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Rice Football to hire CJ Anderson as running backs coach

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All signs point to Rice football naming former Super Bowl 50 champion and All-Pro rusher CJ Anderson as its next running backs coach.

Just days away from the start of spring practice, Rice football will have a new face to introduce among its coaching ranks. Former NFL running back CJ Anderson has announced he will be joining the Owls’ staff as the running backs coach.

Anderson spent last season as the head coach at Monte Vista High School in California where his team went 7-3. MVHS won its first seven games of the season after gaining winless during the previous spring season.

A Pro Bowl selection in 2014 and Super Bowl 50 champion, Anderson brings a weighty resume to the running backs room at South Main. He rushed for 1,007 yards in 2017 and also helped lead the Los Angeles rams to the NFC Championship game in 2018.

Head coach Mike Bloomgren has always preached having an NFL Curriculum. Bringing a player like Anderson who has done it at the highest level fits that bill.

More: Rice football adds 2023 game with UConn

Anderson will fill the final coaching spot vacated earlier this offseason by Robbie Picazo, who had served as the Owls’ running back coach for the past two seasons.

Picazo accepted a role as an offensive assistant with the Houston Texans under their new head coach Lovie Smith. Up until this point, he had been one of the longest-tenured Rice assistants, originally coming with Bloomgren from Stanford.

Rice begins spring practice on March 8.

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Rice Football: Owls add UConn home game to 2023 schedule

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Rice football has announced a modification to its 2023 conference schedule, swapping a road game at BYU with a home contest against UConn.

Following the conclusion of the 2021 Rice football schedule, athletic director Joe Karlgaard took notice of just how grueling the Owls’ nonconference slate had been. Games against Arkansas, Texas and Houston wore the team down before conference play even began.

It was during that conversation with Karlgaard that he mentioned potential changes might be forthcoming. “As we go into the American I want to make sure that we’ve got some good balance in our non-conference schedule, which we did not have this year,” he said in early December. A few months later, Rice has adapted its 2023 schedule to better align with those notions.

Rice announced on Friday the addition of UConn to its 2023 schedule. The game will be played on October 7, 2023 and will replace a previously scheduled road game at BYU. The revised 2023 schedule is as follows:

Sept. 2 – at Texas
Sept. 9 – vs Houston
Sept. 16 – vs Texas Southern
Oct. 7 – vs UConn

With a trip to Texas already on the slate, swapping out BYU for UConn makes a lot of competitive sense. BYU reached the AP Top 10 in each of the past two seasons, accruing a 21-4 record over that time. UConn has 21 combined wins since 2013. This scheduling change has a high likelihood of setting the Owls’ up for one more win, further aiding in their chances to return to a bowl game.

Rice football begins in 2022 schedule on the road against USC. Rice will then host McNeese and Houston before ending its nonconference campaign across town at Houston.

Rice begins spring practice on March 8.

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Rice Football: What I’m watching in Spring Practices — Patreon Q&A

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Rice football kicks off spring practice soon. This month’s Patreon Q&A focuses on what I’ll be following closely during these sessions.

In season or not, Rice football frequently appears as a focal point in these Q&A posts. Our February Q&A follows suit, focusing on the upcoming weeks of spring practices and which items I’ll personally be keeping a close eye on as the weeks progress. Practices are currently slated to start sometime in early March.

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For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Q&A’s are reserved for our subscribers. Have questions? You can get those answered and get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and special features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

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2022 Rice Football Schedule Announced

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The 2022 Rice Football schedule was released by Conference USA on Tuesday, including a full 12-game slate.

Despite announcements that three member schools (Southern Miss, Old Dominion and Marshall) intend to leave Conference USA before the beginning of the 2022 football season, the league released schedules for the fall this week. As far as Rice football is concerned, there aren’t many surprises.

As it’s currently set up, the Owls will complete their rotational matchups with East Division members Western Kentucky and Charlotte, flipping home/away designations from last season. They’ll also play each member of the West Division. Rice opens non-conference play at USC, now coached by Lincoln Riley with quarterback Caleb Williams at the helm. They’ll also face McNeese, Louisiana and Houston.

