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Rice Football 2021: NFL Owls Wild Card Round update

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Rice Football is well represented on 2021 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in the Wild Card Round.

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

Wild Card Round Schedule

Game NFL Owl(s) Result
Las Vegas at Cincinatti Coaches James Casey, Justin Hill Bengals win 26-19
New England at Buffalo  — Bills win 47-17
Philadelphia at Tampa Bay Nick Leverett (OL) Bucs win 31-15
San Francisco at Dallas  — 49ers win 23-17
Pittsburgh at Kansas City Chris Boswell (PK) Chiefs win 42-21

Divisional Round Schedule

Game NFL Owl(s) Date / Time
Cincinattiat at Tennessee Coaches James Casey, Justin Hill Sat. Jan. 22 at 3:30 pm
San Francisco at Green Bay  — Sat. Jan. 22 at 7:15 pm
LA Rams at Tampa Bay Nick Leverett (OL) Sun. Jan. 24 at 2:00 pm
Buffalo at Kansas City  — Sun. Jan. 24 at 5:30 pm

NFL Owls Update

Chris Boswell – PK, Steelers

Boswell did not attempt any field goals in his lone playoff appearance of the season but did drive all three of his extra points attempts through the posts. He and the Steelers were eliminated from the NFL Playoffs in the Wild Card Round.

Nick Leverett– OL, Bucs

Leverett was inactive for the Bucs Wild Card round game against the Eagles and did not see action. That proved perilous for the Bucs who lost tackl Tristian Wirfs midway through the game to injury and was unable to return. Center Ryan Jansen also missed time with an injury. Leverett has already seen spot duty because of injuries to players ahead of him on the depth chart this year. He may be needed again in the Playoffs.

Offseason Owls

  • The Atlanta Falcons have signed wide receiver Austin Trammell to a futures contract.
  • The Seattle Seahawks have signed defensive tackle Myles Adams to a futures contract.

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 2021: NFL Owls Regular Season Recap

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Rice Football is well represented on 2021 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls from this week and the season as a whole.

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 17 Result Next
LA Chargers Christian Covington (DL) at Las Vegas (SNF) L, 35-32 (OT)  —
Denver Calvin Anderson (OL)
Bryce Callahan (CB)		 vs Kansas City L, 28-24  —
Pittsburgh Chris Boswell (PK) at Baltimore W, 16-13 (OT) at Kansas City
Detroit Jack Fox (P) vs Green Bay W, 37-30  —
Tampa Bay Nick Leverett (OL) vs Carolina W, 41-17 vs Eagles
Indianapolis Andrew Sendejo (Saf) at Jacksonville L, 26-11  —
Falcons Austin Trammell (WR) vs Saints L, 30-20  —
New York Jets Austin Walter (RB) at Buffalo L, 27-10  —

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

Anderson was placed on injured reserve following a leg injury suffered in the Broncos’ Week 13 loss to the Chiefs. He did not play in their Week 18 game against the Chiefs. He made three starts this season.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett was inactive for the Bucs’ Week 18 game against the Panthers. He’d been active in recent weeks and saw action against those same Panthers in Week 16. He’ll be ready should he be needed in relief in the playoffs after making two appearances in the regular season.

Austin Trammell – WR, Falcons

Trammell was active once again this week after being elevated to the active roster from the practice squad. In a seemingly related move, the team released Marvin Hall earlier in the week, clearing room for Trammell to see the field. Trammell played six special teams snaps, a career-high after registering just one official play in his Week 17 debut.

Austin Watler – RB, Jets

With most of the running back room healthy this week, Walter was kept off the stat sheet after totaling a career-high 49 rushing yards in Week 17. He finishes the season with 101 rushing yards on 26 caries and two receptions for nine yards. He scored his first carer touchdown in Week 7 against the Texans in Houston.

Defense

Bryce Callahan – CB, Broncos

After missing the Broncos’ Week 17 game because of a short stint on the COVID-19 IR, Callahan returned for the season finale against the Chiefs, finishing with four tackles, three of which were solo takedowns. He finishes the season with 29 total tackles, three tackles for a loss and four passes defended.

Christian Covington – DL, Chargers

Covington’picked up two tackles in a wild Sunday Night Football loss at the hands of the Raiders. He finishes the season with 52 total tackles, three tackles for a loss and one quarterback hit.

Andrew Sendejo – S, Colts

Sendejo was placed on the COVID 19 list, forcing him to miss the Colts’ Week 18 game. He finishes the season with 40 total tackles, two tackles for a loss and two passes defended.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox punted twice against the Packers, including a long punt of 67 yards. He also attempted one pass, which fell incomplete. He finishes the season with 65 punts with an average of 49.2, the second-best mark in the NFL. He booted a 70-yard punt against the Bears, his career-long.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell was perfect once again, including the game-winning field goal in overtime to lift the Steelers over the Ravens and ultimately send his team to the playoffs. He was 3-for-3 on the day with his field goal attempts and made his lone extra point try as well.

Boswell finishes the regular season 36-of-40 on field goals with a long of 56 yards. He made 8-of-9 kicks from 50+ yards and contributed 135 total points.

