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Rice Football 2022: UTEP presser quotes and depth chart

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Rice football hosts UTEP this week. Here’s what Mike Bloomgren had to say about the matchup at hand and a few depth chart notes.

Head coach Mike Bloomgren and a pair of players met with the media for their customary weekly availability. They recapped the Charlotte loss and looked at the week ahead, detailing what they’re expecting to see when UTEP takes the field.

More: Rice Football – Blue and Gray Preview Show

We touch on those items, then dig into the Rice football depth chart and what the team looks like heading into the weekend. First, the quotes:

Press Conference Quotes

“Obviously, we’re coming off a disappointing loss on Saturday versus Charlotte. My hat’s off to their staff and players for coming together and playing the way they did. They played their butts off. Unfortunately, the game didn’t go the way we planned. I thought we got outcoached. I thought we got outplayed and out-physicalled, which are things that we never want to be a part of. I told our team that we’ve got to stay together and we’ve got to move forward. One of the bonuses of a Thursday night game is that you don’t have time to sulk. We were back to meetings and practice last night. The time for licking your wounds is behind us. It’s in the rearview mirror as we move forward.” – Mike Bloomgren on the Charlotte loss

“This game will be a battle. I don’t have any doubt about that. I know how Dana (Dimel) coaches. I know the toughness that he instills in his team and I expect it to be a very, very physical game like it always is between these two teams. You look at them on offense, they are going to run the ball. They are going to run the ball. They are going to run the ball, and then they are going to play-action pass. On defense, I think their defensive coordinator, Bradley Dale Peveto, does a great job.” – Mike Bloomgren on UTEP  

“Kids are so resilient. It’s not that they’re not hurting, it’s just that, when you’ve got to do a med check at 10 a.m., yesterday, and then you’ve got to do a lift at 3:30, then you’ve got dinner at 5:15 and then you have meetings, nobody had time. As coaches we started watching film at 6 p.m. We put the Charlotte game largely to bed. Then we came in at 8 a.m. and we put the plan together all day yesterday. So coaches really didn’t have time to breathe, sleep or pout. That’s probably a good thing because that was not our best performance.”” – Mike Bloomgren on the short week

“Its been like two and a half, three months since I’ve been able to be on the football field so just having the opportunity to practice today is huge for me, huge to be with the guys again, because it’s different when you’re in lockdown compared to when you’re on the field practicing, being in that environment. So I’m really excited to be back and being able to catch footballs. ” – Wide receiver Cedric Patterson on returning to practice 

“It’s definitely not our brand of football and we were even saying during the game that we need to fix this. I feel like everyhting that was on thing is fixable, and that’s the good thing behind it, it’s nothing that we can’t do or nothing that is beyond what we’re capabable of. We just gotta make that necessary change. We’ve got to understand that last week probably wasnt our best perfomrance, but it’s not our last performance. We know that we’ve done better and we can do better.” – Rush end Joshua Pearcy on the defensive effort against Charlotte

Depth Chart

Rice Football

Depth Chart Notes

There is only one singular change on the depth chart this week, but it’s a significant one. Wide receiver Cedric Patterson, who has been out with an injury suffered early in fall camp, is back on the two-deep.

Patterson was available to take questions from the media on Monday and is expected to be back on the practice field this week, trending towards playing on Saturday. Technically listed as the No. 2 X receiver behind Bradley Rozner, we’ll have more on where Patterson lines up and how he might be used in our practice notes later in the week (available to our subscribers).

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Rice Football falters late, falling to FAU on the road

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Rice Football started fast, but couldn’t hold on, squandering a fourth-quarter lead as they fell to the FAU Owls on the road on Saturday.

Rice football scored the first 14 points and looked to be on their way to their first road win of the season but it would not come to pass. FAU answered with 17 unanswered points, clamping down late to thwart the Owls’ late.

“I wish I could tell you that they made some great adjustments,” Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren said in the aftermath. “They really kept doing what they were doing and our execution faltered and that’s the disappointing part.”