Conference USA released this statement concurrently with the schedule:

Conference USA intends to conduct the 2022-23 athletic year with the full 14 institution membership intact. The C-USA Board of Directors will exhaust all necessary legal actions to ensure all members meet their contractual obligations as defined by and agreed to in the Conference USA Bylaws.

Simply put, Conference USA won’t let the three departing Sun Belt schools go without a fight. There is likely to be some lawyering on both sides before this over, leading to further confusion among administrators, coaches and players throughout the conference.

As things currently stand, here is the 2022 Rice Football schedule:

Date Opponent H/A
Sep. 3, 2022 USC Away
Sep. 10, 2022 McNeese Home
Sep. 17, 2022 Louisiana Home
Sep. 24, 2022 Houston Away
Oct. 1, 2022 North Texas Away
Oct. 8, 2022 Charlotte Home
Oct. 15, 2022 — OFF — —
Oct. 22, 2022 UAB Home
Oct. 29, 2022 WKU Away
Nov. 5, 2022 UTEP Home
Nov. 12, 2022 Louisiana Tech Away
Nov. 19, 2022 Southern Miss Away
Nov. 26, 2022 UTSA Home

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The Roost Podcast, Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting, Conference USA, Rice Basketball

The Roost Podcast | Ep 203 – 2025 Rice Football Opponent Previews: North Texas

Posted: June 27, 2025

The 2025 Rice Football season previews march on. This week, we’re joined by JD Davis to talk North Texas and the Owls’ upcoming reunion with the Mean Green. The fifth edition of our Rice Football opponent summer preview series is in your podcast feeds. First time visitor JD Davis who covers North Texas for the […]

Rice Football

What’s Next: Rice Athletics and the House Settlement

Posted: June 27, 2025

The House Settlement sent shockwaves through college sports. This month’s subscriber Q&A focuses on what it means for Rice Athletics. College sports won’t be the same as they once were following the House Settlement earlier this summer, which introduces the first organized attempts at direct payments to college athletes. Every university is approaching the changes […]

Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting, Seth Clarke

Rice Football Recruiting: EDGE Seth Clarke commits to Owls

Posted: June 26, 2025

The 2026 Rice Football recruiting class keeps adding playmakers in the trenches. Edge Seth Clarke from The Hun School (NJ) has committed to the Owls. Members of the 2026 Rice football recruiting class span from near and far, a mix of local talent from the state of Texas and the right pieces from across the […]

Rice Football

2025 Rice Football Season Preview: Quarterback

Posted: June 24, 2025

Next up in our 2025 Rice Football Season Preview: quarterback. Here’s our breakdown of the Owls’ plans for the group this season. The Rice football quarterback room returns many of the same players from a season ago, but a new head coach and a new scheme make for a very different outlook this time around. […]

Rice Football, Rice Football, Opponents, North Texas

2025 Rice Football Opponent Season Preview: Houston

Posted: June 24, 2025

The Willie Fritz era at Houston got off to a slow start, but the program is moving in the right direction now. What can Rice Football expect from the Cougars in 2025? Head Coach: Willie FritzRecord at School: 4-8 (1 Yr) | Career FBS Record 75-62 (11 Yr)Offensive Coordinator: Slade Nagle | Defensive Coordinator: Austin Armstrong […]

 

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Rice Football and the Transfer Portal: Are the Owls better off?

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Rice football has to deal with the Transfer Portal, just like every other program. Are the Owls better off or has the portal left at a deficit?

Every December the football season winds down and the Transfer Portal takes center stage. Rice football isn’t immune to players opting to leave the program for one reason or another. But is Rice winning in the transfer market or are they losing? How is this new adaptation specifically impacting the Owls? In short: the Transfer Portal has been a huge benefit to Rice football, and it’s not particularly close.

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I last did this study in 2019, evaluating players that came and went that season. The results were overwhelmingly positive. This look back will focus on players who came and went via the Portal for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

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