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The Roost Podcast | Ep 125 – Rice Football vs McNeese Recap

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Rice football bounced back with an emphatic Week 2 win over McNeese State. What went right for the Owls and can they keep it up going forward?

The second game went much better than the first for Rice football who blasted McNeese State 52-10. It was one of the most dominant showings the program has scene under the direction of head coach Mike Bloomgren and it comes as the team reaches the halfway point of nonconference play. On this week’s show, we break down the game and discuss the team’s trajectory moving forward.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 125.

Episode Notes

Housekeeping

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Rice Football vs McNeese game recap

  • Offense explodes behind a big day from TJ McMahon
  • Aggresive decision-making and playcalling was welcome
  • There was some offensive line shuffling, but it didn’t impact the effectivess
  • Defense forces five turnovers
  • There were some lapses in tackling, but the defense performance was otherwise very good
  • How much of this can the team carry forward into the next game?

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

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Rice Football 2022: Louisiana presser quotes, updates and depth chart

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Rice football plays Louisiana this week. Here’s what Mike Bloomgren had to say about the matchup, injury updates and depth chart notes.

Head coach Mike Bloomgren and a pair of players met with the media for their customary weekly availability. They recapped the McNeese win and looked at the week ahead, detailing what they’re expecting to see when Louisiana 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

“We have shifted our focus to a very good Louisiana team. A team that comes in here with the nation’s longest winning streak, 15 games in a row. I think Billy Napier did an unbelievable job building that program in a lot of ways from the ground up, and it doesn’t seem like they’ve missed a beat. They’re right in here coming into our stadium 2-0. They have a lot of the same schemes on both sides of the ball. They’re a little bit different on special teams, but, again, just doing a really good job on every phase of the game. It’s going to be an outstanding challenge for us this week. It’s one that we are excited about.” – Mike Bloomgren on Louisiana

“It was absolutely crucial. Whomever your leaders are, in any organization, they have got to set the tone. The speed of the leaders is the speed of the pack. So, when those guys go out there and go show everyone, this is the tempo we’re going to practice at, this is the focus that we’re going to have, hopefully, and their coaches have really coached them through the years. But now that we’ve got great leaders in place, they are doing a great job. I don’t know how much we’re having to use our voice as coaches to get effort. That makes it a lot of fun.” – Mike Bloomgren on team leaders stepping up last week

“Me and TJ have a pretty good relationship. We were roommates [last year]. So we have a really good relationship and seeing each other go through some difficult times and kind of being there for each other. It was really fun seeing each other have so much success, especially when it’s together. So that was really good to see him perform and he’s going do to some great things for us.” – Wide receiver Bradley Rozner on his relationship with QB TJ McMahon

“Honestly, we took last Monday’s practice the same way we took this Monday’s practice. We practice the same way we always do because we’re Rice Owls. We’re here to make a play and show what we can do. Every practice is its own entity and we know that as long as we come out and perform the best way we can in practice the results will show.” – Safety Treshawn Chamerlain on the team’s mentality in practice this week 

Depth Chart

Rice Football

Depth Chart Notes

The offensive line is the biggest area of change on this week’s depth chart. Isaac Klarkowski has been removed and Shea Baker has slid over to his spot. That’s what the Owls did for last weekend’s game against McNeese and will be the plan moving forward for as long as Klarkowski is sidelined

This week they’ve bumped John Hughes up to right guard in Baker’s place and opted to keep Onianwa at right tackle.

The Roost Podcast: Recapping Rice football vs McNeese

Also new on this week’s depth chart, Boden Groen has been reinserted. He’s trending towards being available this week after missing the McNeese game following an injury suffered against USC.

At quarterback, all signs point toward another start for TJ McMahon with Wiley Green not listed again this week.

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Rice Football 2022: NFL Owls Week 1 Stats Update

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Rice Football is well represented on 2022 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 1.

There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player.

Team NFL Owl(s) Week 1 Result Week 2
LA Chargers Bryce Callahan (DB) vs Las Vegas W, 24-19 at Kansas City (TNF)
Denver Calvin Anderson (OL) at Seattle (MNF) L, 17-16 vs Houston
Pittsburgh Chris Boswell (PK) at Cincinnati W, 23-20 (OT) vs New England
Detroit Jack Fox (P) vs Philadelphia L, 38-35 vs Washington
Tampa Bay Nick Leverett (OL) at Dallas (SNF) W, 19-3 at New Orleans
Seattle Myles Adams (DL) vs Denver (MNF) W, 17-16 at San Francisco

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

Anderson was active but did not play in the Broncos’ Week 1 loss to the Seahawks.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett was active but did not play in the Bucs’ Week 1 win over the Cowboys.

