Next up for Rice football, a home game against UAB. Here’s what head coach Scott Abell had to say about the matchup and a few depth chart notes.
Head coach Scott Abell and a set of players met with the media for their customary weekly availability. They recapped the Memphis game and looked ahead at their upcoming matchup with UAB.
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’re looking at everything from, what’s our Saturday morning schedule to what is our Friday evening schedule with our guys to what is our pre-game schedule? To what music are we warming up to? We are really tackling every possible thing that we have control over so we can get out the gate a little better. Because that’s been a common theme. I’ve stood here before and said we’ve played some really good football after the first quarter. This is not the first time I’ve said that. Some of that is our opponents and some of it is ourselves. So what can we control? – Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on getting the team to start faster
He gives them the ability to expand their running game and still keep the pass game concepts that they’ve worked hard on in place. I think he’s a little more mobile. I think he makes plays with his feet. He improvises. I think that’s a challenge for your defense that maybe you don’t get that full range with the other two guys. I think he gives them a well-rounded picture of being more balanced and getting a run game going because I think they have some talented running backs. I’m not surprised that he got most of the snaps last week. – Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on UAB quarterback Ryder Burton
We gotta control the line of scrimmage. We gotta start fast. You’ve heard me talk about that a lot these last couple weeks. We gotta find a way that when that clock starts that we’re ready to roll and play our best football and then maintain that. The third thing for me, we’ve got to generate some turnovers and we have to protect the ball. – Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on keys to victory over UAB
Our mindset is to go 1-0 each week. I feel like if we keep that mindset and block out any external noise, anything like that, just keep our head down and work, we’ll be happy with the result, come Saturday. – Quarterback Chase Jenkins on the team’s mindset right now
They have good athletes all over the place, some really good athletes at receiver. … I think they’ve got some good backs. On the quarterback side, they have two guys that can go in there and get the job done. Like I said before, we can’t take any position, any situation lightly and I think they’ll be ready to come out here and compete. – Safety Marcus Williams on the UAB offense
Full Press Conference
Depth Chart
Depth Chart Notes
There weren’t any major changes to the depth chart this week, just one change of any kind, actually. Semaj Pierre has moved in front of Landon Ransom. Any other adjustments will likely be injury related or driven by the subtle schematic shifts the Owls employ for this game. We’ll cover those in depth on this week’s practice report, available to those subscribed to our Starting Lineup Tier on Patreon, which should be out later this week.
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Next up for Rice football, a home game against Memphis. Here’s what head coach Scott Abell had to say about the matchup and a few depth chart notes.
Head coach Scott Abell and a set of players met with the media for their customary weekly availability. They recapped the UConn game and looked ahead at their upcoming matchup with Memphis.
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
I think it’s much needed when you play your best opponents. You want to go into your Saturdays against your best opponents with momentum and confidence, and that we have coming out of Saturday. And we’ll need that. This is a Top 25 team and we’ll need to play with confidence. We’ll need to carry over that momentum from last Saturday into this week. That’s going to be important. It also enables us to be able to grow. – Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on the confidence the program gained from the UConn win
They’re a complete football team. And for me, it starts in two areas. They run the ball really well and they defend the run really well. I think whenever you do that, you give your program a chance to win a lot of football games, and they’ve done that. They’re an established program. Coach Silverfield has done a fabulous job. He’s the a longstanding standing coach in our conference, and he’s won a ton of games. There’s a lot of 10 winning seasons around him. The formula of running the football, establishing a run game, defending the run. Once again, it’s not sexy out there when you talk about it, but it gives your program a chance to win a lot of football games and he’s done that. That’s what jumps off the tape to me. They’re very well-rounded. They good in every phase, but they do a great job of defending the run, and they do a really nice job of running the football. They can put points up, but they do a really nice job of running the football. – Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on what Memphis does well
They have designed runs for him. They have some read schemes for him as well, and he’ll take off in their passing game. And when they’ve done that, that’s probably to me when they’re most dangerous, because it forces you to get an extra hat to the game. If you’re gonna put your quarterback in a running situation, you gotta defend that a little bit different. They’re getting the running back involved in their blocking scheme somehow, someway. I think that’s a different challenge for our defense. – Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on Memphis QB Brendon Lewis
We’re going to have to be great tacklers. We’re going to have to be physical up front and we’re going to have to limit the big play. To me, that’s the key to [Friday]. How do we limit explosive plays? And can we control the football, can we control the tempo and the pace of this game? And I think they want to do the same. –Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on the keys to beating Memphis
I feel like this Rice team, they’re playing like we got something to prove. The schedule right now, we’re blessed with having four straight home games. We don’t got to go nowhere. This is where we live at, we eat at, we sleep at, we breathe. Just being here and just planting our flag in the middle of the field and saying, whoever comes, they gotta come through us. I feel like we’re taking that personal. We don’t want to let nobody walk into our house and just do whatever they want, take whatever they want. It’s really a big pride thing. You can just see it. Guys in the weight room, guys on the practice field, guys are going harder. We only get one shot. Especially at a great team like this, you only get one shot. No second chances. – Safety Plae Wyatt on the program’s mentality heading into the Memphis game
Full Press Conference
Depth Chart
Depth Chart Notes
There is only one change to the official two-deep this week: John Long has been added back to the depth chart. He’s been out the last couple of weeks and his reinsertion points towards him being available on Friday. We’ll dig into that, as well the status of others like Braylen Walker who missed the UConn game in this week’s practice report, available to those subscribed to our Starting Lineup Tier on Patreon, which should be out later this week.
