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Rice Football 2023: Texas Southern presser quotes and depth chart

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Rice football hosts Texas Southern 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 set of players met with the media for their customary weekly availability. They recapped last week’s game and looked ahead at their upcoming matchup with Texas Southern.

Listen Now: The Roost Pod – Breaking down Rice Football vs Houston

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 were our worst enemy, and we know its always going to be about us, but it was very clear in the film that we made mistakes. We committed penalties that put us in tough situations. No surprises there, but it was very evident that we weren’t playing the same way with the same focus that we were in the first half.” – Mike Bloomgren on areas to improve after Houston

“I told our guys that as you look at that film of them playing Toledo last week that’s not the team we’re going to see. We’re going to see a team that’s incredibly fired up to be playing in Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas and every one of them believes they should be sitting in these team meeting room chairs. They believe they’re good enough and should have had the opportunity that our players have and they’re going to try to prove it. The fact of the matter is several of those guys have been on FBS rosters before and frankly some of them are good enough to be on a team like this.” – Mike Bloomgren on preparing to play Texas Southern 

“It’s a kill or be killed mentality. That’s how I live my life and how this whole team lives their lives on [short yardage and goal line]. We do the meeting and we always play Stone Cold Steven Austin before we install it. It gets the mood going. Anytime we line up, we know they did not do a whole practice just for that scenario and we know that anyone that lines up, we’re going to beat them.” – Center Braedon Nutter on the teams’ success in short yardage situations

“I think in the first game I was just working the gears a little bit, getting back to me. I think I needed to settle down and get back to me and know who I am and play with that supreme confidence as [corners coach Jeremy] Modkins always tells us corners… I would say I had a decent game. I think I can do way better and I think I will put that on display these next games coming up.” – Corner Sean Fresch on his growth this year

Depth Chart

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Depth Chart Notes

Just like last week, there were no changes to the official depth chart. That marks three straight games with more or less the same two-deep, a nod to how fortunate the Owls have been with injuries and how well the team has played as a whole. There hasn’t been the need for too many “promotions” and “demotions” although we will hit some key updates with playing time and rotations later this week.


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Rice Football 2023: Houston presser quotes and depth chart

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Rice football hosts Houston 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 set of players met with the media for their customary weekly availability. They recapped last week’s game and looked ahead at their upcoming matchup with Houston.

Listen Now: The Roost Pod – Breaking down Rice Football vs Texas

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 got a great rivalry game coming up, great traditions versus the team right across town. Celebrating the Bayou Bucket is always a great time…. We certainly recognize that coach Holgerson’s team is very talented and we know that it’s going to be a game where we have to play good, clean football for 60 minutes if we want to get the results we want.” – Mike Bloomgren on playing Houston

“The stadiums are four and a half miles apart, driving on roads. It’s probably more like three [miles] as the crow flies. And you’ll hear from [Myron Morrison and Chike Anigbogu], the fact that they’re going to play a lot of their old teammates, a lot of guys they played against in high school. Anytime you play a team in Texas, that’s really cool. But in your own city. That’s fun. The rivalry is real.” – Mike Bloomgren on the Bayou Bucket Rivalry

“One thing that I find encouragement in is a lot of the big plays and explosives that they had are the result of self-inflicted wounds that are something that is very fixable on our end. Those are things, like we mentioned that big jump from week one to week two, very flexible errors were made that weren’t even as much physical as they were mental. That’s going to be completely patched up in our next game.” – Linebacker Myron Morrison on areas to improve on defense after Texas

“That’s everything. That’s a goal I’ve had since I started playing football. Just knowing that my guys have faith in me and my love for them is reciprocated. It’s huge.”
– Linebacker Chike Anigbogu on being named captain this year

Depth Chart

Rice Football

Depth Chart Notes

There weren’t any changes to the official depth chart this week. Everything ties out exactly to how things looked entering the season opener against Texas. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Owls’ will approach their personnel plans the same way — for that stay tuned to our practice update later in the week for our subscribers.


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Rice Football 2023: Texas presser quotes and depth chart

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Rice football visits Texas 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 set of players met with the media for their customary weekly availability. They discussed camp thus far and previewed the week ahead, detailing what they’re expecting to see when Texas takes the field.

