The source for Rice sports news

  • Football
    • Recruiting
    • Offer Tracker
    • Roster
    • Schedule
    • NFL Owls
  • Premium
    • Patreon
    • Season Preview
    • Join / FAQ
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Store
    • News
    • Basketball
    • Baseball
    • About
    • Contact
  • Login

Rice Football 2023 Spring Practice Notebook 3: Depth Chart

March 23, 2023 By Matthew Bartlett

The first depth chart of Rice Football spring practices has been released and there’s a lot to unpack as the Owls begin the spring.

Several of the players who won’t appear on any depth chart this spring were mentioned in a previous update. This note focuses on those who are on the depth chart and how where they appear will impact expectations and certain realities for them this spring.

Subscriber content.
Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.

Unpacking the Spring 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 2023 Spring Practice Notebook 4: Scrimmage 1
  • Rice Football 2023 Spring Practice Notebook 3: Depth Chart
  • Conference USA Basketball soars in postseason play
  • Fast start not enough as Rice Baseball falls to Texas A&M for third time

Filed Under: Archive, Football, Premium Tagged With: Ari Broussard, Blake Boenisch, Chibby Nwajuaku, Chike Anigbogu, Coleman Coco, Daveon Hook, De'Braylon Carroll, Dean Connors, DeMone Green, Gabe Taylor, Izeya Floyd, Jojo Jean, JT Daniels, Juma Otoviano, Peyton Stevenson, Plae Wyatt, practice notes, Rice Football, spring practice

Doom and Gloom: Rice Football falls to UTSA rain-soaked Senior Day

November 19, 2022 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice Football never got hot on a cold and gloomy Senior Day, falling at home to UTSA in their final home game of the season.

On a cold and rainy Saturday morning, Rice football froze up. Injuries and missed opportunities stifled a Rice team that has yet to complete a complete four-quarter performance this season, despite notching five victories along the way. They did not get their sixth win on Saturday, falling to UTSA in a one-sided result on Senior Day. Here are a few immediate reactions from the game:

From bad to worse

On paper, the weather seemed to be something that should work in favor of the Owls, who entered their final home game of the season with a slew of injuries at several key positions. Starting quarterback TJ McMahon was unable to go, as were the Owls’ top four corners: Jordan Dunbar, Sean Fresch, Lamont Narcisse and Jojo Jean.

From a personnel standpoint, an ugly game with lot of running and field position battles was much preferred to an aerial back-and-forth against the Roadrunners and star quarterback Frank Harris.

Rice did get an ugly game, but the weather wasn’t at fault.

Quarterback Wiley Green was injured on the Owls’ second possession, getting blasted from behind and fumbling in the process. UTSA recovered and scored their second-consecutive touchdown on as many plays.

The Owls’ defense opened the game three-and-out and Green hit Bradley Rozner on a slant to get Rice out of the shadow of their own endzone. Then the drive stalled on fourth and one, Rice punted, and the tumultuous sequence of injuries and turnovers commenced.

Turnovers fall, but it’s not enough

At some point, the turnovers that have plagued Rice football this season were going to stop, or at the very least, they would slow down. Despite the Owls’ issues with protecting the football, tipped passes and fumbles from a myriad of different players seemed unlikely to persist forever. Despite the injuries and bad weather, Rice did a good job protecting the football against UTSA.

In their first 10 games, Rice won the turnover battle twice. They were +5 against McNeese and +1 against UAB. They won both games. Against FBS opponents, Rice hadn’t forced more than two turnovers in a game this season whereas they’d produced at least three giveaways four times.

The Roost Podcast: Stay tuned for the game recap this week – Rice Football vs UTSA

Against UTSA, Rice forced two turnovers. George Nykawol knocked the ball out himself and Myron Morrison made a play in coverage to intercept Frank Harris.

The Owls’ first turnover on offense came on a play in which Green was injured, with pressure coming unblocked off the edge. It’s not excusable by any means, but it wasn’t a lapse by a ballcarrier or decision-maker, the Achilles’ heel of the offense to this point. That came the very next drive when Kobie Campbell put the ball on the deck.

The third turnover came on an errant pass from Itraish, who was subsequently benched for true freshman AJ Padgett. That gave Rice a minus differential in the turnover margin once again.

It all comes down to quarterback, again

Watching Green leave with an injury with TJ McMahon standing on the sideline, already ruled out, was a gut punch for a Rice offense that has taken such large strides this season. Trailing at home with a backup, backup quarterback, there were two plays that highlighted what could have been.

With Shawqi Itraish at quarterback early in the second quarter and Rice trailing 21-0, Isaiah Esdale burst through double coverage on the far side of the field. He had seven yards on both defenders and plenty of green grass in front of him. It was a walk in touchdown. Itraish underthrew all three players, incomplete. Rice got no points on the drive.

Following a turnover by the Roadrunners shortly after, Rice dialed up a double reverse pass. The ball was tossed back to Itraish who had Bradley Rozner wide open down the field. He couldn’t release the ball quick enough, throwing it into the ground. Once more, no points.

It’s not all Itraish’s fault, but these two moments do highlight the challenges of calling an offense in the rain with your third string redshirt freshman quarterback at the controls. It’s hard. And you can’t miss your opportunities. On Saturday, Rice did and the result was, unfortunately, predictable.

The silver lining, if there was one, was an intriguing debut by true freshman AJ Padgett. He connected on a 43-yard touchdown pass to Bradley Rozner on fourth down in the fourth quarter. Could he see action in the season finale against UTSA? At this point, anything seems feasible.

One more?

As soon as the clock hit zero at Rice Stadium a few weeks ago, securing an upset for the visiting Charlotte 49ers, it seemed more likely than not that the Owls would find themselves here.

