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What happened to the December Conference USA Football schedule? All-American Q&A

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All-American Level subscribers on Patreon get access to a monthly Q&A with me. The November focuses on the upcoming month of Conference USA football.

Q. How badly did Conference USA bocth the end of season scheduling? Shouldn’t Rice be playing UTSA this weekend instead of Marshall?

A. You could see the writing on the wall when Rice had the Marshall game added back to their schedule the same week the UTSA game was postponed. I understand the impetus from the league office to get as many games back on the schedule as possible, but using hindsight (not a luxury they had at the time) it seems pretty clear that most if not all of those impacting programs were going to have multiple games unplayed by the time the calendar got to December. So, what’s the right answer?

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Rice Football 2020 Game Preview: Marshall

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Rice Football hopes to return to the field this week, but Marshall will be one of their toughest tests yet. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Rice got tantalizingly close to kickoff last week against UTEP but saw the game postponed mere hours before the Owls and Miners were set to face off. The cancelation marks the third time in the last four weeks Rice did not play because of a COVID-19 issue from their opponent.

Marshall was off last weekend with a rare “scheduled” off weekend. Not accounting for rescheduling December games against Rice and FIU, Marshall played through the bulk of their expected regular season. Their last action came on Nov. 14, a win over Middle Tennessee. Their Nov. 21 game against Charlotte was postponed.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 11:00 AM CT
Venue | Joan C. Edwards Stadium – Huntington, WV
TV | ESPN+ (Streaming)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs Marshall on Episode 64 of The Roost Podcast which will be released on Thursday. 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.)

Visual Preview

Make sure you check out Inside the Hedges, a weekly show with myself and former Rice football quarterback Taylor McHargue. Watch it live on Wednesday nights here or watch it at your leisure on the Rice Athletics Youtube page.

Join the Conversation

What are your keys to victory this week? What pitfalls must the Owls avoid? Did you like that third down call? Share your thoughts on the matchup on the forum and make sure you tune in Saturday for our live game blog keeping track of every score and key moment.

Sizing up the contenders

Rice missed the opportunity to play a UTEP team that was winless in C-USA play. Instead, they’ll travel to the only unbeaten team in the conference. That swap, combined with other winnable divisional games previously postponed, leave Rice with an uphill battle as the scheduled winds down. If Rice wants to get back to .500, they’re going to have to beat one of C-USA’s best.

Marshall just needs to keep pace with their side of the conference in this game. The 7-0 Herd have a head-to-head win over FAU, but haven’t played Charlotte. With Conference USA opting not to schedule a game between Marshall and Charlotte (so far), all Marshall has to do is win to stay at the top of the pack with no divisional tiebreakers in play.

Series History

All Time | Marshall leads 5-2
Last Five | Marshall leads 4-1
Last Meeting | Home 2020, Marshall won 20-7

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Collins – 53/86 (61.6 percent), 802 yards passing, 10 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Otoviano – 45 carries, 195 yards (4.3 yards per carry) | Griffin – 41 carries, 159 yards (3.9 yards per carry)
Receiving | Trammell – 16 receptions, 335 yards (20.9 yards per reception), 6 TD | Myers – 14 receptions, 138 yards (9.9 yards per reception)
Tackles | Alldredge – 32, Montero – 23, Garcia – 19
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Calderon – 2 PBU / McCord – 1 INT

Marshall Stat Notables

Passing | Wells – 126/192 (65.7 percent), 1674 yards passing, 16 TD, 4 INT
Rushing | Knox – 148 carries, 744 yards (5.0 yards per carry), 9 TD
Receiving | Gaines – 22 receptions, 288 yards (13.1 yards per reception), 3 TD | Gammage – 23 receptions, 270 yards (11.7 yards per reception), 4 TD
Tackles | Beckett – 69, Neal – 43, Hodge – 31
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Gilmore – 6 PBU / Gilmore, Neal, Johnson, Drayton – 1 INT

Marshall X-Factor | Limit explosive plays

The Marshall defense might be the most formidable unit in C-USA and because of it, teams don’t score points in bunches against the Herd very often. Sustaining long drives isn’t easy to do against this defense. Rice has been able to piece together several 10+ play drives in their limited action so far this season, but something has to give.