Listen Now: The Roost Pod – Rice Football vs Texas Game Preview

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 have an awesome opportunity this week, heading to play the University of Texas. It’s a great challenge for our football team. We understand how talented they are. We’ve been preparing all offseason for them. I think physically and mentally, we’re a stronger football team and that’s going to give us our best chance as we go out there.” – Mike Bloomgren on playing Texas

“What does it take to finish? It’s us deciding, making that decision to finish and knowing that we are good enough. That’s one thing we’ve talked about. We have enough talent and we know it’s going to be about what we do, how we perform. That’s a talented group on the other sideline. There’s no doubt. We’re going to study their scheme. We’re gunna have great answers. But at the end of the day it’s going to be about how we execute and how we perform… I imagine if we fight the way we’re capable of and play the way we’re capable of, we’re going to have those opportunities again and now it’s about taking that next step as a program and finishing those things.” – Mike Bloomgren on the what it will take to pull off an upset

“We’re at the point now where we have twos that are going to play on purpose and they’re going to play because we know it’s going to be hot as Hades in Austin this weekend and we’re going to rotate some people, but also because they’ve earned the right. They’ve earned the trust of their teammates and their coaches. So yeah, the depth is a big plus for our football team… The separation from our ones and twos at some positions is so miniscule that, once again, those guys are going to get the chance to play and in addition to that, they’re going to be competing for the starting role every week of the season.” – Mike Bloomgren on the depth of the team

““It’s a great opportunity and it’s always fun. It’s one of the coolest stadiums there is. They get loud. They get rocking. They have a great time. It’s a very good team. It’s a great test to start the season…. It’ll get loud on third downs. When you walk out, it’ll feel crazy when you see 100 [thousand] or however many there will be, but when you’re in the heat of the moment, you kind of forget it. It looks really cool. Take in the moment when you run out of the tunnel and appreciate getting the opportunity to do that – you know how many people dream of doing that – but when you’re actually in the moment, you’re not even going to notice it.” – Quarterback JT Daniels on the environment in Austin

“Every rep is gold, from an experience standpoint. Being able to go through a whole season, being able to go through a spring ball, fall camp and another spring ball and this year, capping it off with another great month of training is so helpful… From a preparation standpoint, [I feel] better than I ever felt.” – Wide receiver Luke McCaffrey on his confidence at the position 

“One of our focal points this year is consistency. I think we’ve done a great job being consistent with those six and seven guys. We’ve had good rotations during practice but our post-practice, our film study, instead of six or seven individual eyes we’re trying to see the game through one pair of eyes. What the call is from JT or our center, Braedon Nutter, whatever the call is, we’re living that call. We’re trying to communicate, we’re trying to block as a unit instead of five individuals.” – Tackle Clay Servin on the progress of the offensive line 

Depth Chart

Rice Football

Depth Chart Notes

Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren did note there was only one projected member of the two-deep that would not be available this coming weekend, backup offensive lineman Miguel Cedeno. He’s expected to return to practice soon, and otherwise, the Owls are looking as healthy as they’ve been entering a season in quite some time.

As for the remainder of the depth chart, we’ll have some further clarification on the last few position battles in our practice update coming later in the week. At first pass, there isn’t much on this initial depth chart of the season that should surprise anyone. Landon Ransom secured his starting spot as was expected. Tyson Flowers has bumped up to second string after a strong finish to camp, replacing Shepherd Bowling on the two-deep.

An “OR” shared between Tre’shon Devones and Jordan Dunbar is curious, and represents a nod to Devones’ impressive camp. He had a couple of interceptions, including a pick of JT Daniels, and has played well. We’ll have a better feel for how much actual playing time that will translate to by the time we’ve gotten through practices this week.

On special teams, Tim Horn, Conor Hunt and Wyatt Freeman claimed victory in their respective position battles.


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Rice Football 2022: UNT presser quotes and depth chart

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Rice football visits North Texas 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 UTSA loss and looked at the week ahead, detailing what they’re expecting to see when North Texas 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

“My hat’s off them. They performed at an incredibly high level., I look back at our offense and I see a group that got out-physicaled and that’s something that is hard to swallow because that’s something we hang our hat on. Defensively, we missed a couple of fits and every time we did something wrong, they made us pay in a big way. That’s what happens with small areas, (they) add up to a big stuff as four quarters of football goes on and that’s what we saw on Saturday.” – Mike Bloomgren on the UTSA game

“[UTSA] was our first time having back-to-back losses all year, but you feel like you haven’t won a game in forever and that’s just not the case. That’s how you feel as a 45-year-old man. You can imagine what it is like for 18 to 222-year-olds that are dealing with social media? That’s why I thought it was important to remind them that they are a good football team. They’re not the football team that’s only played the last two games. They’re the football team that has won some really big games this year, that’s come back and overcome things and they’re really talented. We’re a good football team.” – Mike Bloomgren on his message to the team

“I imagine he’s a very mature kid. I’ve talked Seth [Littrell] about him, Seth loves him and thinks he’s a great leader. You see that. At this point his career it’s a little bit like Mason Fine in terms of the leadership ability and how you see him rallying his teammates.” – Mike Bloomgren on North Texas quarterback Austin Aune

“KD [Davis] is a great player, obviously going against him the past couple of years. He’s a solid linebacker. I look forward to the match up again. Their front is definitely a lot of different guys [from last year] so it’s really going to be about our preparation this week, watching film. What were these guy’s tendencies? We have played against them, really just looking at that film and making sure we’re ready for these new transfers that they have up front, guys that we’re going to be going against play after play.” – Tight end Jack Bradley on the North Texas defense 

