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Rice Football 2022: WKU presser quotes and depth chart

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Rice football visits Western Kentucky 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 pair of players met with the media for their customary weekly availability. They recapped the UTEP win and looked at the week ahead, detailing what they’re expecting to see when Western Kentucky takes the field.

More: Rice Football – Blue and Gray Preview Show

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

“It was pretty cool for our team to get that win; to have the response that we needed and to do the things that we needed to do on a short week and make sure that we were prepared for that game on Thursday night. Our guys had to be pros. They had to take every walkthrough like it was a game rep and I’m really proud of the fact that they did that. After watching the film, I think we’re doing a lot of good things for the team. There’s no doubt about that.” – Mike Bloomgren on the UTEP win

“When you talk about Austin Reed, you talk about a winner. He’s a guy who won a Division II national title at West Florida. He’s doing a great job. This offense looks a little different with him in there. His willingness to run and the fact that he really is a duel threat, so I think he brings a lot to the table. They’re moving the sticks at a great rate and they’re putting the ball in the box. Against a conference opponent, they scored 73 points. That’s pretty crazy in 2022.” – Mike Bloomgren on WKU quarterback Austin Reed

“The bottom line for our defense right now is that on first and second down, I think we’re doing some really productive things. But, there’s still too many times where we get someone in third-and-long and we’re allowing them to move the sticks. That’s something that we’re continuing to work on. You look back at the last two games; to have a third-and-14 and a third-and-16 and they’re converted on the ground, that’s not what we want. We want to still rally and make those plays. In each of those examples, you either had somebody miss an assignment or get a hand on the ball carrier where it would have been well short of the first down marker and we didn’t make the play. We just have to continue to trust and believe in what Coach Smith is presenting and we have to make the plays that are there for us and we’ll be just fine. ” – Mike Bloomgren on adjustments needed for the Rice defense

“We’re resilient team and we can we can play through anything. We practice hard. The things that we go through in practice, the things we went through in the summer, it all comes into play now. When you got a tough game, a tight game, when it’s close you got to look to the guy next to you to make a play. And I think we’re capable of doing that and obviously you saw it on Thursday. Players are gonna make plays. That’s what we do.” – Defensive lineman Quent Titre on what he’s learned about this team 

“I’m fine with it. I thrive in that siatuon, all the pressure. When you’re up against the corner and you know you need somebody to make that play, that’s my favorite situation because that’s when you shine. That’s when everybody sees it. I like being in that position, I think that’s a fun position to be in.” – Wide receiver Isaiah Esdale on his role in the offense 

Depth Chart

Depth Chart Notes

The only changes to the depth chart this week appear to be procedural. The offensive line is now listed as they started the game against UTEP, with Isaac Klarkowksi returning to center and Shea Baker sliding over to left guard in place of John Hughes. The only other adjustment is the removal of Ari Broussard, who has missed the past two games with injuries. It’ll be Juma Otoviano and Cameron Montgomery atop the depth chart this week as expected.

Punt return is the other change. Luke McCaffrey was given a shot last week, but he fumbled. The next man up will be Isaiah Esdale. The WVU transfer has worked at punt return throughout the season, but hasn’t been tasked with the assignment in a game just yet. That could change on Saturday.

Some questions remain as to the availability of others currently listed on the depth chart that did not play in prior weeks, namely safety George Nyakwol and receiver Cedric Patterson. We’ll have more updates on both players and their projected availability in our practice notes later in the week (available to our subscribers).

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Rice Football 2022: Charlotte presser quotes and depth chart

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Rice football hosts Charlotte 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 pair of players met with the media for their customary weekly availability. They recapped the Louisiana Tech win and looked at the week ahead, detailing what they’re expecting to see when Charlotte takes the field.

More: Rice Football – Blue and Gray Preview Show

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

“Defensively, it was certainly not our best game. But, when all the chips were on the line, we found a way to end the game by denying them that two-point opportunity. Again, I chalk that up to all of the hits on the passer and being able to stop the run game all day long. A lot of good things went into that last play, I think.