Marshall has allowed three plays of 30 or more yards in four conference games, the best mark of any team in C-USA. They’re also the only C-USA team that hasn’t allowed a play of 50 or more yards against a conference opponent.

The Rice offense is more explosive than its been in the past, but they’re going to need a mix in some big gains to sustain those length drives they’ve become accustomed to. Marshall can’t let that happen.

Rice X-Factor | Win the line of scrimmage

Rice did not control the line of scrimmage against North Texas and the ramifications were severe. The Owls could not consistently move the ball on offense and saw a rather sturdy defense effort go to waste. The offensive line has shown they can push people around already this season, against Marshall they’ll have to be at their best.

If Rice can win in the trenches, they’ll set up their offense to control the pace of the game. That’s going to be paramount against a team that’s proven themselves to the degree that Marshall has. They’re ranked for a reason.

Expect to see Rice utilize full backs, tight ends and different packages to aid their line in this game. It doesn’t really matter how Rice finds a way to win this phase of the game. They just have to do it.

Injury Report (Subscribers only)

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Need More?

The Roost’s 2020 Rice Football Season Preview has four pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth charts, important new arrivals and depth chart breakdowns for every team in Conference USA. Better yet, it’s not just speculation, each profile was created with insight from local experts who cover those teams day in and day out. Pick up your copy today and get four pages and more than 1,000 words on every foe.

Pick ‘Em Contest

If you haven’t yet, make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and submit them on the forum thread to enter.

  1. Which team scores first?
    Rice / Marshall
  2. How many points will Rice score?
    Over 23.5 / Under 23.5
  3. Which total is higher?
    Rice first downs / Marshall completions
  4. Which team has the longest run from scrimmage?
    Rice / Marshall
  5. What will be the distance of the longest made field goal?
    Over 39.5 yards / Under 39.5
  6. Who wins?
    Rice / Marshall

One Final Thing

Rice was very vocal about not playing a game in West Virginia this week. Logistically, there are ample reasons Rice should be playing UTSA at Rice Stadium on Saturday rather than flying across the country to play a team outside of their own division.

Honestly, Conference USA followed the easiest course of action possible — adding a game between UAB and Middle Tennessee, simple because both were free — rather than addressing divisional matchups still to be played. All this could have been alleviated if C-USA hadn’t added games back midseason amid rising cancelations, but here we are.

No matter the circumstances, Rice has moved their focus solely to Marshall. It’s a tough task in already challenging conditions. All the more reason for the Owls to press on.

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Rice Football: A season in flux hits encounters third postponement

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Rice Football did not play their scheduled game against UTEP on Saturday, another snag in a season full of challenges off the field.

At 1:30 p.m. Mike Bloomgren sat in his office with a Zoom screen pulled up. The virtual press conference wasn’t a new development — he’d done that too many times to count since the 2020 season began — the time of the call was the unfortunate wrinkle.

When Bloomgren woke up on Saturday morning, he was expecting to be playing a football game at that time. UTEP had arrived from El Paso. Rice ate their normal pre-game meal. Preparations were in place for Rice football to play. Then poof. No game.

Around 12:20 p.m., supposedly 20 minutes after its initial start time, positive tests and contact tracing at UTEP forced the cancelation of the game. An hour later Bloomgren was back in front of the mic rather than making halftime adjustments with his team.

“There’s a lot of flux going on,” Bloomgren said. “The uncertainty has been tough for everybody in 2020.” An understatement if there ever was one.

30 of 84 Conference USA games have been postponed this season. The Rice game was the 100th FBS game postponed this year.

More: Conference USA COVID-19 Postponement Tracker

Prior to 2020, Bloomgren can remember just one in-season cancelation in his entire coaching career. That came in 2001 in the wake of 9/11, a game against Southern Miss when he was on staff at Alabama was canceled. Since then, he’s played the game on his schedule. Until this year, when he’s had to have that uncomfortable conversation with his team three times in the last four weeks.

