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Rice Football 2020 Practice Notes, Presser Quotes and UTEP prep

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Rice football is eager to get back on the field this weekend and face UTEP. Here are the latest practice notes and press conference quotes.

It was tough sledding for Rice football in Denton, falling to 1-2 on the season with the disappointing road loss. The team returns home to Rice Stadium this week to face UTEP, which enters the game 3-4 with a chance to return to .500 by the end of November. The Owls would like to prevent them from getting there a climb back to .500 themselves.

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The team had some thoughts to share on last week. We’ve selected a few quotes from the Owls’ midweek press conference. Then we’ve got a few more updates on what’s in store for the Owls in the coming days and weeks.

Press Conference Quotes

“They played a very, very physical brand of football. They imposed their will on us in all areas. We had a couple of turnovers that were really, really costly and absolutely affected the outcome of the game, and we’ve got to play better. I don’t think it’s that we got to play harder, we’ve got to play better. We’ve got to play more disciplined. And we got to be better with our techniques.” – Mike Bloomgren on the North Texas game

“Obviously we started really fast, just like we wanted to — we were firing on all cylinders. We had multiple turnovers, which obviously that’s never good, we’ll never win like that so that’s obviously the things we need to clean up the most. We got to keep the ball off the turf. And then we got to hit our shots when we take them. And we did a pretty good job at it but we have to keep working, keep finding that connection, keep getting that rhythm and we will get those will go our way.” – WR Jake Bailey on the offensive performance vs North Texas

“We’ve done a pretty good job stopping the run, especially getting off blocks and making plays, just creating negative plays because those are game-changers. I feel like we’re doing a pretty good job, and we can definitely improve on that. I feel like if we continue to practice hard and come to work every day we’ll continue to get better.” – DL De’Braylon Carroll on the defensive performance this season 

Depth Chart Notes

Here’s an updated depth chart from Rice football heading into the UTEP game.

Running back Juma Otoviano was expected to be back this weekend, but his name is absent from the depth chart this week. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him go through pre-game warmups and have his status evaluated again at that point. Ikenna Enechukwu and Trey Schuman have flip-flopped at the defensive end spot, but the OR designation remains. We’ll most likely see both of them.

Looking ahead

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Rice Football 2020 Practice Notes, Presser Quotes and the next men up

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After another postponement, Rice football is ready to take the field again, hopefully as soon as this weekend against North Texas. Here are the latest practice notes and press conference quotes.

Rice football is two weeks removed from their most recent football. Oddly enough, the Owls’ first game against Middle Tennessee was the week following a matchup between North Texas and Middle Tennessee. The Mean Green haven’t returned to the field since.

Owls’ head coach Mike Bloomgren met with the media today to share some of his thoughts on the game ahead.

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There is a lot of encouraging news on the injury front. Bloomgren said the team didn’t have “many people left to get healthy.” That should include a few starters returning to the field soon as well as a practice sighting on the offensive side of the ball. Injuries and depth chart fluidity has afforded several players additional opportunities. We’ve also got some notes on a few guys that have stepped up in the interim.

Press Conference Quotes

“We want to make this the most exclusive offer in the country… one out of every four offers is committed to you or signing with you, we feel good about that because we get a chance to really develop real relationships, get to know the parents, the families and otherwise.” – Director of Recruiting Alex Brown on the upcoming 2021 class

With the way we prepare and with our process and what it’s all about, I don’t know if I’m real excited about those possibilities… I really would like more than 48 hours of notice that you saw UCLA and Cal last week. I certainly think that that would cause a lot of coaches in this building not to sleep for 48 hours. But hey, we’ll make it work if that’s the case. We want to play a game. And right now, we’re certainly planning on playing Seth Littrell and North Texas.” – Mike Bloomgren on the possibility of last-minute scheduling changes

“I think they probably found their guy in Jason Bean, and he’s the one that we’re going to prepare to stop. If Austin [Aune] jumps in there, their offense won’t change too much. They’re still going to try to find number one Jaelon Darden, and they should.” – Bloomgren on the North Texas offense

Who’s back and who’s not

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Rice Football 2020: Post Southern Miss presser and practice notes

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There’s a lot going on in the world of Rice football. Here’s a rundown of the weekly press conference and an update from practice headed into the UTSA game.