I want to say this. After preparing for it  and watching it in-game, I don’t think Sonny Cumbie is just a good offensive, creative mind, I think he’s a great one. I think he did a phenomenal job and his kids played incredibly hard. The way that they came out in the first quarter was impressive. The way they fought on both sides of the ball and to jump out on us 10-0. Again, my hats off to what he his building there. But, once again, I’m glad we found a way to win the game.” – Mike Bloomgren on the challenges posed by Louisiana Tech

“I wish I could tell you some unbelievable speech. There were a couple of things that we tweaked at halftime and a couple of changes that we made, but there weren’t many to be quite honest. But in the second quarter, we drove down to the one-yard line and put the ball on the ground. So, it’s not like we weren’t moving the rock. To get the touchdown through the air to Luke [McCaffrey] was a big deal. I think there were a lot of things that went right for us to only be down 10-7 at halftime, including Sean Fresch’s pick in the end zone.

I went into the locker room very grateful to only be down three points with the way we played in the first half. We just had to come out and play our style of football. There’s not going to be a whole lot of magic. I’m very thankful that we were able to come out and execute better.” – Mike Bloomgren on offensive adjustments against Louisiana Tech

“It’s largely the same personnel that we’re gonna play in the Charlotte game again. The good thing about that for us is I think we’ve evolved a lot. We’ve grown a lot. So I welcome that opportunity. We know them well. We know how explosive those receivers are. And we all remember where we were. We were in the fourth quarter, up 10 points, with six minutes to play and [they went] right down the field… We didn’t perform overtime. So we know what the thing look like. But I do think we’re a very different team whereas their cast of characters is pretty similar.” – Mike Bloomgren on how this Charlotte team compares to last year’s team

“That overtime win had been something elusive in my career as a Rice Owl so you can believe I was breathing a sigh of relief and celebrating when we finally got that that elusive overtime win. I was almost in disbelief. It was just like, wow, like, here we came and we actually did it. So it’s awesome. I think another thing that came from it is we just build that confidence. I think last year it was tough on us because we went back to back overtime games and we lost both of them..

But now we’re seeing that even when we’re not performing to our standards on all three phases of the team, each phase stepped up at a certain time and put is in a position to win even with that little extra quarter we played. As much as you don’t want to be in that situation, it did do loads for our confidence.” – Defensive end Trey Schuman on winning in overtime

“At some point, I just realized it was bigger than me. We all came here to play football and win games. When we were trending in a bad direction early in my time here at Rice, I just wanted to find ways that I could impact the team off the field. And that just grew with working on our bonds and working on what we can do outside of football to get closer so that when we’re on the field we can just play lights out every play for each other.” – Running back Juma Otoviano on the team’s mentality

Depth Chart

Rice Football

Depth Chart Notes

Rice football did not release a depth chart prior to the FAU game, so this week’s updates account for two games’ worth of changes. First on offense, Tyson Thompson, who’s been out for several weeks with an injury, was replaced by Kobie Campbell as the Owls’ fourth wide receiver. Peyton Stevenson also saw his named added to the depth chart for the first time, as he’s been running in front of Rawson McNeil in the backup X role.

The offensive line is the same as it was deployed last week, although officially slightly altered from the FAU game. At running back, Juma Otoviano has jumped into the mix, and will most likely see an enlarged role this week (stay tuned for this week’s practice notes for me on that front, available to our subscribers).

On defense, there were no official changes. The depth chart is a mirror image of that version which the Owls announced prior to the FAU game.

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

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Rice Football 2022: LA Tech presser quotes and depth chart

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Rice football travels to Louisiana Tech 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 pair of players met with the media for their customary weekly availability. They recapped the FAU loss and looked at the week ahead, detailing what they’re expecting to see when Louisiana Tech takes the field.

