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Rice Football Film Room 2020: North Texas Review, UTEP Preview

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What went wrong for Rice football against North Texas and how do the Owls fix it before they play UTEP? Find out in this week’s film room.

Well, that was no fun. Matt and I talked about it on The Roost Podcast this week, but a loss like that is a lot harder to swallow when you have real expectations, as we have for this Rice team this season. Hopefully they can clean the issues up and get a decisive victory over a UTEP team they’re rightfully favored against this weekend.

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I thought for a while about which play to pick for the North Texas game. It seems the offense would be a natural pick, since that was the side that fared worse. But after watching that game, the recipe for improvement for the offense, to me, is just: block better and stop fumbling. So let’s go with a play from the defense, which generally played well, but gave up a couple key plays, including this one.

The Bean Run

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 62 – Rice Football vs North Texas Recap, UTEP Preview

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Rice football returned to the field this past week against North Texas and struggled. Carter and Matthew recap the game and preview UTEP.

It was a rough Saturday for Rice football. The Roost Podcast walks through what went wrong for the Owls against North Texas and what concerns the team carries with them into their next game against UTEP. There’s still a lot to like about the defense and the offense should find more room to work without Dion Novil crashing the interior this coming weekend.

Carter and Matthew also talk through some of the latest happenings around Conference USA, including a new game scheduled for a Tuesday morning. I suppose that shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, given what we’ve seen already in 2020.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 62.

Episode Notes

  • Housekeeping — Don’t miss this opportunity to subscribe on Patreon. You’ll get practice reports, film room sessions, recruiting news and the latest analysis and updates on all things relating to Rice Athletics.
    Become a Patron!
  • Conference USA news and notes
    • Two games already impacted by COVID-19 at time of recording
    • Charlotte and Western Kentucky moved to Tuesday morning at 10:30 a.m.
  • Rice Football vs North Texas recap
    • What changed from the strong start to the sluggish final three quarters
    • Breaking down what went well for the defense with a shout out to corner Chris Boudreaux
    • Khalan Griffin’s first career start and high points on the Rice offense
    • How does Rice adjust now that this film is out there for opposing defenses?
  • Rice Football vs UTEP game preview
    • UTEP doesn’t do anything particularly well
    • The Rice defense will limit scoring opportunities
    • Eliminating self-inflicted mistakes and turnovers will be critical

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.

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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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The Roost Podcast | Ep 61 – Rice Football vs North Texas Preview

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Following two consecutive postponements, Carter and Matthew and look ahead at Rice football’s upcoming game against North Texas.

After playing two games, Rice football has suffered two consecutive postponements. The most recent lost game, which we reference briefly on this podcast, came against Louisiana Tech. The Owls will hope for better fortune this coming weekend against North Texas.

Carter and Matthew walkthrough the schedule as it’s current constructed and what contingencies are left for Rice. Then they look ahead at the game against North Texas and break down how Rice matches up with the Mean Green.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 61.

Episode 61 Notes

  • Housekeeping — Don’t miss this opportunity to subscribe on Patreon. You’ll get practice reports, film room sessions, recruiting news and the latest analysis and updates on all things relating to Rice Athletics.
    Become a Patron!
  • Conference USA news and notes
    • Three C-USA games postponed already for the upcoming weekend
    • Rice and C-USA are running out of open dates for postponed games
  • Rice Football vs LA Tech postponed
    • Rice has now lost games against LA Tech and UTSA
    • Second postponement from a Rice opponent since the season began
    • Decision was announced on Thursday before the game
    • No clear indication on rescheduling plan
  • Rice Football vs North Texas game preview
    • More on Jason Bean, the presumed starter, in this week’s film room
    • Jaelon Darden leads the nation in touchdown receptions, despite only playing five games
    • North Texas run defense is attrocious. Could this be a breakout spot for Juma Otoviano or Khalan Griffin?

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.

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Rice Football Film Room 2020: North Texas Preview

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Quarterback Jason Bean and the North Texas offense are the focal points in this week’s edition of the Rice football film room.

Last week felt like a bit of a Groundhog Day situation, didn’t it? At least we didn’t get all the way to Friday before losing the game this time, but it’s still no fun to have lost the chance to see this Rice team prove itself on the field for the second week in a row.

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On the bright side, at least we’re not in the same boat as North Texas fans. After a shootout win against MTSU on October 17th—the week before Rice’s season opener against the Blue Raiders—off weeks combined with a spate of cancellations and postponements have kept the Mean Green from playing for more than a month. So despite the late start and the loss of their last two games, Rice has still played two games since UNT played its most recent one. 2020, y’all!

Like a lot of teams in C-USA this year, the 2020 iteration of the Mean Green is an all-offense, no-defense squad (e.g., they’re 62nd in offensive SP+ and 117th in defensive SP+). Also like a lot of teams in C-USA this year, they’ve had a bit of a revolving door situation at QB. Jason Bean started their opener against Houston Baptist, was promptly replaced by Austin Aune, and then took back over during the MTSU game and led them to their comeback victory. It looks like we’ll see Bean as the starter on Saturday, so this edition of the Film Room will focus on him as the probable signal-caller.

More: Rice Football vs North Texas Game Preview

Regardless of who’s at QB, the Mean Green offense will revolve primarily around star senior receiver (and Houston native!) Jaelon Darden. Despite an unassuming 5-foot-9, 174-pound build, Darden has put up serious numbers this year. While the Mean Green have played only five games, Darden is in the top ten in the country in receiving yards and leads all of FBS with a whopping 10 receiving TDs. He single-handedly accounts for 40.7% of the team’s total receiving yards and 43% of their total receptions.

One, if by air

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