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The Roost Podcast | Ep 70 – Pro Bowl punter Jack Fox returns

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The Rice football offseason interview series kicks off with punter Jack Fox who joins the show to talk Pro Bowl and his year in Detroit.

Detroit Lions Pro Bowler and former Rice football punter Jack Fox has become a frequent guest of The Roost Podcast. Jack stopped by the show this week to talk about a busy year for him, giving us his perspective on winning the job in Detroit, achieving a lifelong dream of playing in the NFL and more.

We also revised the famed Punter Conclave and talked about what’s in store for the future. You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 70.

Episode Notes

  • Housekeeping
    • Plan on hearing more from The Roost Podcast in your feed every other week as we continue our interview series. We’ll have some returning guests and hopefully a few new Owls to talk with over the next few months.
    • 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 spring football next week!
      Become a Patron!
  • Catching up on Rice football
    • Updates on the Owls’ coaching staff
    • Rice to hire new offensive coordinator, Marques Tuiasosopo from Cal
    • Sping roster released, including several notable names
  • Jack Fox joins the show to discuss…
    • Winning the starting punting job in Detroit
    • Making the Pro Bowl (that wasn’t played)
    • Offseason happenings at the Punter Conclave
    • Scorching hot pizza takes, including some St. Louis specializes

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 Athletics: Top 10 Moments from 2020

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2020 was filled with highs and lows on the home from, but Rice Athletics made the best of the tough year. Here are some of the most impactful moments.

10. Men’s Basketball upsets C-USA regular-season champion North Texas

Rice basketball started slow out of the gates in conference play this past March, falling to 1-7 with a home game against 8-1 North Texas entering the final month of the season. Not only did the Owls put up a fight, they knocked off the eventual regular season champs. Rice shot 53.6 percent from three and hit 15 triples, includes three apiece from Drew Peterson, Trey Murphy, Robert Martin and four from Ako Adams.

9. Football signs Top 5 C-USA recruiting class

You can read more about the recent signees in detail in our recruiting updates over on Patreon. In short, the 2021 Rice Football Signing Class edged out the 2020 class for the highest-rated class in program history. The Owls currently hold the No. 4 class in C-USA and a Top 100 class in the country with a few spots remaining before National Signing Day in February.

8. Women’s Track and Field wins C-USA Indoor Championship

For the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2009, the Rice women took home the gold in the C-USA Indoor Championships. Grace Forbes and Michelle Fokam helped spur the Owls victory. Head coach Jim Bevan was recognized afterward as the Coach of the Year.

7.  Swimming top Tulane in duat meet

In their only home meet of the fall, Rice swimming emerged with a win. The Owls were dominant in the pool in the two-day meet, winning 15 of 21 events, including 400-freestyle relay. Rice set a facility record in the event, closing out the meet with a resounding 245-146 final score.

6. Women’s Basketball avenges Old Dominion loss

The Rice women’s basketball team saw a 30-game conference winning streak snapped on the road against Old Dominion. It was only fitting the Owls closed out the regular season with a rematch against the Monarchs. The game marked the final time senior Erica Ogwumike took the court for the Owls, making the victorious sendoff that much sweeter.

5. Grace Forbes wins C-USA Title

The women’s cross country squad only made one appearance this fall, but Grace Forbes made it count. The sophomore left her competition in the dust, crossing the finish line with no foes in sight. Her strong showing propelled the Owls to a fourth place finish in the meet.

4. Erica Ogwumike selected in WNBA Draft

The Ogwumike family name had already become a mainstay in WNBA circles before Erica Ogwumike played her final season at South Main. Her sisters, Nneka and Chiney, were both No. 1 overall selections. Erica went from off draft boards to becoming a third round pick of the New York Liberty, which was then traded to the Minnesota Lynx. Ogwumike said she was just grateful to hear her named called.

3. Women’s Basketball win’s second consecutive regular season title

Not only did Rice get revenge when they beat Old Dominion to close out the regular season this spring, they clinched their second consecutive regular season championship. The Owls were the favorites to cut down the nets in the conference tournament and to make a repeat appearance in the NCAA Tournament before COVID-19 concerns forced the cancelation of the remainder of the season.

2 Jack Fox named to NFL Pro Bowl

Released by the Chiefs last season, Fox signed a futures contract with the Detroit Lions in the offseason and won the Lions’ starting punting job in camp. From that point on, he took the NFL by storm. Fox led the NFL in most key measures for most of the season before being named to his first Pro Bowl. He’s the 12th Owl to earn a spot on a Pro Bowl roster and the first since fellow specialist Chris Boswell in 2017.

1. Rice Football shuts outs No. 15 Marshall

Rice football hadn’t beaten a ranked opponent in more than two decades when they made the trip to a cold Huntington, WV on Dec. 5 to play a then undefeated No. 15 Marshall squad. Not only did Rice win, they shut out The Herd, forcing five interceptions on their way to the upset win, a marquee victory for Rice. The Owls became the first team in 206 games to shut out Marshall at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

Honorable Mentions…

How about you? Which of these moments from Rice Athletics did you enjoy the most? Which Rice Athletics events should be added to the list?

