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Rice Football: linebacker Blaze Alldredge enters Transfer Portal

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Rice Football linebacker Blaze Alldredge has entered the Transfer Portal. He will be missed at South Main.

The first few weeks of the offseason passed quietly for Rice football. The Owls picked up a few additional recruits, but for the most part, things were quiet on South Main. That silence was broken this week with two big news items regarding two of the most influential players on the 2020 team.

Wide receiver Austin Trammell will play in the College Gridiron Showcase, marking the end of his collegiate career as he aspires to a pro career. It appears that Trammell’s teammate and fellow team captain Blaze Alldredge will not return to South Main in 2021 either, instead, he has chosen to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, confirmed by The Roost.

A senior this past fall, Alldredge came to Rice from junior college. He’ll take advantage of the blanket waiver extended to all athletes that participated in FBS football in the fall, giving him one more year of collegiate eligibility.

The list of accolades Alldredge amassed in three years at South Main is staggering. He finished second in the nation in tackles for a loss during his junior season, receiving all-conference honors in each of the past two seasons. He’s been among the best at his position in Conference USA since he arrived. Now, presumably, he’ll use his post-graduate season at a Power 5 program.

Alldredge is the most notable player to enter the portal following the season. So far, Chris Boudreaux, Jonathan Sanchez and jawan King are the only other Owls to enter. Like Alldredge, both Boudreaux and Sanchez would be graduate transfers.

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Rice Football: 10 Takeaways from 2020 season

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The 2020 Rice football season was filled with highs and lows. After time to reflect, what can we take away from the Owls’ five-game campaign?

From rocky beginnings to the National Championship Game, the 2020 season is finally in the books. Rice football participated in five games, experiencing the full range of emotions. There was the quadruple-doink and an upset for the ages.

For those that haven’t relive some of the highpoints in the season with The Roosties, an annual Rice football awards show from The Roost Podcast. You can also check out our 2020 Rice Football Team Superlatives, featuring more traditional awards like Team MVP, Offense and Defensive Player of the Year and more.

And with that, a few final thoughts on the 2020 season with some forward-thinking questions about how the Owls’ former season will impact the ones to come.

1. Rice proved they can score

Rice football played 24 games against FBS opponents in Bloomgren’s first two seasons at South Main. The Owl reached 30 points in just two of those contests. Those two occasions came in the midst of their three game winning streak that capped off the 2019 season. Rice opened 2020 with back-to-back 30-point performances. That marks five outings of 30 or more points in the Owls’ most recent eight games compared to zero in the first 21. That’s a pretty stark difference.

2. Rice has some weapons on offense

Part of the reason for further optimism with the offense is the playmakers Rice will return in 2020. Even if they do lose senior Austin Trammell, wideout Jake Bailey proved to be a chain mover and a big play threat this season. Andrew Mason showed sparks. Running backs Juma Otoviano and Khalan Griffin were both productive. And more talent is on the way, especially in the wide receiving corps.

3. This defense could be the best in C-USA

The 20-0 shutout on the road at Marshall will forever be etched among the best wins Rice has seen in this century. The list of accolades and firsts from that game was exhausting (in a good way), but the performance also served as an exclamation point on work Rice was already building. Rice finished third in scoring defense, fourth against the run, sixth against the pass and third in total defense this season. And they have lots of depth returning in 2021.

4. The Transfer Portal has been kind to the Owls

Hitting on more than half of your transfers is a fairly robust number. Rice has batted much closer to 1.000 in Bloomgren’s tenure than many might realize. Mike Collins was tremendous in his three games. Former JUCO addition Miles McCord was a crucial starter for the Rice secondary this year. Jovaun Woolford played well on the offensive line. Once more, Rice filled the holes they needed with talented additions from the portal.

5. Rice is close

Rice won by three scores in both of their wins in 2020. They lost by a touchdown or less in two contests and fell by 10 points in the other. A cruel field goal bounce separated the Owls from a 2-3 season and a possible bowl berth. The Owls’ only 10 point win in 2019 came in their season finale against UTEP. They lost by more than a touchdown five times in nine defeats. The wins are getting better and the losses are getting closer. A few better bounces and the record should come around, too.

Rice Football, postseason survey

Areas of Concern

6. The offense wasn’t nearly as good without Mike Collins

The drop off in production was stark when Mike Collins was not on the field. When JoVoni Johnson and Wiley Green were taking snaps the same offense that averaged 30 points per game with Collins dropped to 14.5 offensive points per game without him. If Collins does not return in 2020, Rice is going to have to find a way to get better production out of the quarterback spot. The addition of another grad transfer quarterback certainly suggests that room may look different in 2021.

7. The running game hasn’t really broken out

Rice averaged 2.8 yards per carry this season, a fair deal below the 3.5 and 3.9 yards per carry they averaged in 2019 and 2018, respectively. For an offense as committed to moving the chains on the ground, coming in below three yards per carry should sound some alarms. That number is skewed to some degree, by a disastrous game against North Texas, but Rice didn’t run the ball particularly well against UAB either.

8. Rice saved all their turnovers for one game

The Rice defense picked off six passes in 12 games in 2019. They had five in one afternoon against Marshall in 2020. Beyond that, Rice only had one other interception in four additional games. They added three fumble recoveries. Turnovers are somewhat of a fluky stat, but Rice has consistently finished in the bottom half of the league in takeaways in recent years.

9. Too many special teams mistakes

Rice has been among the league leaders in special teams over the last three years. NFL Pro Bowler Jack Fox helped the Owls get there, but the rest of the coverage and return units have done their part even with him in the pros. The return units did not deliver this season. Rice fumbled three punts and had a return touchdown called back via penalty.

10. Uncertain 2021 roster makeup

2020 was circled as the year Rice would have all of their proverbial ducks in a row. Then the pandemic hit. Then the injuries came. Rice did the most with what they had, snatching a marquee win, but it wasn’t quite the season anyone expected. The senior class has another free year of eligibility, should they chose to exercise it. The unknown of who will (and won’t) be back, makes it hard to look to far into what rosters will look like in 2021.

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Rice Football 2020: NFL Owls Wildcard Round update

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Rice Football is well represented on 2020 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action on Wild Card weekend.

There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player. Four Rice football alums are on playoff teams this year.

Wildcard Round Results

Buffalo def. Indianapolis, 27-24
Los Angeles Rams def. Seattle, 30-20
Tampa Bay def. Washington, 31-23
Baltimore def. Tennessee, 20-13
New Orleans def. Chicago, 21-9
Cleveland (Sendejo) def. Pittsburgh (Boswell, McDonald), 48-37

Divisional Round Schedule

Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay, Saturday – 3:35 p.m.
Tampa Bay at New Orleans, Sunday – 5:40 p.m.
Baltimore at Buffalo, Saturday – 7:15 p.m.
Cleveland (Sendejo) at Kansas City, Sunday – 2:05 p.m.

NFL Owls Update

Vance McDonald – TE, Steelers

McDonald was targeted twice, but did not catch any passes in the Steelers’ Wildcard Round defeat by the Browns. He has 17 career playoff receptions, but none in the Wildcard round. His 2020 season has come to an end.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

After being listed as a limited participant in practice, Boswell returned to action this week following a few missed games over the latter third of the season. He made his only field goal attempt in the Steelers’ Wildcard Round defeat by the Browns, also converting a pair of extra points. His 2020 season has come to an end.

Andrew Sendejo – Saf, Browns

Sendejo missed the Browns’ regular season finale against the Steelers after being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list but made a return to the field for their Wildcard Round rematch. He tallied five tackles and one pass deflection in the victory. The Browns will visit the Chiefs in the Divisional Round next weekend. The game is set for Sunday at 3:05 p.m.

Luke Willson – TE, Seahawks

Willson rejoined the Seahawks in time for their playoff push but was not active for their Wildcard Round defeat by the Los Angeles Rams. Willson, who began the season with the Seahawks, last saw action with Baltimore in Week 13. His 2020 season is over.

Offseason Owls

Both Jack Fox and Bryce Callahan were named to the Pro Football Focus All-Pro First Team this past week.

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 Recruiting: Transfer QB Jake Constantine commits to Owls

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The 2021 Rice Football Recruiting doubled down on its quarterback contingent. Weber State transfer Jake Constantine has committed to the Owls.

The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class filled out the majority of its spots during the Early Signing Period. The vast majority of those additions came from the high school ranks. The most recent three, all of which occurred following the Owls’ press conference announcing the class, have been from the transfer ranks. That includes new quarterback commit Jake Constantine.

Constantine’s journey to South Main has been a unique one that began at Boise State, where he redshirted as a true freshman before transferring to Venture Junior College. After a one season stint there, he stepped up to the FCS level at Weber State where he helped lead the Wildcats to back-to-back Big Sky championships.

The plan, from that point, was to spend his final season of eligibility at Towson. That was halted when the Colonial Athletic Association canceled its’ fall football season. So Constantine decided to walk-on at Washington State, but ended up not playing for the Cougars this fall. Barring further pandemic-effects, he’ll spend his final season in Houston with Rice football.

Constantine marks the fourth graduate transfer this staff has signed in the last four recruiting class. His addition, alongside high school signee Shawqi Itraish and current underclassmen JoVoni Johnson, Wiley Green and TJ McMahon make for a rather full quarterback room.

Subscribers can check out takeaways from the entire 2021 class so far, as well as breakdowns of the signees on offense and defense. As things currently stand, Rice should only have a few remaining spots when they get to National Signing Day in February. Most of the Owls’ next wave of incoming players are signed and ready to go.

Premium: 2021 Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

On the field, Constantine brings a pretty good deep ball with a bit of mobility. He doesn’t have the cannon that Collins did, but his accuracy looks to be a touch or two better. Bringing three years of experience as a starter will be a plus.

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Rice Football: Special Team Coach Drew Svoboda hired by Memphis

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The Rice football coaching staff will look slightly different next season. The Owls will have to replace special teams coach Drew Svoboda.

Coaching staff changes are part of the norm in today’s college football. Rice football coach Mike Bloomgren has fairly well when it comes to retaining his staff but hasn’t curtailed turnover completely.

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This offseason Rice football will have to replace its special teams coordinator. Drew Svoboda has been hired for the same role by the Memphis Tigers. Yahoo’s Pete Thamel was first to report. The Roost has since confirmed.

Further Staff notes

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