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.
Next up for Rice football, a home game against UConn. Here’s what head coach Scott Abell had to say about the matchup and a few depth chart notes.
Head coach Scott Abell, this time with no players alongside him, met with the media for his customary weekly availability. He recapped the UTSA game and the bye week before looking ahead at the Owls’ upcoming matchup with UConn.
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
You got to tackle better. You got a block better. and those are two fundamental things of football that will never change. Those are things that we worked on the entire bye week as we prepared for our next opponent. we’ll really find out when we step on the field the next time if the work pays off. I’m going to tell you I’m really excited about the work that we got done. I anticipate that you’ll see a much different football team when we step on the field Saturday against UConn. – Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on what they team is taking away from the UTSA game
When you see them on film, they are a unit that, they know exactly who they are… They understand their scheme really well and they fit. Teams that want to be multiple have to fit. Because if you’re multiple, but yet you don’t fit, then you open yourself up. They fit really well with all their multiplicity and their blitz and stunt packages that they use with their front, their front six. – Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on the UConn defense
He doesn’t make mistakes, takes care of the football. It’s what we all want our quarterbacks, no matter what system you run, you want to protect the football. [He] does a phenomenal job doing that. – Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on UConn quarterback Joe Fagnano
Without mentioning specific things right now, all of them have some type of day-to-day with whatever they’re dealing with underneath their name. Whatever that looks like, maybe it inhibits one of them from doing something, but another one can do something [else]. You could see multiple quarterbacks in a game because of what they’re capable of, health-wise. I won’t know that, probably until we get closer to the end of the week… PJ [Crayton] had stitches when he went out. He’s fully cleared. He’s one on the [depth] chart that really has no restrictions. Everyone else, we’re day-to-day. How close can we get them to full reps as we get to the weekend will probably determine who gets the nod and what set of schemes do they get the nod in. But we’ll be prepared. Whatever they’re capable of, we’ll figure out what they can do best. –Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on the state of the Owls’ quarterback room
Full Press Conference
Depth Chart
Depth Chart Notes
This week’s depth chart looks significantly different than it did heading into the bye week. At center David Stickle is listed for the first time since his injury. Netane Fehoko fills in for the spot vacated by John Long, who’s availability this week is uncertain. Also on offense, Landon Ransom-Goelz makes his first appearance since his injury several weeks ago and Semaj Pierre moves into the two-deep at slot.
The quarterback position doesn’t have any listed changes just yet, but Abell addressed the availability of those players specifically in his remarks above.
On defense, a healthy safety room moves Peyton Stevenson to Viper and Daveon Hook back to their starting free safety spots. At corner, the indefinite suspension of Khary Crump pushes Jerrick Harper into a potential starting spot ahead of Lavonte Johnson.
Whether or not all of these new faces will see action, how much they’ll be able to do and what additional permutations could happen — particularly at quarterback — will be addressed in this week’s practice report, available to those subscribed to our Starting Lineup Tier on Patreon. That will be published later in the week.
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.
Next up for Rice football, a road game at UTSA. Here’s what head coach Scott Abell had to say about the matchup and a few depth chart notes.
Head coach Scott Abell and a set of players met with the media for their customary weekly availability. They recapped the FAU game and looked ahead at their upcoming matchup with UTSA.