Defense

Myles Adams – DL, Seahawks

Adams was inactive for the Seahawks’ Monday Night Football game against the Broncos.

Bryce Callahan – CB, Chargers

Callahan had five tackles in his debut game with the chargers and tied for the team lead with two passes defended. He also had one of the team’s nine quarterback hits in the win and one of three team interceptions, slamming the door in the fourth quarter to secure the win.

Christian Covington – DL, Chargers

Covington was on the Chargers’ practice squad during Week 1 but was signed to the active roster on Monday with the team waiving defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko to make room for Covington.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox punted four times against the Eagles, but it was his (young) career marks that stood out the most. The Lions announced in a postgame media release that Fox now owns the highest gross (49.1) and net (43.4) punting averages through a player’s first 125 career punts in NFL history.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell converted three of four field goals and a pair of extra points on Sunday, but it was his final kick that fans will remember most. He drilled this 53-yarder in overtime to deliver the walk-off win.

More Owls in the NFL

From practice squads to current free agents, there are other Owls on the cusp of returning to active rosters. Find more detail on current contractual agreements and former Rice football players waiting for their next opportunity here.

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Rice Football 2022 Game Preview: Louisiana

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Rice football takes on the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns as non-conference play continues. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Fresh off their first win of the 2022 season, Rice football looks to establish a winning streak in their final home game of nonconference play. The 1-1 Owls host the 2-0 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns under the direction of first-year head coach Michael Desormeaux. Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup.

Kickoff time | 6:30 PM CT
Venue | Rice Stadium – Houston, Tx
TV | ESPN+ (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs Louisiana on this week’s episode of the Blue and Gray Preview Show, streaming live on Wednesday at Noon on the Rice Athletics YouTube channel. Look for a recap of the game on the site afterward as well as on The Roost Podcast, which should be released early next week. Find us on the podcast page or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. (And consider leaving us a 5-star review while you’re at it.)

Sizing up the contenders

A win for Rice football on Saturday would give the Owls a winning record through three games for the first time under head coach Mike Bloomgren. It would also put the program on strong footing to reach a bowl game by ensuring no worse than a 2-2 split in nonconference play with a challenge against crosstown rival Houston looming.

On the other side of the ball, Louisiana was a perennial 10+ win team under former head coach Billy Napier, now at Florida. But expectations haven’t fallen much even though there’s been a change in leadership. This game could serve as one step closer to a fourth consecutive double-digit win season for the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Series History

All Time | Louisiana leads, 3-2
Last Five | Louisiana leads, 3-2
Last Meeting | Home 1989, Louisiana won 18-3

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Rice Football Stat Notables

Passing | McMahon – 26/44 (59.1 percent), 339 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT / Green – 8/13 (61.5 percent), 69 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Montgomery – 10 carries, 100 yards (10.0 yards per carry), 0 TD / Broussard – 32 carries, 96 yards (3.0 yards per carry), 3 TD
Receiving | Rozner – 4 receptions, 107 yards (26.8 yds/rec), 2 TD / McCaffrey – 9 receptions, 97 yards (10.8 yds/rec), 0 TD
Tackles | Lockhart – 9 / M. Williams, Morrison – 8 / Fresch – 7
Pass Breakups | Dunbar, Narcisse, Morrison – 1
Interceptions | Taylor, Chamberlain – 1

Louisiana Notables

Passing | Fields – 23/41 (56.1 percent), 314 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT / Wooldridge – 19/24 (79.2 percent), 237 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Rushing | Smith – 18 carries, 74 yards (4.1 yards per carry), 1 TD / Kibodi – 14 carries, 63 yards (4.5 ypc), 0 TD
Receiving | Stephens Jr. – 3 receptions, 103 yards (34.3 yards per reception), 1 TD / Jefferson – 5 receptions, 80 yards (16.0 yds/rec), 1 TD
Tackles | Ossai, Pedescleaux – 12 /  Six others tied with six
Pass Breakups | Bishop – 2 / Garror, Jones, Trahan – 1
Interceptions | Five tied with one

Louisiana X-Factor | Corrall the pass

Rice football had a big day through the air against McNeese State, helping to unlock the run game and making the Owls’ offensive attack look as lethal as it has looked in quite some time. Rice is going to run the football and remains committed to the ground game, but forcing the Owls to rely solely on their running game and eliminating big pass plays is a must.

Louisiana allowed 4.3 yards per attempt in a 24-7 win over Southeastern Louisiana and 6.2 yards per attempt against Eastern Michigan. Rice averaged 9.0 yards per attempt in their win over McNeese this past weekend. Everything else was working when the aerial attack was pacing the offensive attack. What happens if it’s not working to that degree? Can Rice still create explosive plays and score?

Rice X-Factor | Stay on schedule

Rice was faced with 16 third down attempts in each of their first two games. The Owls converted five of 16 against USC and then doubled their efficiency, converting 10 of 16 against McNeese State. It was no coincidence their point total exploded from 14 to 52 in that small two-game sample.

Scoring 50+ points a game isn’t sustainable, but for Rice, staying on schedule and controlling the football is part of the roadmap to get there. The Owls were able to generate explosive plays against McNeese State, but will be in for a tougher test against Louisiana. When those big plays are limited, they’ll need to find a way to move the chains.

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One Final Thing

Rice football has yet to play any team that’s truly in their weight class. USC is currently ranked in the Top 10 nationally and McNeese is now an 0-2 FCS squad. Louisiana looks to be the most evenly matched opponent of the first three games, but most measures have the Ragin’ Cajuns a good bit better than the Owls. For example, SP+ tabs Rice as the 120th best team in the country. Louisiana sits at 61.

Against USC, we learned that the offense can be productive when they’re avoiding mistakes and playing well up front. Against McNeese, we learned that Rice can dominate an inferior opponent, particularly in the trenches. What can we learn about the Owls this week?

More: Path to six — charting Rice football’s course to a bowl berth ($)

A loss wouldn’t disqualify this team from their objectives, but it would require five conference wins to reach .500 and a six-win season rather than four. Conversely, a win would be massive, most likely checking in near the top of the Owls’ best wins under Bloomgren to date.  Either way, it will be a good litmus test to determine where this program stands with conference play looming in just a few weeks.

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Rice Football turns in mirror image showing in rebound win

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From the lowest of lows to the highest of highs, Rice football soared past McNeese State, vanquishing whate

Rice football turned the ball over four times against USC, with three interceptions coming on balls that were tipped off the hands of their own wide receivers. On Saturday against McNeese State, it was Rice doing the taking away, forcing five turnovers (one of which came via deflected pass) on their way to a rout of McNeese State.

The Rice offense did its part too with quarterback TJ McMahon accounting for five touchdowns (four by air, one on the ground) while completing 20-of-29 passes for 274 yards. That could not have looked any more different from last week’s multi-interception game in which McMahon through for just 65 yards and no scores.

Stay Tuned: Rice Football vs McNeese coming soon on The Roost Podcast

“USC was kind of like a reality check for us,” McMahon said at the postgame podium, recapping the most decisive victory in the four-plus-year tenure of Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren. While it’s true the Owls might have come down to earth, they soon took off, again.

In light of the result, McMahon was able to laugh off a false start penalty in the second quarter in the second quarter against wide receiver Luke McCaffrey. “I think he’s just faster than everyone else,” he said with a grin. The handful of deep passes that fell out of reach were met with a stern “good not great, definitely a lot of things to learn and work on.” But even that came with a smile.

No man was smiling bigger than Bloomgren, who had remarked in the aftermath last week that this still was a “very, very good football team.”

“Thank God I was right,” Bloomgren said with a chuckle when reminded of that comment.

“I knew we were a good football team. I knew we didn’t perform the way we wanted to or put our best foot forward [against USC]… And if we didn’t put our best foot forward and we didn’t protect the ball it was gonna be a long day, and it was,” Bloomgren said. “Today, kind of the opposite happened.”

Part of that opposite was thanks to perfectly executed plays by Rice defenders. Safety Gabe Taylor, who returned his takeaway 91-yards — the third-longest interception return touchdown in program history — mentioned he knew where the ball was coming and that they’d repped similar situations in practice.

When asked how he went from finding the football to finding the endzone, he just laughed. “I just don’t want to get tackled,” he said. “I’d rather hit people than get hit so I just want to catch the ball and run as fast as I can to the endzone.”

Taylor’s score was the third Rice touchdown in an eight-minute span during the second quarter, more points than Rice scored in a full 60 minutes against USC. It almost felt like a different team was on the field.

To a large degree, much of it probably comes down to execution. Bloomgren said he was most happy to see. “I saw people win their one on ones. I saw people whip the guy across from him and it doesn’t matter who you’re playing that’s what football is all about,” he remarked.

On Saturday, Rice football dominated every star, won most in-game matchups and capped it off with a lopsided result on the scoreboard. Bloomgren and Co. know this is just one step on the road to where they want to be, but it was evident they were aware of how important the win was to the program, especially considering how far the Owls had come in just one week.

“I think it was pretty good. Pretty dominant, if you will, with a lot to improve on,” Bloomgren said. “As a coach, what more can you ask for?”

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