The source for Rice sports news

Rice Football 2021: Spring Practice Week 3 Notebook

By

Rice football has one scrimmage in the books and continues to work. Here are some growing pains and high points from Week 3 of spring ball.

Overall, Rice Football head coach Mike Bloomgren was optimistic following the first scrimmage of the spring. “I look at our team in totality and we are better in terms of our knowledge of the system,” he said. “There’s less missed assignments everywhere on the field. And we move faster to and from the ball.”

That progress has come with some highs and a few lows. This team is, as Bloomgren dubbed it, “an exciting work in progress.”

Subscriber content.<br /> Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.

For those that might have missed it, you can check out the initial depth chart reactions as well as the Week 1 and Week 2 practice notebooks. Not subscribed? The Roost will have you covered every step of the way this spring and beyond. Subscribers get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and special features. Subscribe on Patreon and get access to it all today.

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 2021: Spring Practice Week 1 Notebook

By

Rice football returned to the practice field this week. Here are a few initial reactions from the first week of spring ball.

For the first time in three months, Rice football put on the pads and hit the practice field. It was a refreshing sight that seemed almost normal after a winter that was anything but conventional.

There were a few new faces this time, including quarterback Jake Constantine. But there were things to be learned from players head coach Mike Bloomgren would dub “the old heads” as well. We dug into some initial thoughts on the depth charts earlier this week. This edition will focus on what transpired on the grass itself.

Subscriber content.<br /> Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.

The Roost will have you covered every step of the way. Subscribers get access to all spring practice notes, recruiting updates and special features. Subscribe on Patreon and get access to it all today.

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: 2021 Spring Practice Depth Chart takeaways

By

The first Rice football practices are in the books. This is the first of several updates of how the Owls are looking on the grass.

Rice football announced its spring roster in mid-February. Two new coaches, including new offensive coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo, were introduced on Tuesday. In between those events, the Owls kicked off spring practice.

The 15 sessions are scheduled to run throughout the month of March with the spring game set for April 2. Last year’s practices were halted abrupted when COVID-19 restrictions thrust all sports into an unexpected halt. With precautions in place, Rice expects to not only finish but continue to improve during this year’s spring practices.

Subscriber content.<br /> Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.

The Roost will have you covered every step of the way. Subscribers get access to all spring practice notes, recruiting updates and special features. Subscribe on Patreon and get access to it all today.

2021 Rice Football initial spring depth chart

Rice Football

There’s a lot to unpack here. How those players look on the field and what sort of movement we could see over the next few weeks will be covered in the next post. On this occasion, we’ll dive into the most important takeaways from the initial layout of the depth chart.

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: 10 Takeaways from 2020 season

By

The 2020 Rice football season was filled with highs and lows. After time to reflect, what can we take away from the Owls’ five-game campaign?

From rocky beginnings to the National Championship Game, the 2020 season is finally in the books. Rice football participated in five games, experiencing the full range of emotions. There was the quadruple-doink and an upset for the ages.

For those that haven’t relive some of the highpoints in the season with The Roosties, an annual Rice football awards show from The Roost Podcast. You can also check out our 2020 Rice Football Team Superlatives, featuring more traditional awards like Team MVP, Offense and Defensive Player of the Year and more.

And with that, a few final thoughts on the 2020 season with some forward-thinking questions about how the Owls’ former season will impact the ones to come.

1. Rice proved they can score

Rice football played 24 games against FBS opponents in Bloomgren’s first two seasons at South Main. The Owl reached 30 points in just two of those contests. Those two occasions came in the midst of their three game winning streak that capped off the 2019 season. Rice opened 2020 with back-to-back 30-point performances. That marks five outings of 30 or more points in the Owls’ most recent eight games compared to zero in the first 21. That’s a pretty stark difference.

2. Rice has some weapons on offense

Part of the reason for further optimism with the offense is the playmakers Rice will return in 2020. Even if they do lose senior Austin Trammell, wideout Jake Bailey proved to be a chain mover and a big play threat this season. Andrew Mason showed sparks. Running backs Juma Otoviano and Khalan Griffin were both productive. And more talent is on the way, especially in the wide receiving corps.

3. This defense could be the best in C-USA

The 20-0 shutout on the road at Marshall will forever be etched among the best wins Rice has seen in this century. The list of accolades and firsts from that game was exhausting (in a good way), but the performance also served as an exclamation point on work Rice was already building. Rice finished third in scoring defense, fourth against the run, sixth against the pass and third in total defense this season. And they have lots of depth returning in 2021.

4. The Transfer Portal has been kind to the Owls

Hitting on more than half of your transfers is a fairly robust number. Rice has batted much closer to 1.000 in Bloomgren’s tenure than many might realize. Mike Collins was tremendous in his three games. Former JUCO addition Miles McCord was a crucial starter for the Rice secondary this year. Jovaun Woolford played well on the offensive line. Once more, Rice filled the holes they needed with talented additions from the portal.

5. Rice is close

Rice won by three scores in both of their wins in 2020. They lost by a touchdown or less in two contests and fell by 10 points in the other. A cruel field goal bounce separated the Owls from a 2-3 season and a possible bowl berth. The Owls’ only 10 point win in 2019 came in their season finale against UTEP. They lost by more than a touchdown five times in nine defeats. The wins are getting better and the losses are getting closer. A few better bounces and the record should come around, too.

