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Rice Football tops Houston in 2OT, wins first Bayou Bucket since 2010

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Rice Football came out hot, fell behind, took the lead and held on, earning a massive rivalry win over crosstown rival Houston for the first time since 2010.

The final moments got hairy, but the scoreboard does not lie. Rice football notched a monumental rivalry win over Houston on Saturday night, claiming their first victory in the series since 2010. After leading 28, Rice allowed 35 unanswered points before slamming the door on a pass breakup in double overtime. Here are a few immediate reactions from the game:

The offense comes to life

The working theory regarding the Rice football offense this week was more or less this: once the Owls’ offensive line faced a less-than-super-human pass rush and JT Daniels had time, the Owls’ would start putting up points. It didn’t take long for that theory to be tested on Saturday and the early returns were overwhelmingly positive.

On the first series of the game, Daniels stepped up into the pocket, avoided pressure and found an outlet across the middle, getting the ball to Juma Otoviano who scampered 35 yards into the redzone. Two plays later Daniels again climbed the pocket, scanning the field and found Luke McCaffrey darting across the field toward the sideline. He slung it his way and McCaffrey did the rest for the Owls’ first score.

It wasn’t a first-drive fluke, though. The Rice offense had three possessions in the first quarter and put the ball in the box on each attempt. Daelen Alexander picked up his first career score on a fourth-and-one plunge and McCaffrey added another touchdown on this spectacular grab:

Touchdown after touchdown after touchdown after touchdown. The Rice offense didn’t just kick off some dust, it went into overdrive right up until turnovers and penalties killed the positive vibes. Short of the self-inflicted wounds, the unit was productive. It’s hard to ignore a scoreless second half and an overtime that never should have happened, but the offense delivered in overtime and Rice walked away victorious.

When asked the difference between Daniels’ play from last week to this week, head coach Mike Bloomgren quipped, “he was playing the game standing up, to be quite frank. He got to play quarterback.”

Defense joins the fray

The offensive explosion came, in part, because that unit was able to get into a rhythm. There weren’t any long waits confined to the bench while they waited for their next turn. Instead, the defense quickly did their job and handed the ball right back to the offense as both sides operated with a synergy that hadn’t been seen to such a degree in quite some time.

The defense pitched a shutout in the first quarter and didn’t allow points until Houston’s final drive of the second quarter, one that required a pair of fourth-down conversions including one via penalty.

Before the Cougars were able to get on the board, the Rice defense recorded its first takeaway of the season — an interception by Tre’shon Devones — and added a three-and-out on the very next possession. Houston managed just 32 yards of total offense in the first quarter. Rice had 186.

As the game progressed, the defense was strained. Houston drove the length of the field on their first drive of the second half and opted to go for it on fourth and goal, trailing by three scores.

After bringing the heat, the Owls dropped into coverage and gave Houston quarterback Donovan Smith nowhere to throw it. The Cougars turned the ball over on downs, ending a seven-minute drive without points. The defense turned Houston over on downs again on the very next drive.

It wasn’t until the offense endured a prolonged scoring drought that we saw the defense start to sag. That was the same story in the opening game against Texas, but fortunately for the Owls, it wasn’t enough to sink them on Saturday. When the defense needed a play, they got it, with Jojo Jean breaking up a pass in double overtime to win the game.

Houston, we have a quarterback

When Rice football kicked off the season, the Owls were the owners of one painful, notorious quarterback stat: Rice had started more quarterbacks than any other FBS institution since 2017. For one reason or another, the search for stable play under center had evaded Bloomgren since his arrival at Rice.

Rice had tried journeymen. They’d tried freshmen. The Owls had started pocket passers and runners, two of which made their way into the Owls’ receiving corps on Saturday night. Injuries and ineffective play had rendered the fruits negligible. For an offensive-minded head coach, the lack of production on that side of the ball was maddening.

So when JT Daniels arrived on South Main, there was ample reason to be cautious. Even though he brought his blue-chip recruiting profile, his multiple stops to reach Rice caused many to raise their eyebrows. Against Texas, the entire offense went flat. But Bloomgren kept the faith. On Saturday, he was rewarded.

Daniels lit Houston up to the tune of 401 yards (sixth most in school history) and three touchdowns. He led Rice to 28 first half points in the rivalry for the first time since 2008. He was surgical, slicing and dicing a Houston defense that secured a victory over Rice with its own finishing blow just last season. That wasn’t the case on Saturday.

With the game on the line, Daniels delivered in overtime, securing one of the Owls’ biggest victories of the Bloomgren era. For all the good and bad from Saturday night, the simple truth was this: Rice football asked a quarterback to go win them the game in overtime and he delivered.

The Owls have landed

Streaks are meant to be broken. For the first time since a 2013 victory over Kansas, Rice football has notched a win over a Power 5 opponent. The string of defeats since had spanned 18 games, including the Owls’ prior outing last weekend against Texas. Saturday’s result was quite the opposite.

For the first time since 2010, Rice football has beaten crosstown rival Houston, snapping a seven-game losing streak to the Cougars. Getting the Bayou Bucket back on this side of South Main is exciting, serving to validate years of building under head coach Mike Bloomgren while (hopefully) providing a launching point for their inaugural season of American Conference play.

Rice football sits at 1-1 with two nonconference games remaining before it’s time to take on the AAC. The Owls want to make some noise in their new conference. Wins like this suggest this is a program that should be up for the challenge, although consistency, not ability, has been this program’s nemesis in prior seasons.

Today, though, Rice football can and should feel pretty good about where they stand. They beat Houston and proved they can play with one of the most talented teams remaining on their schedule. Celebrate tonight. Then it’s time to prove they can become the program they’ve been building toward.

“We probably made it a little more interesting than we needed to, but to win the Bucket for the first time in 12 years and get it back to Main Street, which was one of our goals for this season, that’s a big deal for a program. To beat a Big 12 team is a big deal for our program.”

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Texas overwhelms Rice Football as the Owls fall in lopsided opener

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Rice Football delivered the first blow, but it was Texas that had the last laugh as the Longhorns overwhelmed the Owls in the trenches to hand them a season-opening loss.

The final score might not have been completely indicative of the intensity of Saturday’s season-opening matchup between Rice football and Texas. The Owls kept things close through the first half until the defense ran out of gas, worked to the max under the sweltering Austin heat as the Owls’ offense struggled to get into gear. Here are a few immediate reactions from the game:

Throw the first punch

You couldn’t have drawn it up much better than this. Texas received the opening kickoff, picked up a couple of yards and found itself facing a fourth-and-two from its own 33-yard line. Rather than play it safe, the Longhorns rolled the dice. The Owls overwhelmed quarterback Quinn Ewers in the backfield and forced a short throw, turning Texas over on downs on their first possession.

“That’s something that doesn’t really surprise us,” linebacker Myron Morrison said postgame. “We consider ourselves one of the best short-yardage defenses in the country.”

Rice would get three points for their efforts, picking up one first down before turning to Tim Horn who booted through a 42-yard field goal to give the underdogs the lead. Head coach Mike Bloomgren had mentioned this week that he didn’t believe the game would be too big for his team this time around and that certainly seemed to be the case from the opening whistle.

Rice entered the second quarter trailing 7-3 and went into halftime down 16-3. In both instances, Rice was very much so in the game and had given Texas reason to be concerned, at least on one side of the ball. This was a matchup that hadn’t been interesting in the second half in the last several meetings. Rice kept the game in reach at the halftime whistle.

Defense makes its mark

How about that defense? This unit lost Ikenna Enechukwu, Trey Schuman, Quint Titre, George Nyakwol and others from last year’s squad and somehow looked even more dangerous. The front seven engineered two fourth-down stops in plus territory in the first half and gave Ewers all he could handle, racking up two sacks and several more near misses that still managed to impact the game. Coleman Coco and De’Braylon Carroll noticeably impacted the game.

Texas was a five-touchdown favorite on Saturday largely because oddsmakers believed the Longhorns would be able to move the ball. Texas did that to some extent — the Longhorns finished with 458 yards gained — but the Rice defense never lost its composure and seemingly always bounced back following a big Texas gain.

Through the air, Sean Fresch and Tre’shon Devones kept the ball in front of them and prevented Ewers and Texas from connecting on home run balls down the field. Instead, Texas was forced to do much of its damage after the catch.

Although the box score won’t be kind to the defense after surrendering 37 points, when field position and the lack of help from the Owls’ offense is taken into account, it’s hard to walk away from this one not feeling largely positive above this side of the ball. There were missed tackles, missed assignments and missteps, but the defense was not the problem on Saturday, far from it.

Oof, Offense, Oof

While the defense rose to the occasion, the offense was largely stuck in quicksand throughout the game. Handed so many opportunities by their counterparts on the other side of the ball, quarterback JT Daniels and company did little to return the favor. His Rice debut was largely underwhelming, he completed 14 of 26 passes for 149 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

In the aftermath, Bloomgren pumped the brakes on putting the all blame on his quarterback, and for good reason. The Texas defensive line had its way with the Rice offensive line from start to finish, flustering Daniels and making him through with hands in his face and arms on his jersey. “You can’t evaluate quarterbacks like that,” Bloomgren said.

The unit had the opportunity to go back to the drawing board at halftime but came out of the gates with a false start on the first snap of the half which proceeded a quick three-and-out. The ensuing drive did move the chains once, but a fourth-and-one stop by the Texas defense turned the ball over on downs.

In many ways, that short yardage stop, an area the Owls have found tremendous success in during recent years, typified the Owls’ largest offensive problem on Saturday: the trenches. Plain and simple, Rice was simply outmanned up front. They had no answer for the sheer power of the Longhorns inside and it completely crippled their offensive attack. “The best quarterback in the world needs something,” Bloomgren said of the protection. “There were a lot of times I didn’t feel he had those opportunities today.”

Rice football won’t face many teams with the combination of size and strength Texas possesses up front this season. Before writing this unit off entirely, let’s see how they fair against a more evenly matched front.

Onto the next

It would have been a remarkable, unforgettable beginning to the season had Rice football done the unthinkable and upset a ranked Texas team on the road to begin the 2023 season. Those dreams have passed, and Rice is on to what the Owls hope to be the more representative portion of their schedule.

Oddsmakers aren’t infallible, but Saturday’s matchup with the Longhorns should be the only time this season Rice will be an underdog but four or five touchdowns — a margin the Owls managed to cover. No, from this point onward, every game is not only winnable, but victory should be achievable without herculean means.

Rice gave Texas a scare, stayed relatively healthy and got a good look at what will likely be the most talented opposition they’ll face this season. Now it’s time to move on. All eyes are now on Houston as Rice readies for a rematch of a game that went down to the wire last season and is anticipated to be extremely competitive once again.

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Rice Football 2023: Texas presser quotes and depth chart

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Rice football visits Texas 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 set of players met with the media for their customary weekly availability. They discussed camp thus far and previewed the week ahead, detailing what they’re expecting to see when Texas takes the field.

Listen Now: The Roost Pod – Rice Football vs Texas Game Preview

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

“We have an awesome opportunity this week, heading to play the University of Texas. It’s a great challenge for our football team. We understand how talented they are. We’ve been preparing all offseason for them. I think physically and mentally, we’re a stronger football team and that’s going to give us our best chance as we go out there.” – Mike Bloomgren on playing Texas

“What does it take to finish? It’s us deciding, making that decision to finish and knowing that we are good enough. That’s one thing we’ve talked about. We have enough talent and we know it’s going to be about what we do, how we perform. That’s a talented group on the other sideline. There’s no doubt. We’re going to study their scheme. We’re gunna have great answers. But at the end of the day it’s going to be about how we execute and how we perform… I imagine if we fight the way we’re capable of and play the way we’re capable of, we’re going to have those opportunities again and now it’s about taking that next step as a program and finishing those things.” – Mike Bloomgren on the what it will take to pull off an upset

“We’re at the point now where we have twos that are going to play on purpose and they’re going to play because we know it’s going to be hot as Hades in Austin this weekend and we’re going to rotate some people, but also because they’ve earned the right. They’ve earned the trust of their teammates and their coaches. So yeah, the depth is a big plus for our football team… The separation from our ones and twos at some positions is so miniscule that, once again, those guys are going to get the chance to play and in addition to that, they’re going to be competing for the starting role every week of the season.” – Mike Bloomgren on the depth of the team

““It’s a great opportunity and it’s always fun. It’s one of the coolest stadiums there is. They get loud. They get rocking. They have a great time. It’s a very good team. It’s a great test to start the season…. It’ll get loud on third downs. When you walk out, it’ll feel crazy when you see 100 [thousand] or however many there will be, but when you’re in the heat of the moment, you kind of forget it. It looks really cool. Take in the moment when you run out of the tunnel and appreciate getting the opportunity to do that – you know how many people dream of doing that – but when you’re actually in the moment, you’re not even going to notice it.” – Quarterback JT Daniels on the environment in Austin

“Every rep is gold, from an experience standpoint. Being able to go through a whole season, being able to go through a spring ball, fall camp and another spring ball and this year, capping it off with another great month of training is so helpful… From a preparation standpoint, [I feel] better than I ever felt.” – Wide receiver Luke McCaffrey on his confidence at the position 

“One of our focal points this year is consistency. I think we’ve done a great job being consistent with those six and seven guys. We’ve had good rotations during practice but our post-practice, our film study, instead of six or seven individual eyes we’re trying to see the game through one pair of eyes. What the call is from JT or our center, Braedon Nutter, whatever the call is, we’re living that call. We’re trying to communicate, we’re trying to block as a unit instead of five individuals.” – Tackle Clay Servin on the progress of the offensive line 

Depth Chart

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Depth Chart Notes

Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren did note there was only one projected member of the two-deep that would not be available this coming weekend, backup offensive lineman Miguel Cedeno. He’s expected to return to practice soon, and otherwise, the Owls are looking as healthy as they’ve been entering a season in quite some time.

As for the remainder of the depth chart, we’ll have some further clarification on the last few position battles in our practice update coming later in the week. At first pass, there isn’t much on this initial depth chart of the season that should surprise anyone. Landon Ransom secured his starting spot as was expected. Tyson Flowers has bumped up to second string after a strong finish to camp, replacing Shepherd Bowling on the two-deep.

An “OR” shared between Tre’shon Devones and Jordan Dunbar is curious, and represents a nod to Devones’ impressive camp. He had a couple of interceptions, including a pick of JT Daniels, and has played well. We’ll have a better feel for how much actual playing time that will translate to by the time we’ve gotten through practices this week.

On special teams, Tim Horn, Conor Hunt and Wyatt Freeman claimed victory in their respective position battles.

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Rice Football 2023 Season Preview: Preseason Superlatives

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The 2023 Rice football season is right around the corner. Here’s the final forecast for player superlatives this fall.

There are high expectations for a host of individual Rice football players this season. The roster is deep and there appear to be playmakers at a variety of positions. Handing out superlatives is always a challenging exercise, but this year felt particularly difficult compared to years past. Here’s where I landed. Who did I miss? Which other players have breakout campaigns in 2023?

Rice Football Preseason Preview: Check out the rest of the series here.

This piece is part of our 2023 Rice Football Season Preview. Get access to it, as well as all other preview posts such as positional breakdowns, depth chart and schedule analysis and more when you subscribe on Patreon today. 

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Rice Football: Realignment and Plan Bs – August 2023 Patreon Q&A

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From conference affiliations to Rice football’s potential should injuries arise again, this month’s Patreon Q&A covers a lot of ground.

Rice football has had unbelievably bad luck when it comes to health at the quarterback position. The team really believes in JT Daniels, but what are the Owls’ prospects should they have to turn to Plan B at the position? And when it comes to the future of the program as a whole, what conference will the Owls be playing in come 2024 and beyond?

There were a couple of good questions this month, so we went ahead and answered all of them. Want to get your questions answered? Subscribe on Patreon for our monthly mailbag.

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