“I feel like we’re a team that’s been battle tested. We’re a team that seen and been through and overcome adversity, time after time. So this isn’t a position that we’re not used to being in. And I’m not worried about where any of the guys head’s [are] at, or anything, where the coach’s heads [are] at or anything. Through this whole program, we’ve seen and been through adversity. So I think we’re going to get spot mentally and a good spot physically. We got guys coming back and we’ve just got to keep doing what we always do, respond to adversity.” – Defensive end Joshua Pearcy on the team’s current mindset

Depth Chart

Rice Football

Depth Chart Notes

The biggest adjustment this week is at quarterback, where Wiley Green has been removed from the spot below TJ McMahon in favor of freshman AJ Padgett, currently listed as a co-starter. Who suits up for the Owls on Saturday remains TBD, but we’ll have a bit more later in the week in our practice notes (available to our subscribers).

On defense, Blake Boenisch has officially leapfrogged Izeya Floyd as the starter at the nose tackle spot, but still expect to see a heavy rotation there. Additionally, Lamont Narcisse is off the depth chart after being injured in practice last week. He’s been replaced by Tre’shon Devones, who started for the Owls last weekend against UTSA.


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Rice Football 2022: UTSA presser quotes and depth chart

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Rice football hosts UTSA 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 WKU loss and looked at the week ahead, detailing what they’re expecting to see when UTSA 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

“What a great team to have on our schedule with only being three hours apart. They have been the class of conferences, certainly last year they elevated their team, they beat a Big Ten team. They scare everybody they play and they haven’t lost a conference game this year. This is a really, really good football team and I think we all can acknowledge that. But I also think it’s really cool anytime you play a team in Texas where a lot of our guys went to high school together and played against each other and have those backstories that make rivalries what they are. I’m glad this one will continue, and like I said, aside from the days we play each other, I think the world of Jeff Traylor and consider him a friend.” – Mike Bloomgren on UTSA

“You know, some people say it’s already secured, but I don’t want to think like that. I want to say that we’ve got to go earn this thing. We’ve got to win these next two games and put ourselves in the position we want to be in. You know me, I always talk process and progress, but I wanted it to be a little more than incremental progress, right? I wanted to take a bigger jump. I wanted to earn that bowl game and I want to play for a conference title. I thought those were things that if we played well on 12 Saturdays, we would have a chance to do, and we played well on some Saturdays, but we didn’t on others, so we don’t have that opportunity anymore.” – Mike Bloomgren on potentially reaching a bowl game

“I don’t know that I can give you a straight answer on that right now. What I can tell you is Shawqi [Itraish] came in and finished out the game and he took a lot of reps with the ones yesterday and did a really nice job. TJ [McMahon] was at practice and did all the things in drill work which is probably more than I expected. He’s still hurting and I have no idea exactly what the future looks like in that position. We’re taking it day by day. I heard Sean McDermott when asked about Josh Allen said it was hour by hour. We’re not quite there yet, but we’re day by day and whomever the trainers say is in a position where they’re clear and ready to perform, they’re going to go out there and do it.” – Mike Bloomgren on the plan at quarterback

“Just really buckling down on the offense, knowing kills, knowing when not to kill, reading defenses, all that type of stuff, just learning our playbook that much better really helped me out there, really helped my growth… I think my biggest strength is my ability to stay in the pocket and take some of those hits but deliver the ball down the field at the same time, and deliver it accurately.” – Quarterback Shawqi Itraish on how he feels his game has improved this year 

“Those guys are special, they’ve done a lot for this program. Those guys are my leaders. I look up to them, all my class does, all the classes below them do. That’d be very special to us, to go get this sixth win and make history with these guys that we love so much and admire so much.”- Defensive tackle Blake Boenisch on winning for the senior class on Senior Day

“Practice is practice. We get tons better from practice and I always say perfect practice this perfect play. But a game is just a whole different atmosphere. Everything’s happening so much more fast, everything’s more physical. I just feel games is a better opportunity to learn more stuff like that at a faster speed. And that’s more you can do in practice.” – Defensive tackle Blake Boenisch on what he’s taking away from his first career start

Depth Chart

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Depth Chart Notes

For the first time in several weeks, Wiley Green finds his name on the depth chart. Green has been back at practice for more than a week, but as of now his availability for Saturday is unknown. Catch a full detailed breakdown of the quarterback situation later in the week in our practice notes (available to our subscribers).

Additional changes this week include the addition of Uriah West to the depth chart, a formality given his assigned role as the short-yardage specialist. The team has also listed Isaac Klarkowski as the starting center this week — he started last week.

On defense, Chike Anigbogu has replaced Marcus Williams as the backup to Treshawn Chamberlain at Viper.  After serving in an expanded role over the last several weeks, Daveon Hook earned an or designation behind George Nyakwol at free safety. At corner, Lamont Narcisse is listed as a starter opposite Sean Fresch, who missed the Western Kentucky game.


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