Rice Football, postseason survey

Areas of Concern

6. The offense wasn’t nearly as good without Mike Collins

The drop off in production was stark when Mike Collins was not on the field. When JoVoni Johnson and Wiley Green were taking snaps the same offense that averaged 30 points per game with Collins dropped to 14.5 offensive points per game without him. If Collins does not return in 2020, Rice is going to have to find a way to get better production out of the quarterback spot. The addition of another grad transfer quarterback certainly suggests that room may look different in 2021.

7. The running game hasn’t really broken out

Rice averaged 2.8 yards per carry this season, a fair deal below the 3.5 and 3.9 yards per carry they averaged in 2019 and 2018, respectively. For an offense as committed to moving the chains on the ground, coming in below three yards per carry should sound some alarms. That number is skewed to some degree, by a disastrous game against North Texas, but Rice didn’t run the ball particularly well against UAB either.

8. Rice saved all their turnovers for one game

The Rice defense picked off six passes in 12 games in 2019. They had five in one afternoon against Marshall in 2020. Beyond that, Rice only had one other interception in four additional games. They added three fumble recoveries. Turnovers are somewhat of a fluky stat, but Rice has consistently finished in the bottom half of the league in takeaways in recent years.

9. Too many special teams mistakes

Rice has been among the league leaders in special teams over the last three years. NFL Pro Bowler Jack Fox helped the Owls get there, but the rest of the coverage and return units have done their part even with him in the pros. The return units did not deliver this season. Rice fumbled three punts and had a return touchdown called back via penalty.

10. Uncertain 2021 roster makeup

2020 was circled as the year Rice would have all of their proverbial ducks in a row. Then the pandemic hit. Then the injuries came. Rice did the most with what they had, snatching a marquee win, but it wasn’t quite the season anyone expected. The senior class has another free year of eligibility, should they chose to exercise it. The unknown of who will (and won’t) be back, makes it hard to look to far into what rosters will look like in 2021.

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

Recent Posts

Rice Football 2020 Rising Star: Jake Bailey

By

We saw flashes this season, but we’ve only scratched the surface of what 2020 Rice Football Rising Star Jake Bailey will do in his career at South Main.

Jake Bailey’s commitment was announced in the middle of the 2018 Early Signing Period. The Owls’ had already amassed what looked to be a strong class in the months and weeks prior to the faxes rolling in, but the class didn’t have a marquee name just yet. Then Bailey’s signature, and subsequent announcement, became official.

The highest-rated Rice signee under Mike Bloomgren at the time, the two-way athlete was heavily sought after by the offensive and defensive coaches. The offense won out, and Bailey suited up with the wide receivers to begin his Rice career. He worked diligently, learning behind Austin Trammell and Bradley Rozner, two all-conference caliber players.

Before the 2020 season, wide receiver’s coach Mike Kershaw called Bailey “a guy that we’ve got to get on the field more and get him some more touches.” When fall camp eventually commenced, Blomgren himself singled out the young receiver: “Jake Bailey is becoming somebody the quarterbacks trust completely.”

It was hard to go a day at camp without someone mentioning the potential of number 11. Whether a coach or player, everyone was pointing to the work Bailey had done in the offseason and heaping praise and expectations on his shoulders for the season to come.

When the games arrived, Rozner had since been injured and opted out. The rest of the receiving room was riddled with bumps and bruises. Rather than splitting reps with Austin Trammell in the slot, Bailey was forced to the outside. The 5-foot-10 wideout played out of position for almost the entirety of the season. And he still led all wideouts in receptions.

“I feel like my development has been at a good pace,” Bailey said midseason. He’d seen his receptions trend upward in three straight games and scored in consecutive games for the first time in his career.

When Trammell was injured and forced to miss the final two contests, any pretense of easing Bailey into the offense went out the window. He became the go-to guy, setting career-high marks for receptions in back-t0-back weeks. He barely missed out on a touchdown on a goal line stretch against Marshall. A kick return touchdown was taken off the board against North Texas the week prior. Whether the plays counted or not, Bailey became the explosive playmaker the Owls needed.

2020 was meant to be the year the proverbial training wheels came off and Bailey’s potential was realized. When the season played out the way it did, those expectations were strained, but not removed.

With the game on the line against UAB, Bailey was the trusted outlet. He was peppered with targets, almost willing the Owls down the field himself for a hail mary heave.

Bailey was gritty and dependable. He was effective at all levels of the field, and he did it with his head down, ready and willing to work. The box scores in a shortened season don’t boast overwhelming totals. The negated plays that were inches away from going the other way don’t help the numbers either. But the player that Bailey became was irrevocably better than the version of himself he was the year prior. And he looked pretty good then.

Still, with only five games played, Bailey and the Rice offense remain somewhat of a mystery. What this unit can be, and what Bailey can help lead it to be, remain an expectant vision. By the time the 2021 season rolls around, Bailey will be entering his third year in the offense. He’ll have 32 receptions, two touchdowns and thousands of reps under his belt. His ceiling is sky-high.

Last year, De’Braylon Carroll earned this award. He delivered on those expectations by becoming a fixture in one of the most disruptive defensive interiors in the conference. He and Elijah Garcia made running the football up the middle a tough sell against some of the most productive rushers they faced.

Bailey’s growth has been notable. His potential remains as high as it’s ever been. The Owls need someone to continue to push the offense to new heights. Bailey can be that guy.

For a limited time, get two months free with an annual subscription to The Roost.
Become a Patron!
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts