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The Roost Podcast | Ep 90 – Rice Football vs Arkansas Debrief

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Matthew and Carter break down the first game of the 2021 Rice Football season this week, discussing the highs and lows of the Owls vs Arkansas.

There was a mix of good and bad takeaways from the first Rice football game of the season. The Owls opened up a halftime lead against Arkansas, but could not hold the line in the fourth quarter. How the quarterback puzzle fit into the loss, thoughts on it going forward and more will be directed in this week’s show.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 90.

Episode Notes

  • Housekeeping
    • Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice. Every little bit helps.
    • Check out the Blue and Gray Preview Show every Wednesday at Noon, hosted by Matthew and Rice radio broadcaster JP Heath
    • Don’t forget to grab your copy of the 2021 Rice Football Season Preview.
    • Please support us on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes updates from fall camp, practices and more.
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  • Rice Football vs Arkansas Game Debrief 
    • The secondary was superb, even with the fourth quarter lull
    • The front seven was good, but has opportunities to grow
    • Stopping the run and running the ball were both areas that need to be fixed
    • What should we make of the quarterback rotation? Will things be different next week?
    • One quick look ahead at key matchups against Houston

Where can you find us?

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Rice Football 2021: Houston presser quotes, practice notes and depth chart

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Rice football opens its home slate on Saturday against Houston. Here’s what Mike Bloomgren had to say about it, injury updates and practice notes.

This is the first of a couple of updates coming this week as Rice football prepares to take on Houston. We’ll include updates from head coach Mike Bloomgren’s midweek press conference, then dig further into the details on the depth chart and what the team looks like on the field headed into the weekend.

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This week, there was considerable attention given to the quarterback spot. There was one notable development on that front in practice, as well as a few updates on a score of players that left the Arkansas game early. First, the quotes:

Press Conference Quotes

“I think it’s it’s always special. Anytime you play anybody in state, but especially in your own city. So many of our kids know guys on that team and played with them in high school or played against them in high school. I think that’s really fun.

I’ve been so fortunate in my career, to be a part of some great rivalries, whether you talk about Florida-Florida State or Florida State-Miami, or Alabama-Auburn, or Stanford-Cal or Stanford-Oregon at that time. They’re always fun.

You wish you could take the same approach and you wish you could be able to just do your routine. But there’s something that happens when you go out there and you’re amped up against a rival. As long as we use it for good, we’ll be really happy about that. So I know there’s going to be more emotions. I know there’s going to be excitement that builds towards this game. And I guess quite frankly, there should be. It’s a big game in the fourth largest city in America.” – Mike Bloomgren on Bayou Bucket rivalry game

“Both of them took reps with the ones yesterday, both of them are all working towards it. And we’re gonna see how we come out of this thing. I think both those guys have the ability to lead a college football team and we’re going to keep working to see who the is the best fit and gives our team the best opportunity to go forward.” – Mike Bloomgren on the QB battle

“Both teams are going through a lot of changes in the past three years. But as far as our team goes, I think we’ve played our brand of football all the way through since Coach Bloom got here. We’ve played with intellectual brutality in our minds. And I think you saw that in 2018. And you’ll see a better, more refined version of that, coming in 2021.

We’ve got guys in better spots; we’ve got a more talented roster across the board. We’ve got coaches that have been in system longer. Coaches that are used to calling games longer. We’ve got coach Tui going into his second game as a Rice Owl.” – Tight end Jaeger Bull on the differences in UH and Rice teams from 2018 to now

“Being a Houstonian, I really look forward to this game. It’s about time we take this win and pretty much say that we own the city of Houston because we do. We haven’t been able to get the win just yet, but this week we will.”  – Safety George Nyakwol on the team’s confidence this week

Depth Chart

The Rice football depth chart did not change from the Arkansas game. There will most certainly be changes, but no players were officially ruled out as of Tuesday.

Rice football, depth chart

Expected Depth Chart Changes and injuries

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Rice Football 2021 Game Preview: Bayou Bucket vs Houston

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Rice Football continues its tour of former Southwest Conference foes, squaring off with Houston in Week 2. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Rice football fans experienced the full range of emotions last, ending with a heartbreaking thud. The Owls saw a 10-point lead vanish as they fell on the road to Arkansas.

Houston had the good fortune of playing in their own city, squaring off with Texas Tech at NRG Stadium. Houston led by as 14 points on two separate occasions, but the Cougars were outscored 28-0 in the second half. Both teams enter Week 2 with a sour taste in their mouths and plenty of motivation.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 5:30 PM CT
Venue | Rice Stadium – Houston, TX
TV | CSB Sports Network
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs Houston this week’s episode of the Blue and Gray Preview Show, streaming live on Wednesday at Noon on the Rice Athletics YouTube channel. You can also catch the recap of last week’s game on The Roost Podcast, which should be released shortly. 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

During our preseason survey of the Rice football opponents, the significance of the Bayou Bucket was noted in a conversation with Sam and Dustin of The Scott and Holman Pawdcast on The Roost Podcast. After opening losses, both rife with reasons for each respective fanbase to voice their frustrations, this Week 2 game looms large.

For Rice, this contest is sandwiched between Power 5 opponents. And if the Owls were unable to close against Arkansas, the task won’t be any easier against Texas in Week 3. Losing this week against Houston could pave the way for an 0-3 start for a team touted as one of the program’s best in recent history.

Houston has reason to worry, too. No matter how realistic they might have been, the Cougars have conference championship expectations. Outside of Cincinnati and possibly UCF, the rest of the AAC looked decidedly underwhelming in Week 1. Houston could rise from 0-2 to challenge for a conference title, but the optics would make such an endeavor seem like wishful thinking at best. All those factors combined make for a rather significant Week 2 rivalry game.

Series History

All Time | Houston leads 31-11
Last Five | Houston leads 5-0
Last Meeting | Home 2018, Houston won 45-27

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Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Green – 12/25 (48.0 percent), 152 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing | Griffin – 13 carries, 35 yards (2.7 yards per carry)
Receiving | Pitre – 4 receptions, 97 yards (24.3 yards per reception), 1 TD / Bailey – 4 receptions, 47 yards (11.8 yds/rec)
Tackles | Montero – 11 / Chamberlain – 10 / Morrison – 9
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Smith – 1 PBU, Fresch – 1 INT

Houston Stat Notables

Passing | Tune – 27/38 (71.1 percent), 174 yards passing, 2 TD, 4 INT
Rushing | Car – 13 carries, 37 yards (2.8 yards per carry)
Receiving | Dell – 7 receptions, 80 yards (11.4 yards per reception), 1 TD / Trahan – 6 receptions, 42 yards (7.0 yds/rec)
Tackles | Mutin – 8 / Jones – 8 / S. Williams – 5
Interceptions/Pass Breakups | D. Williams / Anenih – 1 PBU, no interceptions

Houston X-Factor |  Calm Tune

Houston jumped out to a 21-7 lead over Texas Tech last week but was unable to hold the early advantage thanks in large part to the play of their quarterback Clayton Tune. At one point in the game, ESPN gave the Cougars an 88.6 percent chance of victory. Then tune threw four interceptions, including one that was returned for the game-tying touchdown.

After several disjointed years marred by injuries, COVID-19 cancelations and an uncertain quarterback room, 2021 was supposed to be the year Tune put it all together. The depth chart is rather bare behind Tune. For better or worse, he’s the guy. If he turns in a similar performance against a ravenous Rice defense, Houston is going to be in for a very long day.

Rice X-Factor | First and second down

The quarterback situation is clearly at the top of the priority list for Rice, but given what we’ve seen about this team to this point and the dominance of the defense, the Owls shouldn’t need a herculean effort on that front to position themselves for a win.

No matter the trigger man, Rice has to do better on first and second down.

Rice started the Arkansas game facing third down lengths of the 8-yards, 9-yards, 3-yards, 5-yards, 14-yards, 6-yards, 8-yards and 9-yards. They converted twice.

It’s one thing to remain committed to running the football. It’s another to set yourself up to have to convert third and long too often. If Rice does that, they’re not going to find any sort of rhythm.

Pick ‘Em Contest (Subscribers only)

Make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. There will be swag and prizes for the top finishers at the end of the season. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and comment on this post on the Patreon page to enter. It’s that easy.

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Injury Report (Subscribers only)

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Need More?

The Roost’s 2021 Rice Football Season Preview has FIVE pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth charts, important new arrivals and positional breakdowns for every team in Conference USA sourced from local beat writers and sources on the ground who cover these teams every day. It’s the most thorough C-USA publication on the market.

One Final Thing

No definitive answer was given following the Owls’ Week 1 loss to Arkansas regarding how the quarterbacks would be deployed going forward. Head coach Mike Bloomgren is fiercely loyal, but and his staff have some hard conversations to have this week about the most important position player on the field.

Wiley Green was 12-for-25 in the opener, throwing for 152 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Luke McCaffrey was 5-for-10 for 75 yards in what amounted to two drives and a short portion of garbage time.

Given the defense Rice brings to the table, they might not need a perfect outing this week under center. But establishing some semblance of a rhythm is paramount with conference play looming soon. Bloomgren frequently preaches that teams make the biggest jump from game one to game two. They need to see that adjustment at quarterback this week.

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Conference USA Football 2021: Week 1 C-USA Roundup

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Conference USA Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 1.

Team Week 1 Result Week 2
Charlotte vs Duke W, 31-28 vs Gardner-Webb
FAU at Florida L, 35-14 vs Georgia Southern
FIU vs Long Island W, 54-10 vs Texas St.
LA Tech at Miss St. L, 35-34 vs SE Louisiana
Marshall at Navy W, 49-7 vs NC Central
MTSU vs Monmouth W, 50-15 at Virginia Tech
North Texas vs Northwestern St. W, 44-14 at SMU
Old Dominion at Wake Forest L, 42-10 vs Hampton
Rice at Arkansas L, 38-17 vs Houston
Southern Miss at South Alabama L, 31-7 vs Grambling
UAB vs Jacksonville St. W, 31-10 at Georgia
UTEP vs Bethune-Cookman W, 37-28 at Boise St.
UTSA at Illinois W, 37-30 vs Lamar
WKU vs UT Martin W, 59-21 at Army

Notable Week 1 results – Standings

Power 5 performances

Charlotte put future foes on notice with their first-ever win over a Power 5 program, upsetting Duke behind a masterful game from quarterback Chris Reynolds. He threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns, leading not one, but two go-ahead scoring drives in the fourth quarter. UTSA followed up with an encore performance for C-USA, topping Illinois on big days from Sincere McCormick and Zakhari Franklin.

Power 5 (gut) punches

Rice and Louisiana Tech each held double-digit leads over their respective Power 5 opponents. Then the fourth quarter hit. Both schools surrendered 21 unanswered fourth-quarter points, erasing the fleeting moments of anticipation and replacing them with heartache.

2-0 UTEP !!

UTEP won two games in their first 24 outings under Dana Dimel. The Miners won three contests last year, but for the first time in Dimel’s tenure, they’re 2-0, defeating New Mexico State and Bethune-Cookman to start the 2021 season on the right foot.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

More marquee moments?

After one massive upset in Week 1 and a few close calls, only one Conference USA school takes on a Power 5 opponent in Week 2 — Middle Tennessee. Their opponent, Virginia Tech, upset North Carolina in Week 1 while MTSU beat Monmouth. Knocking off the Hokies will be no small feat.

Big Bucket

Rice missed a golden opportunity at an upset victory in Week 1, faltering down the stretch against Arkansas. Now 0-1 with a date against Texas looming in Week 3, the Owls’ Week 2 rivalry game against Houston becomes all the more important.

AAC Auditions

Rumors are swirling regarding the various levels of realignment that have started to surface in recent weeks, among them, which schools could make the jump to the Big 12 and consequently, which schools could move into spots vacated in the American Athletic Conference. Rice and North Texas draw AAC opponents in Week 2 and both would be interested in making a positive pitch on the field.

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Rice Football: Questions abound at quarterback after opening defeat

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Rice football finds itself in an uncertain quarterback situation entering Week 2 of the 2021 season after Wiley Green struggled in the Owls’ opening game.

In mid-August, Rice football head coaches and players gathered (virtually) to discuss the upcoming season. How the quarterback situation would unfold was, understandably, the focal point of many of the questions they fielded on that day.

Amidst all the noise, Mike Bloomgren’s comments on that day resonated. “I think Wiley [Green]’s incredibly comfortable in our system,” he said on that Saturday morning following the first scrimmage of fall camp.

“Incredibly comfortable” might have been the antithesis of how Green looked in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s season-opening loss to Arkansas. Although Bloomgren offered an emphatic “no” post-game when asked if he considered pulling Wiley after his second of three interceptions, the damage had seemingly already been done.

Rice led Arkansas 17-7 early in the second half. The Razorbacks would rally, scoring 31 unanswered points thanks in large part to three turnovers from the arm of Wiley Green. A tipped ball on his first pick might have gone overlooked, but subsequent miscues when the pressure started to mount and the drives became more and more important proved to be unavoidable.

And that’s what makes the situation Rice football coaches will walk into on Monday morning all the more strenuous.

Green has looked comfortable throughout fall camp. His teammates look up to him. He was named a captain this past week. He knows the system, perhaps more than some of the coaches — and that’s not hyperbole. But when the lights shined brightest. He wasn’t able to deliver. And it wasn’t the first time.

Evaluating how much of those shortcomings can be attributed to the caliber of opponent Rice faced on Saturday, the influx of injuries suffered by the Owls throughout the game and some good old-fashioned bad luck rests on Bloomgren and his staff.

Can Green bounce back against a perhaps less-intimidating opponent next week? Has his body of work on the practice field earned him another chance? Should it?

The reality is, questions were always going to come. Opinions were going to be given, from those inside and outside the program.

More: Rice football loses halftime lead, falls to Arkansas 

And if Luke McCaffrey, a former blue-chip recruit and one of the most highly-rated prospects to ever arrive at South Main, had not been waiting on the bench behind him, the pressure of these questions might not have reached this level of intensity.

But because McCaffrey is on campus and because he’s fared well enough in his limited action thus far, the comparisons are going to keep coming.

For the umpteenth time, Green has had the deck stacked against him. He’s always found a way to battle back before. At the very least, doubting his resolve has been a fool’s errand to this point.

But even he was starkly honest following the defeat. “The guys expect more from me,” he said. “And I expect more from myself.” He didn’t she away from his mistakes, but he didn’t throw in the towel either.

Green is going to put together another strong week of practice. McCaffrey will continue to do his best to absorb as much of the offense as he can. But come next Saturday, it’s possible no one knows how Rice will deploy their top two passing options.

That’s more or less where Bloomgren left the conversation on Saturday, with the impact of the loss still fresh in his mind. “We’re going to watch this film. We’ll talk about it as a staff,” Bloomgren said, responding to a question regarding who would be the starting quarterback next week. “We’ll get back to you on that.”

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