Here are a few immediate reactions from the game:

Explosive, but imperfect offense can’t do enough

Rice football is still searching for a seamless offensive game, but their current less-than-perfect somewhat boom-or-bust operation is getting the job done. The road Owls started the game going backward, losing 16 yards on their first drive of the game. On the very next sequence, McMahon hit Bradley Rozner for this career-long 78-yard touchdown reception.

McMahon and Rozner guided the team down the field for another score immediately afterward. Up 14-0, Rice had the ball again with the chance to deliver a third potentially soul-crushing score in the final minutes of the first quarter. Instead, McMahon threw two passes which probably each should have been intercepted by the FAU defense.

The Roost Podcast: Stay tuned for the game recap this week – Rice football vs FAU

McMahon would miss open receivers on the subsequent drive too, which ended with a failed fourth-down conversion. FAU scored on their next possession, then the offense went three-and-out for the third time in six drives.

Tack on another deflected interception (how????) and McMahon’s third interception on the subsequent drive and it would end up dooming what seemed to be such a promising day in the first quarter. McMahon had rough day. So did the offensive line. The entire unit is going to have some rough conversations in the film room this week.

Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren was brutally honest in his postgame remarks. “We have to do better,” he said. “14 points in a football game doesn’t win. It doesn’t win in college football. Not scoring in the second half doesn’t win, we know those things. We’ve got to get better.

In prior years, explosive plays were few and far between, resulting in stagnant offensive performances. Rice is hitting big plays this year, but it hasn’t figured out the consistency just yet. If they can iron out the warts, this offense has the potential to really take off.

Big play defense

It’s been the Rice defense that’s allowed this offense to learn on the job. They’ve been absolutely superb this season and that strong showing continued on Saturday. For the most part, they made the routine plays, allowing a few explosive plays to FAU but largely playing fundamentally sound football. It was third and fourth down where they flexed their muscles.

FAU was 6-of-17 on third down and 0-of-4 when facing third and nine or longer. When this defense gets the green light and is allowed to pin their ears back and go, bad things tend to happen for the other team.

Then there were the big plays. Not to be outdone by the fireworks of Rozner and McMahon, several Rice defenders delivered equally impactful moments of their own. Josh Pearcy shut down an FAU drive with a third down sack. George Nyakwol forced a fumble that resulted in a third-and-33 attempt for the home team. Myron Morrison slipped in front of a receiver on fourth down and knocked the ball to the turf.

No play was bigger, though, than Kirk Lockhart’s goal line hit at the end of the third quarter. FAU was inches away from the go-ahead touchdown when Lockhart knocked the ball out, forcing a fumble that went out of the endzone for a touchback. Pressed to the brink yet again, the defense stood tall.

The offense is much improved and it has been really, really fun to watch at times. Nevertheless, the defense remains the backbone of this team and they did everything they could on Saturday.

Linebacker reload, complete

Rice football fans were spoiled by the incredible tandem of Blaze Alldredge and Antonio Montero in the middle of the defense for the last few years. When they departed, Alldredge to Missouri and Montero to Villanova, it seemed like nearly a forgone conclusion the Owls would be taking a step back at that position.

Well, midway through the 2022 season, Chris Conti and Myron Morrison are making a case for quite the opposite. Conti posted five tackles against FAU. Morrison led the team with 15 tackles of his own. Those two entered the game leading Rice in tackles and they leave the game still No. 1 and No. 2 atop the leaderboard.

“I think both Myron and Chris are both playing great football, ” Bloomgren said. “The guys up front are doing their job too, which is making it a little bit easier for them to run and hit. But when they’re able to make those plays and get people on the ground, obviously that’s what gets us into those third and longs and allows our defense to go eat a little bit.”

The entire defense is playing well, but the linebacker core has earned a nod. Every team loses good players. Replacing them without missing a beat is what great teams do. The Owls are heading in that direction right now, particularly on defense.