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
He’s a talented guy. He understands their system really well. He can make a lot of throws and he’s really athletic. His feet are the thing people don’t talk about enough… He’s just a mature guy, a good quarterback for them – Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on the UTSA quarterback Owen McCown
I think it’s best front seven we’ve seen all year. I really do. I think they’re athletic. I think they’re physical. I think there’s a lot of talent there. That jumps off at me… There’s no shortage of athletes running around. They play a lot of guys. – Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on the UTSA defense
I think he’s the guy that makes it go. If you watch their success offensively, when they’ve been real explosive, he’s making them go. When they haven’t been quite as explosive it’s when he’s not on the field… They’re still good, but they’re not as explosive. I think he’s the key. We’ve got to contain him. We have to tackle well in space. He’s one of the nations’ leading rushers. That’s our defensive challenge this week.- Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on UTSA RB Robert Henry
It’s been a steady, slower pace than any of us would want, but it’s certainly making strides in the right direction. I’m excited about it. I think the players see that now. There’s been more explosive plays over the last three weeks, now you gotta put it all together. You’ve gotta be able to sustain drives. –Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on the growth of the offense
Their defense is very athletic. Their front seven is very big, very physical. They fly to the ball. They don’t miss a lot of tackles. I think it’s going to be a good game for us up front. I think we have to match their intensity, be more physical. The UTSA defense is very physical. They’re fast. They’re athletic. They’re going to fly around the ball so I think it’s going to be a very good game come Saturday night. – Running back Quinton Jackson on the UTSA defense
It’s always been a game that I really want to win against these guys, especially. They’re a good football team, play well, play hard. That’s what we like to do, so it’s a battle of wills at this point.- Linebacker Andrew Awe on the rivalry with UTSA
Full Press Conference
Depth Chart
Depth Chart Notes
There are two notable additions to the two deep this week, wide receiver Payton Matthews and safety Jack Kane. The latter’s inclusion is a positive sign that he might be available for the Owls after missing the last several games with an injury. Matthews has moved up the ranks, displacing a few veterans that didn’t make their mark in non-conference play. His role should continue to grow moving forward.
As always, there are plenty of moving parts. Edge Michael Daley, who was a surprise inactive last Saturday, is not listed on this depth chart. I’ll have more updates on his potential availability in this week’s practice report, available to those subscribed to our Starting Lineup Tier on Patreon, which should be out later this week.
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.
Next up for Rice football, a home tilt against FAU. Here’s what head coach Scott Abell had to say about the matchup and a few depth chart notes.
Head coach Scott Abell and a set of players met with the media for their customary weekly availability. They recapped the Navy game and looked ahead at their upcoming matchup with Florida Atlantic.
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
I think the takeaway this week from the group was we expected to win at Navy. We expected to go toe-to-toe with a preseason favorite and you love that mentality. Now, I don’t know if we handled it really well there midway through the first half, so now you gotta learn how to handle that. I want that expectation. We should expect to win those games, but if it doesn’t go your way early, you gotta handle it better. Now, we did regroup at halftime. I thought that was important to see your team do that. All that’s a learning opportunity. The key is, you gotta learn. – Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on his takeaways from the Navy game
He’s the reigning Conference USA Player of the Year coming out of Western Kentucky. Very talented. Got great size. He can see the whole field. The challenge is real for our secondary.. There’s a lot of catch and throw. He doesn’t hold it long. He’s getting it out of his hand [fast]. To me, we gotta force him to drive the field. He’s going to have some completions. We’ve got to rally and tackle well. – Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on FAU quarterback Caden Veltkamp and the FAU passing offense
They’re really athletic. They have good size. They want to lock you down. They’re gonna play man, they don’t hide from it. Most people play some type of man courage against us. We expect to see an aggressive defense. That’s what Navy was against us, Charlotte at times. The formulas are similar. People are going to be aggressive, they’re going to leave us some one-on-one situations in space and we got to make some plays.–Rice Football head coach Scott Abell on what he expects from the FAU defense
In terms of playing my last year of football, I wanted to come to a place where I could use my eligibility and feel like I’m making a difference, contributing on the field and in the locker room and, obviously, getting a valuable education. – Offensive lineman Sean Sullivan on his decision to come to Rice
I’m just glad that my opportunity is here… My journey hadn’t been the most smooth, but I’ve stayed the course and done what I needed to do and now my opportunity is here and I’m just doing my best to make the most of it.- Safety Marcus Williams on his opportunity after battling injuries in prior seasons
Full Press Conference
Depth Chart
Depth Chart Notes
The only changes to the depth chart this week are reflective of adjustments from last week’s injury updates. Luke Needham, who missed the Navy game, has been taken off the two-deep for the first time this year with an injury, Peyton Farmer is listed in his place. Also on offense, Braylen Walker makes his first appearance on a regular season depth chart following his return to the field against Navy.
Walker did leave the Navy game early. Stay tuned for the weekly practice report, available to those subscribed to our Starting Lineup Tier on Patreon, which should be published later this week for news on his availability as well as the status of other players who have missed some extended time. Among those, defensive lineman Ejike Adele is the only change on the defensive two-deep after missing last week.
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