The season is back in full swing and we’ve got a full slate of Rice football updates on deck for everyone this week. I’ll include a few snippets from today’s press conference here as well as updates from practice on Monday. The players were off on Tuesday for the Election.

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Press conference notes and quotes

Head coach Mike Bloomgren did note a few players of the week following the victory:

  • Defensive Player of the Game – Chike Anigbogu
  • Offensive Player of the Game – Austin Trammell
  • Special Teams Player of the Game – Charlie Mendes
  • Offense Scout Team Player of the Week – Caleb James
  • Defense Scout Team Player of the Week – TJ McMahon
  • Special Teams Player of the Week – Terreance Ellis

“Anytime you are giving up big plays the way we did in the first game, that’s never a good thing. I think we talked a lot about eliminating the big plays, keeping it in front of us, and I think the guys got the message and we played a lot better in those critical situations at the end of the half and on third down.” – Brian Smith on the what the defense did differently from game one to game two

It felt good to get a win, it really did. It felt great to get a win on Saturday. An incredible effort from start to finish from our guys. I think, really the opening kickoff all the way through the fourth quarter you saw a lot of strain, a lot of physicality. And I can’t say enough about how proud I am of that team for continuing to work the way they did.” – Bloomgren on the Owls’ first win of 2020

“Mike [Collins] is the biggest change. It’s the best play we’ve had out of a quarterback in our time here… Mike is changing the game for our football team. He’s giving everybody a chance to showcase their talent. And it sure doesn’t hurt that the offensive line and the blocking unit is giving him time as well. Everything’s working together, but if I were to identify one change, so far, it would be Mike Collins.” – Bloomgren on the biggest change in the offense from last year to this year

“Two games in, we’re in a good spot… I just don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves I think we’ve got so much we can improve on right now. Yes, we’re better, but that was a pretty low bar. I want to see how good this offense can perform.” – Bloomgren on how the offense meets his expectations

Practice updates and Southern Miss takeaways

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Rice Football 2019: Week 13 North Texas Press Conference quotes

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Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren discussed the team’s first win of the season and previewed the Owls’ Week 13 matchup with North Texas.

More: Rice Football game preview for Week 13 vs North Texas

Quarterback Tom Stewart and safety George Nyakwol joined Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren at the podium on Tuesday. The trio discussed the first win of the season over Middle Tennessee and looked ahead at their upcoming game against North Texas.

From Mike Bloomgren

On the first win…

“Getting that first win on Saturday felt really good. I won’t lie to you about that. I’m so proud of our players and coaches for the way they stayed in this, the way they kept fighting and the way they kept preparing. Really to see them rewarded with that victory locker room, after the game, that winning locker room, made it all worth it for a lot of things that we do in this program. What I said after the game I meant. In 2019, it’s very hard to get a group of men to stay together and keep fighting with all the outside things going on. With all the things that they hear on social media or from their own families. These guys never blinked. They just kept fighting, kept listening to their coaches,  kept trusting their coaches and we saw the results of that on Saturday night.

On the Owls’ level of play against Middle Tennessee …

“It was the best half of football that we have played in the first half. I would say that clearly. The fact that we found a way to win, I guess that it ranks up in the top three. It was great to get a win.”

On North Texas …

“The next challenge is, of course, North Texas. This team requires our full attention. We know what that program is all about. I have so much respect for Coach Seth Littrell, the way he prepares them, the mindset he gets those guys into and his knowledge of our game.  I have said it before, we are going to do everything we can to beat them on the field, but there is absolutely nothing I can do to beat him in a bench press contest.”

On Senior Day…

“It will be a great test for our team. Coming off a win we’re a confident bunch right now in terms of believing in what we are doing. Being so close so many times, then having a little success, is great for this team. We’re going to go out there and play our hearts out for the 19 seniors who will be represented on Senior Day on Saturday. It’s going to be a lot of fun seeing those guys in pregame.”

