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The Roost Podcast | Ep 57 – Rice Football vs MTSU Game Preview

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Rice football returns to the gridiron this week! The Owls’ host Middle Tennessee in their 2020 season opener. Carter and Matthew break down the matchup.

The extended offseason is over and it’s game week. For the first time this fall, we recorded a game preview. From the X’s and O’s and how Rice football matches up with Middle Tennessee to the crucial must-do’s to pull out a win, Carter and Matthew covered it all.

It wasn’t all game news, though. Injuries remain a focal point of the hand Rice has been dealt so far. The first depth chart is missing some key names and the Owls are going to have to start the season with some thin spots in the secondary and at wide receiver.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 57.

Episode 57 Notes

  • Housekeeping — Don’t miss this opportunity to subscribe on Patreon. You’ll get practice reports, recruiting news and the latest analysis and updates on all things relating to Rice Athletics.
    Become a Patron!
  • Conference USA news and notes
  • Rice Football news and notes
    • Rice names captains: Alldredge, Grammer, Trammell, Myers, Riddle
    • ESPN FPI likes the Owls
    • First depth chart released: key takeaways
  • Rice Football vs Middle Tennessee game preview
    • What to look for when Middle Tennessee has the ball
    • Asher O’Hara’s struggles under pressure
    • What to look for when Rice has the ball
    • How the Owls can attack an aggressive, but porous Blue Raider defense

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Rice Football Film Room 2020: Middle Tennessee Preview

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The Rice Football Film Room is back for 2020! And, thanks to the weirdness of the 2020 season, we have actual game tape of Middle Tennessee.

When Middle Tennessee comes to Houston on Saturday they’ll be taking the field for their seventh game of the 2020 season. Rice football will, of course, be kicking off for the very first time. A slight benefit of this peculiar circumstance is the amount of game tape available on Middle Tennessee. We’ve got quite a bit of it. Let’s dive in, shall we?

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Just like last year, junior quarterback Asher O’Hara is the heart and soul of the Blue Raiders’ offense. There had been hope among the MTSU fanbase that the offense would diversify a bit this year to take some of the playmaking pressure off O’Hara.

Running backs Chaton Mobley and Jayy McDonald have both impressed in their carries thus far, but they’ve combined for 75 carries in the team’s six games, compared to a whopping 102 non-sack rushes for O’Hara. And even with a brief benching earlier in the season, he still accounts for 188 of their 210 pass attempts.

O’Hara is an effective runner if not an explosive one. He averages 4.8 yards per carry minus the sacks, but with a long of only 31 yards. What he lacks in straight-line speed, he makes up for in elusiveness, juking and spinning his way to extra yardage to move the chains. He’s unfortunately not taken the extra step as a passer this year, averaging only 6.3 yards per attempt, with 8 interceptions to only 9 touchdowns.

Key 1: Getting Pressure on the MTSU Offense

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Rice Football 2020: Owls in the NFL Week 6 Update

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Rice Football is well represented on 2020 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 6.

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

Week 6 results

Pittsburgh (Boswell, McDonald) def. Cleveland (Sendejo), 38-7
Indianapolis def. Cincinnati (Covington), 31-27
Denver (Anderson, Callahan) def. New England, 18-12
Detroit (Fox) def. Jacksonville, 34-16
Tennessee def. Houston (Gaines), 42-36
Seattle (Willson) — BYE

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

Anderson has remained a fixture on the Broncos’ special teams units through the teams’ first five games. He played on six snaps in their Week 6 win over the Patriots, all on special teams. The Broncos host the Chiefs in Week 7.

Vance McDonald – TE, Steelers

McDonald drew the start for the fourth time this season, but was held without a catch as the Steelers easily dispatched of Cleveland in Week 6. McDonald played on 62 percent of offensive snaps, but wasn’t targeted through the air, instead he made his mark as a blocker. The Steelers visit the Titans in Week 7.

Luke Willson – TE, Seahawks

The Seahawks were on bye in Week 6. They visit the Cardinals in Week 7.

Defense and Special Teams

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell has made five extra points in consecutive games, bringing his season total up to 17 makes in 18 attempts this season. He also converted a 35-yard field goal, his seventh on the season in as many attempts. The Steelers visit the Titans in Week 7.

Bryce Callahan – CB, Broncos

Callahan had his first interception of the season in Week 6 against the Patriots. It was one of three takeaways for Denver on the day, helping propel them to victory. Callahan also had one tackle and two passes defended. The Broncos host the Chiefs in Week 7.

Christian Covington – DL, Bengals

Covington had one tackle in the Bengals’ Week 6 game against the Colts, his third consecutive start and his fourth of the season. He’s played in more than 50% percent of the snaps in all but one game this season. The Bengals host the Browns in Week 7.

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox didn’t see much work this weekend as the Lions marched up and down the field against the Jaguars. He was limited to two punts on relative shorts field, averaging 45 yards. He still leads the NFL in average and net putting through six weeks. The Lions visit the Falcons in Week 7.

Phillip Gaines – CB, Texans

Gaines didn’t see much action for the Texans in their Week 6 overtime loss to the Titans. He played one defense snap, spending the bulk of his time on special teams. The Texans host the Packers in Week 7.

Andrew Sendejo – Saf, Browns

Sendejo had seven tackles in the Browns’ Week 6 loss to the Steelers. It was the second-most tackles Sendejo has had in a game this year (10 vs Cincinnati) and led the Cleveland secondary. The Browns visit the Bengals in Week 7.

More Owls in the NFL

From practice squads to current free agents, there are others 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 2020: Middle Tennessee Depth chart released

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The first official depth chart of the 2020 Rice Football season has been released. Given the injuries and uncertainties, there’s a lot to unpack.

We’ve reach the end of fall camp and the beginning of Week 1 prep for Rice football. On Monday the Owls released their first depth chart for the 2020 season. Some positions aligned perfectly with expectations: Mike Collins is the QB1. Others provided more intrigue.

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Typically the weekly depth chart doesn’t come out until Tuesday when Rice will hold its weekly press conferences. Those came out a bit earlier than expected this week with everything going virtual. To that end, subscribers will want to stay tuned to practice reports later this week to see who will be in and out when game day arrives.

Don’t forget to put your entry in for the 2020 pick’em challenge

Here’s how Rice football will line up against Middle Tennessee

Rice Football depth chart

Expected results

Mike Collins is the Owls starting quarterback

This was never really in doubt during fall camp. Head coach Mike Bloomgren made it official last week. Now it’s been published in ink with no OR designation. Mike Collins will be the guy against Middle Tennessee. The third string man, if it had been listed, would have been Wiley Green, who started the Owls’ opener last season. That’s a pretty solid quarterback room after a few years of flux.

Surprises

Fullback

Brendan Suckley hasn’t been spotted so far during camp, so I wasn’t expecting him to be on the depth chart against Middle Tennessee. Brian Hibbard, who had taken reps in his place, was out last week as well. That left Jerry Johnson working with the ones. The move to insert Jaeger Bull is a surprise to be sure, but his skillset as a blocker and h-back type players makes the move a reasonable one.

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Conference USA Football 2020: Week 7 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 7.

Team Week 7 Result Week 8
Charlotte vs FIU PPD vs UTEP
FAU — OFF —  – at Marshall
FIU at Charlotte PPD — OFF —
LA Tech vs Marshall L, 35-17 at UTSA
Marshall at LA Tech W, 35-17 vs FAU
MTSU vs North Texas L, 52-35 at Rice
North Texas at MTSU W, 52-35 — OFF —
Rice — OFF —  — vs MTSU
Southern Miss at UTEP PPD at Liberty
UAB vs WKU w, 37-14 vs Louisianna
UTEP vs USM PPD at Charlotte
UTSA vs Army L, 28-16 vs LA Tech
WKU at UAB L, 37-14 vs Chattanooga

Notable Week 7 results – Standings

Medic!

What UTSA was able to accomplish to start its season is praiseworthy. Going 3-0 with a first time head coach with the offseason as challenging as it was proves something is in the works in San Antonio. What the new staff couldn’t do is predict the quarterback carousel. UTSA lost Lowell Narcissa against Army, after losing Josh Adkins earlier in the season. Previously injured Frank Harris replaced him. That’s a lot of injuries in a short span of time, which somewhat explains the backstep to 3-3.

If you can’t play defense…

North Texas can’t play defense. Regardless of who is available on any given Saturday, the Mean Green are just going to have to outscore their opponents. It worked this week. North Texas gained 768 yards, a season-high, and tallied 52 points, the most the team has scored against a Conference USA opponent since beating UTEP at home last November,

Sitting at home on Saturday

Two Conference USA games were postponed this week, bringing the total up to 14 conference games postponed since the season began. Some schools have been hit harder than others and only two schools (Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee) have avoided any postponements to this point.

Week 8 storylines

Rice Football is back!

After delaying its season on several occasions, Rice football returns to the gridiron in Week 8. The Owls host Middle Tennessee next weekend with no fans permitted inside the stadium. Rice is trending upwards and has high expectations for the year, making a win in their home opener an important first step.

Those extra weekends could come in handy

Conference USA announced a delay to its conference championship game this week. Rather than playing it on Dec. 5, the game was moved to Dec. 18, giving two more weekends of buffer at the end of the year. FAU already has a game that weekend and could need the other weekend soon. The Owls are working through an outbreak and have already postponed multiple games this season.

Sun Belt showdown

UAB has proven itself to be the creme of the crop in Conference USA. Their coming test against Louisiana could be another feather in the Blazers’ cap. For the most part, nonconference play hasn’t treated C-USA well this year. A UAB win would help ease a few lopsided losses the conference has suffered so far.

Rice Football Opponent Scouting Report

A weekly update on who the Owls will be playing this season including updates on key storylines, injuries and more.

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