The source for Rice sports news

Rice Football 2020: Owls get multiple starters back to practice this week

By

Rice football has been hit hard by injuries prior to their season opener. Several of those players were back at practice this week.

Rice football is less than two weeks away from their first game of the 2020 season. The Owls remain on track to host Middle Tennessee on Oct. 24, with no fans. If you haven’t yet, check out some of the virtual offerings Rice has put together for the game. There should be a few more things in store this week.

Practice updates reserved for subscribers. Sign in to see this content or visit our Patreon page.

Perhaps the most notable happening in prior Rice football practices was the number of players who weren’t on the field. The injury bug hit Rice hard during fall camp. It’s already cost them the entire seasons of Cam Montgomery and Bradley Rozner. The Owls’ are still a ways from being fully healthy, but this week brought with it much more encouraging news.

First, Rice football is COVID-19 free after reporting one positive test on Oct. 3. They do not have any players unavailable because of positive tests or contact tracing right now. In non-COVID related news, we’ve seen a turn for the better with several key players who were on the field this week after missing time earlier in camp.

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?

What’s coming next?

I’ve got a few breakout freshmen that I’ll be sharing soon. It’s probably safe to say a few of them could play important roles this fall, especially if the Owls enter the season banged up. I have some more depth chart updates that I’ll work to have finalized following the third and final scrimmage on Saturday. Stay tuned for another update then, the last before we get to game week against Middle Tennessee.

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

Recent Posts

Rice Football 2020: Practice Notes, starting quarterback and projected depth charts

By

Rice football has two scrimmages in the books. Mike Collins has been named the starting quarterback and the depth chart behind him is starting to materialize.

Head coach Mike Bloomgren has been cautiously optimistic in each of his previous post-practice media sessions. “We’re not where we need to be to play a football game, but thank God we’re not where we used to be,” he said following Saturday’s scrimmage. “We’ve made a lot of progress in the last week and we’ve got a lot of progress we need to make in the next two weeks.”

Among the most notable points of progress this week was the official endorsement of a starting quarterback. Grad transfer Mike Collins has officially won that job. As for takeaways from the rest of Saturday, injuries and the announcement of wide receiver Brad Rozner’s opt out took center stage.

After seeing both scrimmages and talking with those close to the program, I’ve put together my first pass at what a depth chart for the Rice football’s season opener against Middle Tennessee might look like.

Practice updates reserved for subscribers. Sign in to see this content or visit our Patreon page.

For those on the fence when it comes to subscribing, you’ll get access to all previous practice reports and special features throughout the season. Plus, you’ll get to see which true freshmen I think could be starting against Middle Tennessee.

Defense wins the day

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 2020 Practice Notes: Quarterbacks, specialists and injuries

By

Rice football is nearly halfway through fall camp. The quarterback situation is clearing up but the running back depth chart is heating up.

On Monday, Rice football had its first practice following Scrimmage No. 1. That extra session, combined with time to break down the scrimmage film, gave head coach Mike Bloomgren a better feel for where the team stands as the midpoint of fall camp approaches.

Practice updates reserved for subscribers. Sign in to see this content or visit our Patreon page.

The quarterback situation is starting to crystalize, but Khalan Griffin is making the running back depth chart extremely hard to parse out. I’ve got more notes on both position battles, how the special teams situation is looking right now and an update on injuries including three players that I haven’t seen take the field for the Owls this fall.

Timetable for a QB1 decision

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

The Roost Podcast | Ep 54 – Pro Owls updates and Rice Football injury alerts

By

Rice Football is back at practice this week, but some key players haven’t suited up yet. Carter and Matthew give their panic levels for preseason injuries.

The prior edition of The Roost Podcast featured a big announcement: Rice Football was back! A few days later, there came some less than stellar news. A few key members of the roster have yet to make their preseason debuts with various bumps and bruises, subscribers can read the full update here. Should we be concerned? Carter and Matthew debate the ramifications of the injuries.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 54.

Episode 54 Notes

  • Housekeeping — If you haven’t yet, grab a copy of the 2020 Rice Football season preview and subscribe on Patreon. You’ll get practice reports, recruiting news and the latest analysis and updates on all things relating to Rice Athletics.
    Become a Patron!

    Want to take a test drive first? We’ve unlocked a few posts for a limited time so you can get a feel for what to expect as a subscriber.

  • Pro Owls Update
    • MLB: Anthony Rendon, Brock Holt and Tyler Duffey’s 2020 seasons have come to an end
    • NFL: Jack Fox is setting NFL records and crushing his debut. Austin Walter has signed with the 49ers practice squad. Plus, a few updates on the 11 Owls in the NFL.
  • Rice Football injury panic meter — Carter and Matthew provide updates on injuries to key Rice players including a few potential starters. Then they debate their level of concern should any of them miss a meaningful amount of time.

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.

Recent Posts

Rice Football 2020 Practice Report: First depth chart and injury updates

By

The first depth chart of the 2020 Rice Football season has been published. There weren’t many surprises, but some of those starters weren’t at practice.

I won’t bury the lede, here’s the first depth chart for Rice Football this season. For the most part, it’s chalk. The upperclassmen and vets are in the same spots as they were last season with the freshmen and new names at the bottom of the ranks with room to move upward in the next couple of weeks.

Beyond the depth chart, this update has some important injury updates, including a key player that Rice might be without for a significant amount of time. Later in the week, I’ll have a few early camp standouts.

Practice updates reserved for subscribers. Sign in to see this content or visit our Patreon page.

Rice Football, depth chart

Depth chart takeaways

1. Special Teams

If Jordan Myers really does take over the primary punt return duties this year he’ll be one of the first tight ends to fill that role that I can remember. An OR designation at the punter spot was also somewhat of a surprise. It’s still going to be Charlie Mendes’ job to lose, but it sounds like it’s going to be a real battle between the redshirt freshmen and Stanford transfer Collin Riccitelli.

2. Quarterback

If it wasn’t evident before, this is officially a two-horse race. As mentioned in the previous update, the man out in front early is

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