More Owls in the NFL

Former Rice football alums Justin Hill and James Casey are on the coaching staff of the Cincinnati Bengals, who play the Raiders in the Wild Card Round.

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.

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

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Rice Football Recruiting Director Alex Brown hired by SMU

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Rice Football Recruiting Director Alex Brown to be named Director of Scouting at SMU, The Roost can confirm.

First reported by Yahoo’s Pete Thamel, The Roost can confirm that now-former Rice football director of recruiting Alex Brown is leaving to take a position at SMU. Although his work was mostly behind the scenes, the impact Brown had on this program was tremendous. Initially hired away from Houston, Brown revamped the full scope of recruiting operations at South Main.

Brown was with Rice football from the spring of 2019 through the 2022 Early Signing Period. Rice signed some of its most highly-rated recruiting classes under his tenure. Beginning with the 2019 signing class, Brown helped Rice land four consecutive Top 6 classes in program history. The last Rice recruiting class to rank inside the Top 10 all-time was the 2015 class.

Signees like Gabe Taylor, DJ Arkansas and Jake Bailey all rank among the Top 10 signees in program history. Fellow signees Rawson MacNeil, Sean Fresch and Davion Carter round out three more from the Top 20 players ever signed by the Owls.

The results on the field didn’t always live up to the level of talent being brought to campus, but as far as Brown’s role was concerned, there was never a lack of playmakers on the way in. Replacing his contributions to the Rice football recruiting operation will be challenging. Fortunately for the Owls, the structure and strategies he put in place should pay dividends for many classes to come.

No formal announcement has been made by Rice football at this time regarding a replacement. Recruiting assistant Daniel Clements will handle duties in the interim.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Owls target o-line in latest run of offers

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The Transfer Portal has been a focal point of Rice football recruiting in recent weeks, including a flurry of offers on the offensive line.

The 2022 Rice Football recruiting class got off to a great start during the early signing period, but there’s more work to do before the class is completed later this spring. For the time being, the Transfer Portal has taken center stage. Rice has been active in recent weeks, shifting their focus to transfer targets with much of their high school contingent now signed.

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It only takes a brief look at the Owls’ most recent offer list to identify the current priority: offensive line.  The five most recent offers for the upcoming 2022 Rice Football recruiting class have all come at that position, including four transfer targets and one high school senior.

For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Recruiting analysis like this piece is reserved for our subscribers. Get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and special features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

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Rice Football 2021: NFL Owls Week 17 Stats Update

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Rice Football is well represented on 2021 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 17.

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 17 Result Week 18
LA Chargers Christian Covington (DL) vs Denver W, 34-13 at Las Vegas (SNF)
Denver Calvin Anderson (OL)
Bryce Callahan (CB)		 at Los Angeles Chargers L, 34-13 vs Kansas City
Pittsburgh Chris Boswell (PK) vs Cleveland (MNF) W, 26-14 at Baltimore
Detroit Jack Fox (P) at Seattle L, 51-29 vs Green Bay
Tampa Bay Nick Leverett (OL) at New York Jets W, 28-24 vs Carolina
Indianapolis Andrew Sendejo (Saf) vs Las Vegas L, 23-20 at Jacksonville
Falcons Austin Trammell (WR) vs Buffalo L, 29-15 vs Saints
New York Jets Austin Walter (RB) vs Tampa Bay L, 28-24 at Buffalo

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

Anderson was placed on injured reserve following a leg injury suffered in the Broncos’ Week 13 loss to the Chiefs. He did not play in their Week 17 game against the Chargers.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett was active but did not play in the Bucs’ Week 17 win over the Jets. He’s seen action in two games this season, most recently in Week 16 against the Panthers.

Austin Trammell – WR, Falcons

Trammell was active for the first time in his NFL career on Saturday and saw brief action for the Falcons on special teams.

Austin Watler – RB, Jets

Walter saw the most action of his NFL career on Sunday, toting the rock 14 times for 49 yards in relief of Michael Carter, who was injured early in the game. The 14 carries represented two more than he’d tallied in his previous outings combined this season.

Defense

Bryce Callahan – CB, Broncos

Callahan missed the Broncos’ Week 17 game after being placed on the COVID-19 IR, one of a dozen Broncos who ended up on the list. Callahan had only played in two contests since returning from a previous IR stint, although that absence was injury-related.

Christian Covington – DL, Chargers

Covington’s usage has pinballed back and forth this season and this weekend was no different. A week removed from a career-high 10 tackles, he played just 32 percent of the team’s defensive snaps, accruing three tackles and one tackle for a loss.

Andrew Sendejo – S, Colts

Sendejo has missed the Colts’ Week 17 game after being placed on the COVID 19 list. He’d missed their prior game with a concussion.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox punted three times against the Seahawks, including a long punt of 57 yards. He ranks second in the league in punt average, trailing only the Raiders’ AJ Cole.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell was perfect on Monday Night Football. In what was reported by many to be Big Ben’s last regular season home game, Boswell converted 4-of-4 field goals, including a long of 50 yards. He also pushed through two extra points, accounting for 14 of the team’s 26 points on his own.

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.

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

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