Next up for Rice football: UConn. Here’s what Mike Bloomgren had to say about the matchup 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 recapped the Tulane game and looked ahead at their upcoming matchup with UConn.

More: Game Preview: Rice Football vs 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

“If you remember the fight scenes from Star Wars where the lasers are flying everywhere, that’s kind of what it looks like post snap on their defense. Coordinator does a great job… it looks like chaos to the offense, but it’s all really well planned and really well coordinated.” – Mike Bloomgren on the UConn defense

“EJ did not practice yesterday. We had all the imaging done Sunday and all the things match… imaging was exactly the same as it was prior when we had done it in the preseason… He feels a lot better today than yesterday.” – Mike Bloomgren on the status of QB EJ Warner

“I don’t know if we can count the other team to make more mistakes. We’ve got to be more violent in how we take the ball away and attack the ball, the second guy in ripping it out. We’ve had opportunities for multiple interceptions that we just haven’t completed. When the ball’s in both our hands, we’ve got to make those things go ” – Mike Bloomgren on forcing more turnovers

“Try not to get taken down. It’s one thing that my uncle used to always tell me playing football, you’re a bigger dude. Let them know it. Don’t get taken down by the first defender.” – Tight end Elijah Mojarro on his mindset after the catch

“Pressure and responsibility, I think it’s something to be grateful for, something to seek after because that means there’s opportunities and there’s different ways we can help other people.” – Defensive end Michael Daley on pressure and responsibility

“We’re a group of fighters. I think, one play in particular, that reminds me was the play that Mojo had a few weeks ago where he’s literally throwing defenders off him. I think that’s the culture and the environment that we’ve created here at Rice. Since we have guys that are going to fight through whatever we got going, regardless, if we’re down, regardless if we’ve lost. We’re all going to have that rice fight never dies, mentality.” – Defensive end Michael Daley on the team’s culture and minset

Depth Chart

Depth Chart Notes

Left tackle Ethan Onianwa returns to the depth chart this week which shifts Chad Lindberg to left guard. Trace Norfleet is listed as the starting right guard, but we’ll have more details on how the front five is likely to shake out in our practice notes later in the week. That will be especially important regarding the status of EJ Warner, which is up in the air even considering the good imaging news after he left the Tulane game with an injury on the Owls’ final offensive possession.

On defense, defensive tackle Elroyal Morris returns to the two-deep after being replaced by Aquantis Clemmons a week ago. Andrew Awe is listed as the starting Mike linebacker, a role that has seemingly bounced back and forth every other week between him and Ty Morris. Safety Tyson Flowers has shifted over to the Viper safety spot with Daveon Hook moving over to free safety. On the second team, corner AJ Stephens moves in front of Ephraim Dotson.

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Next up for Rice football: Tulane. Here’s what Mike Bloomgren had to say about the matchup 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 recapped the UTSA game and the bye week then looked ahead at their upcoming matchup with Tulane.

More: Game Preview: Rice Football vs Tulane

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 thought we showed up and played incredibly hard for the whole game. I still believe we have a lot of work to do to be the program we want to be, but we’re on the right track, and that’s a good thing” – Mike Bloomgren on the team’s performance agianst UTSA

“You thought with Michael Pratt going away, there would be a real drop off at the quarterback position and this redshirt quarterback is making the game look really easy… Darian Mensah is playing incredible football right now and he looks like anything but a freshman.” – Mike Bloomgren on Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah

“Enoch [Gota]’s a big part of our team, we’re just at a point now where we’ve got to go with who is hotter in practice because they’ve both had oportunities where they’ve come through big time for us in games and they’ve both had times where they didn’t get the job done in games. So as we continue to make it a meritocracy, we’re going to give Tim [Horn] another chance.” – Mike Bloomgren’s on the change at kicker

“I think it’s something that we can carry over from this past week, being able to stop the run early, not let them get going, not let them find the key plays that worked to attack us with.” – Linebacker Myron on the team’s approach against Tulane