More: Rice Football – Blue and Gray Preview Show

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

“The thing is, we win and lose as a team. The job for everybody on this team is to make sure we score one more point than the opponent. Whatever that looks like. I think our defense is very, very good. I think they are going to give us a chance in every ballgame we play. But we also have a chance to take this defense to the stage of being elite. That’s really what we’re challenging them to do right now. It’s to get a shutout this year. I expect our defense to take another step this week, just like I expect everybody on this team to take a step forward.” – Mike Bloomgren on the play of the Rice defense

“Sonny [Cumbie] is doing a great job up there with the scheme offensively. He’s got talented weapons. I jokingly call the two receivers the Harris brothers. Smoke Harris feels like he’s been at La Tech since I’ve been coaching. He’s got a lot of time played against us and he’s an explosive player. I think Parker [McNeil] is doing a great job at the quarterback position. He’s doing a great job dealing the ball around. Defensively, they hired a really good defensive coordinator. A guy who’s had success, most recently at SFA. He created a dominant defense there. So, it’s really going to be a great challenge for us.” – Mike Bloomgren on Louisiana Tech

“I thought Coach Tuiasosopo did an unbelievable job yesterday. He pulled up practice video of Wednesday of the same call against the same defense and we executed. We read it properly, we made our blocks, we ran the ball. He showed a clip, literally, one clip for everybody on our offense. So, we do it right on Wednesday and we do it well on Wednesday, and then we do something completely different on Saturday. While we’re all searching for answers, we have to be able to take what we do on that Tuesday and Wednesday practice, and do it that way on Saturday or these things don’t work.

We’ve got to have the discipline to grow and to say ‘If there’s something we don’t feel good about, we have to say that to our coaches on Thursday and Friday.’ It is players over plays. It is players being able to play fast, know their assignment and play. We’ve recruited a really good football team. We need them to play fast and with confidence right now.” ” – Mike Bloomgren on the growth needed for the Rice offense

“He’s done a great job teaching me that my fundamentals are good enough. So if you harp on the fundamentals and just fall back on your training, you don’t have to go out there and do anything outstanding, or you don’t have to go out there and do anything out of body. Just go out there, tely on what you practice every day and you’ll be doing well.” – Running back Cam Montgomery on what he’s learned from RB coach CJ Anderson

“Since I’ve gotten to Rice, special teams has been huge, it’s nothing like high school [where] you have a meeting or two about it and we go out and see what happens on Saturday. Special teams is big. It’s going to change the game every single game. You never know what play it is that will change the game, like a punt return or kickoff attack or maybe blocking a kick.” – Corner Sean Fresch on the Owls’ special teams units

Depth Chart

Rice Football

Depth Chart Notes

There were no official changes to the two-deep so far this week. If Rice posts an updated version we’ll be sure to get it on the site later in the week. For the time being, stay tuned for practice updates available to our subscribers.

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

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Rice Football 2022: FAU presser quotes and depth chart

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Rice football travels to FAU 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 pair of players met with the media for their customary weekly availability. They recapped the UAB win and looked at the week ahead, detailing what they’re expecting to see when FAU takes the field.

More: Rice Football – Blue and Gray Preview Show

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’m really confident in the way we’re preparing right now. I think our teams is excited. I think we’re all excited for this trip to Boca Raton. We understand what we’re up against. FAU is a very well-coached team, from Coach (Willie) Taggart to all of his coordinators right on down the line. It’s just a great staff. They have great athletes. So we understand what a great challenge its going to be for us this weekend. But, at the same time, we’re doing what we do. We’re worrying about us. That’s exactly how we want it to be.” – Mike Bloomgren on facing FAU

“I think you’re playing a team from South Florida. You’re going to have great speed. You’re going to have great length and you see those things. You see some twitchy dudes that make plays. Let’s start with quarterback. N’Kosi Perry was a very highly recruited kid. He started his career at The U. Now he’s been at FAU for two years. He has the ability to affect the game with his legs and he’s got a great arm. It starts there. All of their skill [players] run so incredibly well. Their lines have gotten better and better every year. Looking at the jump they made from last year to this year, both their offensive and defensive lines are tremendously improved.” – Mike Bloomgren on the FAU roster

“Listening to people that know [offensive coordinator Brent Dearmon], he doesn’t want to be one of these air raid gurus. He doesn’t want to throw the ball. He actually wants to create lanes to run the ball and he wants to run the ball down your throat so that’s going to be a big matchup for our run stopping defnese against their creative offense. And then how can we do a great job in the secondary making sure N’Kosi Perry doesn’t get those fast guys behind us?” – Mike Bloomgren on key matchups vs FAU 

“They have good athletes all around so that’s going to be something we have to be cautious of, but I obviously think we have good athletes as well so it’s going to be a good matchup for us. There athletes and the way they fly around for the ball, I think it’s going to be a good challenge for us.” – Quarterback TJ McMahon on FAU’s strengths 