On the impact of Aston Walter…

“Aston really changed his mindset when he flipped the switch and said ‘I’m coming back for my sixth year’. I think in the way he prepared in the summer with Coach Hans [Straub] to the leadership role he’s taken, there is nothing we could have done better than put the ball in his stomach with the game on the line on 3rd-and-11..” T

From QB Tom Stewart

On Brad Rozner and the playmakers around him…

“It’s all about having trust in the guys. I think it’s kind of tough for me being a transfer, and not having a ton of time to develop that trust but I think now you’re seeing that if I’m back there, I have a ton of trust in those guys… Everything guy is a really good football player. When they’re called upon, they’ll make a play.”

From Saf George Nyakwol

On how the team is responding to the win…

“This win was definitely a confidence booster… And we just got to keep building. We can’t let this affect our approach. It’s got to be 100 percent every day, everywhere, in the weight room, on the field, in the film room.”

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Rice Football 2019: Week 12 Middle Tennessee Press Conference quotes

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Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren debriefed a busy bye week then turned his attention to the Owls’ Week 12 game against Middle Tennessee.

More: Rice Football game preview for Week 12 vs Middle Tennessee

Safety Naeem Smith and running back Juma Otoviano joined Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren at the podium on Tuesday. The trio discussed final bye week of the season and made comments on the team’s upcoming game at Middle Tennessee.

From Mike Bloomgren

On what he’s learned about the team so far…

“This team has proven to me time and again, that they will respond to challenges. So we did challenge them in the bye week. We challenged them to really understand that we do have three games promised to us in our season, but we needed to live in the moment. We needed to be where their feet are, and really take this thing in day by day, minute by minute increments and just play by play. And that’s how they responded. And that was really cool.”

On conversations with Rice Women’s Basketball coach Tina Langley at the radio show on Monday night…

“Last night I got to hang out with Tina Langley, our women’s basketball coach. I love talking to her every chance I get. We love talking culture, we love talking motivation. I just think she’s outstanding. I’m trying to grab some of her mojo while she was at the radio show.”

On the quarterback situation …

“So obviously [we were] pleased with some of the things that JoVoni [Johnson] was able to do in the first start. We thought he moved the chains pretty well. He was eight of nine passing in the first half and I thought that was a really impressive start for him. And then Tom Stewart is the other one that we’re going to have on the ready. So we’re going to have those guys go and take a look at how practice goes and whoever is healthy and gives us the best chance [to win] is who we’ll trot out there.”

On running back rotation…

“Whoever’s got the hot hand. We trust all those guys. Juma [Otoviano] is a guy that we proven is explosive. Old Dominion, in his first start, he rushed for 224 yards, that’s no secret. But we have guys that we trust it’s not just Charlie [Booker]. It’s not just Aston [Walter]. It’s also Nahshon Ellerbe. All those guys can have roles and really whoever has the hot hand — and some people may have certain plays earmarked for them going into this game — that’s where we’ll go.”

On MTSU quarterback Asher O’Hara …

“I think probably at the level he’s doing it, he is the best dual-threat [quarterback that Rice has faced] because I compare him — obviously a very different offense — but to the Army, in terms of running the ball and a lot of things going through him, with him being their leading rusher in eight of nine games this year. But as a true dual-threat, I think he’s completed 71 percent of his passes. Yeah, he might be the top dog. The one at Texas wasn’t bad either.”

From Saf Naeem Smith

On the matchup against MTSU quarterback Asher O’Hara…

“I actually played [against O’Hara] in JUCO … Definitely a great athlete. He can throw it too. I remember in JUCO we thought that was the best quarterback we played against or maybe even the best player. So I have a lot of respect for him. As a defense, I see it as an opportunity.  We have to make sure we’re all on the same page. Everyone needs to know their run fit, and then everybody needs to lock up on the outside. We make sure we do our job. And if we can do that, I think we can be successful. They got a great offense.”

From RB Juma Otoviano

On what the running backs focused on during the bye …

“I’d say it’s a lot of reps and then going back and watching ourselves on film. We’ve been harping on our footwork on our outside zone… that was something that we all kind of struggled on early on, but moving forward now we’ve gotten a lot better.”

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