“Tulane’s an amazing team. I think you look forward to those games… You see them and you’re like, ‘I can’t wait to play that game’. Playing these teams in a good environment like in their stadium is always something you look forward to” – Running back Dean Connors on playing Tulane

Depth Chart

Depth Chart Notes

The most notable change on the offensive depth chart this week was the reinsertion of John Long into the starting offensive line group. That’s something we’ll be monitoring during the week of practice. To see who the favorite to suit up for the Owls at that spot against Tulane, make sure you’re subscribed on Patreon and looking for practice notes later in the week.

On defense, Daveon Hook slides over from backing up Tyson Flowers at the free safety position to manning the viper spot. In a defense that relies on the flexibility of its players so much, particularly in the secondary, this reflects the desire to get the Owls’ best players on the field at all times. Practically, that won’t be too much different than how Rice football attacked this position in their game against UTSA. Additionally, DJ Arkansas returns to his backup spot in the linebacker room where he previously was left off the depth chart with an injury.

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Next up for Rice football: UTSA. Here’s what Mike Bloomgren had to say about the matchup 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 recapped the Charlotte game and the bye week then looked ahead at their upcoming matchup with UTSA. Bloomgren announced during the press conference the team would be wearing the Luv-Ya-Blue throwback uniforms for the game.

More: Game Preview: Rice Football vs 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

“We’re coming back. We’re focused on UTSA. We understand the mission. We understand going 1-0 and that is really the singleness of focus we have right now is trying to find a way to beat UTSA a team that we haven’t beat since 2014. We are  putting everything we have into this week to give us our best chance. We know how well coached they are. I have all the respect in the world for coach [Jeff] Traylor. We know how talented they are. They’ve got great players. So do we.” – Mike Bloomgren on the team’s mentality coming off the bye week

“Thank God. McCown’s played good. He’s done some good things. He’s has moments where he looked really, really comfortable in that offense. They’re still UTSA’s offense… But again, them not having Superman back there is going to be nice. It’s not a knock on McCown, it’s just what Frank was able to do to us through the years.” – Mike Bloomgren on facing a UTSA offense without former star quarterback Frank Harris

“I think his growth is just continuing to get more comfortable in this system. The thing I still want from him is more input. What do you like? What do you not like? I ask him every week, ‘What’s your favorite things? What do you like in third down? Is there anything on the call sheet you don’t like? I think it’s easy for us as coaches to see how the X’s and O’s draw up, but ultimately what matters is what that kid knows and what he’s comfortable [with] and loves because it’s amazing when you take ownership of it how invested you are and how you just seem to make those things work when they’re your idea. We’re still reaching for that.” – Mike Bloomgren’s on the growth of Rice quarterback EJ Warner

“We take it personal when anyone gets close to EJ. We don’t want to give up any pressures, much less a sack. We feel like we’re talented enough and we’re a very talented unit. The expectation is to not let anyone close to him. That’s what we try to do every week.” – Offensive lineman Chad Lindberg on being top 10 in the nation in sacked allowed

“He’s probably the funniest coach I’ve ever head. Playing for him has probably been the best experience I’ve ever had in college football and I’ve played college football for a long time now, a long, long time. Obviously, [I’m] enjoying my time”” – Defensive lineman Michael Larbie on  defensive line coach Cedric Calhoun

Depth Chart

Depth Chart Notes

We’ve got a lot of changes to the depth chart this week, rooted primarily in a swath of injuries that have hit the roster over the last few weeks. First, we’ll start with two prominent players who were on the two-deep against Charlotte that are not on this iteration of the lineup card: tight end Boden Groen and tackle Ethan Onianwa. Their status for Saturday’s game remains up in the air. As always stay tuned to practice notes later in the week for the latest on that front.