“Their o-line is solid. They have a very athletic quarterback, you can’t just run in there with your hair on fire. We’re getting ready to stop that and we have a good gameplan going forward.” – Linebacker Chris Conti 

Depth Chart

Rice Football

Depth Chart Notes

There were two changes to the offensive depth chart, the first being a mere formality. Isaac Klarkowski, who started at right guard for the Owls against UAB is officially listed back on the depth chart this week as the team readies for FAU. The only other change on that side of the ball is at tight end where Nate Kamper is listed and could be in line for his 2022 debut.

The Roost Podcast: Recapping Rice football vs UAB

The defense is arrayed exactly the same as it was last week, at least on paper. Make sure you’re tuned in on Patreon for a practice update later in the week with any adjustments and changes as we look ahead to Saturday against FAU.

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

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Rice Football 2022: UAB presser quotes and depth chart

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Rice football hosts UAB 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 pair of players met with the media for their customary weekly availability. They recapped the Houston loss and looked at the week ahead, detailing what they’re expecting to see when UAB takes the field.

More: Rice Football – Blue and Gray Preview Show

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 looks like their football team. It’s big, physical and sound in every phase. From what I understand, Brian Vincent is still calling the offense. That hasn’t seemed like it’s changed much. I think it’s the same defensive coordinator. Coach Reeves, I think, is calling and planning it. It looks really similar right now.

The players on that side of the ball look really similar too. The edge rushers, the run, and hit linebackers. It seems like Noah Wilder, their leading tackler has been there for 10 years. There’s a lot of great players. The running backs that they have; I love our running back room, but the production that they’ve had from their running backs is out of sight. A lot of it stems from the fact that they’ve brought back everybody on the offensive line. It’s a really good football team that presents really good challenges in every phase.” – Mike Bloomgren on UAB under interim head coach Bryant Vincent

“They were the bully. And our first year here in 2018, we couldn’t move the ball seemingly an inch and they were an outstanding team in 2018. They were the standard. They were the one we pointed to. They were the bulley. And the facts are we went up there last year and we won the game and we put some physical stuff on film in that game as well. So they can put up whatever quotes I want. They’ve got to come down here to Houston. They’ve gotta play these guys. These guys are a physical football team that prepares incredibly well. I have no doubt it’s going to be a physical football game. But I don’t think any words in a locker room are going to win or lose this game.” – Mike Bloomgren on UAB being the former bully of Conference USA

“UAB is a very good opponent. We’re excited to play them. Each week we prepare the same. Our process; it’s all about us. So this week with UAB, we just got to focus on fixing our mistakes, fixing those little things that really in the fourth quarter against Houston, bit us.” – Center Shea Baker on preparing for UAB

“I think in this defense the more time you put in the slower the game moves and this year I’ve been able to see the game a lot faster on my end but its moving slower as far as how I can react and play faster so I feel like I’ve been more of the hammer and not the nail this year and really just been able to play more confidently.” – Linebacker Myron Morrison on his growth this season

Depth Chart

Rice Football

Depth Chart Notes

The biggest change reflects how Rice football opened their game against Houston last week along the offensive line. Trey Phillippi is now listed as the starting left guard rather than a reserve offensive tackle. Shea Baker is back at center after Isaac Klarkowski was listed on the depth chart last week but did not play. We’ll have more on how exactly we expect the offensive line to be deployed for our subscribers later this week.

At wide receiver, Kobie Campbell is now officially listed over Tyson Thomspon. That’s more or less a formality at this point as Campbell has had a few key catches over the last few games and Thompson has yet to see the field in much more than a special teams capacity.

The Roost Podcast: Recapping Rice football vs Houston

On defense, De’Braylon Carroll has regained his spot on the depth chart as he works himself back to 100 percent. That bodes well for his starting chances this coming weekend.

Additionally, the only OR designation on that side of the ball was dropped with Chris Conti officially being listed as the starting Mike linebacker, something that’s essentially been how this team has operated throughout September.

There is one new name listed: corner Tre’shon Devones is back after an extended absence. He was on the practice field this week for the first time this season. He’ll be phased back into the defense.

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

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