Slipped away

After just six games, Rice football sits at 3-3. The Owls are one win shy of matching their win total from the entirety of the 2021 season. Entering the season, that seemed to be about par for the opening half of the season, but it doesn’t feel like met expectations as the team flies home empty-handed from Boca Raton.

The Owls had the chance to be one of just three remaining unbeaten teams in conference play, with matchups looming against Louisiana Tech, Charlotte and UTEP, all of which own sub-.500 records overall. Rice is still likely to be favored in at least one of those games, if not two. Things still look bright, but the luster isn’t quite nearly the same as it could have been with a fourth-quarter lead.

Simply put, at the midpoint of October, it might have been time to start having legitimate Conference USA Championship discussions about Rice football. They’re not out of the mix just yet and they own a win over UAB, but they’ve taken a step back after some stellar showings in the early weeks of the season.

Now it’s time to start talking about finding their first road win of the season. Once that happens, more aspirational conversations can recommence. Their next chance comes next weekend against Louisiana Tech.

“I wish we could go practice right now, to be hoenst with you,” Bloomgren said. “We’ve got a lot of good things going on this team. We’ve got a few things we got to figure out. But I want that opportunity to play that road game next week. I can’t wait to play that road game next Saturday.”

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Going yard

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Rice Football 2022: Houston Game Week Practice Report

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Rice football takes on Houston in the Bayou Bucket this week. Here’s what we learned from practice as the Owls prep for the Cougars.

Rice football is 2-1 for the first time since 2015 and looking to go to 3-1 for the first time since 2001. They can reach that mark with a win over crosstown rival Houston in the Bayou Bucket. It’s going to be a tall order, but the bunch inside the hedges are optimistic, and why shouldn’t they be after a big win last Saturday and another strong week of practice?

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Hours of film watching have been logged and snap after snap taken on the practice field this week. Along the way, there have been some interesting tweaks to the gameplan, position groups hit by the injury bug and a few learnings to pass along prior to Week 4.

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Rice Football 2022: Louisiana Game Week Practice Report

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Rice football plays Louisiana this week, which comes to Houston riding a 15-game winning streak. Here’s what we learned from this week’s practices.

Saturday can’t get here soon enough. Rice football is eagerly awaiting another chance to get on the field after a thorough drubbing of McNeese State last weekend. This week’s opponent. Louisiana, promises to be a much tougher out.

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The Owls have been hard at work to make corrections from last weekend’s missteps and implement their game plan for the Ragin’ Cajuns. Along the way there have been some shakeups within a few position groups, injuries and a few learnings to pass along prior to Week 3.

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.

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Rice Football 2022 Game Preview: USC

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Rice football takes on the USC Trojans in their 2022 season opener. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

USC and new head coach Lincoln Riley hope to kick off their 2022 season with a home victory as Rice football looks to play spoiler. The Owls are as talented and deep as they’ve been under coach Mike Bloomgren thus far, but they’ll still be heavy underdogs as they travel to Los Angeles in Week 1. Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup.

Kickoff time | 5:00 PM CT
Venue | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum – Los Angeles, California
TV | Pac-12 Network (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs USC on this week’s episode of the Blue and Gray Preview Show, streaming live on Wednesday at Noon on the Rice Athletics YouTube channel. Look for a recap of the game on the site afterward as well as on The Roost Podcast, which should be released early next week. 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.)

Sizing up the contenders

Rice football enters the 2022 season in search of its first bowl berth since the 2014 season. The Owls will enter this game as heavy underdogs, but have shown the ability to go toe-to-toe with highly regarded opponents in the past, keeping things close with Arkansas into the fourth quarter of last season’s opener.

USC will introduce new head coach Lincoln Riley, former of the Oklahoma Sooners. It’s been almost five years since USC has been a Top 10 program like Trojans fans had become accustomed to. They’ll want to start the new era on the right foot with a home victory.