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Rice Football: Jack Fox dazzles in NFL debut with Lions

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Jack Fox made Rice Football fans proud in his NFL debut, excelling as the starting punter and kickoff specialist for the Detroit Lions.

Former Rice Football punter Jack Fox kicked played in his first NFL game this weekend. He showed no signs of any first-game jitters, blasting the opening kickoff for a touchback to start the game. He would go on to excel in a variety of roles in his pro debut.

Fox tallied two other touchbacks, put six kickoffs into the endzone. He had two punts travel more than 50 yards, both of which were downed inside the 15-yard line. He also handled holding duties for kicker Matt Prater. If that wasn’t enough already, he registered his first career tackle on kick coverage.

“Honestly I think I built it up in my head leading up to the game,” Fox said. “When I got on the field it just felt like a normal football game. But still a cool experience.”

For Fox, it took a “redshirt” year to master the finer details of the punting profession. A season spent on and off practice squads combined with an offseason working out with fellow specialists in Birmingham (at what has been dubbed the Punter Conclave on Fox’s recent appearance on The Roost Podcast) ended in a heated battle for the starting job in Detroit. Fox won the job at the end of camp. He proved on Sunday he was more than deserving.

Despite Fox’s efforts, the Lions were unable to win the game. Running back D’Andre Swift dropped what would have been the go-ahead touchdown pass from in the closing seconds. Had he hauled it in, the Lions would have won and made Fox’s NFL debut that much sweeter. Even still, Fox had a stellar start to what continues to look like a promising professional career.

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BREAKING: Jack Fox to be Detroit Lions starting punter

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Former Rice football punter Jack Fox has won his first pro punting job, beating out competitor Aaron Siposs to become the Detroit Lions punter.

It’s been a remarkable journey for former Rice Football punter Jack Fox. From high school football in Missouri to college ball in Texas, Fox has moved around the country and back again hoping for one of 32 coveted NFL jobs. After years of striving, those dreams have come true, Jack Fox has won the starting punting job for the Detroit Lions per Dave Birkett.

The Lions will likely cut punter competitor Aaron Siposs this week as part of their end of camp roster cuts. The team will have to trim down their roster to 53 prior to their season-opening game against the Bears of Sunday, Sept. 13. When Fox takes the field on that day, he’ll punt in a regular season game for the first time in his career.

Prior to settling in with the Lions, Fox signed with Kansas City following the 2019 NFL Draft as an undrafted free agent. He was cut from the Chiefs’ practice squad and drafted by an XFL team before ultimately signing a futures deal with the Lions and entering their punting competition.

Fox spent this offseason training with current and former NFL specialists. In spite of the challenges of working out without a gym in the midst of a pandemic, he found a way to continue to push himself to improve. While with Detriot, he’ll likely handle kickoffs and holds for field goals, as well as his duties as the team’s primary punter.

Check out our recent interview with newly minted Lions punter Jack Fox who jumping on The Roost Podcast in late August to talk about the competition and his offseason. The interview begins at 22:34. He breaks down what it’s like to battle for a job in training camp, what he’s learned during the offseason and more.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 48 – Jack Fox interview and Special Teams Preview

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The final episode in our three-part 2020 Rice Football season previews, Carter and Matthew discuss the Rice Football special teams and catch up with Jack Fox.

The start of the 2020 Rice Football season has been delayed. Rice will no longer play Lamar on Sept. 26 (Find out more about the schedule and the potential ripple effects of that decision on our Patreon page). But when they do play, podcast listeners will have ample insight on the roster.

This week Carter and Matthew catch up with former Rice punter and current Detroit Lion Jack Fox. He told us about his offseason, what he learned in the punter conclave in Birmingham, Alabama and how he’s approaching the battle for the starting job with the Lions. We also covered the specialists at Rice and what to expect from that unit on the field in 2020.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 48.

Episode 48 Notes

  • Housekeeping — Schedule news and other updates are coming fast and furious. Make sure you hit the button and subscribe on Patreon so you don’t miss what’s happening behind the scenes. As always, thanks to all of you who have followed the show on Twitter and left a review on iTunes. It’s quick, but it makes a difference.

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  • Rice Football Special Teams Preview
    • Punter Charlie Mendes – Unproven, but has done well in preseason and practices. Will have to learn to be consistent in live-game situations, but the ability is there.
    • Kicker Collin Riccitelli – Stanford transfer once compared to Joe Burrow. No, he’s not winning the Heisman, but Riccitelli should find success at Rice after sitting behind All-Pac12 honoree Jet Toner.
    • Long snapper Cam Riddle – Jack Fox said Phil Steele doesn’t know what he’s talking about if he ranked Riddle lower than No. 1 in C-USA. (Steele had him No. 2)
    • NCAA weighing eligibility ruling: Proposition would allow all athletes an extra year of eligibility regardless of how many games they play in the 2020-2021 academic year.
  • Jack Fox interview: Jack updated us on…
    • What training for an NFL job looks like in the midst of a pandemic, including a gathering of pro punters in Birmingham, Alabama. The punter conclave (or rendevous as Jack called it) helped hone his game to prepare for the fall
    • Intricacies of punting that go through his head while he punts that casual observers might never consider
    • What he’s learned from Year 1 to Year 2 and his confidence heading into another competition

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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