Onianwa’s absence saw Chad Lindberg shifted from guard to tackle with Trace Norflett filling a spot in the interior. That’s how the team aligned against Charlotte and what should be expected if Onianwa is unable to go this week. At tight end, Elijah Mojarro had the big touchdown grab last week filling in for Groen. Graham Walker has been utilized in a pass catching role over the middle this season, too.

As for the defense, Aquantis Clemmons has leapfrogged Elroyal Morris in the interior of the line. Freshman Kaleb Blanton sees his name mentioned on a two-deep for the first time this season with the ever-evolving rotation at that position. Behind them, Tyson Flowers returns to the two-deep after missing the past two games with injury.

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Next up for Rice football: Charlotte. Here’s what Mike Bloomgren had to say about the matchup 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 recapped the Army game and looked ahead at their upcoming matchup with Charlotte.

More: Game Preview: Rice Football vs Charlotte

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

“They out executed us. They out-played us in many ways, played with better fundamentals including pad-level. Unfortunately it was a very common occurance where the gold helmets were under the silver helmets. They played with better leverage and because of that they were able to move us. We put a strong emphasis on fundamentals this week and [we’re] really counted on our coaches doing a great job putting us in position to play the game.” – Mike Bloomgren on what the team has adjusted since Army

“They’re an unbelievabley talented team. You look at pieces that they brought into their program. It’s something Biff’s always said he would be able to do and has done. I think top to bottom, they are very talented American Conference team and they’re playing hard. They’re just not getting [the results]. Probably like looking in the mirror a little bit. I think we’re very talented. We’re not getting results we want. So probably a very similar feel in their camp right now to ours.” – Mike Bloomgren on Charlotte

“I think what we’ve seen is a guy grow. I think he kinda got thrown to the wolves last year against us. I’m not saying he wasn’t ready or anything like that, but the quarterback we saw on film against Indiana had the ability to get the ball out of his hands, the ability bring his feet into the game, those are the positives. I just think you’ve got greath growth. I think us looking at the guy that played against us last year would be a mistake if we think that’s the guy we’re gonna get this Saturday.” – Mike Bloomgren’s on Charlotte quarterback Trexler Ivey

“When you almost shut out a team the previous year, there’s some confidence, but it’s a whole nother year. It’s a whole nother team. We’re a whole new team. They’re a whole new team… It doesn’t really matter who we play. We’re focused on the Rice Owls having a good week of practice and coming back with that energy and confidence.” – Linebacker Josh Pearcy on experience against Charlotte last year

“From game one I think our communication, number one, has improved drastically. We’ve done a really good job of  being on the right people and making sure we’re all on the same page. That was a big emphasis that coach Sanders [Davis] had on us at the beginning of the year when I first got here during camp, communication, communication, communication. I think that we’ve done a really good job just emphasizing that and fixing that as well as getting movement and holding up in pass protection.” – Offensive linemen David Stickle on the growth of the o-line 

Depth Chart

Depth Chart Notes

There were a ton of changes to the depth chart this week, the majority of them injury-related. Let’s start with the offense where Chad Lindberg has been moved to right guard, filling in for an injured John Long. That also required Weston Kropp to step in and take over the left guard space behind Lindberg. That’s it for the offense.

On defense, Demone Green is off the two-deep after announcing on social media this week that he would miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. Joseph Mutombo takes over his spot behind Charlie Looes. At linebacker, Ty Morris and Myron Morrison are the starters this week with Andrew Awe replaced by Blaise Tita on the two-deep.

Safety continues to be a revolving door. The injury to Tyson Flowers — Bloomgren seemed optimistic he might be able to go this week, something subscribers should look for in practice notes later in the week. For the time being, it’s Peyton Stevenson slated to make the start with Chike Anigbogu as his backup. Daveon Hook takes over the free safety spot. Lamont Narcisse and AJ Stephens, both of which have been in the corner room to this point, move to the backup safety spots as JoJo Jean was also banged up last week. This is a rough room right now.

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