Series History

All Time | USC leads Rice, 2-0-1
Last Five | USC leads Rice, 2-0-1
Last Meeting | Away 1971, USC won 24-0

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Rice Stat Notables (2022 Returning Leaders)

Passing | Green – 36/55 (65.5 percent), 414 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT
Rushing | Broussard – 114 carries, 569 yards (4.9 yards per carry), 3 TD / Montgomery – 44 carries, 256 yards (5.8 yards per carry), 2 TD
Receiving | Patterson – 38 receptions, 583 yards (15.3 yds/rec), 6 TD / Esdale (at WVU) – 29 receptions, 362 yards (12.5 yds/rec), 1 TD
Tackles | Pearcy – 57 / Taylor – 56 / Enechukwu – 49
Pass Breakups | Dunbar – 7 / Fresch – 6 / McCord – 5 
Interceptions | Taylor, Nyakwol, Lockhart – 2 each

USC Stat Notables (2022 Returning Leaders)

Passing | Williams (at Oklahoma) – 126/211 (64.5 percent), 1912 yards, 21 TD, 4 INT
Rushing | Dye (at Oregon) – 211 carries, 1271 yards (6.0 yards per carry), 16 TD / Barlow – 62 carries, 289 yards (4.7 ypc), 2 TD
Receiving | Addison (at Pitt) – 100 receptions, 1593 yards (15.9 yards per reception), 17 TD / Washington – 54 receptions, 602 yards (11.1 yds/rec), 1 TD
Tackles | Goforth – 60 / Tuipulotu – 48 / Bullock – 40
Pass Breakups | Bullock, Alford – 3 / Tuipulotu – 2
Interceptions | Alford – 3 / Bullock – 2, multiple others – 1

USC X-Factor | Play clean

USC was the 10th most penalized team in the country last season and averaged 73.8 yards per game in penalties. The Trojans 20 turnovers ranked roughly in the middle of the pack, nationally. Altogether, this wasn’t a very disciplined football team. Brining in a new head coach is supposed to change that and for USC to take care of their first game under their new headman, they need that change to come swiftly.

There’s no denying the star power and talent of the USC roster, but turnovers and penalties kill drives and render even the greatest gaps in athleticism useless when plays don’t count or the ball bounces the other way. If Riley and Co. want to get off on the right foot, they absolutely must play sound football and minimize mistakes.

Rice X-Factor | Start fast

Rice football doesn’t want this game to turn into a track meet. Controlling the clock will be something the Owls weigh heavily in their playcalling and game-planning decisions. But making their presence felt early on both sides of the ball will be much more important than ensuring the clock runs quickly.

On offense, the Owls need to hit on a big play (or two) offensively. Playing from behind against a team with as much horsepower on offense as USC could lead to a quick disaster.

On defense, Rice needs an early stop, a turnover or both. Momentum is contagious and the Owls have proven they can harness it and win big games on the road (see Marshall in 2020, UAB in 2021).

Injury Report (Subscribers only)

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One Final Thing

Leaving Week 1 healthy has to be near the top of the list when it comes to priorities for the Rice football team this week against USC. Last year they lost receivers Bradley Rozner and August Pitre before halftime, setting the team back much more significantly than a single nonconference defeat.

Beyond that, this should be an interesting litmus test for both sides of the ball. The USC offense has speed and is well stocked with playmakers. Seeing how the secondary and pass rush can endure this level of talent should be instructive when it comes to setting reasonable expectations for conference play.

Likewise, on offense, there needs to be some proof of continued progression. Veteran quarterback Wiley Green needs to show he can take care of the football and get the ball to the deepest cast of supporting skill players that he’s ever played with at one time. A few explosive plays through the air plus an effective running game would both be positive signs in this game.

If Rice can exhibit those evidences of growth and play a competitive game, the arrow should continue to point up on the Owls’ 2022 season.

How are you feeling?

For our Patreon subscribers, leave your thoughts in the comments section. How are you feeling about this game? The season? What do you need to see from Rice football this week?

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