make mistakes like those.

To be fair, if those were the only mistakes the Owls made in any given game, they’d still be set up for a favorable result, but the best result here is to use those shortcomings as additional growth opportunities. If this is what Rice football can be when they’re good, not great, what does a perfect performance look like? What caliber of opponent can the Owls take down when everything is clicking like it’s supposed to? Next weekend against Houston will afford them an opportunity to test that out.

One for the record books

The kind of thumping Rice football put on Texas Southern was as impressive as it felt. The Owls registered a long list of “firsts since” on Saturday night. Although they won’t be able to add their first shutout since 2020 to the ledger, they did rack up a long list of superlatives. For example,

Rice football’s 69 points were the most scored by the Owls since scoring 77 against North Texas in 2008 and the third most scored in program history.

Rice football held Texas Southern to 49 passing yards, the lowest total for an opponent since holding Army to nine in 2017.

Rice football held Texas Southern to 38 rushing yards, the lowest total for an opponent since holding UTEP to 17 in 2017.

It was the first 300+ yard rushing game for Rice football since 2021.

As for individual accolades, Tyson Flowers and Marcus Williams each registered their first career interceptions. Taji Atkins had his first career touchdown then added another. Enoch Gota made his first two field goals. Backup quarterback Drew Devillier made his Rice debut as did a few others. The starters were out of the game by the midpoint of the third quarter. That’s how this kind of game is supposed to go.

The gaudy numbers aren’t going to the Owls’ heads just yet. Safety Tyson Flowers, who helped contribute to the beatdown, offered a levelheaded assessment of where this team stands right now.

“You want to shut out, right? But at the end of the day we won the game and regardless of them scoring at the end, regardless of us not having the shut out, there’s still plays that we need to improve on all throughout the game,” he said. “That was by no means a flawless game whether we got the shut out or not. There’s stuff that we’re gonna find when we watch the film that we need to correct if we want to continue to have the season that we want to have.”

Exhale and reload

For the casual football fan, this was a snoozer that wasn’t worth turning into beyond a few highlight plays that found their way onto social media. For a Rice football team that entered the season with the expectations they did to win in the way they did, this was expected. To see it transpire a week removed from the Sam Houston State fiasco was essential. More than anything, it sets up a crucial opportunity one week from now against Houston.

The Bayou Bucket currently resides inside the walls of the Brian Patterson Center at South Main. Players, staff and media walk past it daily. It’s become a fixture in the team meeting room. And nobody wants it to leave. Houston — 0-2 after losing to Oklahoma on Saturday night — looks more vulnerable than ever in its humble beginnings under new head coach Willie Fritz.

We’ll get to next week next week, but it’s impossible not to envision how the optics of this season could change with a 2-1 start. The oddsmakers projected Rice to be 2-1 at this point in the year, but nobody would have tabbed that potential sequence of results. This team has always been a bit unpredictable under Bloomgren’s leadership. Why not lean into that chaos and keep the Bucket for at least one more year?

“I’d like to celebrate this one before we talk about Houston anymore, if you don’t mind,” Bloomgren chided after the game. “All jokes aside, I know this team is going to be excited for next week. I think this is going to make us hungrier than ever.”

Taking care of business against Texas Southern might just give this team the boost they need to do just that.

Digging deeper

Every week we’ll have a stat, storyline or key learning from the game reserved for our subscribers. Haven’t joined yet? Sign up here:

Become a Patron!

Special teams shows out

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