“We had our normal morning,” Bloomgren said, before then running through the play by play of another postponement.

What comes next, not even Bloomgren knows. Right now Rice football is scheduled to fly to West Virginia to play Marshall. Bloomgren mentioned continued dialogue in the conference office about replacing that game with a West opponent.

Rather than fly East, rescheduling a previously postponed contest with UTSA is on the table. Bloomgren also mentioned moving up the Dec. 12 contest with UAB, which hasn’t played a game in more than a month. Further clarification is expected from the league office this weekend.

Amidst the chaos, Bloomgren remains resolute on one thing: “Whoever we get the opportunity to line up for next Saturday, we will be thankful for that opportunity,” he said. At this rate, a football game against anyone would be a welcome development.

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BREAKING: Rice Football vs UTEP game canceled

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Rice football’s upcoming Thanksgiving weekend game against UTEP has been canceled due to COVID-19 complications at UTEP.

For the third time in four weeks, Rice has had their game postponed. Due to COVID-19 complications at UTEP, the Owls and Miners will not play today as previously scheduled.

Rice was able to play both of their scheduled October games without a hiccup. The Owls opened at home against Middle Tennessee on Oct. 24 and went on the road to play Southern Miss on Oct. 31. Since then, they’ve lost the opportunities to play UTSA on Nov. 7, Louisiana Tech on Nov. 14 and now UTEP on Nov. 28. The UTSA game was postponed on Friday. The Louisiana Tech game was postponed on Thursday.

Conference USA added games against Marshall (Dec. 5) and UAB (Dec. 12) prior to the Owls’ first postponement. Given the three missed games against opponents from C-USA West, there’s still a decent chance the Marshall game is canceled in favor of a divisional contest, but nothing can be certain in 2020 at this point. Marshall most recently lost a game against East division foe Charlotte that has yet to be made up.

More: Rice Basketball Season Preview

Western Kentucky remains the only C-USA school to avoid a postponed game because of COVID-19. A full list of C-USA games impacted by postponements since the season kicked off in late August is available on our Conference USA COVID-19 Postponement Tracker.

The next game on the schedule for Rice football is the Marshall game on Dec. 5. Rice hasn’t played at home since Oct. 24, more than a month ago. At this rate, playing any football, anywhere, would be welcomed. With the calendar creeping into December, there’s not much time left to play this season.

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Rice Football vs UTEP: Testing delay continues, update

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There’s a lot in the air when it comes to the status of today’s Rice football game against UTEP. Here’s what we know, and what we don’t.

Rice football released this statement earlier this morning:

The start of today’s football game between Rice and UTEP, originally scheduled for noon at Rice Stadium, has been delayed pending a second round of testing on participants.  Further information will be released when available.

What we do know

As of now, there hasn’t been anyone from Rice football on the field yet today. Typically we would have seen the team busses arrive (they haven’t yet) and players on the field for individual and team warmups. Neither of those has happened either.

There has been no confirmation as to which program is waiting on the further testing results. We do have some movement on the turf, though. A few players and coaches from UTEP have arrived and are going through individual drills on the field amidst the rain. They’ve also popped up their injury tent.

What we don’t know

I don’t know what the likelihood of playing this game is. But, with some of the UTEP contingent present and the Rice side unaccounted for, it raises concerns for the Owls’ testing results.

Would UTEP bring players to the stadium if there were possible COVID-19 questions within their program? That would seemingly put the ball back in the Owls’ court, but again, that’s the best guess we have for the moment.

What’s next?

That could raise an interesting (and potentially unfortunate) decision point for Rice. Playing today against UTEP, even shorthanded, might give Rice their best chance at another C-USA win this season. Whether or not that’s a viable decision remains to be seen. The alternative, though, could be tough.

If Rice does not play today, their remaining schedule is as tough as it could be in Conference USA. They’re still slated to travel to Marshall next weekend and host UAB the weekend after that. They’ll be underdogs in both contests.

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