Defeating Western Kentucky or UTSA didn’t seem completely far-fetched, but the wiggle-room in the Owls’ search for six wins had evaporated. They needed to win one of their final three to reach that mark, but that stretch included games against the top three teams in the standings.

Now, it all comes down to this. Rice sits at 5-6, losers of back-to-back games for the first time this season. They travel to North Texas next weekend, in need of that final elusive win to clinch bowl eligibility for the first time since 2014.

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!

Death, Taxes, Wiley Green and injuries

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 2023 Spring Practice Notebook 4: Scrimmage 1
  • Rice Football 2023 Spring Practice Notebook 3: Depth Chart
  • Conference USA Basketball soars in postseason play
  • Fast start not enough as Rice Baseball falls to Texas A&M for third time

Filed Under: Featured, Football, Premium Tagged With: AJ Padgett, Bradley Rozner, game recap, George Nyakwol, Jojo Jean, Jordan Dunbar, Lamont Narcisse, Myron Morrison, Rice Football, Sean Fresch, Shawqi Itraish, TJ McMahon, Wiley Green

Rice Football 2022: FAU Game Week Practice Report

October 13, 2022 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice football travels to the Sunshine State this weekend to play FAU. Here’s what we learned from practice as the Owls prep for C-USA’s other Owls.

Rice football returns from their bye week in search of their first road win of the season. FAU, the only Conference USA squad Rice head coach Mike Bloomgren has yet to play, promises to be another good test for this rising team.

Subscriber content.
Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.

This week’s roundup highlights changes on the team during the bye week, focusing on some up-and-coming players and a few healthy players set to make their 2022 debuts after injuries sidelined them earlier in the year. Plus, continuity on the offensive line… finally!

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.

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 2023 Spring Practice Notebook 4: Scrimmage 1
  • Rice Football 2023 Spring Practice Notebook 3: Depth Chart
  • Conference USA Basketball soars in postseason play
  • Fast start not enough as Rice Baseball falls to Texas A&M for third time

Filed Under: Archive, Featured, Football, Premium Tagged With: Ari Broussard, Cam Montgomery, Cedric Patterson, Clay Servin, Daveon Hook, Dean Connors, DeMone Green, Ethan Onianwa, Gabe Taylor, George Nyakwol, Ichmael Joseph, Isaac Klarkowski, Izeya Floyd, John Long, Jojo Jean, Jordan Dunbar, Kirk Lockhart, Kobie Campbell, Marcus Williams, Nate Kamper, practice notes, Quinton Jackson, Rice Football, Sean Fresch, Shea Baker, Shepherd Bowling, TJ McMahon, Tre'shon Devones, Trey Phillippi, Trey Schuman, Tyson Flowers, Uriah West

Rice Football 2022: McNeese State Game Week Practice Report

September 8, 2022 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice football will play its home opener this coming weekend against McNeese State. Here’s what we learned from this week’s practices.

As he’s said in prior years, head coach Mike Bloomgren reiterated expectations this week that his team would take a big step forward between Game 1 and Game 2. When asked Thursday if he’d seen that progression, he seemed elated. “They’ve been focused. They’ve been great. They’ve given it in the heat. They’ve worked their butts off,” he said about his team.

With four days of practice in the books and a more manageable opponent looming in McNeese State, the mood around South Main remained upbeat this week. Here are a few important takeaways from practice this week and a couple of nuggets on how Rice football might choose to attack this coming 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.

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 2023 Spring Practice Notebook 4: Scrimmage 1
  • Rice Football 2023 Spring Practice Notebook 3: Depth Chart
  • Conference USA Basketball soars in postseason play
  • Fast start not enough as Rice Baseball falls to Texas A&M for third time

Filed Under: Featured, Football, Premium Tagged With: Bradley Rozner, Braedon Nutter, Cam Montgomery, Clay Servin, Ethan Onianwa, Isaac Klarkowski, Isaiah Esdale, Jack Bradley, John Hughes, John Long, Jojo Jean, Lamont Narcisse, Luke McCaffrey, Marcus Williams, Miles Mccord, practice notes, Rice Football, Shea Baker, TJ McMahon, Trey Phillippi, Wiley Green

Rice Football 2022: 5 Takeaways from Fall Camp

August 22, 2022 By Matthew Bartlett

The next time Rice football takes the field, they’ll be prepping for their first opponent. Here are five of the most important takeaways from fall camp.

It’s been an eventful few weeks on South Main for Rice football. From the announcement of their starting quarterback to positive returns on both sides of the ball, there has been a lot to digest.

More: Rice Football Preseason Preview Series

With the season approaching, here’s a distilled list of the most prevalent takeaways from camp and what they will mean for the Owls on the field this fall.

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.

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 2023 Spring Practice Notebook 4: Scrimmage 1
  • Rice Football 2023 Spring Practice Notebook 3: Depth Chart
  • Conference USA Basketball soars in postseason play
  • Fast start not enough as Rice Baseball falls to Texas A&M for third time

Filed Under: Archive, Football, Premium Tagged With: Bradley Rozner, Cedric Patterson, Gavin Reinwald, George Nyakwol, Isaiah Esdale, Jack Bradley, Jojo Jean, Kirk Lockhart, Kobie Campbell, Luke McCaffrey, Mile McCord, practice notes, Rice Football, TJ McMahon, Treshawn Chamberlain, Tyson Thompson, Wiley Green

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »
  1. Item 1
  2. Item 2
  3. Item 3
  4. Item 4
  5. Item 5
  • The Roost Podcast
  • The Roost’s 2022 Rice Football Season Superlatives
  • Rice Football, Mike Bloomgren
  • Rice Football, Bradley Rozner
  • How five UAB snapshots tell a Rice football story
Become a patron at Patreon!
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter